Type: Fighter aircraft (also tested as a Dive Bomber)
Engine: A number of different engines were offered:
Bristol Jupiter VII
BMW Hornet
P&W Wasp
Jaguar Major GF
Jaguar S
Jaguar Major S
Bristol Jupiter VI
Siemens Sh20
Dimensions
Length: 8.55 m.
Wing Span: 12.40 m.
Height: 2.80 m
Max Speed: 300 km/hr (with the BMW engine)
Range: 500 km
Maximum Ceiling: 4250 m
Crew: 2
NOTES
This image is something of a mystery. It depicts a Junkers K.47, German registration number D-2284, with
Latvian Ugunskrusts markings. They are definitely Latvian, as they do not conform to either the Finnish or
German use of this symbol and the symbol appears on the point, as it does on Latvian military aircraft.
The working hypothesis is that the aircraft was being demonstrated by Junkers in hopes of generating some
sales. Some manufacturers would paint the potential customer's markings on the plane as a sales practice, which
could explain the image. At no time did a Junkers K.47 ever appear on the Latvian Air Force lists.
My thanks to Paul Bezouska who appears to have solved this mystery:
"Prior the [German] election of 1933 several pilots flew propaganda for the Nazi party with the swastikas on the undersides of
the wings or on one side and the text "Wählt NSDAP" (elect NSDAP) on the other wing underside. This K47 is such
an example, other aircraft known to me had been a Klemm L 25 (or L26) and a Junkers F 13."
This particular aircraft, D-2284, underwent Dive Bomber trials in Breslau and the knowledge gained in these trials
was subsequenly used in the development of the JU-87 Stuka.
Sources
Profile courtesy of Arvo Vercamer
If anyone has access to the Junkers archives or other sources of information about the event depicted in this photo,
I would be very pleased to hear from them. ( Zulis@aol.com )
