The Legendary Junkers Ju 52

Overview

• First flight 7 March 1932
• Manufacturer Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG (Germany)
• Type Three-engined transport and passenger aircraft (Ju 52/3m)
• Structure All-metal, corrugated duralumin construction
• Engines 3 × BMW 132 radials (550–880 hp each)
• Performance Top speed ≈ 290 km/h | Range ≈ 1 200 km | Ceiling ≈ 6 100 m
• Capacity Crew 3 | Up to 17 passengers or ≈ 3.9 t of cargo
• Total built 4 845 (1932–1945 + post-war license production)
• Film aircraft HB-HOT (Ju 52/3mg4e) – Swiss Air Force 1939–1985, appeared in Where Eagles Dare (1968)
• Fate of HB-HOT Crashed 4 Aug 2018 near Piz Segnas, Switzerland – 20 fatalities

Few aircraft are as instantly recognizable as the corrugated, three-engined Junkers Ju 52/3m – affectionately known as Tante Ju (“Aunt Ju”). For fans of Where Eagles Dare, it’s the rugged transport plane that carried Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood’s team across the snowy Alps. But long before its Hollywood fame, this German workhorse had already earned a legendary reputation in both civil and military aviation.

The Ju 52 was first flown in March 1932, designed by Hugo Junkers and engineer Ernst Zindel. Originally developed from the single-engine Ju 52/1m, it gained its distinctive look – and reliability – when two extra engines were added to the wings. Built entirely from corrugated duralumin, it was strong, slow, and utterly dependable. Lufthansa pilots soon gave it the nickname Tante Ju, a term of affection that stuck for decades.

In its early years, the Ju 52 became a symbol of modern air travel. Airlines from Argentina to Finland and from South Africa to Sweden ordered it, impressed by its ability to operate from short, rough airfields and carry up to 17 passengers in comfort. It was also one of the world’s first VIP aircraft, with a specially built version delivered to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in 1932.

When the Nazis came to power in 1933, Germany’s new air force – the Luftwaffe – urgently needed bombers. The Ju 52 wasn’t fast or sleek, but it was available, and hundreds were converted into bombers and transports. These early military versions saw action in the Spanish Civil War, carrying troops and supplies for Franco’s Nationalist forces. While it proved too slow for frontline combat, the Ju 52 became the Luftwaffe’s standard transport aircraft throughout World War II, dropping paratroopers, towing gliders, and ferrying men and materials across Europe and North Africa.

By the end of the war, more than 4,800 Ju 52s had been built, including license-produced versions in France and Spain. Its sturdy frame and forgiving flight characteristics made it a favorite with pilots. Even the Allied troops who captured them had a grudging respect for “Iron Annie,” as they called it.

In Sweden, the national airline AB Aerotransport (ABA) was among the first foreign buyers. A license-built Ju 52 was assembled in Limhamn in 1932, later serving both civilian routes and the Swedish Air Force during the war, under the designation Tp 5. Swedish Ju 52s were used for transport, training, and even parachute trials, and at least one was painted in full military colors.

The Ju 52’s story didn’t end in 1945. France’s Amiot factory built over 900 examples after the war, and Spain’s CASA continued production well into the 1950s. Some continued flying for decades – rugged, slow, and noisy, but utterly reliable. Lufthansa restored one to full flying condition in the 1980s, and its familiar growl could still be heard over European airshows until it was finally retired from regular flights in 2018.

The specific aircraft featured in Where Eagles Dare was registered HB-HOT, a Swiss-built Ju 52/3mg4e that had served with the Swiss Air Force from 1939 to 1985 before being acquired by the preservation group Ju-Air. It was this very aircraft that appeared not only in Where Eagles Dare (1968), but also later in Valkyrie (2008) and the German film Fly Away (2012). For years, it operated nostalgic sightseeing flights across the Alps, bringing the unmistakable rumble of Tante Ju to new generations.

Tragically, HB-HOT’s long career ended on 4 August 2018, when it crashed near Piz Segnas in the Swiss Alps, killing all 20 people on board. The official investigation concluded that the aircraft stalled after the pilots, both highly experienced, flew recklessly at low altitude in turbulent “hot and high” conditions. The engines were found to be underperforming, and investigators cited a poor safety culture within the company that tolerated rule-breaking and maintenance lapses. The disaster not only ended Ju-Air’s commercial operations but also brought a sorrowful close to the story of the same aircraft that once helped make Where Eagles Dare so visually iconic.

Today, a handful of Ju 52s survive in museums and private collections. Seeing one up close – with its distinctive corrugated skin and broad, braced wings – is like stepping back into another age. For Where Eagles Dare enthusiasts, it’s more than just a piece of machinery; it’s part of the film’s atmosphere, a metallic symbol of adventure, secrecy, and old-fashioned cinematic daring.

From the icy mountain passes of the movie to its long history of real-world service, Tante Ju remains a reminder of an era when flying was equal parts danger and romance – and when even a lumbering transport plane could become a screen icon.