The Junkers Ju.87 B-2, best known as "Stuka," was a single engine German dive bomber, easily recognizable by its inverted gull wings and fixed undercarriage. The Stuka's design included several innovative features, including automatic pull-up dive brakes and a famous siren, the Jericho-Trompete, which would unleash a morale crushing whine when diving. The Stuka was widely used with great success during the first period of the Battle of Britain, although it later showed its vulnerability against well-organized opposition.

Sturzkampfgeschwader 77 StG 77 spearheaded the German blitzkrieg in Poland and France, but suffered heavy losses of men and machines during the earliest part of the Battle of Britain, when it was used to raid on enemy shipping and islands.