Limited Edition: 1200 Pieces Worldwide 

Historic:

Ordered to stay and hold their positions by Hitler, the encircled German 6th Army at Stalingrad were informed that the Luftwaffe were about to establish an Air Bridge to keep them supplied with the food, ammunition and general supplies needed to allow around 300,000 German troops to keep fighting. In the depth of a Soviet winter and woefully unprepared for such an undertaking, Luftwaffe crews quickly learned that if Soviet aircraft didn't shoot them down during the flight in, they were just as likely to be destroyed on the ground, striking one of the many snow covered shell craters that littered Pitomnik airfield, or being hit by mortar or artillery fire from Soviet forces who were fighting their way ever closer.

If they did land safely, inexperienced ground crews lengthened the time aircraft stayed in this "hell hole" and when they did eventually leave, their aircraft would be laden with injured troops, desperate to escape the Stalingrad cauldron. With Luftwaffe supply efforts never coming anywhere close to delivering even the minimum quantities required by the beleaguered German troops in the Stalingrad region, Pitomnik airfield soon resembled something of an airfield graveyard, with burnt out and destroyed transport aircraft lining the edge of the runway, serving as something of a macabre aviation guard of honor for the aircrews which were still engaged in this increasingly desperate supply operation.

The Ju-52 entered service in April 1931 as a troop transport and bomber. During the Spanish Civil War, it ferried troops from Morocco to Spain and dropped some 6,000 tons of bombs. The three-engine Ju-52 served as a 17-passenger airliner for many nations, most famously with the German Lufthansa. Nicknamed "Iron Annie," the Ju 52 was built of strong corrugated metal. For air defense and tactical ground support it was armed with multiple machine guns and was fitted with bomb racks capable of carrying 3,307 lbs. of bombs. During WWII, 5,000 Ju-52s served in all fronts in a variety of roles, from troop transport to mine-laying.

Corgi's 1:72 scale Ju 52s require no configuration and are ready for display right out of the box. The beautifully replicated corrugated metal skin is noticeable to the touch. Corgi's Ju 52 series includes several different versions of this aircraft, including civilian airliners, floatplanes, troop transports and minesweepers. Military variants feature a 360-degree rotating dorsal mounted gunner with pivoting machine gun and waist-mounted gunner positions. Additional features include complex control surface detail and the distinctive toed-out wing mounted engines. A robust all-metal display-stand is included to support this large and heavy model.

Info: Junkers Ju 52 - Luftwaffe, BJ-YD, Stalingrad, USSR, Air Bridge Operations, November 1942