Downed German Ju 88 Reconnaissance Aircraft Near Istra, July 1941

October 17, 2025 - Reading time: 6 minutes

Downed German Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft near Istra, Moscow region, shot down by Soviet fighters, July 1941.

This World War II photograph shows the wreckage of a German Junkers Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft, shot down near the town of Istra, west of Moscow, on July 25, 1941. The aircraft, bearing the code F6+AK (Werknummer 0285), belonged to the 2nd Long-Range Reconnaissance Squadron (2.(F)/122) of the Luftwaffe’s 122nd Reconnaissance Group. It was intercepted and forced down by Soviet pilots from the 3rd Fighter Aviation Corps during a reconnaissance mission over the Moscow–Kaluga region.

The Ju 88 crash-landed in a clearing near Istra and was largely intact. Five days later, Soviet authorities transported the aircraft to Sverdlov Square (now Teatralnaya Square) in central Moscow, where it was displayed as a war trophy — one of the first visible symbols of German aircraft losses on the Eastern Front during Operation Barbarossa.

The aircraft’s crew consisted of:

• Lt. Wilhelm Stuckmann — pilot

• Feldwebel Wilfred Anders — navigator

• Gefreiter Bruno Sievert — radio operator

• Gefreiter Ludwig Werner — gunner

According to surviving German records, the entire crew was listed as missing in action (MIA).

The Ju 88, a versatile twin-engine aircraft used as a bomber, reconnaissance plane, and night fighter, was one of the Luftwaffe’s workhorses during World War II. However, in the early months of the invasion of the Soviet Union, many such aircraft were lost to determined Soviet air defenses and aggressive fighter patrols.

Photographed by Margaret Bourke-White, one of the most renowned war correspondents of the era, this image vividly documents the shift from the seemingly unstoppable German advance to the first tangible Soviet successes in the defense of Moscow.

Technical photo data:

📍 Location: Istra, Moscow region, USSR
📅 Date: July 1941
📝 Event: Downing of German Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft (F6+AK)
📷 Author: Margaret Bourke-White

• Downed Ju 88 reconnaissance aircraft USSR
• Luftwaffe reconnaissance losses 1941
• Soviet fighter interception Operation Barbarossa
• Captured German plane displayed Moscow
• WWII photo Istra Moscow region 1941