The type was employed by various air forces on both sides of the conflict, although the first military use of the Ju 86 was during the Spanish Civil War, where it was flown by the Condor Legion with mixed results.

At one point, Junkers was developing the Ju 86R, fitted with even larger wings and new engines, to attain even higher altitudes, but this model never progressed beyond the prototype stage.

By the twenty-first century, only a single Ju 86 is known to still exist; it is on permanent static display at the Swedish Air Force Museum outside Linköping.

[6] The airliner version replaced these bomb cells with seating for ten passengers; furthermore, the fuel tanks were relocated from the fuselage to the wings.

[7] As the Jumo 205 was unavailable when the first prototype airframe was completed, the bomber-configured Ju 86ab1 was fitted with Siemens SAM 22 radial engines instead when it performed its maiden flight on 4 November 1934.

Many of the early modifications made were centred around increasing the aircraft's stability, such as the addition of a spine-like dorsal fin on the tail end of the fuselage on the Ju 86C.

[12] Early use of the Jumo-powered Ju 86 bomber in the Spanish Civil War showed that it was inferior to the He 111, with the diesel engines being unsuitable for rough treatment during combat and thus difficult to keep operational.

[15] While the Ju 86 was deemphasised as a bomber as time went on, Junker opted to continue development of the aircraft as a high altitude platform for both reconnaissance and bombing missions.

[12] The Ju 86P, which possessed a longer wingspan, pressurized cabin, Junkers Jumo 207A-1 turbocharged two-stroke, opposed-piston diesel engines and a two-man crew, could fly higher than 12,000 m (39,000 ft), where it was felt to be safe from enemy fighters.

[16] During early 1942, Junkers was working on the Ju 86R, which used even larger wings and new engines that were reportedly capable of even higher altitudes - up to 16,000 m (52,500 ft) - in order to continue evading increasingly advanced interceptors.

The Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet-engined Ju 86Z-7 was delivered to AB Aerotransport (ABA) of Sweden (one, for use as a mail carrier), Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano (three), and South African Airways (SAA) (seventeen).

[citation needed] The Ju 86K was an export model, also built under license in Sweden by Saab as the B 3 with (905 hp) Bristol Mercury XIX radial engines.

[23] A single Gruppe of Ju 86 bombers (III KG 1 "Hindenburg") remained in operational service at the start of the Second World War and were used in the invasion of Poland, but replaced soon after.

[24] Soon after the conflict started, the Luftflotte (Air Fleet) commanders raided their training schools for Ju 52s as transport aircraft, together with their experienced aircrew instructors.

However, his contention that "the need for air transport services would soon reach tremendous proportions" was simply brushed aside by the commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring.

[15] In late 1942, all available aircraft, including Ju 86s, were pulled out of the training schools to reinforce the Luftwaffe's transport force in its attempt to supply the German 6th Army, besieged at Stalingrad.

They were unsuited to the transport role, and suffered heavy losses (42 Ju 86s were lost by the end of January 1943) before being forced out of the airlift when the Soviets captured Tatsinskaya, not having the range to reach Stalingrad from the replacement airfields.

These aircraft were initially used for coastal patrols along with the sole Ju 86K-1, playing an important role in the interception of the German blockade runner SS Watussi [de] in December 1939.

An independent bomber squadron, equipped with a mix of Ju 86s and Ca 135s was deployed in support of the Hungarian Gyorshadtest (or Fast Corps) during the German-led invasion of the Soviet Union.

[37] Data from The warplanes of the Third Reich,[48] Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[49] and Warbirds Resource Group[50]General characteristics Performance