The Jumo 211 was one of the most successful and widespread Junkers aircraft engines. Its prototype was built in the mid-1930s starting from the 210 model to obtain better performance, as requested by the German Air Ministry, while maintaining the layout with inverted V-twelve cylinders and the sophisticated direct fuel injection system. Its production, started in 1937, was spread over various factories, reaching a total of over 68,000 units in 1944. Junkers built many versions of the 211 engine, characterized by various technical and performance improvements: the J version, introduced in 1942, is one of the most powerful of those produced in series, which features the use of an intercooler to lower the temperature of the compressed air fed by the supercharger. Most of the Jumo 211 engines were used in bomber aircraft, including the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka (abbreviation for Sturzkampfflugzeug, i.e. dive bomber aircraft), also used in Italy by some wings of the Regia Aeronautica during the Second World War.