This comes from "JU-87 Stuka in Action" by Brian Filley...Color by Don Greer...Illustrated by James G. Robinson... from Squadron/Signal Publications Aircraft No. 73....on page 25, the lower left hand pic shows two Ju-87R's returning from a mission on the Med in 1941... The Stuka in the foreground obviously has no gunner in the rear seat. This was the pic I remember seeing somewhere else with the caption stating that many of these overwater anti-shipping patrols were done as a pilot only op... I'm still trying to find that dang thing, and if I can't I will have to retract that statement about solo Stuka operations.... What are you working on anyway? A long and complex Stuka campaign would be fantastic...... (I can't post the pic as my scanner is on the flitz....hope you can find it from the source material).... Oh, and by the way...I would never spread 'nonsense"..... That was pretty rude... if I'm wrong then, I'm wrong....no need to be insulting.... Thanks

So this is all you have for posting your bold statement?
A bit of blurry this image, but no comment regarding a missing radiooperator/gunner. In my opinion the darker spot inside the cockpit - red marked - could have been well the gunner. Whatelse should it be?
The way you posted about this suggested clearly it is a matter of fact you got from a distinct source. In fact it's just your own assumption/opinion not based on any evidence or source! Such can make me getting rude, of course!

Of course there could have been pics without seeing a gunner - i. e. when he did slide down being wounded after combat, or when the units were withdrawn from action for refreshing/reforming, pure transfer or training flights etc.
Do you know this pic shows 2./StG3 aircraft over Rhodes shortly after the balkans/crete campaign in summer 1941 (not 'early' 1941, the white MTO tailband on the second aircraft indicates this)? The unit rested there for a while before transferring to northern africa. No combat missions during this period.
You will never find inflight pics without a gunner on a combat mission - except when he was wounded/killed.

Apart from all this cheap publications like i. e. Osprey, Squadron Signal are just useful as pure pic collections - they unfortunately
aren't much reliable regarding comments, facts and profiles.

ATB
Armin

Bold Statement? Why in the world would the guy be all scrunched up in the top part of the gun canopy...there isn't even a gun mounted... and why do you make fun of this? I'm simply trying to have a discussion, and if I am wrong, well, then I'm wrong.. I'm not making fun of you, so let's please keep this civil... On the other hand, I can't seem to be able to validate what I said thru text, so I will admit that you are most likely correct... Hey, you seem to know a lot more about this than me, but I am no Aircraft specialist.... I served 15 years in the Army on M1A1/M1A2 battle tanks... I know tanks like the back of my hand... When I was stationed in Germany, I had the wonderful opportunity to spend two Christmas's with a German family... Kurt, the father, had been a Tiger tank commander in the war... He served under Rommel in the drive thru France, and in North Africa/Tunisia as well.... He got wounded there and went to the Eastern Front...fought in Tiger's the whole time and ended the war in Berlin...in a Tiger, after destroying 7 JS-2 tanks.... I got permission from my CO to let him ride with us at gunnery in Grafenwhoer, and Kurt simply said that " With a battalion of these M-1's, we would've stopped Ivan dead in his tracks".... I will let you be the aircraft pro, but if you ever want to know anything about tanks...just ask.... Your data in regards to posted Luftwaffe crew losses is the real key here...you state that they always listed BOTH the pilot and gunner.... that pretty much blows up what I said.... I stand corrected...