Heinkel He 59

History of Heinkel He 59

The military build-up that led to World War II (1939-1945) was largely managed in secrecy due to restrictions imposed on Germany after the end of World War I (1914-1918). Tanks were developed under the guise of farm implements, and aircraft were developed under civilian motives. The latter was demonstrated by the Heinkel 59, a maritime biplane that served the German army for most of World War II. It first flew in September 1931, entered service in 1935, and was officially retired in 1944.

A total of 142 prototypes of this type were produced. He 59 is also a veteran of the Battle of Britain (1940).

The German Heinkel Group was founded in 1922 by Ernst Heinkel himself in the postwar years. During the 1930s, the German military underwent various reorganizations and increased capabilities. Earlier in the decade, Heinkel was developing a new biplane to interest the German Navy (Reichsmarine) under the guise of a civilian passenger/cargo carrier (observation of world).

This product became the He 59, and spawned the sea-based seaplane and land-based prototypes, the He 59a and He 59b, respectively. The land-based B-model was the first to achieve flight between the two, although the sea-based A-model became the final form.

The aircraft has a traditional biplane wing layout, including upper and lower wing sections supported by a network of struts and cables. The fuselage is generally tubular, but has plate-like sidewalls. Accepted a twin-engine configuration, the nacelles were located in the cabins of the biplane wing assemblies outside the fuselage. An open-air cockpit is provided for standard operators of three to four people. The tail has a vertical tail with a low horizontal plane.

Size-wise, the He 59 becomes a relatively large seaplane, with a barrel length of 57 feet, a wingspan of 77.8 feet, and a height of 23.3 feet. The seaplane version has two large pontoons for the landing gear, which also house fuel depots. The overall structure of the aircraft consists of fabric, steel and wood.

An internal bomb bay was also installed.

The Luftwaffe adopted the He 59 as a torpedo bomber and maritime reconnaissance platform. Over time, these roles expanded to include minelaying, general transportation, search/rescue and pilot training. A collection of these aircraft was used by the German Condor Regiment during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), which proved to be a testing ground for new German equipment, such as the famous Messerschmitt Bf 109 monoblade. When World War II struck Europe again in September 1939, the aircraft was pushed back into its basic torpedo attack role and mine-laying duties.

Scouting outs were rife throughout their early service careers, and until 1942, the line saw the service of other characters. The Finnish Air Force used no more than four aircraft of this type in reconnaissance missions, and only for a short time in 1943.

By 1944, the series had reached its technical and operational end - severely surpassed by new enemy seaplanes and interceptor monoplanes.

In practice, the He 59 was considered an easy-to-operate aircraft, although its design was not without flaws. The engines - 2 liquid-cooled BMW VI ZU V12 engines, each producing 660 hp - were seen as underpowered for the airframe, so performance was never up to par. Performance specs include a top speed of 137 mph and a cruising speed of 115 mph. Operating range (585 miles base, 950 miles ferry) is another limiting feature, forcing reliance on auxiliary fuel tanks for longer range. The aircraft has a service ceiling of 11,480 feet.

Weapons are another known shortcoming of the product - 3 x 7.92mm MG-15 machine guns are used to defend the nose, dorsal and ventral positions. The offensive bomb load is equivalent to 2,200 pounds of conventionally dropped bombs or a single 1,764-pound torpedo.

Often slow and bulky, the He 59 was easy prey for any Allied fighter jet or warship that happened to come across it.

Heinkel manufactured several variants of the He 59 product, led by the "one-off" prototypes He 59a and He 59a. The He 59A was fourteen test machines. The He 59B-1 was used as 16 pre-production mounts. The He 59B-2 was an improved version, and the He 59B-3 became a reconnaissance version. The He 59C-1 was an unarmed trainer, followed by the He 59C-2 as a properly equipped air and sea rescue aircraft.

The He 59D-1 is a "combo" brand that combines the facilities and features of the C-1 and C-2 variants. The He 59E-1 is a dedicated torpedo bomber trainer and the He 59E-2 is a reconnaissance trainer.

Likewise, the He 59N was used for navigation training and was retrofitted from an existing stock of He 59D-1 airframes.

Specification

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Performance

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Changes