Heinkel He 111

History of Heinkel He 111

The Luftwaffe during World War II fielded three capable (albeit limited) medium-range bombers in the form of the Dornier Do 17, Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 111. The latter became the Empire's most important bomber during the war, although production numbers were surpassed by the rival Junkers Ju 88 series (15,138).

Part of the resurgent German army during the turbulent interwar period, the He 111 enjoyed a long service life, with the final version not retired until 1975 near Spain (as CASA 2. 111). In total, more than 7,000 models were produced, some of which were suitable for specific battlefield roles, such as transport, glider towing and torpedo delivery.

A very specialized transport version - the He 111Z "Zwilling" (detailed elsewhere on this page) - connects two complete He 111 fuselages via a common connecting inner wing structure, as described elsewhere The large Messerschmitt Me 321 glider produces dual function tow aircraft on this page.

Development

After the First World War (1914-1918) and the limitations of German industry - especially its war-fighting capabilities - some projects were carried out in secrecy or under the guise of private market operations of. The He 111 proved this, it was designed as a fast medium bomber disguised as a fast airliner. The design was led by brothers Siegfried and Walter Gunter in the early 1930s when they were inexperienced.

The starting point is the record-breaking Henkel 70, which is designed for fast transport of people and mail. It was designed with a very streamlined elliptical-wing main aircraft, of which 324 were eventually produced locally in Hungary as well.

The Type 70 was modified to a twin-engine layout, removing the nose-mounted engines and a pair of engines now mounted on the leading edges of the wings. The powerful elliptical wings were retained but lengthened, as was the fuselage. With a stepped cockpit, the engine of choice became the relatively underpowered BMW VI 6. 660 hp (each) oZ piston engines for more powerful engine varieties are reserved for "real" military aircraft.

A single vertical spoiler sits at the rear along with a low-set horizontal plane - all for aerodynamic efficiency. The fuselage is very tubular, with the wings of the main aircraft set low on the sides.

The landing gear features two single-wheeled main landing gear struts under the main body of the aircraft and a small tail wheel under the rear (the tail wheel can only be partially retracted into the fuselage). The first flight was recorded on February 24, 1935 - the prototype was a civilian registered He 111 V1 - although the top speed was limited to 225 mph, the final flight generally justified the design.

The V2 follows, again bearing the civilian badge but with refined wings, various engine setups from BMW and other general upgrades to reach speeds in the 255 mph range.

The

He 111s were useful medium bombers capable of various types of missions during their service, but it was not until the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 that their weaknesses against the staunch British fighter and anti-aircraft artillery defenses were finally exposed. The He 111s proved too slow to outrun the danger, and their defensive weapons network lacked all-around capability, forcing the Germans to spend more on escorting battle groups, which in turn lacked long-term engagement with enemy attack interceptions fuel required for the war.

However, the He 111 was still an effective bomber and attacked British military infrastructure such as radio centers, airports and even the British capital (London). However, its days as a direct attack platform were numbered and the Battle of Britain ended in a crushing defeat for Germany.

Such constraints forced the development of production lines, and the history of the He 111 was not fully written at this point in the war. It continued to function as a bomber during the Balkan invasion and as a torpedo bomber platform against Allied shipping during the Atlantic War.

This family of aircraft was subsequently deployed in large numbers in North Africa and the Middle East, where it remained valuable, contributing to the Maltese offensive against enemy light air defenses.

When Germany committed to the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941 (Operation Barbarossa), any new problems would arise with German logistics, and the He 111 had been pinned on the ruthless Eastern Front for years. Due to the inherent range of the He 111, low-flying ground attack became the norm as evidenced by the German He 111 numbers.

The end of the flagpole

By early 1943, the He 111 had seen its best fighting years, with Allied air superiority continuing to grow while the area controlled by the Axis powers dwindled. The He 111 quickly became obsolete and its performance did not improve against the new generation of Allied aircraft and pilots. The terror operation was a painful but ultimately doomed move by the Germans to push the He 111 into the role of a missile carrier.

At the same time, thanks to new aircraft and an efficient radar/communication network, the UK's reaction time is excellent. Despite the outdated label, the German operation of the He 111 did not end until the end of the war in May 1945.

Some He 111s went on to be used with other forces after the war, and few survive today (2014) as well-preserved museum exhibits. Both the RAF Museum in Hendon and RAF Duxford have a collection.

The Spanish models were the 2.111s manufactured under license from CASA and these models were in use until 1975. The Japanese Army designated the He 111 as the Army Type 98, but decided not to include it in inventory.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes