Heinkel He 111

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He 111
Type Medium bomber
Manufacturer Heinkel Flugzeugwerke
Designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter
Maiden flight 24 February 1935
Introduced 1936
Retired 1945
Primary user Luftwaffe
Produced 1935-1944
Number built 7,300 estimated
Variants CASA 2.111

The Heinkel He 111 was the primary Luftwaffe medium bomber during the early stages of World War II, and is perhaps the most famous symbol of the German side of the Battle of Britain. By the time of that conflict, in 1940, the He 111 was nearing obsolescence. Nonetheless, it was produced until 1944, and used increasingly in the transport and re-supply role.

Contents

[edit] History

In the early 1930s Ernst Heinkel decided to build the world's fastest passenger plane, a lofty goal met with more than a little skepticism by the German aircraft industry and its newly evolving political leadership. Heinkel entrusted the development to the Günter brothers, fairly new to the company and untested.

The aircraft was superior to the already fast Lockheed 9 Orion that their design was competing against. The first example of their soon-to-be-famous Heinkel He 70 Blitz (“Lightning”) rolled off the line in 1932 and immediately started breaking records. In its normal four passenger version its speed almost reach 200 mph (320 km/h), even though it was powered by only a single 600 hp (447 kW) BMW V1 engine. The elliptical wing, which the Günther brothers had already used in the Bäumer Sausewind sports plane before they joined Heinkel, became a feature in many subsequent designs the brothers developed.

The design immediately garnered the interest of the Luftwaffe, which was looking for medium bombers for military service.

The future Heinkel He 111 was a more powerful twin-engine version of the Blitz, producing an aircraft that had many of the Blitz's features – including its elliptical inverted gull wing, small rounded control surfaces, and BMW engines. With location of the engines the only notable change in appearance, the new He 111 design was often called the Doppel-Blitz (“Double Lightning”).

[edit] Early Variants

Image:He1112KG26.JPG
Heinkel He 111H-3 of 2./Kampfgeschwader 26, circa 1941
Image:He 111 Wreck LOC 8e00286u.jpg
Heinkel 111 wreck in North Africa, circa 1942

The first prototype, He 111 V1 (W.Nr. 713, D-ADAP), first flew from Rostock-Marienehe on 24 February 1935 [1]. It was followed by the civilian-equipped V2 and V4 in May 1935. The V2 (W.Nr. 715, D-ALIX) used the bomb bay as a four-seat "smoking compartment" with another six seats behind it in the rear fuselage. V2 entered service with Lufthansa in 1936, along with five newly built versions known as the He 111 C. The design was only masquerading as an airliner. The aircraft was intended to be a bomber as the Luftwaffe began rearmament. The initial reports from the test pilot, Gerhard Nitschke, were favourable. It flight performance and handling were impressive although it dropped its wing in the stall. As a result the passenger variants had their wings reduced from 25 to 23 metres. The military aircraft, the V1, V3 and V5 spanned just 22.6 metres[2].

The first prototypes were underpowered, as they were powered only by 578hp BMW VI 6.0 six-cylinder in-line engines. This was eventually increased to 999 hp with the fitting of the DB (Daimler-Benz)600 engines into the V5, which became the prototype of the 'B' series.

Only Ten He 111 A-0 models based on the V3 were built, but they proved to be underpowered and were eventually sold to China. The first He 111B made its maiden flight in the autumn of 1936. After improvements the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM - Air Ministry) ordered 300 He 111B-1s; the first were delivered in January 1937. The B-2 variant had its engines upgraded to the supercharged DB 600C, of 850 hp or in some cases the 600G, of 925 hp. The B-2 began to roll off the production lines at the Heinkel works in Oranienburg in 1937[3]. In late 1937 the D-1 series entered production. However the DB600Ga engine with 1,074 hp, planned for this variant, was instead allocated to the Bf 109 and Bf 110 production lines. Heinkel then opted to use Jumo engines, and the He 111 V6 was tested with Juno 210 G engines but was vastly underpowered. However the improved 999 hp Juno 211 A-1 powerplant prompted the cancellation of the D series altogether and concentration on the design of the E series[4].

The E-1s came off the production line in February 1938, and a number of these aircraft served in the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War in March 1938. In a way the positive performance influenced later variants. The Luftwaffe believed that because the E variant outran enemy fighters there was no need to upgrade defensive weaponry, which would prove a mistake from the Battle of Britain onward. The fuselage bomb bay used four bomb racks, in later versions eight modular standard bomb racks designed to carry one SC 250, 250 kg bomb or four SC50, 50 kg bombs each in nose up orientation (which resulted in the bombs' doing a flip as they were dropped out of the aircraft). These modular standard bomb racks were a common feature on the first generation of Luftwaffe bombers (including the Junkers Ju 52), but it turned out that they limited the ordnance selection to bombs of only two sizes. Since they had to be built strongly enough to carry heavy bombs without contributing to the structural integrity of the aircraft, these racks were abandoned in later designs. The E-3 series was produced with only a few modifications, such as external bomb racks. The bomb bay was reduced on the E-5 to make way for fuel tanks which increased its range.

The He 111 design quickly ran though a series of minor design versions to fix one sort of problem or another. One of the more obvious changes started with the He 111 F models, which moved from the elliptical wing to one with straight leading and trailing edges, which could be manufactured more efficiently. The F-1 Series was entirely exported to Turkey and the 40 F-4s entered Luftwaffe service[5]. At this time development began on the He 111J. It was powered by the DB 600 and was intended as a torpedo bomber. As a result it lacked an internal bomb bay and carried two external torpedo racks. The RLM gave an order for the bomb bay to be retrofitted; this variant became known as the J-1. In all but powerplant it was identical to the F-4.

The He 111 P incorporated the updated Daimler-Benz DB 601 and featured a newly designed nose section, including an asymmetric Ikaria nose mounting for an MG 15 machine gun, that replaced the 'stepped' cockpit with a roomier and aerodynamically favourable glazed 'dome' over the front of the aircraft. These improvements allowed the aircraft to reach 475 km/h at 5000 m and a cruise speed of 370 km/h, although a full bombload reduced this figure to 300 km/h[6]. The design was implemented in 1937 because pilot reports indicated problems with visibility. After World War II, however, British Royal Navy test pilot Eric "Winkle" Brown, who had flown a number of captured later model He 111s, described the view through the redesigned nose as comparable to "looking down a glass tunnel." The pilot's seat could actually be elevated close enough to the level of the upper glazing, complete with a small pivoted windscreen panel, to get the pilot's head above the level of the top of the "glass tunnel" for a better forward view for take-offs and landings...Eric Brown remarked that this was sort of a "Tiger Moth" transformation (referring to the famous British training biplane's open cockpits and windscreens) to such an advanced bomber's pilot accommodation.

Many of the He 111 Ps served during the Polish Campaign. With the Junkers Ju 88 experiencing technical difficulties, the He 111 and the Dornier Do 17 formed the backbone of the Kampfwaffe. On 1 September 1939 Luftwaffe records indicate the Heinkel strength at 705 (along with 533 Dorniers)[7].

In 1940 the RLM abandoned further production of the P series in favour of the H versions, mostly because the P-series' Daimler-Benz engines were sorely needed for Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110 fighter production.

[edit] He 111 H

The H variant of the He 111 series saw more action during the Second World War than any other.

Image:He111041.jpg
He 111H-4, on a snow covered Pitomnik airfield, Russia, January 1943. Over 165 Heinkels were lost over the Stalingrad area.
Owing to the uncertainty surrounding the delivery and availability of the DB 601 engines, Heinkel began tests with the 1,100 hp (820 kW) Junkers Jumo 211 powerplants. The somewhat larger size and greater weight of the Jumo 211 engines were unimportant considerations for a twin engine design, and the Jumo was used on almost all early-war bomber designs. When the Jumo was fitted to the P model it became the He 111 H.

The P-series was gradually replaced on the eve of war with the new the H-2, powered by Jumo 211 A-3 engines. A count on 2 September 1939 revealed that the Luftwaffe had a total of 787 He 111s in service, with 705 combat ready, including 400 H-1 and H-2s that had been produced in a mere four months[8]. Production of the H-3, powered by the 1,200 hp Jumo 211 D-1, began in November 1939. After the Battle of Britain a smaller scale production of the H-4s began. This variant differed from the H-3 in that could either carry 2.000 kg of bombs internally or mount one or two external racks to carry one 1.800 kg or two 1.000 kg bombs. As these external racks blocked the internal bomb bay doors a combination of internal and external storage was not possible. The H-5 series followed in February 1941, with heavier defensive armament. Some H-3 and H-4s were equipped with barrage balloon cable cutting equipment in the shape of cutter installations forward of the engines and cockpit. They were designated H-8, but later named H8/R2. These aircraft were difficult to fly and the production stopped.The H-6 initiated some all around improvements in design. The Jumo 211 F-1 engine of 1,350 hp increased its speed while the defensive armament was upgraded with one MG FF in the nose position, one MG 15 in the ventral turret and in each of the fuselage side windows (optional). Some H-6 variants carried tail-mounted MG 17 defensive armament[9]. With the H-11 the Luftwaffe had at its disposal a powerful medium bomber with heavier armour and defensive armament.

One of the most interesting variants was as a glider tug, the He 111 Z, standing for Zwilling or twin. It was built from two 111 H-6s joined together with a connecting wing and a fifth engine and used to tow the giant Messerschmitt Me 321 or two Gotha Go 242 gliders. Ten He 111 Zs were built, and all served until destroyed one way or another.

At 14,000 kg take-off weight (carrying 2,000 kg of bombs internally), the He 111H achieved a top speed of 405 km/h at 6 km, improving to 435 km/h without the bomb load and at 50% fuel load. Still, this was considerably slower than the newer Junkers Ju 88 which entered service in 1940, so the He 111 was gradually withdrawn from the bomber role. The He 111 became a jack-of-all-trades as the war progressed, carrying out missions not even imagined even when the war started.

Nevertheless, the He 111 had to be kept in production until 1944 because the RLM failed to provide a successor: the He 177 Greif heavy bomber was plagued by engine problems, and the Bomber B program was eventually abandoned. The vast majority of the 7,300 He 111s produced would be the H models, largely identical to the first H introduced in 1939.

[edit] He 111 Variants

  • He 111 A-0 - 10 aircraft built based on He-111 V3, two used for trials at Rechlin, rejected by Luftwaffe all 10 were sold to China.
  • He 111 C-0 - Six pre-production aircraft build.
  • He 111 B-0 - Pre-production aircraft, similar to He-111 A-0, but with DB600A engines.
  • He 111 B-1 - Production aircraft as B-0, but with DB600C engines, and defensive armament of three 7.9 mm MG 15.
  • He 111 B-2 - As B-1, but with DB600CG engines, and extra radiators on either side of the engine nacelles under the wings.
  • He 111 D-0 - Pre-production aircraft with DB600Ga engines.
  • He 111 D-1 - Production aircraft, only a few build.
  • He 111 E-0 - Pre-production aircraft, similar to B-0, but with Jumo 211A-1 engines.
  • He 111 E-1 - Production aircraft up to 2,000 kg bomb load.
  • He 111 E-3 - Production bomber.
  • He 111 E-4 - Half of 2,000 kg bomb load carried externally.
  • He 111 E-5 - Fitted with several internal auxiliary fuel tanks.
  • He 111 F-0 - Pre-production aircraft similar to E-5, but with a new wing of simpler construction with a straight rather than curved taper, and Jumo 211A-3 engines.
  • He 111 F-1 - Production bomber, small number build for export to Turkey.
  • He 111 F-4 - Production bomber for use with Luftwaffe.
  • He 111 G-0 - Pre-production transportation aircraft built, featured new wing introduced on F-0.
  • He 111 G-3 - Also known as V14, fitted with BMW 132Dc radial engines.
  • He 111 G-4 - Also known as V16, fitted with DB600G engines.
  • He 111 G-5 - Four aircraft with DB600Ga engines built for export to Turkey.
  • He 111 J-0 - Pre-production torpedo bomber similar to F-4, but with DB600CG engines.
  • He 111 J-1 - Production torpedo bomber, 90 built, but re-configured as a bomber.
  • He 111 P-0 - Pre-production aircraft featured new straight wing, new glazed nose, Db601Aa engines, and a ventral gondola for gunner (rather than ‘dust-bin’ on pervious models.)
  • He 111 P-1 - Production aircraft, fitted with three 7.9 mm MG 15 for defensive armament.
  • He 111 P-2 - Had FuG 10 radio in place of FuG III.
  • He 111 P-3 - Dual control trainer.
  • He 111 P-4 - Fitted with extra armour, three extra MG 15’s, and provisions for two externally mounted bomber racks.
  • He 111 P-6 - Fitted with DB 601N engines.
  • He 111 P-6/R2 - Conversions later in war of surviving aircraft to glider tugs.
  • He 111 H-0 - Pre-production aircraft similar to P-2 but with Jumo 211 engines.
  • He 111 H-1 - Production aircraft.
  • He 111 H-3 - Similar to P-4, but with Jumo 211A-3 engines.
  • He 111 H-4 - Fitted with Jumo 211D engines, late in production changed to Jumo 211F engines, and two external bomb racks.
  • He 111 H-5 - Similar to H-4, but carried all bomb internally and had increased fuel capacity.
  • He 111 H-6 - Torpedo bomber, could carry two LT F5b torpedoes externally, powered by Jumo 211F-1 engines, had six MG 15’s and one MG/FF 20 mm cannon in forward gondola.
  • He 111 H-8 - Similar to H-3 or H-5 aircraft, but with balloon-cable cutting fender.
  • He 111 H-8/R2 - Conversion of H-8 into glider tugs, balloon-cutting equipment removed.
  • He 111 H-10 - Similar to H-6, but with 20 mm MG/FF in ventral gondola, and fitted with Kuto-Nase balloon-cable-cutters.
  • He 111 H-11 - Had a fully enclosed dorsal gun position and increased defensive armament and armour.
  • He 111 H-11/R1 - As H-11, but with two MG 81Z twin-gun units at beam positions.
  • He 111 H-11/R2 - As H-11, but converted to a glider tug.
  • He 111 H-12 - Modified for carry Hs 293A missiles, fitted with FuG 203b Kehl transmitter, and ventral gondola deleted.
  • He 111 H-14 - Pathfinder, fitted with FuG Samos and FuG 351 Korfu radio equipment.
  • He 111 H-15 - Torpedo bomber.
  • He 111 H-16 - Fitted with Jumo 211F-2 engines and increased defensive armament of 13 mm MG 131’s, twin 7.9 mm MG 81Z’s, and a 20 mm MG/FF cannon.
  • He 111 H-16/R1 - As H-16, but with 13 mm MG131 in power operated dorsal turret.
  • He 111 H-16/R2 - As H-16, but converted to a glider tug.
  • He 111 H-16/R3 - As H-16, modified as a pathfinder.
  • He 111 H-18 - Based on H-16/R3, was a pathfinder for night operations.
  • He 111 H-20 - Defensive armament similar to H-16, but some aircraft feature power operated dorsal turrets.
  • He 111 H-20/R1 - Could carry 16 paratroopers, fitted with jump hatch.
  • He 111 H-20/R2 - Was a cargo carrier and glider tug.
  • He 111 H-20/R3 - Was a night bomber.
  • He 111 H-20/R4 - Could carry 20 50 kg bombs.
  • He 111 H-21 - based on the H-20/R3, but with Jumo 213E-1 engines.
  • He 111 H-22 - Re-designated and modified H-6, H-16, and H-21’s used to air launch V-1 flying-bombs.
  • He 111 H-23 - Based on H-20/R1, but with Jumo 213A-1 engines.
  • He 111 R - High altitude bomber project.
  • He 111 Z-1 - Two He-111 airframes coupled together by a fifth engine, used a glider tug for Me 321.
  • He 111 Z-2 - Long-range bomber project based on Z-1.
  • He 111 Z-3 - Long-range reconnaissance project based on Z-1.
CASA 2.111
The Spanish company CASA also produced a number of heavily modified He 111s under license for indigenous use. These models were designed CASA 2.111 and served until 1965.

[edit] Operators

[edit] Military operators

[edit] Civil operators

[edit] Survivors

Image:He1110986.JPG
He 111, Werknr. 701152, RAF Hendon, London. This H-20, built in 1944, was modified to drop paratroops (Fallschirmjäger)
Image:DSCF0938.JPG
Inside Wk Nr 701152. The upper gunners position was removed to create more room for the Paratroops.

Only three original German built He 111s and fourteen Spanish built 12 2.111s survivors are on display or stored in museums around the world[10]. Of the three complete German built Heinkels, one E-3 series (Wk Nr 2940) with the 'conventional' cockpit is on display at Museo del Aire, Madrid, Spain, having served in the Condor Legion. The Second, a mostly complete He 111P-2 (Wk Nr 1526), is on display at the Norwegian Air Force Museum at Gardemoen [11]. The third, a H-20, Wk Nr 701152, is on display at the RAF Museum Hendon, London.

One Spanish 2.111D served as a transport for Spanish VIPs, including General Francisco Franco, before being purchased in England by the Commemorative Air Force in 1977. It remained the last He 111 in flyable condition until July 10, 2003, when it was destroyed in a fatal crash landing. The aircraft was attempting a landing at the Cheyenne Municipal Airport, near Cheyenne, Wyoming, while en route from Midland, Texas to an air show in Missoula, Montana. Eyewitness reports indicate the aircraft lost power to one engine on final approach and ploughed through a chain link fence before colliding with a school bus washing building under construction. Killed were CAF pilot Neil R. Stamp and co-pilot Charles S. Bates.

In 2005 another He-111 was salvaged from a Norwegian lake and has since been moved to Germany for restoration, and may be the most complete wartime He-111 to date. This Ju-88 site has links to He-111 recovery (as well as images of the previously mentioned He-111P located in "Other -> Other Projects" ). Unrelated to this effort is efforts by several organizations to restore one to flyable condition.

[edit] He 111 in the media

[edit] He 111 in simulations

The He-111 is a popular subject in simulations and games. Among these are:

[edit] Specifications (He 111 H-6)

Data from Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[12]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 5 (pilot, navigator/bombardier, nose gunner, ventral gunner, dorsal gunner)
  • Length: 16.4 m (54 ft 6 in)
  • Wingspan: 22.5 m (74 ft 3 in)
  • Height: 3.9 m (13 ft 9 in)
  • Wing area: 86.5 m² (942 ft²)
  • Empty weight: 7,720 kg (17,000 lb)
  • Loaded weight: 12,030 kg (26,500 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 14,075 kg (31,000 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2× Jumo 211F-1 liquid-cooled inverted V-12, 986 kW (1,300 hp) each

Performance

Armament

  • Guns:
    • up to seven 7.92 mm MG 15 or MG 81 machine guns, some of them replaced or augmented by
      • 1× 20 mm MG FF cannon (central nose mount or forward ventral position)
      • 1× 13 mm MG 131 machine gun (mounted dorsal and/or ventral rear positions)
  • Bombs:
    • up to 2,000 kg (4,409 lb) carried internally (eight 250 kg max) , or:
    • up to 2,500 kg (5,512 lb) on two external racks

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p32
  2. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p32
  3. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p32-33
  4. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p34
  5. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p34
  6. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p34
  7. ^ Nowarra, p37
  8. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p36
  9. ^ Dressel & Griehl, p37
  10. ^ *List of He 111 survivors
  11. ^ http://www.ju88.net
  12. ^ Jane, Fred T. “The Heinkel He 111 H.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. p. 167. ISBN 1 85170 493 0.

[edit] References

  • Bombers of the Luftwaffe; Joachim Dressel and Manfred Griehl;DAG Publications;1994; ISBN 1-85409-140-9
  • German Aircraft of World War II;Kay, A.L. and Smith, J.R.; Naval Institute Press, 2002.
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PZL.37 Łoś - Vickers Wellington - B-25 Mitchell

Designation sequence

Bf 108 - Bf 109 - Bf 110 - He 111 - He 112 - He 114 - He 115

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List of military aircraft of Germany

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