WW2 Medium Bombers: Heinkel He 111

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The He 111 was the main Luftwaffe bomber during the early stages of World War II, and is perhaps the most obvious symbol of the German side of the Battle of Britain. Developed from a pre-war airliner design the 111 was never a great design, and was removed from service as soon a other medium bombers had the range and payload to match that of the 111. Smaller runs were also completed as transport aircraft in the later stages of the war.


History
In the early 1930's 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. To make matters worse he entrusted the development to the G?nther brothers, fairly new to the company and basically untested. To everyone's surprise they delivered on the promise, delivering an improved version of the already fast Lockheed 9 Orion. The first example of their soon-to-be-famous Heinkel He 70 Blitz rolled off the line in 1932 and immediately started breaking record after record. In its normal 4 passenger version it cruised at almost 200mph, even though it was powered by only a single 600hp BMW V1 engine.

Following the success of the Blitz, practically every design the brothers penned looked like it. It was only a matter of time before they turned their attention to developing a larger and more powerful twin engine version, producing a plane that had many of the Blitz's features – including its elliptical gull-wing, small rounded control surfaces, and BMW engines. With the engines moved off the nose being the only notable change in looks, their new design was often called the Doppel-Blitz (double-Blitz).

He111 Prototypes
He 111V1 was completed as a bomber prototype and kept secret. It first flew in February 1935, and was followed quickly by the civilian-equipped V2. V2 had a smaller wing, and 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 111C.

V3 was also completed as a bomber prototype. It supplanted the main bomb-bay with smaller bays in the inner wings, and was armed with three MG15 machine guns for defence. The added weight slowed the plane considerably, which now cruised at a measly 170mph.


He111 Early production
Ten He 111A-0 models based on the V3 were built, but they proved to be underpowered and were eventually sold to China.

In early 1936 the V3 was fitted with 950hp Daimler-Benz DB 600Aa engines. Performance jumped to about 225mph, and the Luftwaffe placed orders for over 300 He 111B models. Some of these planes were sent to Spain to serve with the Condor Legion, where they proved to be able to outfly the majority of fighters sent to intercept them, and it appeared that the light three-gun armament was more than enough to handle the ones that managed to catch them. This would lead the Luftwaffe into a false sense of security, as the days of the bomber being faster than the fighters would be short-lived and the woeful armament would soon prove to be deadly.

The 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 111F models, which moved from the elliptical wing to one with straight leading and trailing edges, which was easier to build.

The DB engine was always a problem because the German engine industry couldn't produce enough of them, but as the best engine of it's day it was used in practically every design. Eventually the RLM (the German Air Ministry) decided that all of the DB engines would go to Messerschmitt for use in the Bf 109 and Bf 110. Many promising designs were cancelled due to this decision, while most other designs were forced to switch engines. The result for the He 111 was a slew of minor versions with all sorts of engine installations - basically whatever they could find.

One of these runs was the He 111P, which mounted the updated Dailmer-Benz DB 601 and a newly designed nose section that replaced the 'stepped' cockpit with the now-famous glazed 'dome' over the front of the plane. These improvements allowed it to reach almost 250mph. Several hundred of these were built in 1938, and saw action over Poland.


He 111H
It was at this point that the new 1,100hp Junkers Jumo 211 engine started deliveries. When the Jumo was fitted to the P model it became the He 111H, the most produced version of the design by far. The main versions in the early stages of the war were the H-5 which included additional guns in the rear side windows, and the similar H-6 which could optionally carry torpedos (although they rarely did so). Both replaced the earlier versions in-wing bomb bays with additional fuel tanks for better range.

Even with an upgraded Jumo of 1,300hp the plane was now so overburdened with equipment that it could rarely reach even 220mph. That meant it had neither the speed nor the guns needed to put up a fight with the modern RAF fighters it would meet over England, let alone the cannon-armed planes a year later. Nevertheless the He 111 was kept in production until 1944 because the RLM continually dropped the ball on replacing it: the He 177 Greif was a disaster, and the entire advanced Bomber B program was eventually abandoned. The vast majority of the 7,300 He 111's produced would be the H models, largely identical to the first H introduced in 1939.

Along with the Me 109 the He 111 came to symbolize German air power. This was true in more ways than one - both planes were left in production long after they should have been replaced, and at the hands of rapidly modernizing allied air forces, both would suffer terribly for being a few years too old.

Specifications for He 111 H

Engines: 2x Junkers Jumo 213E-2 inline piston engines with 2-stage supercharger & GM-1 power boost @ 1,750 hp each
Wing Span: 22.60 m
Length: 16.39 m
Height: 4 m
Weight: Empty 7,700 kg / Loaded 14,000 kg
Maximum Speed: 420 km/h
Ceiling: 8,500 m
Range: 2,600 km
Crew: 5

Armanment: 3x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns / 6x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine guns / 2,200 kg of bombs



He-111 Exports

In 1937, 24 He 111 F-1s were bought by the Turkish Air Force. The Turks also ordered four He 111 G-5s. China also ordered 12 He 111 A-0s, but at a cost 400,000 Reichsmark (RM). The aircraft were crated up and transported by sea. At the end of the Spanish Civil War, the Spanish Air Force acquired 59 He 111 "survivors" and a further six He 111s in 1941-1943.[69] Bulgaria was given one He 111 H-6, Romania received 10 E-3s, 32 H-3s and 10 H-6s. Two H-10s and three H-16s were given to Slovakia, Hungary was given 3 He 111Bs and 12-13 He 111s by 6 May 1941. A further 80 P-1s were ordered, but only 13 arrived.[69] Towards the end of 1944, 12 He 111Hs were delivered. The Japanese were due to receive 44 He 111Fs, but in 1938 the agreement was cancelled.


Heinkel He 111 operational history

The Heinkel He 111 served on all the German military fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. Beginning the war as a medium bomber it supported the German campaigns in the field until 1943 when, owing to Western Allied and Soviet air superiority, it reverted to a transport aircraft role. Small numbers of Kampgeschwader did continue to operate a small number of He 111s until 1945 in various roles, but mostly at night to avoid Allied fighter aircraft.

German-built He 111s remained in service in Spain after the end of the Second World War, being supplemented by Spanish licence-built CASA 2.111s from 1950. The last two German-built aircraft remained in service until at least 1958

He111 Variants

* He 111 A-0: 10 aircraft built based on He 111 V3, 2 used for trials at Rechlin, rejected .
* He 111 B-0: Pre-production aircraft, similar to He 111 A-0, but with DB600Aa engines.
* He 111 B-1: Production aircraft as B-0, but with DB600C engines. Defensive armament consisted of a flexible Ikaria turret in the nose A Stand, a B Stand with one DL 15 revolving gun-mount and a C Stand with one MG 15.
* He 111 B-2: As B-1, but with DB600GG engines, and extra radiators on either side of the engine nacelles under the wings. Later the DB 600Ga engines were added and the wing surface coolers withdrawn.
* He 111 B-3: Modified B-1 for training purposes.
* He 111 C-0: Six pre-production aircraft.
* He 111 D-0: Pre-production aircraft with DB600Ga engines.
* He 111 D-1: Production aircraft, only a few built. Notable for the installation of the FuG X, or FuG 10, designed to operate over longer ranges. Auxiliary equipment contained direction finding Peil G V and FuBI radio blind landing aids.
* He 111 E-0: Pre-production aircraft, similar to B-0, but with Jumo 211 A-1 engines.
* He 111 E-1: Production aircraft with Jumo 211 A-1 powerplants. Prototypes were powered by Jume 210G as which replaced the original DB 600s.[31]
* He 111 E-2: Non production variant. No known variants built. Designed with Jumo 211 A-1s and A-3s.[31]
* He 111 E-3: Production bomber. Same design as E-2, but upgraded to standard Jumo 211 A-3s.
* He 111 E-4: Half of 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) bomb load carried externally.[31]
* 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 211 A-1 engines.
* He 111 F-1: Production bomber, 24 were exported to Turkey.
* He 111 F-2: 20 were built. The F-2 was based on the F-1, differing only in installation of optimised wireless equipment.
* He 111 F-3: Planned reconnaissance version. Bomb release equipment replaced with RB cameras. It was to have Jumo 211 A-3 powerplants.[36]
* He 111 F-4: A small number of staff communications aircraft were built under this designation. Equipment was similar to the G-5.
* He 111 F-5: The F-5 was not put into production. The already available on the P variant showed it to be superior.
* 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.[36]
* He 111 J-1: Production torpedo bomber, 90 built, but re-configured as a bomber.
* He 111 L: Alternative designation for the He 111 G-3 civil transport aircraft.
* 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 previous models).[44]
* He 111 P-1: Production aircraft, fitted with three MG 15s as defensive armament.
* He 111 P-2: Had FuG 10 radio in place of FuG IIIaU. Defensive armament increased to five MG 15s.
* He 111 P-3: Dual control trainer fitted with DB601 A-1 powerplants.[44]
* He 111 P-4: Fitted with extra armour, three extra MG 15s, and provisions for two externally mounted bomber racks. Powerplants consisted of DB601 A-1s. The internal bomb bay was replaced with a 835 L fuel tank and a 120 L oil tank.[44]
* He 111 P-5: The P-5 was a pilot trainer. Some 24 examples were built. The variant was powered by DB 601A engines.
* He 111 P-6: Some of the P-6s were powered by the DB 601N engines. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 received these engines, as they had greater priority.
* He 111 P-6/R2: Conversions later in war of surviving aircraft to glider tugs.
* He 111 P-7: Never built.
* He 111 P-8: Its existence and production is in doubt.
* He 111 P-9: It was intended for export to the Hungarian Air Force, by the project founder for lack of DB 601E engines. Only a small number were built, and were used in the Luftwaffe as towcraft.0
* He 111 H-0: Pre-production aircraft similar to P-2 but with Jumo 211A-1 engines, pioneering the use of the Junkers Jumo 211 series of engines for the H-series as standard.
* He 111 H-1: Production aircraft. Fitted with FuG IIIaU and later FuG 10 radio communications.
* He 111 H-2: This version was fitted with improved armament. Two D Stands (waist guns) in the fuselage giving the variant some five MG 15 Machine guns.
* He 111 H-3: Similar to H-2, but with Jumo 211 A-3 engines. Like the H-2, five MG 15 machine guns were standard. One A Stand MG FF cannon could be installed in the nose and an MG 15 could be installed in the tail unit.
* He 111 H-4: Fitted with Jumo 211D engines, late in production changed to Jumo 211F engines, and two external bomb racks. Two PVC 1006L racks for carrying torpedoes could be added.".
* He111 H-5: Similar to H-4, all bombs carried externally, internal bomb bay replaced by fuel tank. The variant was to be a longer range torpedo bomber.
* He111 H-6: Torpedo bomber, could carry two LT F5b torpedoes externally, powered by Jumo 211F-1 engines, had six MG 15s and one MG FF cannon in forward gondola.
* He 111 H-7: Designed as a night bomber. Similar to H-6, tail MG 17 removed, ventral gondola removed, and armoured plate added. Fitted with Kuto-Nase barrage balloon cable-cutters.
* He 111 H-8: The H-8 was a rebuild of H-3 or H-5 aircraft, but with balloon cable-cutting fender. The H-8 was powered by Jumo 211D-1s.
* He 111 H-8/R2: Conversion of H-8 into glider tugs, balloon cable-cutting equipment removed.
* He111 H-9: Based on H-6, but with Kuto-Nase balloon cable-cutters.
* He111 H-10: Similar to H-6, but with 20 mm MG/FF cannon in ventral gondola, and fitted with Kuto-Nase balloon cable-cutters. Powered by Jumo 211 A-1s or D-1s.
* He 111 H-11: Had a fully enclosed dorsal gun position and increased defensive armament and armour. The H-11 was fitted with Jumo 211 F-2s.
* He111 H-11/R1: As H-11, but with two 7.92 mm (.312 in) 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 to carry Hs 293A missiles, fitted with FuG 203b Kehl transmitter, and ventral gondola deleted.
* He 111 H-14: Pathfinder, fitted with FuG FuMB 4 Samos and FuG 16 radio equipment.
* He 111 H-14/R1:Glider tug version.
* He111 H-15: The H-15 was intended as a launch pad for the Blohm & Voss BV 246.
* He 111 H-16: Fitted with Jumo 211 F-2 engines and increased defensive armament of MG 131 machine guns, twin MG 81Zs, and a MG FF cannon.
* He 111 H-16/R1: As H-16, but with MG 131 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.
* He111 H-20/R4: Could carry twenty 50 kg (110 lb) bombs.
* He111 H-21: Based on the H-20/R3, but with Jumo 213 E-1 engines.
* He111 H-22: Re-designated and modified H-6, H-16, and H-21's used to air launch V1 flying-bombs.
* He 111 H-23: Based on H-20/R1, but with Jumo 213 A-1 engines.
* He111 R: High altitude bomber project.
* He 111 U: A spurious designation applied for propaganda purposes to the Heinkel He 119 high-speed reconnaissance bomber design which set an FAI record in November 1937. True identity only becomes clear to the Allies after World War II.
* He 111 Z-1: Two He 111 airframes coupled together by a new central wing panel possessing a fifth Jumo 211 engine, used as a glider tug for Messerschmitt Me 321.
* He 111 Z-2: Long-range bomber variant based on Z-1.
* He 111 Z-3: Long-range reconnaissance variant based on Z-1.

An He 111Z at Regensburg, 1944.

CASA 2.111
The Spanish company CASA also produced a number of heavily modified He 111s under license for indigenous use. These models were designated CASA 2.111 and served until 1975.