Heinkel He 111

This German four/five-seat bomber was in service from 1937-45 (Spain until 1965). Designed by the Günter brothers, who liked curving elliptical wings and tails, the He 111 made a name for itself in 1935 as a civil airliner, and later as a bomber that made world records for speed while carrying a heavy load. In 1938 the first mass-production versions, the four-seat He 111E and F, did very well in the Spanish Civil War, dropping heavy bomb loads and proving too fast for Republican fighters to catch easily. Thus the three hand-aimed machine guns carried by these aircraft appeared adequate. The E, used in large numbers by the prewar Luftwaffe, carried eight 250kg bombs, dropped tail-first from vertical cells in the beautifully streamlined fuselage to tumble end-over-end in a way that rivals said spoilt accuracy. But by the time World War II broke out the standard production model was quite different. The He 111P had broad straight-tapered wings, and an odd offset nose with no separate cockpit for the pilot. With two 1100hp DB 601A engines it was only slightly slower than the earlier models at 395km/h, but with full bomb load it was slower still. During most of the war the production version was the H-series with 1,350hp Jumo 211F engines. Despite the higher power these were so burdened by bombs, missiles and extra protection that few exceeded 352km/h.
It was in the Battle of Britain that the He 111 was recognized as vulnerable when intercepted by modern fighters. By May 1941 the RAF's radar-equipped Beaufighters could even shoot the waddling Heinkels down at night, though in the 1940 Blitz they devastated many of Britain's cities, especially in the Coventry raid aided by navigation device. In Russia in 1941 they were again able to bomb effectively, but despite being laden with extra guns and armor the He 111 was never again to be a real menace. Because the Luftwaffe had no replacement, the old Heinkel, called "The Spade" by its crews, stayed in production until the end of 1944, long after it had become obsolescent. About 7,300 were built, and most of the final batches were equipped to launch the V-1 flying bombs against English cities after the ground launch sites had been captured. There were many special versions, including torpedo carriers, magnetic-mine cleansers and barrage-balloon-cable cutters. The strangest was the He 111Z for towing the Me 321 glider; it had two He 111's joined on a singel wing, with a fifth engine in the center.

Technical data and/or diagram of Heinkel He 111.

Diagram and explanation of Knickebein, the tactics used by German level bombers to locate within 100 yards of their targets at night.

Diagram and explanation of X-Gerät, the tactics used by German level bombers to locate target at night when the Knickebein was defeated.

A formation of He 111.

Looking out from the transparent cockpit of the He 111, which aided locating targets but could sometimes hinder the pilot with reflected sunlight.

A view from an He 111 machine-gunner engaged in deadly combat with its main nemisis, the British Spitfire.

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	Technical data and/or diagram of Heinkel He 111.
	Diagram and explanation of Knickebein, the tactics used by German level bombers to locate within 100 yards of their targets at night.
	Diagram and explanation of X-Gerät, the tactics used by German level bombers to locate target at night when the Knickebein was defeated.
	A formation of He 111.
	Looking out from the transparent cockpit of the He 111, which aided locating targets but could sometimes hinder the pilot with reflected sunlight.
	A view from an He 111 machine-gunner engaged in deadly combat with its main nemisis, the British Spitfire.