Heinkel He 111

Heinkel He 111, the most produced and successful bomber aircraft operated by the German Luftwaffe during World War II.

The Heinkel He 111 was Heinkel's most successful aircraft before and during World War II. Around 8,000 of these bombers were built. They formed the backbone for the development of the Heinkel aircraft factory (Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke) into one of the largest arms suppliers. In the medium term, the Junkers Ju 88 was intended to replace the previous medium-heavy bombers Dornier Do 17 and Heinkel He 111 as the Luftwaffe's standard.

History

Heinkel He 111 of Kampfgeschwader 26 in flight over Norway during World War II

The air raid on the port of Piraeus (Luftangriff auf den Hafen von Piräus) by the Luftwaffe took place on the night of 6 April 1941, the first day of the German Balkans Campaign. Objective was to interrupt the supply chain of the British and the allied Greeks. It became one of the most successful high-speed bomber raids of World War II. In contrast to the bombing of the Royal Air Force and the USAAF, the city of Piraeus and its civilian population were completely spared. According to the ship classification society “Lloyd’s Register” (LR), 22 registered ships were destroyed or damaged on the night of April 6th to 7th, 1941; the sunk ships had around 42,000 GRT. In addition, among other things, 60 barges and 25 motor gliders (three are known by name) were sunk. Some losses were attributed to the 20 Junkers Ju 88 A-4, some were sunk by mines of the 11 Heinkel He 111 H-6, others were damaged or destroyed by burning and/or exploding ships. In addition, an ammunition train on the harbor area was set on fire.

Heinkel He 111 waist gunner at his station. Note how he is stood rather precariously over the lower gondola gun position.

He 111 in flight over the Eastern Front with an MG FF 20 mm cannon in the nose and SC 1000 bomb under the fuselage.

Heinkel He 111 H-16

Heinkel He 111 H-22 cockpit

British heavy metal group Motorhead pose next to a Heinkel He 111 bomber at the Imperial War Museum in London, 1979

The history of the He 111 goes back to the early 1930s. Like other German fighter aircraft, this bomber was initially developed more or less covertly. What may be surprising is that, contrary to widespread opinion, in 1932 Heinkel received a contract from the Reich Ministry of Transport to develop a twin-engine aircraft that would be suitable as both a bomber and an airliner. The order from the Ministry of Transport was made in close coordination with the Reichswehr and probably served more to camouflage the bomber development. Although Lufthansa later tested the He 111, it was only intended to play a secondary role as an airliner. The He 111 operated all over Europe and flew as far away as South Africa. Commercial development ended with the He 111 G.

Designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter and based on their earlier He 70 model, the He 111 bomber was manufactured by Heinkel, an aviation company founded and run by Ernst Heinkel (1888–1958). Heinkel had extensive experience with military aircraft, having built planes for the German Navy and the Austro-Hungarian army in the First World War. After much debate between the German high command and Hitler, the Luftwaffe bomber command (Kampfwaffe) was obliged to adopt the position that bombers should primarily be used strategically to assist ground troops. This meant that unlike, say, the British Royal Air Force, the Luftwaffe concentrated not on heavy bombers but building squadrons of more versatile medium bombers. The He 111 was the result of this thinking, that is, an aircraft with multiple tactical uses, but one not capable of carrying very heavy bomb loads that could deliver a significant blow to ground targets. The He 111 was hampered, too, by its short range as the theatre of war expanded and Germany sought to bomb Britain. [...] A Heinkel He 111 measured almost 54 feet (16.5 m) in length and had a wingspan of just over 74 feet (22.5 m). He 111s were powered by two Junkers Jumo 12-cylinder engines capable of 1,350 hp (1007 kW). The bombers had a top speed of between 225 and 260 mph (365 to 420 km/h). Their service ceiling was 21,980 feet (6,700 m), with a range of up to 1,200 miles (1,950 km). The aircraft could carry a bomb load of up to 5,500 lb (2,500 kg), although the standard load was 4,400 lbs (2,000 kg). Incendiary bombs included the 2.2-lb (1-kg) Elektronbrandbombe (electron incendiary bomb), which was usually dropped in clusters of 36. Special-size explosive bombs included the 2,200-lb (1,000-kg) 'Hermann', affectionately named after Hermann Göring (1893-1946), the portly head of the Luftwaffe. There were also the 'Satan' (4,000 lb/1,800 kg) and 'Max' (5,500 lb/2,500 kg) bombs. All of these bombs were cylindrical in shape and so known as Sprengbombe Cylindrisch. The larger versions so affected the aircraft's manoeuvrability that specialised crews had to be used for their deployment. Larger bombs also required the He 111 to be fitted with external racks, an addition that could be used on other occasions to carry additional missiles and torpedoes. A typical He 111 crew had five members: a pilot, a navigator, a bomb-aimer (who doubled as the nose-gunner), a gunner in the ventral gondola, and another gunner in the dorsal position. The He 111's defences included a 13-mm (0.51-in) MG 131 machine gun, three 7.92-mm (0.31-in) MG 81Z machine guns, and a 20-mm (0.78-inch) MG FF cannon. These weapons were located in the nose (the cannon), dorsal, and belly positions of the aircraft. The ventral gondola could have both a front- and rear-facing machine gun in some models. Some models also had a fixed machine gun in the tail. These armaments, though impressive for the 1930s and capable of firing off a magazine of 75 rounds in just 4.5 seconds, proved insufficient protection against the enemy fighter planes of 1940 onwards. The undercarriage gun placement was particularly vulnerable since fighters often attacked from below; it became known as the Sterbebett ('Deathbed') by the gunner crews.

The first He 111 flew on 24 February 1935, piloted by chief test pilot Gerhard Nitschke, who was ordered not to land at the company's factory airfield at Rostock-Marienehe (today's Rostock-Schmarl neighbourhood), as this was considered too short, but at the central Erprobungstelle Rechlin test facility. He ignored these orders and landed back at Marienehe. He said that the He 111 performed slow manoeuvres well and that there was no danger of overshooting the runway. Nitschke also praised its high speed "for the period" and "very good-natured flight and landing characteristics", stable during cruising, gradual descent and single-engined flight and having no nose-drop when the undercarriage was operated. During the second test flight Nitschke revealed there was insufficient longitudinal stability during climb and flight at full power and the aileron controls required an unsatisfactory amount of force.

The government of the Chinese state of Canton purchased six He 111 A-0s, (also known as He 111 Ks), taking delivery in mid-1936, the aircraft entering service with the Nationalist Chinese Air Force (which had taken over the Cantonese air force) in October–November 1936.

Chinese use of the He 111 in the Sino-Japanese War, that began on 7 July 1937 with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, was limited, operational use being at first delayed by a lack of suitable bombs. On 25 August 1937, five Chinese Nationalist Air Force bombers of the 8th BG, 19th and 30th Squadrons consisting of three Heinkel He 111 As and two Martin B-10s (Martin 139) respectively, flying from their base in Nanjing to Shanghai, successfully dropped their bombs on Japanese landing forces at Liuhe, Taicang northwest of Shanghai.

The initial bomber force of the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War was composed of Junkers Ju 52/3m bomber/transport aircraft. These proved vulnerable to Soviet supplied Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters, with the Germans suffering heavy losses, and on 6 January 1937 it was decided to send some of Germany's latest bombers to Spain, both to allow evaluation of the new aircraft in operational conditions and to allow effective use against the Republicans. Four He 111 Bs, together with four Dornier Do 17 Es and four Junkers Ju 86s arrived in Spain in February 1937, equipping a Staffel of Kampfgruppe 88 (K/88). The Heinkels made their combat debut on 9 March 1937, when they attacked Republican held airfields in support of the Battle of Guadalajara.[8] The Heinkel proved superior to the two other German medium bombers, being both faster and carrying a heavier bombload. Initial losses in combat were low, and more deliveries from Germany allowed full re-equipment of Kampfgruppe 88 with the Heinkel by October 1937. In total, 94 Heinkels were delivered to the Condor Legion during the war. By the time the Spanish Civil War ended on 1 April 1939, 21 Heinkels had been lost to enemy action, with a further 15 lost in accidents and one destroyed by sabotage. The 58 remaining Heinkels were left behind and formed the backbone of the bombing force of the new Spanish State.

At Tiliuín, during the Ifni War (23 October 1957 to 30 June 1958), 60 Tiradores de Ifni (locally recruited native infantry with Spanish officers and specialist personnel) struggled to hold off a force of several hundred Moroccans. On 25 November 1957, a relief attempt was authorised. Five CASA 2.111 bombers (Spanish-built variants of the Heinkel He 111) bombed enemy positions, while an equal number of CASA 352 transports (Spanish-built versions of the Junkers Ju 52/3m) dropped a force of 75 paratroopers into the outpost. The last two German-built Heinkels, a He 111 E and a He 111 H remained in Spanish use until 1958, with the final flight carried out at the Multi-engined Aircraft School at Jerez de la Frontera on 28 November 1958.

WWII

The initial stages of World War II confirmed the design's prominent role in advancing the German Blitzkrieg during the Poland Campaign, Operation Weserübung and the Battle of France. However, it was during the 1940-41 air battles over Britain that the type's defensive shortcomings became apparent and would eventually only be used by night or when only light enemy air defense could be anticipated. Easily recognized with its "greenhouse" nose, the He 111 was one of the most widely used Luftwaffe aircraft of WWII and saw use as a bomber and transport over nearly every warfront. Later models were successfully used in antishipping and glider tug roles.

When the Second World War broke out in September 1939, the Luftwaffe was still relatively small, and its bombers, including the He 111, were already looking a little old-fashioned. Slow, not very manoeuvrable, poorly armed, and with only a small bomb load, the He 111 was still the best the Luftwaffe had. At the start of the war, the Luftwaffe had 789 He 111s. The aircraft was used extensively in bombing campaigns over Poland, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. He 111s were involved in the bombing of Warsaw in September 1939. Another raid involving He 111s was the bombing of Rotterdam when the Netherlands was already negotiating a surrender. The raid was called off at the very last minute, but the signal was too late to halt the bombers.

Bombing was a far from accurate operation for all sides in the early years of the Second World War. The Luftwaffe did employ various technological devices to assist navigators to reach their targets and bomb-sighters to drop the loads at the correct position. There were radio beacons spread across the European continent to aid navigation, although the British interfered with these by sending out masking signals known as Meacons. Knickebein ('Crooked Leg') navigation beams were in operation from December 1939. These were two radio signal beams sent across and from Continental Europe (France, the Netherlands, and Norway) which the bombers could track. One beam sent out dot signals and the other longer dash signals. Where the two beams crossed marked the place where the bombs should be dropped. Thanks to military intelligence, the British knew of the system from the spring of 1940, and jamming of it began in August with a device code-named 'Aspirin' (since Knickebein was a real headache for the defenders).

Heinkel He 111s and other bombers could be fitted with X-Gerät (X-apparatus) radar equipment, which followed several beams sent by transmitters in Continental Europe. X-Gerät was more accurate than Knickebein and allowed aircraft, by following the single beam sending out coarse signals (the others sent fine signals), to find their targets in cloudy weather or at night. Not all bombers were fitted with the system, but those which were – identifiable by their three antennae along the plane's dorsal – were used to mark the target for other planes to follow. The Germans called this guidance system Wotan I, after the Germanic name for Odin, the one-eyed god from Norse mythology. The British discovered the secret technology when a He 111 was forced to land in the sea near Bridport on the southern coast of England on 6 November 1940 (the plane had been lured out of position by a Meacon). As a consequence, one month later, the British created a way to jam the guidance system, using a device code-named Bromide, although it was not always successful. The third and best Luftwaffe radar system, employed from November 1940, was Y-Gerät. In this system, a single beam was sent to a bomber which then returned it. The time taken indicated the exact position of the aircraft at any one moment. The system was code-named Wotan II. Y-Gerät could also be jammed by British-sent signals, this time using a system with the code name Domino.

Foreign operators

• Bulgarian Air Force
• Chinese Nationalist Air Force, but also the Central Air Transport Corporation (CATC) which operated a single ex-air force He 111 A re-fitted with Wright Cyclone radial engines
• Czechoslovak Air Force operated one aircraft post-war.
• Royal Hungarian Air Force
• Royal Romanian Air Force, also an unknown civilian user operated one converted bomber.
• Slovak Air Force
• Soviet Red Air Forces operated several captured He 111s during World War II.
• Spanish Air Force
• Turkish Air Force operated 24 He 111 F-1s, with first deliveries in 1937, and remaining in use until 1944.
• Royal Air Force operated various captured variants during and after the war for evaluation purposes i.e. to discover strengths and weaknesses.
• USAAF operated several captured aircraft after the war. One H-20 – 23 may be the aircraft currently on display at the RAF Museum Hendon, minus the Drehlafette DL 131 turret.

Variants

He 111 A-0

Ten aircraft built based on He 111 V3, two used for trials at Rechlin, rejected by Luftwaffe, all 10 were sold to China.

He 111 B-0

Pre-production aircraft, similar to He 111 A-0, but with DB 600 Aa engines.

He 111 B-1

Production aircraft as B-0, but with DB 600 C 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 DB 600 GG engines, and extra radiators on either side of the engine nacelles under the wings. Later the DB 600 Ga 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 DB 600 Ga 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 Jumo 210 G as which replaced the original DB 600s.

He 111 E-2

Non production variant. No known variants built. Designed with Jumo 211 A-1s and A-3s.

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 2000 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 211 A-1 engines.

He 111 F-1

Production bomber, 24 were exported to Turkey.

He 111 F-2

Twenty 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.

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 DB 600 G engines.

He 111 G-5

Four aircraft with DB 600 Ga engines built for export to Turkey.

He 111 J-0

Pre-production torpedo bomber similar to F-4, but with DB 600 CG engines.

He 111 J-1

Production torpedo bomber, 90 built, but re-configured as a bomber.

He 111 K

Export version of He 111 A for China.

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 Bodenlafette gondola for gunner (rather than "dust-bin" on previous models).

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 DB 601 A-1 powerplants.

He 111 P-4

Fitted with extra armour, three extra MG 15s, and provisions for two externally mounted bomber racks. Powerplants consisted of DB 601 A-1s. The internal bomb bay was replaced with an 835 L fuel tank and a 120 L oil tank. Some H-4s were also fitted with Jumo 211 H-1s.

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 601 N engines. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 received these engines, as they had greater priority.

He 111 P-6/R2

Equipped with /Rüstsätz 2 field 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.

He 111 H-0

Pre-production aircraft similar to P-2 but with Jumo 211 A-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; number of machine guns could be increased to 7 with some variants having a belt-fed MG 17 installed in the tail; MG FF cannon would sometimes be installed in the nose or front gondola.

He 111 H-4

Fitted with Jumo 211 D engines, late in production changed to Jumo 211 F engines, and two external bomb racks. Two PVC 1006L racks for carrying torpedoes could be added.

He 111 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.

He 111 H-6

Torpedo bomber, could carry two LT F5b torpedoes externally, powered by Jumo 211 F-1 engines, had six MG 15s with optional MG FF cannon in nose and/or forward gondola.

He 111 H-6

Modified H-6 with Heinkel HeS-11 jet engine attached below.

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 211 D-1s.

He 111 H-8/R2

Equipped with /Rüstsätz 2 field conversion of H-8 into glider tugs, balloon cable-cutting equipment removed.

He 111 H-9

Based on H-6, but with Kuto-Nase balloon cable-cutters.

He 111 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.

He 111 H-11/R1

As H-11, but equipped with /Rüstsätz 1 field conversion kit, with two 7.92 mm MG 81Z twin-gun units at waist positions.

He 111 H-11/R2

As H-11, but equipped with /Rüstsätz 2 field conversion kit, for conversion to a glider tug.

He 111 H-12

Modified to carry Hs 293 A 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.

He 111 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 81 Zs, and an 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 sixteen Fallschirmjäger, 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 twenty 50 kg SC 50 bombs.

He 111 H-21

Based on the H-20/R3, but with Jumo 213 engines.

He 111 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/Rüstsätz 1 (/R1) field conversion kit, but with Jumo 213 A-1 engines.

He 111 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 Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (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 (Operation Sea Lion).

He 111 Z-2

Long-range bomber variant based on Z-1.

He 111 Z-3

Long-range reconnaissance variant based on Z-1.

CASA 2.111

The Spanish company Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA also produced a number of heavily modified He 111s under licence for indigenous use. These models were designated CASA 2.111 and served until 1973.

Army Type 98 Medium Bomber

Evaluation and proposed production of the He 111 for the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service

External links

• Heinkel He 111 Operations
• Heinkel He 111, lexikon-der-wehrmacht.de
• Heinkel He111 Restoration, American Heritage Museum and Collings Foundation

Videos

• Heinkel He 111: The Legendary German Medium Range Bomber, YouTube
• Assembly of Heinkel He 111 bombers in 1942, Deutsche Wochenschau