Heinkel He 111

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinkel_He_111

The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter
at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development it was described as a
"wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after the
First World War prohibiting bombers, it masqueraded as a civil airliner,
although from conception the design was intended to provide the nascent
Luftwaffe with a fast medium bomber.

Perhaps the best-recognised German bomber due to the distinctive, extensively
glazed "greenhouse" nose of later versions, the Heinkel He 111 was the most
numerous Luftwaffe bomber during the early stages of World War II. The bomber
fared well until the Battle of Britain, when its weak defensive armament was
exposed. Nevertheless, it proved capable of sustaining heavy damage and
remaining airborne. As the war progressed, the He 111 was used in a variety of
roles on every front in the European theatre. It was used as a strategic bomber
during the Battle of Britain, a torpedo bomber in the Atlantic and Arctic, and a
medium bomber and a transport aircraft on the Western, Eastern, Mediterranean,
Middle Eastern, and North African Front theatres.

The He 111 was constantly upgraded and modified, but became obsolete during the
latter part of the war. The German Bomber B project was not realised, which
forced the Luftwaffe to continue operating the He 111 in combat roles until the
end of the war. Manufacture of the He 111 ceased in September 1944, at which
point piston-engine bomber production was largely halted in favour of fighter
aircraft. With the German bomber force virtually defunct, the He 111 was used
for logistics.

Production of the Heinkel continued after the war as the Spanish-built CASA
2.111. Spain received a batch of He 111H-16s in 1943 along with an agreement to
licence-build Spanish versions. Its airframe was produced in Spain under licence
by Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA. The design differed significantly in
powerplant only, eventually being equipped with Rolls-Royce Merlin engines. The
Heinkel's descendant continued in service until 1973.

During the war, British test pilot Eric Brown evaluated many Luftwaffe aircraft.
Among them was an He 111 H-1 of Kampfgeschwader 26 which was forced to land at
the Firth of Forth on 9 February 1940. Brown described his impression of the He
111s unique greenhouse nose.

"The overall impression of space within the cockpit area and the great degree of
visual sighting afforded by the Plexiglas panelling were regarded as positive
factors, with one important provision in relation to weather conditions. Should
either bright sunshine or rainstorms be encountered, the pilot's visibility
could be dangerously compromised either by glare throwback or lack of good
sighting.

Taxiing was easy and was only complicated by rain, when the pilot needed to
slide back the window panel and look out to establish direction. On take off,
Brown reported very little "swing" and the aircraft was well balanced. On
landing, Brown noted that approach speed should be above 145 km/h (90 mph) and
should be held until touchdown. This was to avoid a tendency by the He 111 to
drop a wing, especially on the port side.


Role
Medium bomber

Manufacturer
Heinkel Flugzeugwerke

Designer
Siegfried and Walter Günter

First flight
24 February 1935

Introduction
1935

Retired
1945 (Luftwaffe)
1958 (Spain)

Primary user
Luftwaffe

Produced
1935–44

Number built
32 prototype aircraft
12 civilian airliners
808 pre-war aircraft
5,656 aircraft (1939–44)
Total: 6,508

Variants
CASA 2.111

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.

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.

He 111 H-6

General characteristics
Crew: 5 (pilot, navigator/bombardier/nose gunner, ventral gunner, dorsal
gunner/radio operator, side gunner)
Length: 16.4 m (53 ft 9½ in)
Wingspan: 22.60 m (74 ft 2 in)
Height: 4.00 m (13 ft 1½ in)
Wing area: 87.60 m² (942.92 ft²)
Empty weight: 8,680 kg (19,136 lb)
Loaded weight: 12,030 kg (26,500 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 14,000 kg (30,864 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Jumo 211F-1 or 211F-2 liquid-cooled inverted V-12, 986 kW (1,300
hp (F-1) or 1,340 (F-2)) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 440 km/h (273 mph)
Range: 2,300 km (1,429 mi) with maximum fuel
Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,330 ft)
Rate of climb: 20 minutes to 5,185 m (17,000 ft)
Wing loading: 137 kg/m² (28.1 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: .082 kW/kg (.049 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns:
up to 7 × 7.92 mm MG 15 or MG 81 machine guns, (2 in the nose, 1 in the dorsal,
2 in the side, 2 in the ventral) 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:
2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb) in the main internal bomb bay.
Up to 3,600 kilograms (7,900 lb) could be carried externally. External bomb
racks blocked the internal bomb bay. Carrying bombs externally increased weight
and drag and impaired the aircraft's performance significantly. Carrying the
maximum load usually required rocket-assisted take-off.


He 111 C-0

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 17.5 m (57' 5")
Wingspan: 22.60 m (74 ft 2 in)
Height: 4.10 m (13' 5?")
Wing area: 87.60 m² (942.92 ft²)
Empty weight: 5,400 kg (11,905lb lb)
Loaded weight: 9,610 kg (21,186 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × BMW VI liquid-cooled inverted V-12, (660 hp) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 310 km/h (193 mph)
Range: 2,400 (1,491 mi)
Service ceiling: 4,800 m (15,750 ft)
Wing loading: 109.7 kg/m² (22.45 lb/ft²)





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