The Battle of Britain was underway. July
1940 was not faring well for the Britons as the skies of London and other cities
were under siege by the German Luftwaffe. As dawn broke, sleek Heinkel He 111 medium
bombers emerged from the London fog, ready to ravage the skies and devastate British
anti-aircraft positions. Seven accurate MG 15 machine guns manned by skilled gunners were ready
to deal with any upcoming threat. Carrying over 4,500 pounds of bombs, the squadron of He 111s
approached
the city for a swift low pass run. Anti-aircraft fire erupted, but neither
the bombers nor their pilots flinched. On the contrary, they raced through the smoke
and hail of bullets and dropped the bombload without hesitation. The fighters then swarmed the
Germans in a desperate bid to protect their city. The German bombers turned back with their enemy
behind their tails. A storm of bullets flew around them when the gunners finally opened fire,
their barrels running hot with accurate bursts.
Some British fighters were driven off, but others
pressed on, and then a direct hit sent shockwaves through one of the German bombers, sending
the damaged He 111 to the English Channel. Surrounded and firing like a cornered beast, the bomber's maneuverability was put to the
ultimate test in its battle for survival…. Following the end of World War 1, the German
aircraft industry faced significant challenges and restrictions due to the terms of the Treaty
of Versailles, which imposed severe l
imitations on Germany's military capabilities.
The Treaty of Versailles mandated the disarmament of Germany, including restrictions
on the production and possession of military aircraft. This led to the dissolution of
the German Army aviation industry and the closure of many aircraft manufacturing firms.
Although the restrictions were eventually relaxed as Germany paid a part of its debt,
the country was prohibited from developing certain types of military aircraft, such
as bombers and long-
range reconnaissance planes. This limited the scope of innovation and
research within the German aircraft industry. Manufacturers pivoted to civilian aviation,
creating commercial airliners and light aircraft. Despite these limitations, military
innovation persisted through clandestine development efforts by private entities,
laying the foundation for future advancements. The early 1930s paved the way for
new German bombers. During this time, Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke AG
began developing
what would become one of the world’s fastest passenger aircraft.
After attracting the attention of the Luftwaffe, the civilian airliner turned into the Model
70, a medium bomber envisioned to become the backbone of the rising German air force.
Flying for the first time in 1935, the Model 70 was adopted into service with the
designation Heinkel He 111s. It featured a sleek, streamlined fuselage that housed
the crew, bomb bay, and fuel tanks. The He 111 stood out from its counterparts
from it
s glazed nose section, which provided excellent visibility for the bombardier
and pilot at the cost of protection. Furthermore, the medium bomber had a low-wing
monoplane configuration with a straight, tapered wing design. The wings housed
the engine nacelles and landing gear. The tail section featured a single vertical
stabilizer and horizontal stabilizer, enhancing the distinctive appearance of Heinkel’s bomber.
Initially powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 601 liquid-cooled inline engines, lat
er variants would
feature upgraded engines for improved performance, allowing them to reach up to 270 miles per
hour and achieve a range of around 1,400 miles. Defensive armament typically included up to seven
MG 15 or MG 81 machine guns positioned in dorsal, ventral, and nose positions
to fend off enemy fighters. Additional offensive equipment
included a 20-millimeter MG FF cannon and an M6 131 machine gun. As
a bomber, the He 111 had a 4,400-pound internal bomb bay and could carry up
to
7,900 pounds of bombs externally. The Heinkel He 111 bombers made their combat
debut during the Spanish Civil War of 1936. The conflict gave Hitler and the Wehrmacht
the perfect opportunity to test vehicles and armament for future military operations in Europe.
The Spanish airspace became the testing grounds for German aircraft dispatched to help Francisco
Franco’s forces as they fought the Republican troops aided by the Soviet Union and other powers.
On paper, the German Condor Legion was a
group of German volunteers serving the Nationalist
forces. In reality, it was the training ground for Luftwaffe pilots and aircraft.
The first batch of Heinkel He 111Bs arrived in Spain in February 1937. It went for the
skies of Guadalajara on March 9, providing air support to Nationalist forces attempting
to conquer the city from the Republicans. German pilots felt extremely comfortable flying
the bomber. It was easy to control and handle, paving the way for additional
deliveries in the u
pcoming months. The He 111s proved more effective during combat
operations than the Do 17 and Ju 86 aircraft. As air operations over Spain increased, the
Condor Legion gathered more experience, allowing the pilots to provide the
Luftwaffe with the He 111s performance. Heinkel gathered as much information as possible
from the pilots fighting in Spain to refine and improve the bombers as much as it could. It paid
off, leading to the introduction of the He111E in 1938, during the last year of
the war in Spain.
During air operations, Luftwaffe pilots concluded that the He 111E could easily outrun Soviet
fighters in combat, ditching the idea of increasing the bomber’s defensive weaponry.
Although reasonable then, the German Air Force would regret it once World War 2 broke out
and the Allies introduced faster aircraft. The Spanish Air Force and Franco were
so impressed by the He 111's performance during the conflict that Spain acquired the
license to build Spanish versions of the H
einkel during World War 2. The Spanish CASA
2.111 would serve Spain until the late 1970s. While preparing for the invasion
of Poland in early September 1939, the first bomber considered by the Luftwaffe
was the Heinkel He 111. It became the spearhead of the bombing campaigns once the
infantry and armor overtook Western Poland. During the invasion, the German
Blitzkrieg had several objectives: achieving air superiority to incapacitate
Polish air defenses, communication lines, military infra
structure, and industrial centers.
The Luftwaffe launched a massive aerial assault on Polish cities, military installations, and
transportation hubs. Waves of German bombers, including Junkers Ju 87 Stuka dive
bombers and Heinkel He 111 medium bombers, conducted relentless attacks, causing
widespread destruction and casualties. For the first time in history, the Germans
utilized innovative tactics such as dive bombing, precision strikes on key targets, and coordinated
attacks with ground fo
rces on a massive scale. The Heinkel He 111 was at the heart
of the action, pulverizing Polish morale through efficient bombing operations.
Nevertheless, the Polish Air Force continued to mount determined counterattacks, leading
the Luftwaffe to upgrade the Heinkel He 111’s defensive countermeasures, such as increased
speed to continue evading enemy aircraft. However, there was no rest for
the Heinkel’s crews. They were called upon to support Kriegsmarine operations
against the British Roya
l Navy in early 1940. He 111s performed low-level runs against British
shipping in the North Sea to weaken the British economy. Once the enemy decided to invade Norway,
Hitler took one step forward and secured it before the Britons could cut off Germany from the sea.
He 111s were once again called to battle to take part in the occupation of Denmark and Norway.
While dropping paratroopers over enemy skies, the Luftwaffe experimented with some variants
of the medium bomber equipped with a jump
hatch and space for sixteen paratroopers
to airdrop them over hostile lines. With Eastern and Northern Europe
under control, the German forces prepared for their most demanding military
challenge yet: the war against France. The German High Command led several diversions
to lure the French into thinking the Maginot Line would defend them, first attacking the
Low Countries and Belgium. At the same time, German armored divisions advanced from the
South to cut off French armies from behind.
Taking part in the Rotterdam Blitz days
later, the He 111s soared over the city, their engines roaring as they unleashed their
deadly payload upon strategic targets below. The sky was ablaze with the glow of explosions as the
city's defenses struggled to repel the offensive. The He 111s Continued their relentless assault,
pounding the Allied forces as they retreated. As the month wore on, the He 111s turned their
attention to the British forces during the Dunkirk Evacuation. Flying low over
the beaches,
they unleashed their bombs with precision, wreaking havoc and unleashing terror in the troops
below awaiting rescue from the evacuation boats. With the fall of France in June 1940,
the Luftwaffe shifted its focus to the invasion of Britain. Along the English
Channel, squadrons of He 111s assembled alongside formations of Do 17s and Junkers Ju 88s.
Like in the early phases of the war, the medium bombers led the attacks into British airspace. As
they swept across the channel, th
ey encountered fierce resistance from Royal Air Force fighters.
Hawker Hurricanes and Supermarine Spitfires engaged the bombers in intense dogfights,
filling the skies with tracer fire and smoke. During the early phases of the Battle of
Britain, the He 111s faced challenges for the first time. Vulnerable to head-on attacks
by the British fighters due to their glazed nose and lack of armor, the He 111s struggled
to defend against the assaults of the RAF. Fighter escorts became necessary, whi
le repeated
engagements exposed the limitations of their defensive armament. As such, the He 111s stopped
being the aggressive fighters they once were and adopted a new role: strategic bombing.
Although not designed for this role, the reliable Heinkel aircraft delivered, pounding
British cities to subjugate the Empire by force. Simultaneously, the Hes were deployed across
the Balkans and mainland Greece to support the Italians fighting the Greeks on the ground.
The bombers were also critical
in providing support to transport aircraft airdropping German
paratroopers to seize control of Crete. More broadly, the He 111s were also painted light brown
for the immediate deployment of Erwin Rommel’s elite Afrika Korps in northern Africa.
For the invasion of the Soviet Union, the Luftwaffe introduced several
variants of the Heinkel that increased bombload and fuel storage for increased range.
Following the launch of Operation Barbarossa, the medium bombers were deployed alongside
their
escort fighters to provide tactical support to the advancing infantry and armor.
To stop the Soviet production line and deployment of troops via trains, the medium bombers
flew close to the frozen landscapes to strike Red Army rail networks and production
facilities to halt Soviet arms delivery. As the war escalated and fewer aircraft
were available, the He 111s began to serve as transport when necessary, evacuating
wounded soldiers and delivering supplies during the Battle of Stalingrad.
B
y the spring of 1943, the number of Heinkel bombers available declined
as other aircraft, like the Ju 88, took on more responsibilities. Despite this,
the He 111 continued to conduct more assaults against Soviet shipping in the Black Sea using the
innovative FuG 200 Hohentwiel anti-shipping radar. In 1944, Heinkel experimented with
unique variants of the He 111, such as the He 111 Zwilling or Twin. This design
mated two He 111s and was initially conceived to carry gliders and deliver anti-s
hip missiles.
He 111s were employed to deliver V-1 flying bombs to Britain in late 1944. As Germany began to
shrink during the last months of the war, He 111s were used in numerous evacuation operations
to extract German soldiers and civilians. They remained in this role
until the very end of the war. In May 1945, American troops captured
a Heinkel H-20 variant optimized for carrying 16 paratroopers and three crew
members. They dispatched it to Cherbourg, France, where it awaited naval tran
sport
in the United States for evaluation. Nonetheless, the aircraft could not be shipped
aboard HMS Reaper due to a lack of space. Then, an unlikely pair of aviators from the Army Air
Forces stepped in to fly the aircraft to Essex. But not for the desired reasons. The men
wanted to turn the bomber into their private aircraft to fly around the countryside and
take them to their home base in the UK. The American crew of the 56th USAAF Fighter
Group comprised Major Carter, Major Williamson,
and Captain Ordway. The aviators painted the
bomber with their unit colors and their monogram and learned to fly it the hard way.
Despite not having any contact with the German bomber, the Americans managed to take
it to the skies without any troublesome issues, except flying for over an hour above
their home base, trying to figure out how to lower the landing gear.
Once the men got the hang of it, they took the Heinkel He 111 for trips around
Germany, France, and the UK, attracting interest
wherever they went. Unfortunately, fun
ran out for the aviators when they were ordered to return to the United States.
They wished to return their bomber to the mainland, but it was impossible. The three friends
considered cutting up the aircraft but couldn't do so due to its quality. It was such a fine
aircraft that the pilots refused to destroy it. Unable to pass it to another American
airbase, the pilots considered hiding the bomber in a desolated RAF base with
lax security. Thus, Carte
r, Williamson, and Ordway devised a stealth plan to take their
prize to the RAF, as the Britons were willing to accept the bomber without any transfer documents.
On September 12, 1945, Carter took off from Boxted and landed at RAF North Weald, parking
the Heinkel near the watch tower and fleeing the scene before security noted it.
The next day, the trio of American aviators who grew fond of their cherished bomber left
for the States, leaving a surprise for the British airmen stationed in Nort
h Weald.
Puzzled by the sudden apparition of a German bomber painted with the US Army Air Forces
insignias, the Britons opted to put the aircraft on display in the German Aircraft Display
at RAE Farnborough instead of destroying it. Since then, this unique Heinkel He
111 bomber has been used for various films and documentaries. It remains at the RAF
Museum in London for visitors to appreciate it. This singular story is a testament to the
universal passion that aviators worldwide share for f
lying and aircraft that have passed
across the skies with the grace of everyday birds.
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