Heinkel He 111

Un Junkers Jumo 211 A

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

He 111 E


The pre-production E-0 series were built in small numbers. Fitted with Jumo 211 A-1 engines loaded with retractable [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The variant could carry 1,700 kg (3,748 lb) of bombs giving it a take off weight og 10.300 kg (22,707 lbs).

The development team for the Jumo 211 A-1 engines managed to increase engine power to 930 hp, subsequently the He 111 E-1s bomb load capacity increased to 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) and a top speed of 242 mph (390 km/hr).

The E-1 variant with Jumo 211A-1 engines was developed in 1937, the He 111 V6 being the first production variant.

The E-1 had its original powerplant, the DB 600 replaced with the Jumo 210 Ga inline engines.

The more powerful Jumo 211 A-1 engines desired by the RLM were not yet ready for installation.

Another trial aircraft, He 111 V10 (D-ALEQ) was to be fitted with two oil coolers necessary for the Jumo 211 A-1 installation.

The lubricant coolers being installed into the engine fairing in a streamline manner.

The E-1s came off the production line in February 1938, in time for a number of these aircraft to serve in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in March 1938.

In a way, the positive performance influenced later variants.

The Luftwaffe believed that because the E variant could outrun enemy fighters, there was no need to upgrade the defensive weaponry, which would prove a mistake from the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] onward.

The defensive armament of the ten ton heavy aircraft corresponded to the He 111B-2 variant.

The fuselage bomb bay used four bomb racks, in later versions eight modular standard bomb racks designed to carry one SC 250 kg (550 lb) bomb, or four SC 50 kg (110 lb) bombs each in nose up orientation (which resulted in the bombs doing a flip as they were dropped out of the aircraft).

These modular standard bomb racks were a common feature on the first generation of Luftwaffe bombers (including
the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]), but it turned out that they limited the ordnance selection to bombs of only two sizes.

Since they had to be built strong enough to carry heavy bombs without contributing to the structural integrity of the aircraft, these racks were abandoned in later designs.

The E-2 series was not produced, and was dropped in favour of producing the E-3. with only a few modifications, such as external bomb racks.

Its design features were distinguished by improvements FuG radio systems, and the Jumo 211 A-3 installed in place of the A-1, albeit experimentally.

The E-3 series was equipped with the Jumo 211 A-3 for the duration of the series which packed 1,100 hp.

The E-4 variant was fitted with external bomb racks also and the empty bomb bay space was filled with a 835 L
(221 US gal) tank for aviation fuel and a further 115 L (30 US gal) oil tank.

This increased the loaded weight to nearly 9.9 tonnes (11 tons), but increased its range to 1,800 km (1,130 mi).

The modifications allowed the He 111 to perform both long and short range missions.

The E-4s eight internal vertically aligned bomb racks could each carry a 250 kg (550 lb).

The last E Variant, the He 111E-5, was powered by the Jumo 211A-3, and retained the 835 L (221 US gal) fuel tank on the port side of the bomb bay.

Only a few of the E-4 and E-5 were built.

The RLM had acquired an interest in rocket boosters fitted for the sake of simplicity below the wings of a heavily loaded bomber to cut down the length of runway needed for take-off.

Once in the air the booster canisters would be jettisoned by parachute for re-use. The firm of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], handled this development

The first standing trials and tests flights of the boosters were held in 1937 at [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] with test pilot [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] at the controls of Heinkel He 111E AMUE.

He 111 F


The He 111 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 111 F models, which moved from the elliptical wing to one with straight leading and trailing edges, which could be manufactured more efficiently.

The dimensions of the new design had a wing span of 22.6m (74 ft 1¾in) and an area of 87.60m² (942.90 ft).

The industrial capacity of Heinkel was limited and production was delayed. 24 machines of the F-1 series, fitted
with DB 600 engines, were exported to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Another 20 of the F-2 variant were built.

The Turkish interest, prompted by the fact the tests of the next prototype, He 111 V8, was some way off, prompted
the RLM to order 40 F-4s with Jumo 211 A-3 engines.

These machines were built and entered service in early 1938.

This fleet was used as a transport group during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

At this time, development began on the He 111 J.

It was powered by the DB 600 and was intended as a torpedo bomber.

As a result, it lacked an internal bomb bay and carried two external torpedo racks.

The RLM gave an order for the bomb bay to be retrofitted; this variant became known as the J-1.

In all but the powerplant, it was identical to the F-4.

The final variant of the F series was the F-5.

The F-5 was designed as a bomber. Its bombsight and powerplant configuration equipment was identical to the E-5.

The F-5 was rejected as a production variants owing to the superior performance of the He 111P-1 which was being developed.

He 111 J


The He 111's low-level performance attracted the interest of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The navy believed the He 111 would make an excellent torpedo bomber, and as a result, the He 111 J was produced.

The J was capable of carrying [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Kriegsmarine eventually dropped the program as they deemed the four man crew too expensive in terms of
manpower.

The RLM however, had progressed too far with the development, and continued to build the He 111 J-0. Some 90 (other sources claim 60) were built in 1938 and were then sent to Küstenfliegergruppe 806.

The He 111J-0 was powered by the DB 600G without retractable radiators.

It could carry a 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) payload.

Few of the pre-production J-0s were ever fitted with the DB 600G. Instead, the DB 600 was used and the performance of the powerplant left much to be desired.

The torpedo bomber was not pursued.

The J-1 was identical to the F which the exception of the powerplants. The J was used in training schools until 1944.

Some J-1s were used as test beds for [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] radio-guided [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] torpedo missiles.

Un Daimler Benz DB 600 dans une nacelle de He 111

[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir cette image]

He 111 P


The He 111 P incorporated the updated [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]A-1 water cooled engine and featured a newly designed nose section, including an asymmetric Ikaria nose mounting for an MG 15 machine gun that replaced the 'stepped'
cockpit with a roomier and aerodynamically favourable glazed "dome" over the front of the aircraft.

These improvements allowed the aircraft to reach 475 km/h (295 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft) and a cruise speed of 370 km/h (230 mph), although a full bombload reduced this figure to 300 km/h (190 mph).

The design was implemented in 1937 because pilot reports indicated problems with visibility.

The pilot's seat could actually be elevated, with the pilot's eyes above the level of the upper glazing, complete with a small pivoted windscreen panel, to get the pilot's head above the level of the top of the "glass tunnel" for a better forward view for takeoffs and landings.

One of Heinkel's rivals, Junkers, built 40 He 111Ps at Dessau.

On 8 October 1938, the Junkers Central Administration commented:

Two aircraft were able to be inspected on 6th October in Bernburg. Apparent are the externally poor, less carefully designed components at various locations, especially at the junction between the empennage and the rear fuselage.

All parts have an impression of being very weak; especially when one is used to taking a long look at Junkers' designs, one cannot dispel a feeling of uncertainty.

The visible flexing in the wing must also be very high.

The left and right powerplants are interchangeable.

Each motor has an exhaust-gas heater on one side, but it is not connected to the fuselage since it is probable that as a result of incorrect air feed, the warm air in the fuselage is not free of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (CO).

The fuselage is not subdivided into individual segments, but is attached over its entire length, after completion, to the wing centre section.

Outboard of the powerplants, the wings are attached by universal joints.

The latter can in no way be satisfactory and have been the cause of several failures.

The P-2, like the later P-4, was given stronger armour and two MG 15 machine guns on either side of the fuselage and two external bomb racks.

Radio communications consisted of FuG IIIaU radios and the DB601 A-1 replaced the 601Aa powerplants.

The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] bombsights, which became the standard bombsight for German bombers, were also fitted to the P-2.

The P-2 was also given "field equipment sets", to upgrade the weak defensive armament to four or five MG 15 machine guns.

The P-2 had its bomb capacity raised to 4 ESA-250/IX vertical magazines.

The P-2 thus had an empty weight of 6,202 kg (13,272 lb), a loaded weight increased to 12,570 kg (27,712 lb) and a maximum range of 2,100 km (1,305 mi).

The P-3 was powered with the same DB601A-1 engines.

The aircraft was also designed to take off with a land catapult (KL-12). A towing hook was added to the fuselage under the cockpit for the cable.

Just eight examples were produced, all without bomb equipment.

The P-4 contained many changes from the P-2 and P-3.

The jettisonable loads were capable of considerable variation.

Two external SC 1800 kg (3,960 lb) bombs; two LMA air-dropped anti-shipping mines; one SC 1,800 kg plus four SC 250 kg; or one SC 2,500 kg external bomb could be carried on a ETC Rüstsatz rack.

Depending on the load variation, a 835 L fuel and 120 L oil tank could be added in place of the internal bomb bay.

The armament consisted of three defensive MG 15 machine guns.

But these were not sufficient, so a further six MG 15s and one [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was added.

The radio communications were standard FuG X(10), Peil G V direction finding and FuBI radio devices.

Because of the increase in defensive firepower, the crew numbers increased from four to five.

The empty weight of the P-4 increased to 6,775 kg (14,936 lb), and the full takeoff weight increased to 13,500 kg (29,762 lb) owing to the mentioned alterations.

The P-5 was powered by the DB601A.

The variant was mostly used as a trainer and at least 24 production variants were produced before production ceased.

The P-5 was alleged to have been fitted with PVC bomb racks, which cannot be confirmed.

The P-5 was fitted with meteorological equipment, and was used in Luftwaffe weather units.

Many of the He 111 Ps served during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. With the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] experiencing technical difficulties, the He 111 and the Do 17 formed the backbone of the Kampfwaffe.

On 1 September 1939, Luftwaffe records indicate the Heinkel strength at 705 (along with 533 Dorniers).

He 111H, the main variant


He 111H-1 to H-10


The H variant of the He 111 series was more widely produced and saw more action during [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] than any other Heinkel variant.

Owing to the uncertainty surrounding the delivery and availability of the DB 601 engines, Heinkel began tests with the 820 kW (1,100 hp) [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] powerplants.

The somewhat larger size and greater weight of the Jumo 211 engines were unimportant considerations for a twin engine design, and the Jumo was used on almost all early-war bomber designs.

When the Jumo was fitted to the P model it became the He 111 H.

The He 111H-1 was fitted with a standard set of three [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (.312 in) MG 15s and eight SC 250 250 kg (550 lb)
or 32 SC 50 50 kg (110 lb) bombs.

The same armament was used in the H-2 which started production in August 1939.

The P-series was gradually replaced on the eve of war with the new the H-2, powered by improved Jumo 211 A-3 engines of 820 kW (1,100 hp).

A count on 2 September 1939 revealed that the Luftwaffe had a total of 787 He 111s in service, with 705 combat ready, including 400 H-1 and H-2s that had been produced in a mere four months.

Production of the H-3, powered by the 895 kW (1,200 hp) Jumo 211 D-1, began in October 1939.

The experiences during the Polish Campaign lead to an increase in defensive armament.

MG 17s were fitted whenever possible and the number of machine guns was increased to seven.

Normally one MG 17 would be installed in the nose, one in the ventral position, dorsal position and one in each waist window position. The two waist positions received an additional MG 15 or 17. On some Heinkels a permanent [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] MG 17 was installed in the tail.

After the Battle of Britain, smaller scale production of the H-4s began.

The H-4 was virtually identical to the He 111P-4 with the DB 600s swapped for the Jumo 211D-1s.

This variant also differed from the H-3 in that could either carry 2,000 kg (4,410 lb) of bombs internally or mount one or two external racks to carry one 1,800 kg (3,970 lb) or two 1,000 kg (2,210 lb) bombs.

As these external racks blocked the internal bomb bay doors, a combination of internal and external storage was not possible.

A PVR 1006L bomb rack was fitted externally and a 835 L (221 US gal) tank added.

The PVR 1006L was capable of carrying a SC 1000 1,000 kg (2,210 lb) bomb. Some H-4s had their PVC racks modified to drop torpedoes.

Later modifications enabled the PVC 1006 to carry a 2,500 kg (5,510 lb) "Max" bomb. But 1,000 kg (2,200 lb)
"Hermann" or 1,800 kg (3,970 lb) "Satans" were used more widely.

The H-5 series followed in February 1941, with heavier defensive armament.

Like the H-4, it retained a PVC 1006 L bomb rack to enable it to carry heavy bombs under the fuselage.

The first ten He 111H-5s were pathfinders, and selected for special missions.

The aircraft sometimes carried 25 kg flashlight bombs which acted as [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The H-5 could also carry [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], either heavy containers or smaller incendiary devices attached to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The H-5 also carried LM A and LM B [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for anti-shipping operations.

After the 80th production aircraft, the PVC 1006 L bomb rack was removed and replaced with a heavy-duty ETC 2000 rack, enabling the H-5 to carry the SC 2500 "Max" bomb, on the external ETC 2000 rack, which enabled it to support the 5,000 lb bomb.

Some H-3 and H-4s were equipped with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] cable-cutting equipment in the shape of cutter installations forward of the engines and cockpit.

They were designated H-8, but later named H8/R2. These aircraft were difficult to fly and the production stopped.

The H-6 initiated some overall improvements in design.

The Jumo 211 F-1 engine of 1,007 kW (1,350 hp) increased its speed while the defensive armament was upgraded with one 20 mm [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in the nose position, one MG 15 in the ventral turret, and in each of the fuselage side windows (optional).

Some H-6 variants carried tail-mounted MG 17 defensive armament.

The performance of the H-6 was much improved.

The climb rate was higher and the machine could reach a slightly higher ceiling of 8,500 m (27,200 ft).

When heavy bomb loads were added, this ceiling was reduced to 6,500 m (20,800 ft).

The weight of the H-6 increased to 14,000 kg (30,600 lb). Some H-6s received Jumo 211F-2s which improved a low-level speed of 226 mph (365 km/h).

At an altitude of 6,000 m (19,200 ft) the maximum speed was 270 mph (435 km/h).

If heavy external loads were added, the speed was reduced by 21.75 mph (35 km/h)

Other designs of the mid-H series included the He 111 H-7 and H-8.

The airframes were to be rebuilds of the H-3/H-5 variant.

Both were designed as nightbombers and were to have two Jumo 211F-1s installed.

The intention was for the H-8 to be fitted with cable-cutting equipment and barrage ballon deflectors on the leading edge of the wings. The H-7 was never built.

The H-9 was intended as a trainer with dual control columns.
The airframe was a H-1 variant rebuild.

The powerplants consisted of two JumoA-1s or D-1s.

The H-10 was also designated to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] duties. Rebuilt from an H-2 of H-3 airframe, it was installed with full defensive armament including 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 and 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 81Z machine guns. It was to be powered by two Jumo 211A-1s, D-1s or F-2s.