Heinkel He 111

Heinkel He 111
Pays	Germany
Rôle	Bombardier moyen
Premier vol	Le 24 février 1935
Construit	6508

Lla Heinkel He 111 était un avion allemand conçu par Siegfried et Walter Günter chez Heinkel Flugzeugwerke en 1934. Par le développement, il a été décrit comme un « loup chez les moutons’s vêtements » because the project masqueraded the machine as civilian transport, though from conception the Heinkel was intended to provide the nascent Luftwaffe with a fast medium bomber. Perhaps the best-recognised German bomber due to the distinctive, extensively glazed « Serre » Nez des versions ultérieures, le Heinkel He 111 était le bombardier Luftwaffe le plus nombreux au début de la Seconde Guerre mondiale. Le bombardier s’en est bien tiré jusqu’à la bataille d’Angleterre, lorsque son armement défensif faible a été exposé. Néanmoins, il s’est avéré capable de subir de lourds dommages et de rester en vol. Au fur et à mesure que la guerre progressait, le He 111 était utilisé dans une variété de rôles sur tous les fronts du théâtre européen. Il a été utilisé comme bombardier stratégique pendant la bataille d’Angleterre, un bombardier torpilleur dans l’Atlantique et l’Arctique, et un bombardier moyen et un avion de transport sur les théâtres du Front ouest, oriental, méditerranéen, moyen-oriental et nord-africain.

Source:: Heinkel He 111 sur Wiki

Heinkel He 111-H
Photographe	Inconnu
Localisation	Inconnu
Photos	22

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Heinkel He 111H-20 Walk Around
Photographe	Michael Benolkin
Localisation	Inconnu
Photos	28

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Heinkel 111 P-1 Walk Around
Photographe	Unknow
Localisation	Inconnu
Photos	46

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Voir aussi :

The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

Lla Heinkel He 111 was the most recognizable German bomber of World War II. Developed in the mid-1930s under the guise of a « civilian airliner » to bypass Treaty of Versailles restrictions, it became the spearhead of the German air force. Its distinctive elliptical wings and glass-heavy, « bullet » nose made it a silhouette synonymous with the Battle of Britain. While it was advanced for its time, its relatively slow speed and weak defensive armament meant it relied heavily on fighter escorts to survive against modern interceptors like the Spitfire.

Attribute	Technical Specification (He 111 H-16)
Rôle	Medium Bomber / Torpedo Bomber / Transport
Crew	5 (Pilot, Navigator/Bombardier, 3 Gunners)
Moteur	2 × Junkers Jumo 211F-2 V12 (1,340 hp each)
Vitesse maximale	435 km/h (270 mph)
Cruise Speed	305 km/h (190 mph)
Bomb Load	Up to 2,000 kg (4,409 lbs) internally; more on external racks
Defensive Armament	Mixed: 1 × 20mm MG FF, 1 × 13mm MG 131, up to 7 × 7.92mm MGs
Portée opérationnelle	1,950 km (1,212 miles) fully loaded

Design Engineering: The Asymmetric Glass House

Lla « Wabenbau » Wing: Early models featured a beautiful, complex elliptical wing (inherited from the He 70 « Blitz »). While aerodynamically efficient, it was a nightmare to mass-produce, leading later models (the H and P series) to use a simplified straight-edged wing.
The Greenhouse Nose: Starting with the P-series, the He 111 featured a fully glazed, unstepped cockpit. To improve the pilot’s view, the nose was asymmetric, with the pilot’s seat slightly offset to port to give the nose gunner/bombardier more room on the starboard side.
Vertical Bomb Racks: Unlike Allied bombers that stacked bombs horizontally, the He 111’s internal bay held eight 250 kg bombs vertically (nose-up). This allowed for a narrower fuselage but meant the bombs had to « flip » horizontal after release.
Lla « Dustbin » Turret: Early versions had a retractable ventral turret that lowered from the belly. It was so cramped and drafty that crews hated it, eventually leading to the permanent « Gondola » (Bodenlafette) bulge seen on most wartime variants.

Operational History: From the Blitz to the Tundra

Guernica and Spain: The He 111 saw its first major combat with the Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. At that time, it was faster than most contemporary fighters, leading the Luftwaffe to mistakenly believe it wouldn’t need heavy defensive guns.
The Battle of Britain: This was the Heinkel’s trial by fire. Facing the RAF, the bomber’s flaws were exposed: its « Serre » nose made the crew highly vulnerable to head-on attacks, and it lacked the speed to escape Hurricanes and Spitfires.
The Stalingrad Airlift: On the Eastern Front, the He 111 was forced into a transport role to resupply the trapped 6th Army at Stalingrad. It was one of the few German planes capable of carrying enough cargo through the brutal winter, though hundreds were lost in the attempt.
Spanish Longevity: The design lived on long after the war. Spain produced its own version, the CASA 2.111, which used British Rolls-Royce Merlin engines (the same as the Spitfire!). These Spanish Heinkels were famously used to play « Allemand » bombers in the 1969 film Bataille d’Angleterre.