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Germany's Heinkel He 111 bomber, Spaten (Spade)¹
Heinkel He 111^2,3

Heinkel He 111H-2 bomber:	Heinkel He 111 bomber:	Heinkel He 111 bomber:	Heinkel He 111 bomber:
Heinkel He 111 bomber:

Design

Due to restrictions after World War I the Heinkel He 111 was disguised as an airliner, and flew with Lufthansa.¹ It however, could be converted into a bomber.¹

Crew

The pilot sat on the left, and the bombardier on the right in the cabin.¹ There was a gangway that went between the bomb racks back to the rear compartment that held the gunners and radio operator.¹

There was a ventral gondola that had a MG in it.¹ However, it was called the Sterbebett (Deathbed) as it was very vulnerable to attacks from below.¹

Cockpit

The allies soon learned to attack from the front of the He 111 as there was no armor in front.¹

The early models had the more normal stepped cockpits.³

Wings

The broad dihedral wings gave excellent stability and the ability for the He 111 to carry heavy loads.¹

Fuselage

The fuselage and tail section was made from metal, including the skin.¹ The allowed for great durability, and sometimes could even fly with a destroyed elevator.¹

Rocket Assist

Rockets could be fitted to help the He 111 take off from short or rough fields or with heavy loads.¹

Prototype

The He 111 first flew at Marienehe on February 24, 1934.^1,2,3

The He 111H prototype first flew in January 1938.³

The He 111V8 (became the He 111P) prototype first flew in January 1938.³

Production

Over 7,300 He 111s were produced.^1,2

• He 111A: 10³
• He 111B: ~300³
• He 111C: 5³
• He 111E: ~190³
• He 111F: 70³
• He 111G: 10³
• He 111H: ~6,200³
  • Produced from 1938 to 1944.³
• He 111J: 90³
• He 111P: ~400³
  • Produced from 1938 to 1940.³
• Total: over 7,300^1,2,3

Variants

• He 111V1: Prototype.³ Had BMW 6.0Z (660 HP) engines.³
• He 111V2: Transport prototype.³ Had seats for 10.³ Had BMW 6.0Z (660 HP) engines.³
• He 111V7: Prototype with DB 601Aa engines.³
• He 111V8: A modified He 111B-0 with a new nose.³
• He 111A: Pre production with BMW engines.³
• He 111B-1: Had stepped wind screen and elliptical leading edges on the wings.² Had Daimler-Benz DB 600 engines.³
• He 111B-2: Had Daimler-Benz DB 600 engines.³ Had coolant radiators on each side of the engines below the wings.³
• He 111C: Transport.³ Carried 10 passengers.³
• He 111D: Experimental.³ Had new DB 600 engines.³
• He 111E: Had Junkers Jumo engines.³ Larger bomb load.³
• He 111E-4: Had bomb racks under the wings.³
• He 111F: Straight leading wing edge.² Jumo engines.³
• He 111G: Had BMW 132 or DB 600 engines.³
• He 111H: Had fully glazed nose with no wind screen steps.³ Had Junkers Jumo 211 engines.²
• He 111H-2: Increased armor.³ More defensive armament.³
• He 111H-3: Bombing and anti shipping.³ 20 mm cannon in nose.³
• He 111H-4: Had Junkers Jumo 211D-1 engines (1,400 HP).³ Racks for bombs under the wings.³
• He 111H-5: More fuel.³ Only carried external bombs.³
• He 111H-6: Had Junkers Jumo 211F-1/2 engines.³ Larger bomb load.³ Could carry torpedo.²
• He 111H-8: Had a balloon cable fender.²
• He 111H-10: Night bomber version.³
• He 111H-11: Dorsal gun was completely enclosed.³ Defensive armament was changed.³
• He 111H-11/R2: Glider tug for the Go 242.²
• He 111H-12: Could launch tow Henschel Hs 293A, FuG 203, or FuG 230 missiles.³
• He 111H-14: Pathfinder version with special radio.^2,3
• He 111H-15: Torpedo version.²
• He 111H-16: Had an increase in armament.^2,3
• He 111H-18: Pathfinder version with special radio.² Night bomber.³
• He 111H-20: A transport that could carry 16 paratroopers.^2,3 Could tow a glider.³
• He 111H-21: Had Junkers Jumo 213 engine (1,750 HP).³
• He 111H-22: Carried a Fi 103 missile.² Could carry V1 under port wing.³
• He 111H-23: Transport to carry eight paratroopers.³
• He 111J: Torpedo bomber.³ Had DB 600 engines.³
• He 111P: Had a fully glazed asymmetric nose with no wind screen steps.^2,3 Had a DB 601Aa engine.² Delivered in 1939.²
• He 111P-0: Pre production that appeared in 1938.³
• He 111P-1: Deliveries began in early 1939.³
• He 111P-2: Deliveries began in May 1939.³ Had new radio equipment.³
• He 111P-3: Dual control trainer.³
• He 111P-4: Heavier armor.³ More defensive armament.³
• He 111P-6: Had DB 601N (1,175 HP) engines.³ Modified dorsal gun position that was now enclosed.³
• He 111P-6/R2: Glider tug conversion.³
• He 111Z Zwilling (twin): Was two He 111s joined together with a fifth engine.^2,3 Used to tow Me 323.^2,3

Usage

Models used by which countries:

• He 111A: China³
• He 111B: Germany and Spain³
• He 111E: Germany and Spain³
• He 111F: Turkey³
• He 111G: Turkey³
• He 111H: Germany, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia³
• He 111P: Germany and Hungary³

Early World War II

The He 111s were extensively used in the early German campaigns.³

There were over 400 He 111Hs in service by September 1939.³

Spain

The Condor Legion was supplied with the He 111 in the Spanish Civil War.¹ They received 30 He 111B-1s in February 1937.^2,3

	Heinkel He 1113	Heinkel He 111B-23	Heinkel He 111H-33	Heinkel He 111H-63	Heinkel He 111H-161,2	Heinkel He 111P-43
Type	Medium bomber3	Medium bomber3	Medium bomber3	Medium bomber3	Medium bomber1,2	Medium bomber3
Crew	43	43	5 - 63	5 - 63	4 - 51, 52, 5 - 63	4 - 53
Engine (Type)		2: Daimler-Benz DB 600CG3	2: Junkers Jumo 211D-13	2: Junkers Jumo 2111F-1/23	2: Junkers Jumo 211F-2 piston1 2: Junkers Jumo 211F piston2	2: Daimler-Benz DB 601A-13
Cylinders		Inverted V 123	Inverted V 123		Inline2	Inverted V 123
Cooling
HP		950 each3	1,200 each3	1,350 each3	1,350 each1,2	1,100 each3
Propeller blades		3 each3	3 each3	3 each3		3 each3
Fuel capacity					Inner wing: 182 gallons1 Inner wing: 700 liters1
Dimensions
Span		74' 1.75"3 22.6 m3	74' 1.75"3 22.6 m3	74' 1.75"3 22.6 m3	74' 1"1, 74' 1.75"2,3 22.6 m1,2,3	74' 1.75"3 22.6 m3
Length		57' 5"3 17.5 m3	53' 9.5"3 16.39 m3	53' 9.5"3 16.39 m3	53' 9"1, 53' 9.5"2,3 16.393, 16.4 m1,2	53' 9.5"3 16.39 m3
Height		14' 5.25"3 4.41 m3	13' 1.5"3 4 m3	13' 1.5"3 4 m3	13' 1"1, 13' 1.25"2,3 3.4 m2, 4 m1,3	13' 1.5"3 4 m3
Wing area					931 ft2 1, 931.07 ft2 2 86.5 m2 1,2
Weight
Empty		12,875 lb3 5,840 kg3	17,000 lb3 7,711 kg3		19,096 lb1, 19,136 lb2,3 8,680 kg1,2,3	17,670 lb3 8,015 kg3
Loaded		18,960 lb3 17.5 m3			30,800 lb1, 30,865 lb2,3 14,000 kg1,2,3
Maximum load		22,046 lb3 10,000 kg3	30,865 lb3 14,000 kg3			29,762 lb3 13,500 kg3
Performance
Speed at sea level		186 mph3 299 kph3				176 mph3 283 kph3
Speed @ 13,120' / 4,000 m		230 mph3 370 kph3
Speed @ 16,400' / 5,000 m						200 mph3 322 kph3
Speed @ 19,685' / 6,000 m					252 mph3, 271 mph2 405 kph3, 436 kph2
Speed @ 20,000' / 6,000 m					270 mph1 435 kph1
Cruising speed		174 - 214 mph3 280 - 344 kph3			205 - 239 mph3 330 - 385 kph3	168 - 193 mph3 270 - 310 kph3
Climb to 6,650' / 2,000 m						14.2 minutes3
Climb to 13,120' / 4,000 m					23.5 minutes3
Climb to 19,685' / 6,000 m					42 minutes2
Service ceiling		22,966'3 7,000 m3			21,980'2,3, 28,000'1 6,700 m2,3, 8,500 m1	14,765'3 4,500 m3
Range		1,030 miles3 1,657 km3			1,200 miles1, 1,212 miles2, 1,280 miles3 1,950 km1,2, 2,060 km3	1,224 miles3 1,970 km3
Range with bomb load		565 miles3 909 km3
Armament					1: 20 mm1,3 1: 13 mm1 7: 7.9 mm MG3 9: 7.92 mm MG1	6 or 7: 7.9 mm MG3
Nose		1: 7.9 mm MG3			1: 20 mm MG FF2
Dorsal		1: 7.9 mm MG3			1: 13 mm MG3 1: 13 mm MG 1312
Ventral		1: 7.9 mm MG3			2: 7.2 mm MG 152
Beam					2: 7.9 mm MG 812
Bombs		3,307 lb3 1,500 kg3			4,409 lb2, 7,165 lb3, 7,775 lb1 2,000 kg2, 3,250 kg3, 3,307 kg1	4,410 lb3 2,000 kg3

Sources:

1. Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
2. Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
3. Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998

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