Germany's Heinkel He 219 Uhu night fighter1,2,3, ("Owl")2,3
Heinkel He 219 Uhu night fighter:
Heinkel He 219 Uhu night fighter:
Heinkel He 219 Uhu night fighter, under construction:
Design
The Heinkel He 219 was originally designed as a multi-purpose aircraft but it only saw use as a night fighter.1
It was based on Heinkel's P.1060 fighter-bomber proposal but this didn't receive support in Berlin.1 Production was delayed by Generalfeldmarschall Erhard Milch preferring the Junkers Ju 188.1
Radar
The He 219 used the Lichtenstein FuG 220 radar.1
Cockpit
The He219's windscreen was bulletproof and had wipers and hot-air demisting.1
With the cockpit being so far forward, in front of the engines and guns, the flash didn't bother the crew as much.1
Ejection seats were first used in combat in the He 219.1
Fuselage
The fuselage contained the self sealing and protected fuel tanks.1
Undercarriage
The undercarriage was the first Luftwaffe plane to have tricycle landing gear.1
Armament
One of the unique features of the He 219 was its Schräge Musik ("slanted music") upwards firing cannons located at the rear of the fuselage.3
Prototype
On November 15, 1942, was the first flight of the He 219V1 prototype.1,2,3
Delays occurred when the Royal Air Force (RAF) raided Rostock and 75% of the design drawings were destroyed.2
It was to beat out the Dornier Do 217N and Junkers Ju 88S.1
Production
Heinkel produced 296 He 219 Uhus.1
The production of the He 219 was to be cancelled as the Ju 88G was able to catch the Lancaster and Halifax bombers.2 However, the He 219 was the only plane able to take on the Mosquito so production continued.2
Due to jets and single engine fighters receiving production priority in May 1944 production of the He 219 was haulted.1
- Total: 2943
Variants
- He 219V-1: Prototype.3 Had Daimler-Benz 603A (1,750 HP) engines.3
- He 219A-0: Pre production version.2,3 In May 1943 sent to Holland for operational trials.3
- He 219R3: Had a single MG in the tail.1 This was removed in later versions.1
- He 219A-2: First production model.3
- He 219A-5: First production model produced in any quantities.2 Had increased fuel.3
- He 219A-6: Special model to fight the Mosquito.3 Had boosted Daimler-Benz DB 603L engines.3 Armament was reduced to increase performance.3
- He 219A-7: Introduced in 1944.2 Had Daimler-Benz 603G engines.3 Armament was increased.3
- He 219A-7/R1: Had up to eight cannons.2 Including two 30 mm in a Schräge Musik (slanting music or jazz) configuration.2
- He 219A-7/R4: Had a radar in the rear of the plane to warn of Mosquito night fighters.1
- He 219A-7/R5: Had Junkers Jumo engines.3
- He 219A-7/R6: Had two Jumo 222A/B engines (2,500 HP), which propelled the He 219 435 mph / 700 kph.2
Usage
The He 219 was one of the few Luftwaffe aircraft that were able to catch the de Havilland Mosquito.1 It was estimated that 60% of the Mosquitos lost in night combat were due to the He 219.2
A mission led by Major Werner Streib, on June 11/12, 1943, shot down five Lancaster bombers.1,2
Trial Run
Some of the He 219A-0 reproduction models were sent to Holland for trials.3 In the very first six sorties He 219 crews claimed 20 RAF bombers shot down. Six of those being the Mosquito, which had been immune up until then.3
First Unit
The first unit to use the He 219 was the 1. Staffel, Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, based at Munster-Handorf.2
| Heinkel He 219 Uhu3 | Heinkel He 219A Uhu3 | Heinkel He 219A-5 Uhu3 | Heinkel He 219A-7 Uhu3 | Heinkel He 219A-7/R1 Uhu1,2 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Type | Night fighter3 | Night fighter1,2 | |||
| Crew | 23 | 21,2 | |||
| Engine (Type) | 2: Daimler-Benz DB 603E3 | 2: Daimler-Benz DB 603G3 | 2: Daimler-Benz DB 603E piston2 2: Daimler-Benz DB 603G piston1 |
||
| Cylinders | Inverted V 123 | Inline2 | |||
| Cooling | |||||
| HP | 1,800 each3 | 1,900 each3 | 1,800 each2 1,900 each1 |
||
| Propeller blades | 3 each3 | 3 each3 | 3 each1 | ||
| Dimensions | |||||
| Span | 60' 8"3 18.49 m3 |
60' 8"1, 60' 8.5"2 18.5 m1,2 |
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| Length | 50' 11.75"3 15.54 m3 |
50' 11.75"2, 51'1 15.54 m1,2 |
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| Height | 13' 5.5"3 4.1 m3 |
13' 5.5"2, 13' 6"1 4.1 m1,2 |
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| Wing area | 479 ft2 1,2 44.5 m2 1,2 |
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| Weight | |||||
| Empty | 21,826 lb3 9,900 kg3 |
24,692 lb3 11,200 kg3 |
24,640 lb1, 24,691 lb2 11,200 kg1,2 |
||
| Loaded | 28,990 lb3 13,150 kg3 |
33,730 lb3 15,300 kg3 |
33,660 lb1, 33,730 lb2 15,300 kg1,2 |
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| Performance | |||||
| Speed maximum | 415 mph1 670 kph1 |
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| Speed @ 22,965' / 7,000 m |
416 mph3 669 kph3 |
416 mph2 670 kph2 |
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| Cruising speed | 335 - 391 mph3 539 - 629 kph3 |
390 mph1 630 kph1 |
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| Climb | 1,810'/minute3 552 m/minute3 |
1,805'/minute2 550 m/minute2 |
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| Service ceiling | 41,667'3 12,700 m3 |
40,000'1, 41,665'2 12,200 m1, 12,700 m2 |
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| Range | 1,243 miles3 2,000 km3 |
1,240 miles1, 1,243 miles2 2,000 km1,2 |
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| Armament | |||||
| Upward firing | 2: 30 mm3 | 2: 30 mm3 | 2: 30 mm Mk 1081,2 | ||
| Wing roots | 2: 20 mm3 | 2: 30 mm3 | 2: 30 mm Mk 1081,2 | ||
| Ventral tray | 2: 30 mm3 | 2: 20 mm3 2: 30 mm3 |
2: 20 mm MG 151/201,2 2: 30 mm Mk 1031,2 |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
- Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
- Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
