Time Period: World War II
Country of Origin: Germany
Type: Bomber Aircraft, Airliner
Manufacturer: Heinkel Flugzeugwerke
Heinkel He 111 Aircraft Overview
The Heinkel He 111 was a German medium bomber aircraft that was primarily used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. It was designed in the 1930s as a civilian transport aircraft, but was later adapted for military use and served in several theaters of war, including the Battle of Britain.
The He 111 was a twin-engine monoplane with a metal airframe and fabric-covered control surfaces. It was powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 601 engines and had a crew of four or five. The aircraft was armed with several machine guns and could carry a bomb load of up to 2,205 pounds (1,000 kg).
The He 111 saw significant action during the early years of the war, particularly during the Battle of Britain, where it was used to bomb targets in England. The aircraft was also used in the Eastern Front, North Africa, and the Mediterranean, among other theaters of war.
Throughout the war, the He 111 underwent several modifications and upgrades, including the addition of more powerful engines and improvements to its defensive armament. Some versions of the aircraft were also equipped with radar for use in night bombing missions.
By the end of the war, the He 111 had been largely replaced by more advanced bombers like the Junkers Ju 88 and the Dornier Do 217. Nevertheless, it remained in service until the end of the war and was used in a variety of roles, including as a transport aircraft and a glider tug.
Heinkel He 111 Specifications
- Crew: 5 (pilot, navigator/bombardier/nose gunner, ventral gunner, dorsal gunner/radio operator, side gunner)
- Length: 16.4 m (53 ft 10 in)
- Wingspan: 22.6 m (74 ft 2 in)
- Height: 4 m (13 ft 1 in)
- Wing area: 87.6 m2 (943 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 8,680 kg (19,136 lb)
- Gross weight: 12,030 kg (26,522 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 14,000 kg (30,865 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Junkers Jumo 211F-1 or Junkers Jumo 211F-2 V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, 970 kW (1,300 hp) each (Jumo 211F-1). 1,000 kW (1,340 hp) (Jumo 211F-2)
- Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers
Heinkel He 111 Performance
- Maximum speed: 440 km/h (270 mph, 240 kn)
- Range: 2,300 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 6,500 m (21,300 ft)
- Time to altitude: 5,185 m (17,011 ft) in 20 minutes
- Wing loading: 137 kg/m2 (28 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.081 kW/kg (0.049 hp/lb)
Heinkel He 111 Armament
- Guns:
- up to 7 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 15 machine guns or 7x MG 81 machine gun (2 in the nose, 1 in the dorsal, 2 in the side, 2 in the ventral), some of them replaced or augmented by
- 1 × 20 mm (0.787 in) MG FF cannon (central nose mount or forward ventral position)
- 1 × 13 mm (0.512 in) MG 131 machine gun (mounted dorsal and/or ventral rear positions)
- Bombs:
- 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb) in the main internal bomb bay
- Up to 3,600 kilograms (7,900 lb) could be carried externally.
