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Originally designed in the mid-1930s as a fast airliner that could be easily adapted for the bombing role, the He 111 first saw action in Spain with the Legion Condor during the civil war. By the time Germany invaded Poland, more than 700 were in service with the Luftwaffe’s Kampfgeschwadern, and they were used with devastating effect during the fall of Poland and France. However, the He 111 met its match during the Battle of Britain when over 240 were lost. It then became a night-time pathfinder, guiding in the bigger bombers during the Blitz. Elsewhere, He 111s filled a number of roles including acting as torpedo bombers against convoys and as reconnaissance platforms. This book charts the full story of the deployment of the He 111 in the western theatre of Word War II, including their last missions as V-1 Doodlebug launch platforms.
Contents
- Early Successes (the invasion of Poland, which involved more than 300 He 111P
- Hs from KGs 1, 4, 26 and 27 and LG 1, and the Blitzkrieg in the West)
- Battle of Britain (the iconic German medium bomber of the summer of 1940, the aircraft inflicted serious damage on Britain, but also suffered grievous losses – 246 shot down in aerial combat by the RAF)
- Night Blitz (the He 111 reverted to nocturnal missions once the RAF had secured mastery of the daylight skies over Britain. Heinkel units flew night raids on British cities well into 1943)
- Other Roles (He 111s were used for various roles in the west, with anti-shipping torpedo-bombing and photo-reconnaissance being amongst the most important) Mediterranean and North Africa (although only used in modest numbers in these theatres, the He 111 nevertheless found itself in the vanguard of the fight in support of the Afrika Korps)
- Flying Bombs (the He 111 was the only bomber converted to carry the Fi 103, better known as the V1 Doodlebug. Up to 50 aircraft would be launched at a time for night missions primarily against London, the bombers operating from Holland and western Germany. These raids ran from July 1944 through to January 1945)
- Appendices (- unit strengths and locations - plates commentary)
John Weal is Osprey’s primary Luftwaffe author and artist. He owns one of the largest private collections of original German-language literature from World War 2 and his research is based on this huge archive. Fluent in German, Weal has spent much time establishing contact with ex-members of the Luftwaffe, from General Staff Officers of the RLM to frontline aircrew. A freelance airbrush artist since the days of the monthly RAF Flying Review, he has illustrated some of the finest Luftwaffe profiles to date.
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