Heinkel He-111The Heinkel He-111 was the main German bomber early in the war. It was powered by either two Daimler-Benz 601 engines or two Junkers Jumo 211 engines. The Jumos engines replaced the Daimler-Benz engines on later variants of the He-111 because the DB engines were needed for other planes like the Bf-109. The earliest versions of the 111 had regular step-canopys, while the versions after those had the more famous all glass canopies. The newer all glass canopies offer a better view for the pilot. The 'Kondor Legion' used early He-111s in the Spanish Civil War during the late 1930s. During the Battle of Britain, the He-111 was found to be vulnerable, having only three to six defensive machine guns. It's slow speed was also a downfall of the He-111. As the war went on, the 111 was slowly withdrawn from service, although it served throughout the entire war. It was slowly replaced by the Ju-88, Ju-188, and He-177. The last variant of the 111 was the He-111Z, which was two He-111H's joined at the wing. It carried five Jumo engines and was meant to pull the enormous Me-321 glider.
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The sleek He-111. Poorly armed, the 111 was an easy target for fast fighters. The underbelly gunner position can be seen in this picture. |
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The incredible He-111Z 'Zwilling'(which means twin). This large plane was made to pull the huge Me-321 glider. |
