Welcome to Aviation Art Store
Heinkel He-111
Aircraft History and Pilot Comments.
Original Painting of Kriessmann' s Heinkel He-111.
Print Number Eleven in a Series of Famous Allied and Axis Pilots by Aviation Artist/Historian,
Sir Ernie Hamilton Boyette
Total number of prints in the series is 400 prints.
Print Size 12x18"
Limited Edition prints are signed and numbered by the artist and co-signed by the Luftwaffe pilot.
Limited Edition Price $75.00
Poster Print Price $18.00
Poster Prints are not autographed.
The history and development of the Heinkel He-111
Before the great depression, commercial air line companies were developing in the 1920's . Even though the international market collapse of the 1930's ruined many companies as well as whole nations, airline development continued. Success by American companies became nation wide in the United States and even international throughout the Caribbean and South America.
Italy was one such proud nation with many accredited aviation achievements. Germany was restricted by the treaty signed by the League of Nations at the end of the First World War with aircraft development. However civilian development continued but just barely. Many German aircraft factories were in fact located in countries outside Germany. Some factories were in Russia and other countries I will add here soon. It was a major conspiracy to diligently plan the different nations that the German aircraft industry was dispersed to in order to be able to operate out side the guidelines of the treaty. This plan served the architects of the Luftwaffe well with the eventual rebirth of not just the German Air Force, but the German Luftwaffe.
Twin-engine monoplanes were being built by Italian, American and English companies. All earning experience in multi-engine aircraft development. Germany did have the opportunity to compete under strict scrutiny. The first commercial success was the Junkers W34. Born from the Junkers F-13 after the first World War, the model W33 and W34 was a solid advancement forward that would influence commercial aviation designs world wide. The sale of the corrugated metal monoplane was international. Heinkel developed the He-70 which was a large bodied monoplane aircraft powered with one BMW VI engine. This proved to be an excellent fast passenger and mail transport. The Heinkel 70 was considered the most revolutionary design in not just Europe but in the world.
These were medium sized transport aircraft, the larger Junkers Ju-52 was a reaction to the Ford tri-motor. Junkers also developed the Ju-86 which should have been the way that the German transport aircraft development needed to continue. The best design was the Junkers Ju-252 which had a pressurized cabin with seating for 35 passengers. This airliner came a little late with its first flight in October 1941. The war was going on fairly well at the time and a larger transport was needed but the lag time to go into production with the many other types of aircraft the Germans were trying to pull off was unsustainable.
The next step for Heinkel was an all metal twin-engine aircraft. The design of the Heinkel He-111was artistic in its grace with elliptical wings and tail. The entire front, or nose of the aircraft was a glass gondola green house for the entire crew to work from. Front row seats. The aircraft which was secretly designed to be a bomber, and was flown and tested as a bomber first. The aircraft was then hidden from the public view for one year when it was then reveled to the public as a passenger aircraft. The prototype was refitted completely with passenger seats and baggage storage areas. The Heinkel was powered by two 600 hp BMW VI engines. The aircraft was beautiful in appearance and of course would have proved to be quite capable of competing with other aircraft of its time in commercial aviation, if that is what it had been developed for.
I just realized that the research writing I started here is getting too detailed. I will just stick to the development of the He-111. I will write about the Germany aircraft industry more extensively in my up coming book. Thank you and please keep reading. And yes, this site is under construction. New material can and will be added as discovered and reviewed.
The Heinkel He-111 prototype was the creation of Siegfried and Walter Gunther. Deutsche Luftthansa requested a design for a fast mail and passenger aircraft. Is it the request for an aircraft that is fast and can carry people and or cargo, or just the finished product that lent the He-111 to being a fast military bomber? In fact all aircraft can be fitted for military use. It was destiny that when the planners were formulating the creation of the Luftwaffe, all aircraft development could be slanted towards military use.
Hitler was now the Chancellor of Germany and his immediate and bold entry into aviation development was guised in the form of airline development. Thousands of young men all across Germany were forming and thrilling themselves with glider clubs. Future aviators or future aerial warriors? Ladies and gentlemen, this is where we can say, "We have a race!" An arms race that is. Key people in England and the United States were gravely concerned with German entry into aviation and naval developments so quickly. The once proud brown shirt party quickly turned into an arrogant black shirt and boot military party. The once destitute Germany now stood up and became an industrial giant. Aviation factories that were once scattered all over Europe were now relocated in German industrial cities and towns.
Design and prototype development began in 1934 when the first He-111 rolled out in the winter of 1934/35. First flight was in the spring. I do not have the date of that flight yet but it was flown at Marienehe. The aerodynamic graceful fuselage supported with a elliptically sculpted tail and wings made the aircraft almost science-fiction looking at the time with a full glassed in nose section. With the Heinkel He-111 sitting on the tarmac surrounded by reporters, photographers, industry experts and VIP's, she was beautiful, sparkling silver detailed with black numbers and markings with bold black design accent stripes along the wings and both sides of the fuselage. The tail supporting a broad red stripe sporting a bold swastika against a white background, it was an event to behold. The aircraft was beautiful, yet looked strong and dependable.
The trial flights were promising with a range of 930 miles at a top speed of 214 M.P.H. This was considered an excellent achievement. This was the speed of most single seated fighters at the time. The bomber was equipped with three defensive gun positions and could carry 2,200 lbs of bombs. All the while the Heinkel factory was deploying two versions of the bomber. One was for the public and the other, the military. The civil version used the bomb-bay area for seating ten passengers with a separate smoking booth. The second Heinkel to make a public appearance was the V4 model which was displayed in January 1936 at Berlin-Tempelhof. While the people at the show were admiring this sleek new civil aircraft, the V3 model, the bomber, was secretly rolling off the assembly lines.
Below is a photo of Willi's He-111 after he was shot down.
Wilhelm mailed me these photos that where taken by the German tank crew that rescued them.
Look at the hole in the side of the Heinkel, the radio operator shown in the photo could walk through it!
Here is some great artwork done by J.R. Beaman back in 1970 for a model magazine.
I know the modelers that visit my site will love this extra detail. I was really into modeling in 1970. I was in the 10th grade.
To read about Wilhelm's exciting carrier as a Luftwaffe bomber pilot go to his story below.
Contact me.
Start 1-26-08