Heinkel He 115
He 115 | |
---|---|
Finnish Air Force He 115 N | |
Role | Torpedo bomber seaplane |
Manufacturer | Heinkel |
First flight | August 1937 |
Introduction | 1939 |
Status | Retired |
Primary users | Luftwaffe Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service Swedish Air Force Royal Air Force Finnish Air Force |
Number built | 138 |
The Heinkel He 115 was a three-seat World War II Luftwaffe seaplane. It was used as a torpedo bomber and performed general seaplane duties, such as reconnaissance and minelaying. The aircraft was powered by two 960 PS (947 hp, 720 kW) BMW 132K nine-cylinder air-cooled radial engines. Some later models could seat four, had different engines or used different weapon arrangements.
Development and design
In 1935, the German
The first prototype Heinkel flew in August 1937, testing was successful and the He 115 design was selected over the Ha 140 early in 1938, leading to an order for another prototype and 10 pre-production aircraft.[1] The first prototype was used to set a series of international records for floatplanes over 1,000 km (620 mi) and 2,000 km (1,200 mi) closed circuits at a speed of 328 km/h (204 mph).[3]
Armament initially consisted of two 7.92 mm (.312 in)
.Operational history
Luftwaffe
At the outbreak of the war, the He 115 was used for dropping parachute mines in British waters, normally aiming for narrow passages close to busy ports on the English south coast; the River Thames was also a prime target. The aircraft had its finest moment on anti-shipping operations against
Apart from its use as a
In response to the rising tensions in Europe, the
Seven Norwegian He 115s, five of them He 115Ns, were employed against German and German-controlled ships (see:
Royal Air Force
The four escaped aircraft were reformed into the Norwegian Helensburgh Group under Commander Bugge. The exiled Norwegian
Three of the Norwegian He 115s (F.56, F.58 and F.64) were subsequently used in covert operations off Norway and in the
Finnish Air Force
On 8 June 1940, the day after Norwegian forces were ordered to cease hostilities, one He 115 (F.50, deemed technically unfit to be flown to UK), was flown to Finland posing as a civilian aircraft LN-MAB. The float-plane was interned but the pilot, experienced line captain and naval lieutenant Helge Dahl and crew were free to leave Finland. From Summer 1941 it was used by the
Swedish Air Force
The Swedish Air Force operated 12 He 115A-2s under the local designation T 2, with Air Force numbers 101–112. Another six aircraft were ordered but never delivered due to the outbreak of World War II. They were sturdy and well liked by their crews and were not taken out of use until 1952. The Swedish T 2s were kept on duty throughout World War II and made a valuable contribution to protecting and enforcing Swedish neutrality. The T 2s replaced the outdated T 1s (Heinkel HD 16s) as torpedo bombers and also served as regular bombers, for smoke screening and for long-range reconnaissance missions. Five of the 12 T 2s were lost in accidents during their service with the Swedish Air Force.[12]
Variants
Prototypes
Five prototypes were used in the development of the aircraft,
- He 115 V1 August 1937, set eight payload/speed records
- He 115 V2 November 1937, similar to V1
- He 115 V3 March 1938, introduced glassed cockpit, which became standard
- He 115 V4 May 1938, production prototype, introduced struts in place of wires between fuselage and floats
- He 115 V5 1939
Production
The basic design of the aircraft remained unchanged during the type's career. The main differences, with a few notable exceptions, were changes in armament and avionics. Also to note is that the 'new' 'E' version, launched when production restarted in 1941, is in fact similar to the 'C'-series, again with the exception of armament changes.
- He 115 A-0 10 pre-production examples, armed with a single machine gun
- He 115 A-1 added a nose-mounted machine gun.
- He 115 A-2 similar to A-1, exported to Norway and Sweden
- He 115 A-3 modified weapons bay and changes to the radio equipment
- He 115 B-0 the 'B'-series introduced the ability to trade fuel and bomb load, as well as the possibility to carry a 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) magnetic mine
- He 115 B-1 added increased fuel capacity
- He 115 B-1/R1
- He 115 B-1/R2
- He 115 B-1/R3
- He 115 B-2 had reinforced floats for operation from ice or snow
- He 115 C-1 introduced additional armament
- He 11 5C-1/R1
- He 115 C-1/R2
- He 115 C-1/R3
- He 115 C-1/R4
- He 115 C-2 reinforced floats in same manner as B-2
- He 115 C-3 minelayer version.
- He 115 C-4 torpedo bomber version.
- He 115 D one aircraft fitted with BMW 801C engines rated at 1,147 kW (1,560 PS) each.
- He 115 E-1 similar to the 'C'-series, but with revised armament.
Operators
Surviving aircraft
- He 115 A-2 Werknr. 3043? Recovered from Russia, now in storage with private owner in France
- He 115 B/C Werknr. 2398 sunk to the bottom of a fjord on December 26, 1942[13] and was recovered from Hafrsfjord in Norway on 2 June 2012. It was part of 1 Staffel, Seefernaufklärungsgruppe 906 (No. 1 Squadron, 906 Maritime Reconnaissance Group), known until February 1941 as Küstenfliegergruppe 906 (906 Coastal Aviation Group), Luftflotte 5. In July 2012 the aircraft was in storage awaiting restoration at the Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola near Stavanger.[14]
- The wreck of a He 115 was located at the bottom of the lake Limingen in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway in 2013.[15]
Specifications (He 115 B-1)
Data from Fighters and Bombers of World War II [16]
General characteristics
- Crew: 3
- Length: 17.3 m (56 ft 9 in)
- Wingspan: 22.28 m (73 ft 1 in)
- Height: 6.6 m (21 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 87.5 m2 (942 sq ft)
- Airfoil: root: NACA 2221[17]
- Empty weight: 5,290 kg (11,662 lb)
- Gross weight: 10,400 kg (22,928 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × BMW 132K9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines 960 PS (950 hp; 710 kW)
- Propellers: 3-bladed variable-pitch propellers
Performance
- Maximum speed: 327 km/h (203 mph, 177 kn)
- Combat range: 2,100 km (1,300 mi, 1,100 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 5,200 m (17,100 ft)
- Wing loading: 103.8 kg/m2 (21.3 lb/sq ft)
- Power/mass: 0.139 kW/kg (0.085 hp/lb)
Armament
- 1 × fixed 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gunin dorsal and nose positions
- Five × 250 kg (550 lb) bombs or two such bombs and one torpedo of 800 kg (1,800 lb)
- One 920 kg (2,030 lb) sea mine.[16]
See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
- List of aircraft of World War II
- List of military aircraft of Germany
- List of military aircraft of Sweden
- List of military aircraft of Norway
- List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
References
Notes
- ^ a b c Air International February 1987, p.97.
- ^ Donald 1994, p.108.
- ^ Air International February 1987, p.96.
- ^ Air International February 1987, p.101.
- ^ Air International March 1987, p.155.
- ^ "KG 200 -- Unternehmen Moewe -- history -- stahlbrandt.com". www.stahlbrandt.com.
- ^ a b c d e f g Luftwaffe.no: Heinkel He 115 in Norway Archived 2007-09-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Hafsten 2003: 87–90
- ^ FAF in Color: Finnish Air Force Aircraft: Heinkel He 115[permanent dead link]
- ^ Hafsten 1991, p. 297
- ^ Berg 1997: 93
- ^ Avrosys.nu: T 2 - Heinkel He 115 (1939-1952) Archived 2007-02-05 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Minion, Main (24 April 2012). "WW2 German seaplane to be salvaged in Norway". X-Ray Mag. Retrieved 18 January 2024.
- ISSN 0143-7240.
- ^ http://www.nrk.no/trondelag/1.11216620, (in Norwegian)
- ^ a b Munson 1983, p. 197.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
Bibliography
- Berg, Ole F. (1997). I skjærgården og på havet – Marinens krig 8. april 1940 – 8. mai 1945 (in Norwegian). Oslo: Marinens krigsveteranforening. ISBN 82-993545-2-8.
- Donald, David (ed). Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London:Aerospace Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-56-5.
- Ede, Paul and Moeng, Soph (gen. editors) The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft ISBN 1-85605-705-4
- Hafsten, Bjørn; Arheim, Tom (2003). Marinens Flygevåpen 1912–1944 (in Norwegian). Oslo: TankeStreken AS. ISBN 82-993535-1-3.
- Keskinen, Kalevi and Stenman, Kari Finnish Air Force 1939-1945 ISBN 0-89747-387-6.
- "Last of a Genus...The Heinkel 115". Air International, February 1987, Vol. 32 No. 2. pp. 96–101. ISSN 0306-5634.
- "Last of a Genus...The Heinkel 115 Part Two". Air International, March 1987, Vol. 32 No. 3. pp. 154–156. ISSN 0306-5634.
- Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press. ISBN 0-7137-0860-3.
- Munson, Kenneth. Fighters and Bombers of World War II. London: Peerage Books. 1983. ISBN 0-907408-37-0
- Norrbom, Gösta Att flyga är att leva ISBN unstated