Heinkel He 111
Designed in the 1930s the He 111 was a wolf in sheep’s clothing, a fast medium bomber developed under the guise of a transport aircraft. The aircraft is particularly distinctive with its greenhouse nose, on the later version, and rounded wing shape. In the early stages of the war it was the most numerous Luftwaffe bomber. But the Heinkels did not fare so well in the Battle of Britain and had been earmarked for replacement by the unrealised Bomber B project. In the event the He 111 continued in service until the war’s conclusion. The bomber was sold to a number of countries including Turkey and China, and after the Spanish Civil War the Spanish Air Force acquired fifty-nine of them, some of which were redistributed to Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. After the Second World War’s conclusion the design continued in production in the form of the Spanish licence-built CASA 2 111s.
He 111s flying in formation.
Removing the engine covers.
Interior of the He 111 cockpit, looking past the pilot towards the forward gunner in the front section of the fully glazed nose. This style of cockpit was a feature on many of the German bombers.
Junkers Ju 88
A twin-engined multi-role combat aircraft designed by Junkers in the 1930s initially as a Schnellbomber, a fast bomber. It proved to be well suited to a variety of roles and served as a bomber, dive-bomber, night fighter, torpedo bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and heavy fighter. The Ju 88 was in constant production between 1936 and 1945, with more than 16,000 produced in a number of variants.
Preparations for a mission.
Warming the engines before take-off.
A pair of gunners, side by side, at the rear of the Ju 88’s cockpit. Their guns are visible at the rear of canopy in the photograph on the opposite page.
The so-called ‘beetle-eye’ glazing at the front of the cockpit. Note the off-centre ventral gondola.
Dornier Do 17
Nicknamed the Fliegender Bleistift, the ‘flying pencil’, because of its long, slender fuselage, the Do 17 was designed as a fast light-bomber. The aircraft saw early action, making its debut in the Spanish Civil War, and in every campaign of the first three years of the war. Production ended in 1940, and because of its limited range and bomb load the Do 17 was superseded by the more powerful Ju 88 and the Do 217. The latter was basically a beefed-up version of the Do 17. In June 2013 the airframe of a Do 17 was successfully raised from Goodwin Sands, off the coast of Kent.
A formation of Dornier Do 17s seen from the cockpit. Around 2,139 Do 17s were built on German assembly lines at various locations.
Air-to-air shot of the Ju 88.
Dornier Do 217
The Do 217 heavy bomber was, in essence, an enlarged version of the Do 17. With a greater bomb load and a much greater range than the Do 17, the early variants were more powerful and faster than even the He 111 and Ju 88. In 1942 the Do 217E was used in the Baedecker Raids on British cities.
Engineers prepare a Do 217 for a mission, refuelling and checking the engines.
The dorsal turret of the Do 217 E, and a view looking down on the Mediterranean coast.
A Heinkel He 111 flying above Spitzbergen on the northern tip of Europe.
Dornier Do 17 over the Mittelmeer, the Mediterranean.