He 219 file photo [92]

He 219 Uhu

CountryGermany
ManufacturerHeinkel Flugzeugwerke
Primary RoleNight Fighter
Maiden Flight6 November 1942

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe He 219 Uhu night fighters were developed as a response to a 1942 requirement for a sophisticated countermeasure against Allied bombers. Progress was initially delayed significantly due to the disagreements between Luftwaffe leader of the night fighters Josef Kammhuber and Ernst Heinkel, but they finally agreed upon a design in Nov 1942. In Jun 1943, three He 219s were delivered for combat testing; their first action took place on the night of 11-12 Jun, where the He 219 designated V9 single-handedly shot down five bombers. Over the next ten nights, the three test aircraft shot down a total of twenty British aircraft. Formal production soon began after the immensely successful combat testing. However, due to political stumbling blocks, production was interrupted for a time, and as a result only 288 were constructed during the war. He 219 pilots recalled the aircraft's power plant as underpowered, but they were very capable fighters nevertheless. The onboard SN-2 radar had a long effective range of 4km, therefore they were able to detect incoming hostile bombers far before their own locations were revealed.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Aug 2006

SPECIFICATIONS

HE 219A-7
MachineryTwo Daimler-Benz DB 603E 12-cylinder inverted-V liquid-cooled engines rated at 1,750hp each
Armament4x20mm MG 151/20 cannons, 4xMK 108 30mm cannons
Crew2
Span18.50 m
Length15.50 m
Height4.40 m
Wing Area44.40 m²
Weight, Maximum13,580 kg
Speed, Maximum669 km/h
Rate of Climb9.20 m/s
Service Ceiling9,300 m
Range, Normal1,540 km

HE 219A-6
MachineryTwo Daimler-Benz DB 603L 12-cylinder inverted-V liquid-cooled engines rated at 1,750hp each; GM-1 nitrous-oxide boost system
Armament2x30mm MK 108, 2x30mm MG 151/20, 2xMK 103
Crew2
Span18.50 m
Length15.50 m
Height4.40 m
Wing Area44.40 m²
Weight, Maximum13,580 kg
Speed, Maximum669 km/h
Rate of Climb9.20 m/s
Service Ceiling9,300 m
Range, Normal1,540 km

Photographs

An abandoned Heinkel He-219 Uhu night fighter under tattered camouflage netting, date and location unknown.Crew standing in front of a Heinkel He-219 Uhu night fighter, date and location unknown.He 219A-0 A captured He 219A-5 aircraft with British markings at rest, date unknown
See all 11 photographs of He 219 Uhu Night Fighter



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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Commenter identity confirmed Bill says:
12 Oct 2009 11:13:32 AM

The He 219 was an advanced night fighter the
aircraft was equipped with early designed ejection seats. Over 60 aircrew used the seats to escape from their aircraft.
One of the first pilots to use the ejection
seat was Otto Fries: taking fire from enemy
aircraft, one engine on fire and facing loss
of control, Fries ejected, thus saving his life.
2. johnny.b.good says:
8 Jul 2010 12:55:18 PM

According to stats only 100 of the He 219 did reach the front until very late '44. More than 60 were 'lost' due to technical trouble (the A-0 should be evaluation serie... but was pushed into service) - there were problems, things any fighter had at early stages. 20 were lost due to enemy fire.
With those limited 100 planes and the corresponding losses... the pilots scored about 108 kills of RAF bombers, and shot down about 12 Mosquitos.
It was a night fighter with 'first-stage' trouble, but very promissing...
3. Anonymous says:
8 Jan 2017 04:23:14 PM

fascinating,found entry in a book my dad gave me back in the1980's,title had something about a falcon

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He 219 Uhu Night Fighter Photo Gallery
An abandoned Heinkel He-219 Uhu night fighter under tattered camouflage netting, date and location unknown.
See all 11 photographs of He 219 Uhu Night Fighter


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