World War II Database

1.  Bill says:
27 Dec 2010 01:12:51 PM

Heinkel He 111H being armed with two LT F5b practice torpedoes nose is identified with
red and white stripes.

Standard LT torpedoes weight was 765Kg or
1686lbs had a dark grey nose with an aluminum body. Aircraft could belong to
KG 26, this unit was deployed from Norway to Italy for anti-shipping operations.
Nose-mounted machine gun could be a 7.92mm MG 17 or a 13mm MG 131 machine gun.

2.  Bill says:
27 May 2011 06:09:18 PM

"TORPEDOES LOS!"

3. RangerJimK says:
6 Jan 2012 12:03:10 PM

I can't recall just where I read it, but the Germans had a bit of a problem with using the He 111 (and presumably other medium bombers) to drop submarine torpedoes from any higher than slightly above wave height. Submarine fired torpedoes are gyro stabilized, when dropped from - say 100 ft/30 m or so - the torpedo doesn't always hit the water in a stabilized position in regards to the normal x-y-z axes and therefore doesn't always "run straight and true."

So (and I'm looking for a good photo) the Germans attached a plywood stabilizer just aft of the regular prop/fin assembly. This stabilizer was (as I recall) in the shape of an elongated "H" shape as was found in such as the [zbs] Me-110.

The stabilizer was designed to break off after the torp entered the water in its normal x-y-z planes, and the torp would run true to the target.

4. RangerJimK says:
7 Jan 2012 05:57:54 PM

Here's some more info...

"The F5b was in service from late 1941 to the end of the war with relatively minor changes.  To control flight in the air a wooden K3 tail was used that broke off when entering the water.  This was replaced in 1944 with L2 which was similar but had ailerons operated via a heavy gyro.  The L2 tail permitted increased dropping speeds and heights, the maximums actually achieved were 183 knots and 390 feet (120 m). < http://www.navweaps.com/Weapons/WTGER_WWII.htm>.

So, the one I was thinking of was the break-away K-3 assembly/

5.  Bill says:
10 Apr 2013 01:37:36 PM

JACK OF ALL TRADES:

The Heinkel He 111 was also used as an air launch platform for the Fieseler Fi 103 (V-1) missile
the grad daddy of all cruise missiles to follow.
One of those units were III./KG3 based in Holland
during the summer of 1944.
This unit operated/air launched V-1s against England. The He 111H-22 the He 111H-22 were used as the launch aircraft.
Other units included III./KG53 later operated from the Fatherland, having to regroup as the Allied armies advanced across Western Europe

HITS & MISSES:

The He 111 carried one V-1 missile under its wing
mounted in special racks. The first air launched attacks started on July 1944 against the City of Southampton, and by the end of August 90 (V-1s)
had been launched at that target, plus other British Cities.

POINT AND DROP:

London being the biggest target on the Fuhrer's mind, received 300 (V-1s) with a total of 865 of the (V-1s) launched by 1945. Most bomber crews would point the aircraft toward London, drop the (V-1) and head for home.
KG53 lost 77 He 111s, to Allied fighters, others were lost due to mechanical problems and 12 were lost when the (V-1) blew up after the bomber took off or after the missile was launched in the air.
The Germans launched 8,000 V-1s against England before wars end.

Did you know that the German reduced the unit price down to 5,000 Reich marks for each V-1, that's about $500 USD 1945 dollars, that's German
Efficiency for you.
After WWII the Reich mark continued to be used in post-war Germany until 1948 being replaced with the new Deutsche mark in West Germany.

SO WHAT WAS THE V-1:

The V-1 was actually a small pilotless aircraft powered by one pulse-jet engine mounted above the fuselage.
It was 25ft. long with a wing span of 17ft. with a top speed between 350 to 400mph the warhead carried 1874lb. of high explosives.

SPOILS OF WAR:

After WWII all the Allies wanted to get their hands on as much German technology as possible
The USA, Britain, France and the USSR all wanted the spoils of war.
Examples were captured and used in tests and home built versions were produced many of these weapons were used into the 1950s ending life as target drons.

6.  Bill says:
23 Feb 2015 09:01:51 AM

FOR THE FATHERLAND: DESPERATE MEASURES

Fieseler Fi 103R was the piloted version of the V-1. (code name) Reichenberg were air-launched from a Heinkel He-111 bomber as mother ship, rather than launched by catapult. Fi-103s were never used in combat. Today you can see the Fi-103R on display at the Flying Heritage Collection, Everett, Washington USA.

MOVIE OF INTEREST: "OPERATION CROSSBOW" 1965

Shows development of V-1 and V-2 and tests of the manned Fi-103R, flown by aviator Hanna Reitsch after other test pilots have been killed she successfully flies and belly lands the prototype. However, it was never launched by catapult, as erroneously shown in the film available on DVD

Film is a good spy thriller it also it shows an ancient fax machine the Germans use to identify the allied spies...

7.  Bill says:
11 Oct 2016 03:52:30 PM

PROPOSED NAVAL VERSION:

Did you know that the Kriegsmarine, the German Navy wanted its own version the He111-J to carry torpedoes and mines.

FAILED SEA LEGS:

The Navy dropped the idea because the aircraft would have been expensive and training its four-man crews. Some sources list 90 bombers while others list only 60 aircraft sent to Kustenfliergruppe 806.
Aircraft could carry a payload of 2,000kg/4,410lb the Navy decided not to accept them, for Naval service. The He111-J's were later sent o training schools until 1944, while others were used in the Blohm & Voss L-10 radio-guided air to surface torpedo tests.

CUT YOUR CABLE:

Another unusual variant was the He111H-8. About thirty
(30) bombers were converted for barrage balloon cutter. The assembly attached to the nose and wings, weighted over 2,200lb
this conversion didn't help its performance.
Survivors were later converted back to He111H8/R2 glider tugs.

IMPROVED CABLE CUTTER:

Later a lighter and improved cable cutter was developed. It was called the "Kuto-Nase" System with 425 bombers converted...