Heinkel He 219

Heinkel He 219 eagle owl
Type:	Night fighter
Design country:	German Empire
Manufacturer:	Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke
First flight:	November 6, 1942
Production time:	Early 1943 to April 1945
Number of pieces:	about 280

The Heinkel He 219 "Uhu" was a twin-engine night fighter from the aircraft manufacturer Heinkel . As the first aircraft of the Air Force , the machine was equipped with ejection seats for the two-man crew as standard. The He 219 was equipped with a "Lichtenstein" on- board radar device and was used in World War II from June 1943.

development

Originally, under the name Heinkel He 219, a twin-engine reconnaissance and fighter aircraft based on the concept of the Heinkel He 119 from 1936 was planned, in which both engines were housed in the fuselage to reduce air resistance and operated on two propellers rotating in opposite directions in the aircraft nose.

From the beginning of its development in 1940, the He 219 was the first Luftwaffe aircraft to be specifically designed as a night fighter. For this use, the original concept had to be abandoned because it would have been impossible to have the necessary on-board weapons fired synchronously by the counter-rotating propellers . The Daimler-Benz DB 613 engines planned for the first draft  - two coupled DB 603 with exhaust gas turbocharger and MW-50 injection - as well as the double engines DB 610 (interim solution) and DB 615 that were later considered were also in the planning and development phase not available, which also led to the abandonment of the original concept. Based on these considerations, a new design was created with two conventional motor nacelles under the wings .

Technical assessment

Through the good flight stability, the nose gear wheel chassis and the double vertical tail the He was 219 safe to handle even under the typical night operations difficult conditions.

The performance was well above that of the older Bf 110 model . That in shooting comparisons from June 1944, in which operations were considered at the same time and in the same attack period, the pilots of Group II (Bf 110) of NJG 1 regularly shot down more bombers than the He-219 pilots of Group I of the same Geschwaders, can be explained by the fact that the Bf-110 pilots knew the peculiarities of their machines better due to the longer period of use and were able to use them to their advantage.

Mosquito hunter

Tactically, the lack of German high-performance engines turned out to be a disadvantage. Although the performance of the He 219 exceeded that of the other German standard night fighters and it was used with great success against the heavy bombers of the Royal Air Force , it was not fast enough to be used as a bomber and later increasingly also as a night fighter de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito to keep up. He-219 prototypes had already shot down some Mosquito bombers in 1943, but newer versions of the Mosquito with more powerful engines were too fast for the He 219.

In order to enable the mosquito bombers to be intercepted, a lightweight small series with altitude engines and weaker armament was launched, the He 219 A-6, which could reach 650 km / h at an altitude of 12,000 m. With this small series there were also successes against these high-speed bombers, which are difficult to intercept. A single Heinkel He 219 of the type A-7 / R-6 reached a top speed of 700 km / h.

In order to give the He-219 variants used against heavy bombers a defense against the mosquito long-range night fighters, a three-seater He 219C variant with an additional rear gunner was later planned, but this no longer went into series production.

Front use

On the night of June 11-12, 1943, Major Werner Streib and his radio operator Fischer flew the first front-line deployment with a He-219 night fighter, where he shot down five heavy British Avro Lancaster bombers within a short period of time . During the subsequent approach to the Venlo Air Base (Netherlands), the aircraft crash-landed due to misted windows, damage to the instrument and a fault in the flap lock, with the machine breaking into several parts. The crew remained unharmed.

The He 219 had a great advantage for the pilots over the conventional night fighters: In all other aircraft they were blinded by the muzzle flash of their own weapons. By arranging the on-board weapons more than two meters behind and below the pilot's position, glare was avoided.

The He 219 was used in the following units:

• A-0, A-1: ​​I., II. / NJG 1, NJGr 10, NJSt. Finland or Norway, Erg./JG 2.
• A-5, A-6: I./NJG 1, NJGr 10
• A-7: 1 piece at I./NJG 1
• B-2: Testing of a specimen is known from I./NJG 1

production

The machine was produced in the Heinkel works in Rostock - Marienehe and Vienna-Schwechat / Heidfeld . Rostock delivered four prototypes by March 31, 1943. 104 A-0s were produced between the beginning of 1943 and June 1944 (95 in Vienna, 9 in Rostock). The first 40 aircraft from Vienna and the first four aircraft from Rostock received DB-603-A engines, the following the DB 603 Aa. According to monthly reports, a total of 95 A-2s were built between July and November 1944 (15 in Vienna, 80 in Rostock). However, the production programs name only 85 A-2s built. It is not known where the difference lies. From December 1944, Heinkel started production of the A-7 version. The Luftwaffe received another 59 aircraft in December 1944 and January 1945, including four A-7s in December 1944 and one B-1 in January 1945 from Vienna, the rest from Rostock. 28 more He 219s were delivered by April 6, 1945 (excluding aircraft damaged and destroyed prior to delivery). It is probably version A-7, as only this version can be verified for March and April 1945. Thus 86 A-7s were produced. A total of 276 and 286 series aircraft and four prototypes of the He 219 were built.

The Luftwaffe received 252 He 219s from October 1943 to April 1945. There is evidence that twelve aircraft were destroyed before delivery. The rest of the difference to the construction figures was certainly allocated to the test sites and / or also destroyed before their delivery. 201 He 219 went to the Luftflotte Reich . Between January and April 1945, 24 He 219s were assigned to the OKL reserve, as the night fighter squadrons no longer needed these aircraft.

In October and November 1944, a total of 15 aircraft were converted from A-0 to A-2 at Heinkel Rostock.

variants

A large number of variants and kits were designed. A complete overview is almost impossible, as the same set-up kits were labeled differently depending on the basic version. Furthermore, as with other night fighter aircraft, the final equipment was only assembled in the front lock. This concerned in particular the radio equipment (radar) and often also the armament. The following list therefore only represents the basic versions and some frequently used or outstanding variants.

• V1: prototype. First flight November 15, 1942
• V4: In March 1943 first flight with on-board radar FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1
• A-0: pre-series
• A-1: Planned series with DB 603 E. Only one built
• A-2: Main series with DB 603 A with 1850 hp.
• A-3: 3-man crewed fighter-bomber and DB 603 G. Was not built
• A-4: Combat reconnaissance aircraft with Jumo-222 engines and large wingspan. Wasn't built.
• A-5: Variant of the A-2. Initially also DB 603 A, then DB 603 G with up to approx. 150 HP increase in output (1900 HP take-off output, 2000 HP combat output), but this was consumed by a stepped pulpit.
• V30 (A-5 / R4): conversion with a three-man cockpit and a rear defense machine gun. Tested at NJGr 10. Was rated unfavorably due to a loss of speed of 25 km / h.
• A-6: Radically relieved mosquito hunter (see also above). Armament 4 × MG 151/20. DB 603L engine with loader, MW-50 and GM-1 . Take-off power 2100 hp, 1750 hp at 9020 m altitude. Speed ​​615 km / h at an altitude of 10,000 m. The machine had the standard wings of the A-5 and was extremely unstable at great heights.
• A-7: High altitude night fighter, planned with Jumo 222, but delivered late. Testing took place with the V-models V25 to V27 in December 1944. Towards the end of the war, six units were still being produced in Vienna, at least one of which was delivered to the troops (I./NJG 1) with DB 603G.
• A-7 / R5: Last version used in action. Created by converting the Werl lock to Jumo 213.
• A-7 / R6: a single copy was built and reached a top speed of 700 km / h
• B-1: Night fighter with 3-man cockpit and Jumo 222. The only example was tested in Vienna-Schwechat and scrapped after a landing accident.
• B-2: High altitude night fighter with DB 603L with exhaust gas turbocharger and areas increased by 2 m. At least one copy has been tested ( trunk identification KJ + BB). More are said to have been built, although Daimler-Benz could not get the TK 13 turbocharger under control for the version that was finally planned.
• B-3: Night fighter with Jumo 222. Remained project.
• C-1: Four-man night fighter with Jumo 222 and manned four-man tail stand. Also intended as a fighter-bomber (loud as C-2). Remained project.
• He 319: Projected multi-purpose aircraft. Not pursued further.
• He 419: High altitude fighter project with DB 603G and new extended wings. Between one and six machines from A-7 are said to have been converted. There was no use.
• Hütter Hü 211: High altitude reconnaissance / high altitude night hunter, which was designed by Wolfgang and Ulrich Hütter . The fuselage and stern of the He 219 were combined with a 24.54 m wooden wing. The guy should achieve greater range, speed, and altitude. The prototype was destroyed before its completion.

Technical specifications

Four-sided view of the He 219A-7 / R1

Heinkel He 219 A-2 "Uhu"

• Purpose: night fighter
• Crew: 2
• Length: 15.55 m
• Height: 4.10 m
• Span: 18.53 m
• Wing area: 44.5 m²
• Wing loading: 341 kg / m²
• Engines: two 12-cylinder V-engines DB 603AA each with 1,670  HP (approx. 1,230  kW ) take-off power
• Top speed: 615 km / h
• Summit height: 9400 m
• Gradeability: approx. 8.8 m / s
• Range: 1545 km
• Armament:
  • up to six 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons - four in a detachable tub under the fuselage and two in the wing roots
  • Optional, replacement of some MG 151/20 in the weapon hull with 30 mm MK 108 or MK 103 cannons
  • optional, two MK 108 in the rear fuselage firing approx. 60 degrees forward and upwards (" weird music ")
  • typical armament: two MG 151/20 each in wing roots and weapon tray, optionally with "weird music"
• Radar (active): FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN2
• Radar (passive): FuG 227 "Flensburg" and / or FuG 350 "Naxos"

Preserved copies

Hull of the He 219 A-2 in the Steven F. Udvar-Házy Center

Hull of the He 219 A-2 in the Steven F. Udvar-Házy Center

On June 16, 1945, the US Army Air Force Intelligence Service took over three He 219s from Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 in Grove as part of " Operation LUSTY " (Luftwaffe Secret Technology) . The planes were made airworthy and transferred to Cherbourg in France . On board the escort aircraft carrier HMS Reaper , the He 219 A-2 with the serial number 290202 came to the United States together with other seized or captured German aircraft . There it was reassembled at the Ford Field in Newark , New Jersey and was given the registration number FE-614, later T2-614. Together with the second He 219, an A-5 prototype based on an A-2 with the serial number 290060 (FE-613), it was flown to Freeman Field in Indiana for flight tests . The further fate of the work number 290060 is unknown. After the tests, the serial number 290202 was taken to Orchard Place Airport in Park Ridge , Illinois , stored there in an empty aircraft factory and transferred to the Smithsonian's National Air Museum on January 3, 1949 . In early 1955, the He 219 was shipped to a Smithsonian warehouse in Silver Hill, Maryland . The He 219 A-2 work number 290202 of the collection of the National Air and Space Museum is currently being restored. The fuselage is already on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Házy Center at Washington Dulles International Airport , while the wings are still being prepared at the Paul E. Garber Complex in Suitland , Maryland. The hull of the "290202" is shown there right next to the last surviving examples of the Dornier Do 335 and the Arado Ar 234 , which it had already accompanied on board the HMS Reaper over 60 years earlier on the voyage across the Atlantic.

On April 23, 2012, the wreck of a He 219 was lifted in Tannis Bay off the coast of Jutland (Denmark). The aircraft is currently being preserved in the Aalborg Forsvars and Garrison Museum and will then be exhibited. A complete restoration is not planned. Version and serial number are not yet known.

Comparable types

•  United Kingdom : de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito
•  United States : Northrop P-61 Black Widow
•  Japan : Kawasaki Ki-102 Randy , Nakajima J1N1 -S / C Kai Gekko
•  German Empire : Focke-Wulf Ta 154 mosquito

See also

• List of aircraft types

literature

• Gebhard Aders: History of the German night hunt. 1917-1945 . 1st edition. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-87943-509-X .
• William Green, Gordon Swanborough: Heinkel's nocturnal predator ... the He 219 . In: AIR Enthusiast Forty . September - December. Pilot Press Ltd., 1989, pp. 8-19, 70-72 (English).
• William Green, Gordon Swanborough: Fighter Planes of the World. An illustrated encyclopedia . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-613-30330-2 .
• Roland Remp: The night hunter Heinkel He 219 . 1st edition. Aviatic-Verlag, Oberhaching 1999, ISBN 3-925505-51-2 .
• Herbert Ringelstetter: Type history: Heinkel He 219 . In: Flugzeug Classic . No. 9 , 2010, ISSN  1617-0725 , p. 32-38 .

Web links

Commons : Heinkel He 219  - album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p} Gebhard Aders: History of the German night hunt. 1917-1945 . 1st edition. Motorbuch-Verlag, Stuttgart 1977, ISBN 3-87943-509-X .
2. ↑ William Green: "Fighters Volume 1". MacDonald publishing, London, p. 135.
3. ^ Federal Archives / Military Archives Freiburg, Production Programs and Aircraft Allocation, RL 3; National Archives, Washington, Monthly Procurement Reports 1944.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} William Green, Gordon Swanborough: Fighter aircraft of the world. An illustrated encyclopedia . Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-613-30330-2 .
5. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Heinkel He 219 - The hunting eagle owl . In: AERO, the illustrated compilation of aviation, issue 117, page 3261 ff., Marshall Cavendish International Ltd, London 1985.
6. ↑ Chief TLR No. 8551/44 gKdos, published in Manfred Griehl: The secret type book of the German Air Force. Dörfler Verlag, Eggolsheim.
7. ^ Green, William "Fighters Vol. 1" , page 135.
8. ^ Peter F. Selinger: Wolfgang Hütter died . In: aerokurier . No. 5 , 1990, pp. 90 .
9. ^ Found a rare German fighter plane. April 26, 2012, accessed March 27, 2014 . 
10. ^ Heiko Müller: Heinkel He 219 Uhu salvaged. Sensational find in Denmark . In: Aviation Classics . No. 5 , 2012, p. 38-39 .