Heinkel He 111: The Latter Years: The Blitz and War in the East to the Fall of Germany

By Chris Goss

The Heinkel He 111 was the main workhorse of the Luftwaffes bomber force throughout much of the Second World War. Consequently, when Hitler launched Operation Barbarossa in June 1941, three entire Kampfgeschwader consisted of He 111s. Initially used as direct support for the German ground forces, as the campaign progressed the He 111 was switched to attacking the Soviet infrastructure, particularly trains and marshaling yards, and used as a transport aircraft taking in supplies and for troop evacuation. Variants of the He 111 were used in anti-shipping roles, in both the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and even for aerial launching of V-1 flying bombs, continuing the war against the towns and cities of the United Kingdom. In this selection of unrivaled images collected over many years, and now part of Frontline's new War in the Air series, the operations of this famous aircraft in the latter years of the Second World War are portrayed and brought to life. A companion title to Heinkel He 111: The Early Years.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Jun 30, 2018
• ISBN: 9781848324473

Chris Goss

Having retired from the RAF with the rank of Wing Commander, CHRIS GOSS is a regular and highly respected contributor to major aviation publications in the UK, France and Germany.

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BOMBERS OVER THE UNITED KINGDOM, 1941

Groundcrew applying black distemper to a He 111 of an unidentified unit, in the winter of 1940-41. Note that even the 500kg bomb has been painted black.

As a defence against night fighters, some He 111s were fitted with fixed rearwards firing MG 17 machine-guns. The two He 111 H-6s shown in this photograph are apparently from KG 53.

The night of 10-11 May 1941 saw the last major attack of the Blitz against London. One of the casualties was this He 111 H-5, werk nummer 3823 of 3./KG 4 which was probably attacked by ex-Battle of Britain veteran, Pilot Officer Fred Burnard of 85 Squadron, off Bradwell Bay. The German pilot, Oberstleutnant Fritz Bredemeier, reported that the port engine was hit, and they were forced to drop their bombs on Clacton-on-Sea and Walton-on-the-Naze, and then turn for home. On the way back, the port engine began to smoke and shake violently, so was shut down. The He 111 then force-landed on the beach at Ostend. Bredemeier was later reported wounded over the Soviet Union and awarded the Deutsches Kreuz in Gold in April 1942, while still flying with I./KG