Heinkel He 115

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He 115
Type Torpedo bomber
Manufacturer Heinkel
Maiden flight August 1937
Status Retired
Primary users Luftwaffe
Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service
Swedish Air Force
Royal Air Force
Number built 138

The Heinkel He 115 was a World War II Luftwaffe seaplane with three seats. It was used as a torpedo bomber and performed general seaplane duties such as reconnaissance and mine laying. The plane was powered by two BMW 132K 960 hp (720 kW) nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engines. Some later models could seat four, had different engines, or used different weapon setups.

Contents

[edit] Prototypes

Five prototypes were used in the development of the aircraft:

  • He 115 V1 August 1937, set eight payload/speed records
  • He 115 V2 November 1937, similar to V1
  • He 115 V3 March 1938, introduced glassed cockpit which became standard
  • He 115 V4 May 1938, production prototype, introduced struts in place of wires between fuselage and floats
  • He 115 V5 1939

[edit] Variants

The basic design of the aircraft remained remarkably unchanged during the types long career, the main differences, with a few notable exceptions, between the different variants being changes in armament and avionics. Also to note is that the 'new' 'E' version launched when production restarted in 1941 are in fact similar to the 'C'-series, again with the exception of armament changes.

  • He 115A-0 10 pre-production examples, armed with a single machine gun
  • He 115A-1 added a nose-mounted machine gun
  • He 115A-2 similar as A-1, exported to Norway and Sweden
  • He 115A-3 modified weapons bay and changes to the radio equipment
  • He 115B-0 the 'B'-series introduced the ability to trade fuel and bomb load, as well as the possibility to carry a 1,000 kg magnetic mine
  • He 115B-1 added increased fuel capacity
    • He 115B-1/R1
    • He 115B-1/R2
    • He 115B-1/R3
  • He 115B-2 had reinforced floats for operation from ice or snow
  • He 115C-1 introduced additional armament
    • He 115C-1/R1
    • He 115C-1/R2
    • He 115C-1/R3
    • He 115C-1/R4
  • He 115C-2 reinforced floats in same manner as B-2
  • He 115C-3 minelayer version
  • He 115C-4 torpedo bomber version
  • He 115D one aircraft fitted with BMW 801C engines rated at 1,600 hp (1,193 kW) each
  • He 115E-1 similar to the 'C'-series but with revised armament

[edit] Armament

Armament varied but included MG 15, MG 151, MG 17 machine guns and MG FF cannons. Other weapons used by He 115 variants include carrying LTF 5 or LTF 6b torpedoes and bomb types such as the SD 500 and SC 250. Some also carried LMB III or LMA mines.

[edit] Operational history

At the beginning of the war the He 115 was used for dropping parachute mines in British water, normally aiming for narrow passages in close vicinity of heavily trafficked ports on the English south coast. The Thames was also a prime target.

However, the aircraft had its finest moment when operating in the anti-shipping role against the Arctic convoys from bases in Northern Norway. Due to the fact that these convoys to begin with lacked air cover, the slow speed and comparatively light armament of the He 115 was not such a big problem as it had been over the heavily defended English coastline. Later on with the appearance of carriers and escort carriers, coupled with new Soviet long-range fighters like the Petlyakov Pe-3bis, the air superiority over the convoys was challenged, and as a result the torpedo bomber losses were increasing.

Apart from its use as a minelayer and torpedo bomber it was also used in the coastal reconnaissance role.

[edit] Foreign service

[edit] Royal Norwegian Air Service He 115s

Seven He 115A-2 (He 115N) served in the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service against the Germans during the Norwegian Campaign of April-June 1940.

At the outbreak of hostilities the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service had six He 115s in service (F.50, F.52, F.54, F.56, F.58, F.60) spread along the coast from the seaplane bases at Sola Air Station and Flatøy in the south to the one at Skattøra in Troms in the north. As the invasion came the aircraft at the seaplane base at Hafrsfjord near Stavanger (F.60) was captured by the Germans, but two of the Luftwaffe's He 115s (given the codes F.62 and F.64 in Norwegian service) were in turn seized by a improvised militia unit of Norwegian riflemen at Ørnes in Glomfjord, Nordland and by a group of police at Brønnøysund, Nordland. The two aircraft were seized after they ran out of fuel and had to make emergency landings 10 April. Manned by Norwegian aircrews they served against their former owners for the duration of the campaign.

Norwegian He-115s were employed against German and German controlled ships (see: HNoMS Uller), as well as providing ground support to the Norwegian Army's offensive on the Narvik Front. Four of the Norwegian aircraft (F.52, F.56, F.58 and F.64) made the journey to the United Kingdom after the June 10 1940 surrender, a fifth escaping to Finland. A sixth He 115 (F.54) also tried to make the journey to Britain, but was lost over the North Sea. The last of the Norwegian He 115s, F.62 (one of the two captured German aircraft), was unservicable at the time of the evacuation and was abandoned at Skattøra, later being repaired and flown by the Germans.

[edit] In the UK

The four escaped aircraft at first were reformed into the Norwegian Helensburgh Group under Cdr. Bugge and intended to perform leaflet dropping missions over Norwegian cities July 1940, but in late 1940 they had been transferred to British service and the Air Ministry Intelligence.

Three of the Norwegian He 115s (F.56, F.58 and F.64) were subsequently used in covert operations with Norwegian crews off Norway and in the Mediterranean. In British service the three received new serial numbers: BV184, BV185 and BV187. BV185 and BV187 were both destroyed in air raids on Malta, in 1941 and 1942 respectively. BV184 was attacked and damaged by two Polish Spitfire fighters over the Bay of Biscay in the spring of 1942 while cooperating with French fishing boats. (* Berg, Ole F.: I skjærgården og på havet - Marinens krig 8. april 1940 - 8. mai 1945, Marinens krigsveteranforening, Oslo 1997, ISBN 82-993545-2-8)

[edit] He 115 F.50 in Finland

One Norwegian aircraft (F.50) escaped to Finland where it was interned, and was later used to ferry sissi troops. In this role it proved valuable as it did not require a vast open space to land on, but instead could touch down on lakes. It served in this role until it July 4, 1943 crashed behind Soviet lines in the eastern Karelia area

[edit] Swedish He 115s

The Swedish Air Force used a dozen He 115A-2 under the local designation T 2. They were highly liked by their crews, and were not taken out of use until 1948, when the T 18B version of the Saab 18 took over their anti-shipping duties. During the Second World War they were extensively used in the reconnaissance role.

[edit] Operators

Operators of the He 115.
Operators of the He 115.

[edit] Specifications (He 115C)

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3
  • Length: 56 ft 9 in (17.3 m)
  • Wingspan: 72 ft 10 in (22.2 m)
  • Height: 21 ft 7.75 in (6.60 m)
  • Wing area: 942 ft² (87.5 m²)
  • Empty weight: 11,670 lb (5,290 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 20,020 lb (9,080 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2× BMW 132K 9-cylinder radial engines, 845 hp (630 kW) each

Performance

Armament

  • 2 × 7.92 mm machine guns
  • Up to 2,205 lb. (1,000 kg) torpedo or bombs

[edit] External link

[edit] References

  • Ede, Paul and Moeng, Soph (gen. editors) The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft ISBN 1-85605-705-4
  • Keskinen, Kalevi and Stenman, Kari Finnish Air Force 1939-1945 ISBN 0-89747-387-6
  • Norrbom, Gösta Att flyga är att leva ISBN unstated

[edit] Related content

Comparable aircraft

Designation sequence

He 112 - He 113 - He 114 - He 115 - He 116 - Hs 117 - He 118

See also

v • d • e
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