Heinkel He 51

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The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane which was produced in a number of different versions. It was initially developed as a fighter, and a seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49.

Design and development

In 1931, Heinkel recruited the talented aircraft designers, Walter and Siegfried Günter, and their first major design for Heinkel was the Heinkel He 49.^[2] While this was officially an advanced trainer,^[3] in fact it was a fighter. The first prototype, the He 49a, flew in November 1932, and was followed by two further prototypes, the He 49b, with a longer fuselage, and the He 49c, with a revised engine.^[2]

The type was ordered into production for the still secret Luftwaffe as the He 51, the first pre-production aircraft flying in May 1933.^[4] Deliveries started in July of the next year.^[4]

The He 51 was a conventional single-bay biplane, with all-metal construction and fabric covering. It was powered by a glycol-cooled BMW VI engine, with an armament of two 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns mounted above the engine.

The He 51 was intended to replace the earlier Arado Ar 65, but served side-by-side with the slightly later Ar 68. The He 51 was outdated the day it entered service, and after an initial run of 150 production fighters,^[2] the design was switched into the modified He 51B, with approximately 450 built,^[2] including about 46 He 51B-2 floatplanes,^[5] and then finally a further 100 He 51C light ground-attack plane.^[2]

Operational history

Heinkel He 51 C flown by Adolf Galland in Spanish Civil War

On 6 August 1936, six of the He 51s were delivered to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War along with the fraction of the army in revolt.^[6] Initial operations were successful, with the Heinkels meeting and defeating a number of older biplane of the Spanish Republican Air Force, with two Nieuport Ni-52 fighters, a Breguet 19 and a Potez 54 destroyed on 18 August 1936, the first day of operations by Spanish-flown He 51s.^[7] Deliveries continued as the hostilities increased, with two Nationalist squadrons equipped by November, and the Legion Condor forming three squadrons of 12 aircraft each manned by German "volunteers".^[7]

This time of superiority was short lived, with the arrival of large numbers of modern aircraft from the Soviet Union, including the Polikarpov I-15 biplane and new Polikarpov I-16 monoplane,^[8] together with the Tupolev SB bomber, which was 110 km/h (70 mph) faster.^[9] The He 51 proved unable to protect the Legion Condor's bombers, forcing it to switch to night operations,^[10] while also unable to intercept the much faster SB.^[9] The He 51 was therefore withdrawn from fighter duty and relegated to the ground-attack role by both the Legion Condor and the Spanish rebels,^[9]^[11] It was replaced in the fighter role by the Fiat CR.32 in the rebel Nationalist Air Force, with the Legion Condor receiving Messerschmitt Bf 109s from April 1937 to allow it to operate successfully in fighter operations.^[12]

While a failure as a fighter, the Heinkel proved successful as a ground-attack aircraft, being used by Wolfram von Richthofen to develop the close support tactics which were used by the Luftwaffe in World War II.^[13] It continued in use as a ground attack aircraft for the remainder of the Civil War, although losses were heavy. After the war the 46 surviving aircraft would be joined by another 15 new builds, and serve in the utility role in Spain until 1952.

The experiences in Spain would prove once and for all that the days of the biplane fighter were over. Although the later model Fiat biplanes were superior to the He 51 and continued to soldier on in Nationalist service, the I-16s were basically untouchable because of their speed. If the conditions were right, they could use their heavy armament in a quick pass and then leave; if things weren't so favorable, they simply flew away. The lesson learned by all of the participants was that speed was far more important in combat than maneuverability.^{[citation needed]}

The He 51 continued in front-line service with the Luftwaffe until 1938, with it remaining in service as an advanced trainer for the first few years of World War II.^[1]

Variants

He 49a: First prototype. Short fuselage.
He 49b: Second prototype, with stretched fuselage. Tested as both landplane and floatplane.^[14]
He 49c: Third prototype, with revised, glycol-cooled engine installation.^[14]
He 51a: Fourth prototype. New vertical tail, revised wings and undercarriage, new radiator.^[14]
He 51A-0: Pre-production aircraft. Nine built.^[14]
He 51A-1: Initial production version, 150 built.
He 51B-0: Structurally strengthened. Pre-production aircraft, 12 built.
He 51B-1: Production version of B-0. 12 built.
He 51B-2: Single-seat floatplane fighter, reconnaissance version; 46 built.
He 51B-3: High-altitude version.
He 51C-1: Light ground-attack version. 79 sent to Spain to equip the Legion Condor and Nationalist air force.
He 51C-2: Improved version of C-1, with revised radio equipment. 21 built.

Operators

Bulgarian Heinkel He-51B

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Air Force - Acquired 12 He 51s.^[15]

Germany

Luftwaffe

Spanish State

Spanish Air Force

Specifications (He 51B-1)

Data from Warplanes of the Luftwaffe ^[4]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 8.40 m (25 ft 6¾ in)
Wingspan: 11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)
Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 27.20 m² (292.6 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,460 kg (3,212 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,900 kg (4,180 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × BMW VI 7,3Z liquid-cooled V12 engine, 559 kW (750 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 330 km/h (178 kn, 205 mph)
Cruise speed: 280 km/h (151 kn, 174 mph)
Range: 570 km (308 nmi, 354 mi)
Service ceiling: 7,700 m (25,256 ft)
Wing loading: 69.9 kg/m² (14.3 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.29 kW/kg (0.18 hp/lb)
Climb to 1,000 m (3,300 ft): 1.4 min ^[16]
Climb to 6,000 m (19,700 ft): 16.5 min ^[16]

Armament

Guns: 2 × 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns in nose; 500 rpg
Bombs: 6 × 10 kg (22 lb) bombs (C-1)

References

Notes

↑ 1.0 1.1 Mondey 1996, p. 81.
↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Green and Swanborough 1994, p. 295.
↑ Mondey 1996, p. 80.
↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Donald 1994, p. 96.
↑ Green and Swanborough 1988, p. 15.
↑ Hooton 1994, pp. 121–122.
↑ 7.0 7.1 Green and Swanborough 1988, p. 20.
↑ Hooton 1994, p. 125.
↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Hooton 1994, p. 127.
↑ Hooton 1994, p. 126.
↑ Green and Swanborough 1988, p. 21.
↑ Green and Swanborough 1988, pp. 21–22.
↑ Green and Swanborough 1988, p. 23.
↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Green and Swanborough 1988, p.14.
↑ Green and Swanborough 1988, p. 17.
↑ 16.0 16.1 Green and Swanborough 1988, p. 19.

Bibliography

Donald, David, ed. Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London: Aerospace, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-56-5.
Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The Cadre Creator ... Heinkel's Last Fighting Biplane". Air Enthusiast No. 36, May–August 1988, pp. 11–24. ISSN 0143-5450.
Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
Hooton, E.R. Phoenix Triumphant: The Rise and Rise of the Luftwaffe. London: Arms & Armour Press, 1994. ISBN 1854091816.
Mondey, David. The Concise Guide to Axis Aircraft of World War II. London: Chancellor, 1996. ISBN 1-85152-966-7.
Taylor, John W.R. "Heinkel He 51". Combat Aircraft of the World from 1909 to the Present. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969. ISBN 0-425-03633-2.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heinkel He 51.

v t e Aircraft produced by Heinkel

Company designations pre-1933	HE 1 HE 2 HE 3 HE 4 HE 5 HE 6 HE 7 HE 8 HE 9 HE 10 HE 12 HE 14 HD 15 HD 16 HD 17 HE 18 HD 19 HD 20 HD 21 HD 22 HD 23 HD 24 HD 25 HD 26 HD 27 HD 28 HD 29 HD 30 HE 31 HD 32 HD 33 HD 34 HD 35 HD 36 HD 37 HD 38 HD 39 HD 40 HD 41 HD 42 HD 43 HD 44 HD 45 HD 46 HD 49 HD 50 HD 55 HD 56 HE 57 HE 58 HD 59 HD 60 HD 61 HD 62 HD 63 HE 64 HD 66

RLM designations 1933-1945	He 45 He 46 He 47 He 49 He 50 He 51 He 58 He 59 He 60 He 61 He 62 He 63 He 64 He 65 He 66 He 70 He 71 He 72 He 74 He 100 He 111 He 112 He 113 He 114 He 115 He 116 He 118 He 119 He 120 He 162 He 170 He 172 He 176 He 177 He 178 He 219 He 220 He 270 He 274 He 275 He 277 He 278 He 280 He 319 He 343 He 419 He 519 P.1041 P.1054 P.1060 P.1062 P.1063 P.1064 P.1065 P.1066 P.1068 P.1069 P.1070 P.1071 P.1072 P.1073 P.1074 P.1075 P.1076 P.1077 P.1078 P.1079 P.1080 Strabo 16 Wespe Lerche

Foreign designations or built under license	Svenska S 5 (HE 5) Orlogsvaerftet HM.II. (HE 8) Aichi Type H Carrier Fighter (HD 23) Type 2 Two-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane (HD 25) Type 2 Single-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane (HD 26) Heinkel Three-seat Reconnaissance Seaplane (HD 28) Aichi E3A (HD 56) Aichi AB-5 (HD 62) Hitachi AXHei (He 100) Heinkel A7He (He 112) Yokosuka DXHe (He 118)

v t e Reich Air Ministry aircraft designations

1 to 100	B 9 Gö 9 Do 10 Do 11 Wn 11 Do 12 Do 13 Do 14 Do 15 Wn 15 Do 16 Wn 16 Do 17 Do 18 Do 19 Do 20 Do 22 Do 23 Do 24 Kl 25 Do 26 Kl 26 M 27 Do 29 Kl 31 Kl 32 W 33 L 33 W 34 Kl 35 Kl 36 HD 37 HD 38 G 38 DFS 39 BV 40 DFS 40 A 40 Fw 42 He 42 Fw 43 HD 43 Fw 44 He 45 He 46 Ju 46 Fw 47 He 47 K 47 A 48 He 49 Ju 49 He 50 A 50 He 51 K 51 Ju 52 K 53 NR 54 Fw 55 NR 55 Fw 56 Fw 57 Fw 58 He 58 He 59 He 60 Ju 60 Fw 61 He 61 Fw 62 He 62 He 63 Ar 64 He 64 Ar 65 He 65 Ar 66 He 66 Ar 67 Ar 68 Ar 69 He 70 He 71 He 72 He 74 Ar 76 Ar 77 Ar 79 Ar 80 Ar 81 Ju 85 Ju 86 Ju 87 Ju 88 Ju 89 Ju 90 Ar 95 Ar 96 Fi 97 Fi 98 Fi 99 He 100

101 to 200	Al 101 Al 102 Al 103 Fi 103 Fh 104 Kl 105 Kl 106 Kl 107 Bf 108 Bf 109 Bf 110 He 111 He 112 He 113 He 114 He 115 He 116 Hs 117 He 118 He 119 He 120 Hs 121 Hs 122 Hs 123 Hs 124 Hs 125 Hs 126 Hs 127 Hs 128 Hs 129 Hs 130 Bü 131 Hs 132 Bü 133 Bü 134 Ha 135 Ha 136 Hü 136 Ha 137 BV 138 Ha 139 Ha 140 BV 141 BV 142 BV 143 BV 144 Go 145 Go 146 Go 147 Ju 147 Go 149 Go 150 Kl 151 Ta 152 Kl 152 Ta 153 Ta 154 BV 155 Fi 156 Fi 157 Fi 158 Fw 159 Ju 160 Bf 161 He 162 Bf 162 Bf 163 Me 163 Me 164 Fi 166 FK 166 Fi 167 Fi 168 He 170 He 172 He 176 He 177 He 178 Bü 180 Bü 181 Bü 182 Ta 183 Fl 184 Fl 185 Fw 186 Ju 186 Fw 187 Ju 187 Ju 188 Fw 189 Fw 190 Fw 191 Ao 192 DFS 193 DFS 194 Ar 195 Ar 196 Ar 197 Ar 198 Ar 199 Fw 200

201 to 300	Si 201 Si 202 DFS 203 Si 204 Fw 206 Me 208 Me 209 Me 209 (1943) Me 210 Hü 211 Do 212 Do 214 Do 215 Do 216 Do 217 Hs 217 He 219 He 220 BV 222 Fa 223 Fa 224 Ao 225 Fa 225 BV 226 Ho 226 FGP 227 DFS 228 Ho 229 DFS 230 Ar 231 Ar 232 Ar 233 Ar 234 Do 235 BV 237 BV 238 Fw 238 Ar 239 Ar 240 Go 241 Go 242 Go 244 BV 246 Ju 248 BV 250 Fw 250 Ho 250 Ho 251 Ho 252 Ju 252 Fi 253 Ho 253 Ta 254 Ho 254 Fi 256 Sk 257 Fw 261 Me 261 Me 262 Me 263 Me 264 Fl 265 Me 265 Fa 266 Ho 267 Ju 268 Fa 269 He 270 We 271 Fw 272 He 274 He 275 He 277 He 278 He 280 Fl 282 Fa 283 Ta 283 Fa 284 Fl 285 Ju 286 Ju 287 Ju 288 Ju 290 Me 290 As 292 Hs 293 Hs 294 Hs 295 Ar 296 Hs 296 Hs 297 Hs 298 Fw 300

301-	Me 309 Me 310 Do 317 Do 318 He 319 Me 321 Ju 322 Me 323 Me 328 Me 329 Fa 330 DFS 331 DFS 332 Fi 333 Me 334 Do 335 Fa 336 Fl 339 E.340 WNF 342 He 343 Rk 344 So 344 Go 345 DFS 346 Rk 347 Ba 349 Ju 352 Me 362 Me 364 Ju 388 Ju 390 Fw 391 Ar 396 Ta 400 Me 409 Me 410 Do 417 He 419 ZMe 423 Ar 430 Ka 430 Ar 432 Do 435 Ar 440 Ju 452 Me 462 Ju 488 Fw 491 Me 509 Me 510 He 519 ZSO 523 Ar 532 Do 535 E.555 Me 609 Ar 632 Do 635

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