Nazi Germany (1935)
Fighter – 66 to 100 Built

Prior to the Second World War, the German Luftwaffe was in need of a new and modern fighter that was to replace the older biplane fighters that were in service. While four companies responded to this request, only the designs from Heinkel and Messerschmitt were deemed sufficient. The Heinkel He 112 was an especially good design that offered generally acceptable flight characteristics and possessed a good basis for further improvements. While it was in some regards superior to the Messerschmitt, ultimately it would not be accepted for service, and only 100 or so aircraft would be built. These would be mainly sold abroad, with those remaining in Germany used for various testing and evaluation purposes.

History

By the early 1930s the Heinkel company was a well-established aircraft manufacturer. It was rapidly expanding, mostly thanks to the export of some of its aircraft designs. The Heinkel company also had a good relationship with the German Air Ministry RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium RLM), which entered a series of different aircraft production contracts with Heinkel.

At this time the German Air Force was in the process of a huge reorganization, and the development of new military aircraft. Quite of interest was the development of a new fighter aircraft that would replace older Arado Ar 68 and Heinkel He 51 biplanes that were in service. For this reason, in May 1934 the RLM issued a competition for a new and modern fighter plane that could reach speeds of 400 km/h (250 mph) at an altitude of 4,000 meters (19,685 feet). Initially, three companies were contacted, including Arado, Focke-Wulf, and Heinkel. Interestingly, and somewhat ironically as it later turned out, Messerschmitt, a relatively small company at that time, was also contacted by the RLM.. All four companies were to build three prototypes of their design, which were to be tested before a final decision was to be made.

Arado and Focke-Wulf completed their prototypes, the Ar 80 and Fw 159 respectively, by the end of 1934. The Heinkel He 112 and Messerschmitt Bf 109 prototypes took a bit longer to complete, which was completed in September 1935. The He 112’s design was greatly inspired by the He 70 passenger plane, which would later be modified for military purposes. Heinkel engineers used the He 70’s the overall design as the basis for the He 112, mainly regarding its wings and the fuselage construction.

Once all four companies submitted their designs, evaluation trials were carried out at the German test centers located at Rechlin and Travemunde starting in October of 1935. After some initial testing, both the Ar 80 and Fw 159 experienced too many mechanical breakdowns and even crashes, which ultimately led to both being rejected. The He 112 and Bf 109 on the other hand proved to be more promising designs. Interestingly due to shortages of domestically built engines, both aircraft were initially powered by Rolls-Royce Kestrel engines.

The He 112 V1 (D-IADO) was powered by a 695 hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel Mk. II engine during trials. Once the aircraft was completed, it was first flight-tested by Heinkel’s own test pilot Gerhard Nitschke. While he gave a generally positive review of its performance, he also noted the aircraft’s drag was a bit higher than expected. However, given that its overall performance was deemed sufficient for the competition, Heinkel decided to proceed with the project. This prototype arrived at the designated test center of Travemunde by the end of 1935. During a series of flight tests, the maximum speed achieved was 466 km/h (290 mph).

It was clear that the RLM would never accept an aircraft powered by a foreign engine. The Heinkel engineers began working on the second prototype that was to be equipped with a domestically built engine. The V2 (D-IHGE) was powered by a 640 hp Junkers Jumo 210C liquid cooled engine. The first test flight was made in November 1935 by another Heinkel test pilot Kurt Heinrich. The V2 was more or less just a copy of the first prototype.

Construction of Additional Prototypes

During the series of test flights, the performance of the two competitors was quite similar, with some minor advantages between them. In the case of the Bf 109, it was slightly faster, while the He 112 had lower wing loading. In addition, the He 112 had a better design and safer landing gear unit.

As the V2 was flight tested at Heinkel, the initial results of the competition began to arrive. The Heinkel engineers were keen on finding a way to overcome the Bf 109’s slightly faster speed. So the Gunter brothers began to redesign the V2 wings. Walter and Siegfried were at that time, probably Heinkel aircraft designers (for example the He 51 biplane is one of their designs.). Their calculation showed that a reduction in the wing profile would provide an additional boost to the maximum speed by at least 24 to 29 km/h (15 to 18 mph). This modification reduced the overall size of the wings, but led to another problem. Namely, the wing loading exceeded that of the RLM commission requirement. Given that the aircraft speed was increased, Heinkel officials deemed that it was a necessary compromise that would not affect the general rating of the aircraft.

The V2 prototype reached the Travemunde test center sometime in early 1936. In February 1936 the V1 and V2 prototypes were moved to the Rechlin Testing Center. In early March, a series of dive tests were carried out. In one of these, the V2 was seriously damaged, luckily the pilot survived the crash. After a few weeks of repairs with Heinkel, the aircraft was quickly put back to use. But in another landing crash, it was completely destroyed and listed as irreparable. Once again the test pilot managed to escape without any injury. This accident, while it did not prevent Heinkel’s involvement in the new fighter competition, it certainly affected the commission’s opinion on the He 112 at least to some extent.

The last of the prototypes intended for the competition was the V3 (D-IDMO). While initially, it was more similar to the first prototype, it received the wing modification implemented on the V2. Additional changes include increasing the rear tail unit size, adding a new radiator, installation of three (or two depending on the source) 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns. In addition, it would later receive a new enclosed cockpit with a sliding canopy.

Further Competition Developments

Despite the series of improvements to their He 112 design, the tide was slowly but surely turning toward the Bf 109. The RLM commission was getting somewhat frustrated with Heinkel’s constant changes to the design, and the previously mentioned crash did not help matters. In March, it was already being discussed to proclaim the Bf 109 as a winner. The Germans were also informed by the Abwehr intelligence service that the British were developing and preparing for the production of the new Spitfire. RLM officials were simply not willing to risk taking a chance on an aircraft design that could not quickly be put into production, as the Bf 109 was.

While the He 112 project would have ended there, thanks to Heinkel’s strong political connections, an extension of the trials was agreed to. Both companies were to build additional 15 0-series aircraft to be used for testing. The production was to commence in October 1936 with the last aircraft to be completed by May the following year.

Heinkel’s first completed aircraft, which was included in the previously mentioned contract, was actually a He 112 V4 (D-IDMY) prototype which was ready in June 1936. The V4 received a new and stronger 680 hp Jumo 210D that was equipped with a supercharger. In addition, it had an open cockpit, besides which it was in essence a copy of the V3. Possibly anticipating the contract for additional aircraft, Heinkel began working on additional airframes in advance. This led to the completion of the V5 (D-IIZO) and V6 (D-IQZE) prototypes in July of 1936. The V6 was intended as a replacement for the lost V2 aircraft. This aircraft was powered by a Jumo 210C engine. The last aircraft of the prototype series was the V8 (D-IRXO) powered by a Daimler DB 600A engine. It was primarily intended to serve as test aircraft. All of these previously mentioned prototypes were to serve as the forerunners of the He 112 A-0 series.

Following more test flights by numerous Luftwaffe pilots, the Bf 109 was receiving more and more positive reviews from pilots that had the opportunity to fly them. The Bf 109, while proving to have excellent flying performance, was also cheaper and easier to build than the He 112. Given the fact that the Germans were attempting to accelerate the production of the new fighter, this was seen as a huge advantage over the He 112.

In late 1937 Ernst Udet, who was at that time the director of the RLM technical development sector, visited the Heinkel company Marienehe Test Site. There he informed Heinkel that his He 112 was rejected as a fighter. Possibly to compensate for the huge investment in the fighter project, Heinkel company was permitted to export the He 112.

Heavy Fighter Role

Parallel with the development of the first fighter aircraft, the RLM was also interested in the so-called Zerstorer (heavy fighter). This aircraft was to be armed with cannons and machine guns. Heinkel proposed that the V6 be armed with a 2 cm MG C/30L cannon placed in the centerline of the engine. According to D. Bernard the V6 was designated for further testing, under real combat conditions, and would be sent to Spain at the end of 1936. It would be lost there in a landing accident in July 1937. Ernst Heinkel was likely dissatisfied with this outcome, as Messerschmitt once again triumphed as its Bf 110 would be accepted for this role.

The A and B series

Despite being inferior to the Bf 109, the Heinkel company continued working on the He 112, improving its design, in the hopes of gaining the attention of the RLM. The construction of the limited production He 112 A-0 series was still underway, with a total of only six aircraft (D-ISJY, D-IXHU, D-IZMY, and D-IXEU) built. The last two aircraft of the A-0 series received no registration numbers, as they were intended to be sold to Japan. The remaining four aircraft were used for various proposals. For example, the A-01 aircraft was to be used as a base for the proposed He 112 C-0 aircraft carrier modification, which was never implemented. The A-02 and A-04 were used for further flight tests. The A-03 was mainly used as an exhibit aircraft for various European aviation exhibitions, which were quite common before the war.

The A-series was built in small numbers, as Heinkel’s attention moved to the B-0 series instead. The B-0 series was quite different from the previous version, as it introduced a number of changes and modifications. Some of which included a new cockpit design, more powerful armament, changes to the engine ventilation design, fuselage and engine cowling changes, and other modifications.. The forerunner of the B series was the He 112 V7 prototype, which included many modifications previously mentioned.

Following the unsuccessful attempt to gain the Luftwaffe’s attention Heinkel and his team of engineers began working on redesigning the He 112. The basis for the next version, the He 112B-0, the V7 (D-IKIK) was reused. It incorporated a newly redesigned wings and tail unit, and was to be powered by a 1,000 hp Daimler DB 600A engine. Heinkel officials and Hertel himself were hoping that this new version could potentially persuade RLM to reconsider the He 112. Following it was the V9 (D-IGSI), which was powered by a weaker 680 hp Jumo 210E engine. In the following months, work on the B-series was intensified with many different engines being tested (Jumo 210E, 210G etc). Ultimately meager export sales, and the RLM’s rejection of the He 112 by the start of 1939 forced Heinkel to finally terminate the project.

Rocket Engine Tests

Prior to the Second World War, the Germans were quite interested in the experimentation and the development of rocket technology. Various tests conducted by Dr. Wernher von Braun were carried out at the Kummersdorf-West test centers. While this research eventually led to the creation of the infamous V-2 rocket, the development of rocket engines that were intended to possibly be installed in aircraft is often overlooked. Ernst Heinkel was quite a supporter of this project and even donated a number of aircraft to be used as testbeds for the potential new engine. He even donated a few pre-production series He 112 for this research.

A rocket engine was installed in the rear of the fuselage, with the engine nozzle being placed just beneath the tail unit. During the first ground test, the engine exploded, destroying the aircraft (He 112 A-01) in the process. Another He 112 V3 aircraft was outfitted with the rocket engine and was being prepared to conduct its first test flight. As the pilot was approaching this aircraft, the rocket engine exploded again. Somewhat miraculously the pilot survived with no major injuries. While again the aircraft was lost, another aircraft that was built as a replacement would receive the same markings.

Von Braun requested another aircraft which Henkel provided, this was the He 112 V8. During these trials it received a slightly altered designation V8/U. The plane was to ascend on its own piston engine. Then at a certain height, it was to fire the rocket engine wich was placed to the rear of the fuselage for a 30-second burst. This flight test was carried out in April 1937 and was more than successful. During the short burst, the plane reached a speed of 460 km/h (286 mph). The He 112 V8 was returned to Heinkel but two more aircraft (H7/U and A-03) would be donated for the rocket research program. The V8 would be eventually sent to Spain in 1937 and its final fate is unknown. Thanks to the He 112, the German rocket engine program gained a huge boost, which would eventually lead to the He 176 and later Me 163.

Technical Characteristics

The He 112 was an all-metal single-engine fighter. The monocoque fuselage consisted of a metal base covered by riveted stress metal sheets. The wing was slightly gulled, with the wingtips bending upward, had the same construction as the fuselage with a combination of the metal construction covered in stressed metal sheets.

During its development life, a great number of different types of engines were tested on the He 112. For the main production version, He 112 B-2, the 700 hp Jumo 210G liquid-cooled engine was used. With this engine the maximum speed achieved was 510 km/h (317 mph). For the Jumo engine, an all-metal three blade variable pitch propeller was used. The He 112 had a fuel capacity of 101 liters in two wing mounted tanks, with a third 115 liter tank placed under the pilot seat

The landing gear were more or less standard in design. They consisted of two larger landing wheels that retracted into the wings, and one smaller wheel placed at the rear. The He 112 landing gear was wide enough to provide good ground handling and stability during take-off or landing.

The pilot cockpit received a number of modifications. Initially, it was open with a simple windshield placed in front of the pilot. Later models had a sliding canopy that was either partially or fully glazed.

While the armament was changed during the He 112’s production, the last series was equipped with two 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns and two 2 cm Oerlikon MG FF cannons. The ammunition load for each machine gun was 500, with 60 rounds each for the cannons. If needed, two bomb racks could be placed under the wings, with one per side. Each could carry one 10 kg anti-personnel bomb. For the acquisition of targets, the pilot used the Revi 3b gun sight.

Brief Service with the Luftwaffe

Despite losing to the Bf 109, Heinkel was permitted, after some lobbying from Ernst Heinkel himself, to send one He 112 to Spain for combat evaluation. Once it reached Spain during the end of 1936, the He 112 was allocated to the Experimental Fighter Unit 88 which was part of the Condor Legion. In Spain, it was mostly used against ground targets. One of its greatest successes happened during an attack on the Republican-held Cesena train station. The pilot, Obereutnant Balthasar, made three attack runs in which he managed to destroy an armored car and a tank. The aircraft would be lost in a landing accident that happened in July 1937. Two more prototypes would be sent to Spain during 1938, the V8 and V9. The V8 was heavily damaged during initial trials and spent some four months in repairs. The V9 had a better service life, as it was used in a number of ground attacks. Both aircraft would be returned to Germany by the end of 1938.

In 1938 a possible conflict with Czechoslovakia and the Western Allies, France, and the United Kingdom over the dispute caused huge concern in the RLM. The Luftwaffe was simply not ready for open war, as it was not yet fully equipped. For this Reason, the RLM instructed that all available aircraft be relocated to the Luftwaffe to temporarily boost their readiness numbers. An unknown number of He 112 B, taken from the Japanese purchase order, were temporarily pressed into service. These were allocated to the IV./JG 132 station at Oschatz. In November they relocated to Mahrish-Trubau. Once the crisis was over, the aircraft were replaced with the Bf 109. The pilots that had the chance to fly them gave a generally positive review of their flying performance.

Export Attempts

As mentioned earlier, the He 112 was permitted to be exported abroad if there were any interested customers. This order was officially given at the end of January 1938. A number of countries such as Austria, Japan, Romania, and Finland showed interest, but only a few actually managed to procure aircraft.

Negotiation with Austria

During November 1937 an Austrian delegation visited Heinkel with a desire to enter into a purchase agreement for acquiring 42 He 112B aircraft. Due to lack of funds, this order was reduced to 36 at the start of 1938. Eventually, nothing came of this as the Germans simply took over Austria in March 1938.

In Japanese Hands

At the end of 1937, a Japanese delegation made a contract with Heinkel for purchasing 30 He 112B’s. If these proved to be satisfactory, an additional order for 100 would be placed. This order included 2 He 112 A-0, 6 B-0, and 21 B-1 and the V11 prototype. After a series of tests, the Japanese were not impressed with the He 112 and did not accept it for service. The experimental He 112 C aircraft carrier version was also sold to Japan, according to D. Bernard.

J. R. Smith and A. L. Kay provide a completely different story. According to them, Japan expressed an interest in buying 30 He 112B-0 aircraft, with the first group of 12 aircraft arriving in Japan in 1938. While the remaining 18 were to arrive soon after, the Sudeten crisis changed the plan. The Germans were preparing for a potential war with Czechoslovakia and needed every possible aircraft. So they requisitioned the aircraft intended for Japan. Once the crisis was over, Heinkel offered to ship these delayed aircraft to Japan, which rejected the offer. The Japanese were disappointed with the He 112 B-0 performance and decided to cancel the purchase. The sources also conflicted with each other if the He 112 in Japanese service ever saw action.

In Spain

Some three He 112 were tested during the Spanish civil war. Thanks to this, Francisco Franco’s forces had some insight into the He 112’s performance. Based on this, Spain initially asked for 12 aircraft. The order would be eventually increased to 18 aircraft. Interestingly, Spanish pilots managed to shoot down an Allied P-38 that likely accidentally entered the Spanish air space while flying the He-112B-0 in 1943.

In Romania

Romania initially asked for 24 aircraft, with the order later increased to 30 He 112 aircraft. These arrived from June to October (or September) 1939. The Romanian He 112 would be used during 1941 against the Soviet Union. The following year, all would be allocated for pilot training.

Hungary

The last nation that operated the He 112 was Hungary. In September 1937 a delegation from Hungary visited Heinkel where they inspected the He 112. This delegation was satisfied with what they saw and ordered 36 aircraft, but also showed interest in a licensed production. Ultimately the RLM rejected this offer and only one aircraft ever reached Hungary.

Other Unsuccessful Negotiations

Prior to the war, Heinkel organized a series of demonstrations of the He 112B to various interested European air forces. These include Yugoslavia, The Netherlands, Finland, Turkey, and Switzerland. While many of these parties were interested, for various reasons, chiefly budget constraints, nothing came of these negotiations.

Production

The production numbers of the He 112 are not clear and vary widely depending on the source. According to F.A.Vajda and P. Dancey the production run was as follows with 3 in 1935, 11 in 1936, 13 in 1937, 30 in 1938, and 46 in 1939 for a total of 103 aircraft. Author D. Berliner mentioned a number of 66 aircraft being built. Author Duško N. gave a number of 68 aircraft of all versions being built. D. Bernard gave us a number of 98 aircraft. While C. Chants mentioned a number of 110 aircraft.

Prototype and Production Versions

• He 112 V1-V – Prototype series used for testing of various engines and overall design
• He 112 A – Planed main production version, which was not adopted
• He 112 B – Extensively modified versions of preceding models
  • He 112 B-1 – Equipped with a Jumo 210E engine
  • He 112 B-2 – Equipped with a Jumo 210G engine
  • He 112 B-3 – Proposed version powered by a Daimler DB 601A engine, none built
• He 112 C – A proposed aircraft carrier version, only one prototype was built and sold to Japan
• He 112 E – Intended as an export version, based on the B series
• He 112 U – Propaganda aircraft, which was actually based on the He 100

Operators

• Germany – Briefly operated a small number of the He 112
• Japan – Operated some 12 to 30 aircraft mainly for testing
• Spain – Operated less than 20 He 112 aircraft
• Romania – Purchased some 24 to 30 He 112, which saw combat action against the Soviet Union
• Hungary – Purchased one He 112
• Austria – Planned to acquire 42 He 112, but nothing came from this as it was annexed by Germany.

Conclusion

The He 112 during its brief service life was shown to be a good fighter aircraft. It proved to be a worthy competitor to the Bf 109. It’s quite difficult to pinpoint the exact circumstances that ultimately led to its downfall. Sources often mention that one of the main reasons was political involvement, which favored Messerschmitt. Political quarrels in Germany often influenced decision to adopt aircraft during the war. This factor was surely at play when the fate of the He 112 was decided. But a more practical answer was simply that the Bf 109, while shown to have good flying performance, was also cheaper and easier to build than the He 112. Given that at that time, the Luftwaffe was in the middle of a huge reorganization and rearmament effort, conditions certainly favored the Bf 109. The He 112’s constant design changes did not help either.

He 112B-2 Specifications
Wingspans	29 ft 10 in / 9.1 m
Length	30 ft 2 in / 9.22 m
Height	12 ft 7 in / 3.82 m
Wing Area	180 ft² / 17 m²
Engine	One 700 hp Jumo 210G liquid-cooled engine
Empty Weight	3,570 lbs / 1,620 kg
Maximum Takeoff Weight	4,960 lbs / 2,250 kg
Climb Rate to 6 km	In 10 minutes
Maximum Speed	317 mph / 510 km/h
Cruising speed	300 mph / 484 km/h
Range	715 miles / 1,150 km
Maximum Service Ceiling	31,170 ft / 9,500 m
Crew	1 pilot
Armament	Two 20 mm cannons and two machine guns 7.92 mm  machine guns

Illustrations by Godzilla

Credits

• Written by Marko P.
• Edited by by Ed Jackson & Henry H.
• Illustrations by Godzilla

Sources

• Duško N. (2008) Naoružanje Drugog Svetsko Rata-Nemаčaka. Beograd.
• D. Monday (2006) The Hamlyn Concise Guide To Axis Aircraft OF World War II, Bounty Books.
• D. Berliner (2011) Surviving fighter aircraft of World War two, Pen and sword
• F.A.Vajda and P. Dancey (1998) German aircraft industry and production 1933-1945, Airlife Publishing Ltd.
• J. R. Smith and A. L. Kay (1990) German Aircraft of the Second World War, Putnam
• D. Bernard (1996) Heinkel He 112 in Action, Signal Publication
• R.S. Hirsch, U, Feist and H. J. Nowarra (1967) Heinkel 100, 112, Aero Publisher
• C. Chants (2007) Aircraft of World War II, Grange Books.