Black Cross Volume 4: Heinkel He 111 [Paperback]

Regnat Karl-heinz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 2004 | Series: Black Cross (Book 4)

During the Battle of Britain and in the dark and dangerous period which followed, many people in the British Isles would have been all too aware of the shape and sound of the twin-engined Heinkel He 111 bomber, with its distinctive glazed nose. Though still in front-line service in large numbers at this time, the aircraft was already becoming obsolete.

In all its many variants, about 7,000 Heinkel He 111s were produced. The type first flew in 1935 but did not enter Luftwaffe service until 1937, though a civilian transport version had been in service with Lufthansa since the previous year.

The Heinkel He 111 first saw active service during the Spanish Civil War. The aircraft was used to equip Kampfgruppe 88, the bomber component of Legion Condor, Hitler's aerial assistance to the Spanish fascists. Its first operational sorties took the form of raids against Republican held airfields in March 1937.

Throughout the course of World War II, the Heinkel He 111 served in a wide variety of roles. Though mainly used as a bomber, it also undertook reconnaissance, torpedo bombing, glider towing and transport roles.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Midland Pub Ltd (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1857801849
• ISBN-13: 978-1857801842
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #960,387 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "Heinkel He 111" One of the Best Books on Heinkel's Workhorse, February 6, 2006

By 

Jason Wisniewski (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Black Cross Volume 4: Heinkel He 111 (Paperback)

"Heinkel He 111" is one of the best books available on this workhorse of the German World War II bomber fleet. Regnat's piece is meticulously researched, focusing mostly on the technical developments of the bomber. He begins his book by describing the preceding Heinkel designs (particularly the single-engined He 70) that led to the development of the He 111 prototypes and first C and G airliner versions. Regnant then goes on to discuss the early bomber versions, beginning with the He 111A before moving on to the He 111B, D, E, F, J, and P versions. As can be expected, most of the later discussion focuses on the mass-produced H model. The author goes beyond other comparable books by providing highly detailed performance charts and technical descriptions for each sub variant, in addition to interesting photographs and line drawings.

What makes Regnant's work unique besides the organized nature and comprehensiveness of his research are his detailed look at the He 111H's structure, from engines and landing gear, to airframe and fuel system, to machine guns and bomb load. The book ends with a photographic visual display of the He 111 in combat service, and a short section of advice for modelers.

The only potential drawback to this book is that it focuses exclusively on the technical developments of the He 111, largely ignoring the aircraft's operational history. Arguably, however, this is not a serious flaw as the operational history of the He 111 has been adequately covered by other authors in other works.