


He 111V1 – prototype bomber, made its first flight on November 17, 1934.He 111 Bomber – Tactical and technical characteristics He-111 Bomber The design attracted the attention of the Luftwaffe, which selected aircraft to be converted into medium bombers. The elliptical wing shape, already used by the Gunther brothers in the development of their own sports aircraft Bäumer Sausewind before joining the Heinkel company, became characteristic of all subsequent developments of the brothers.

In its usual version, designed for four passengers, it could reach speeds of up to 320 km/h, although it was equipped with a single engine with a capacity of only 600 hp. The first example of the soon widely known Heinkel He 70 “Blitz” (German for “Lightning”) took off in 1932 and immediately began to break speed records. The designed aircraft was superior to the existing Lockheed 9 Orion, which was a direct competitor to Heinkel’s design. Heinkel entrusted the design of the aircraft to the Gunther brothers, people who were new to his company. In the early 1930s, German aircraft designer Ernst Heinkel decided to build the world’s fastest passenger aircraft (at the same time, such a task was skeptically perceived both by representatives of the German aircraft industry and by the new political leaders of Germany).
#Blitz bomber crew full#
These are supplemented by specially-commissioned and highly detailed colour artwork depicting the unit’s aircraft.įollowing many year’s research, this is the first time that the full story of the Ar 234 as a bomber has been told in such detail in the English language.He-111 Medium Bomber He-111 Design History
#Blitz bomber crew plus#
The book includes nearly 300 illustrations, comprised of rare photographs of KG 76’s aircraft, personnel and equipment, as well as the Allied aircraft and pilots who encountered the Arados in combat, plus key documents taken from the unit’s records.
#Blitz bomber crew series#
The Geschwader’s jets took part in operations over the Ardennes, in the ill-fated Bodenplatte attack of New Year’s Day 1945, in missions against the Allied armies driving into the Reich in early 1945, and in a series of intensive strikes against the Ludendorff bridge at Remagen and the bridgehead established there by the Allies in March l945. It traces KG 76’s period working-up on the aircraft and its subsequent combat operations over the Western Front from December 1944 until the end of the war. material drawn from archives and private collections gathered over many years. The book is founded on original unit diaries, reports and other records, as well as various Germain and Allied. ‘Blitz Bombers’ tells the story of KG 76’s operations when equipped with what was the world‘s first jet bomber, the Arado Ar 234 B-2. The jets were flown by experienced and often highly decorated Luftwaffe bomber pilots who worked hard to master the new aircraft in a short time amidst the chaotic conditions of a Third Reich in decline. Powered by the same Jumo 004 turbojets as the Me 262, the Ar 234 could attack pinpoint targets such as transport hubs or enemy vehicle columns and troop assemblies in ‘glide attacks’ with a high degree of impunity. Though deployed in small numbers, the Arado Ar 234 B-2 jet-bomber proved itself an effective day and night strike aircraft over the Western Front and a tough challenge for Allied fighter pilots who tried to counter it. In late December 1944, the Luftwaffe surprised the Allies when it unexpectedly introduced a new high-speed bomber to its inventory. Blitz Bombers: Kampfgeschwader 76 and the Arado Ar 234 – Luftwaffe Jet Bombers on the Western Front 1944-1945
