Heinkel He-111 H-6, W. Nr. 4500, A1+FN, Lt. Erich Horn, 5./KG53, Crashed behind German Lines, Yukhnov, West of Moscow, 21st January 1942
<p>Heinkel He-111<br>H-6, W. Nr. 4500, A1+FN, Lt. Erich Horn, 5./KG53, Crashed behind German Lines, Yukhnov, West of Moscow, 21st January 1942<br>If the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was the most famous Luftwaffe fighter aircraft of the Second World War, then its direct bomber equivalent had to be the Heinkel<br>He-111, an aircraft which can trace its origins back to the early 1930s and its development as a supposed fast civilian airliner, due to the restrictions imposed<br>on Germany by the Treaty of Versailles. Once the country was no longer concerned with the pretence of trying to plicate the other European powers, the<br>Heinkel showed itself to be a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ and thanks to its large, fully glazed ‘greenhouse’ nose, would become one of the most famous aircraft<br>of WWII. Possessing greater range than other Luftwaffe strike aircraft, the Heinkel He-111 would see heavy use during Operation Barbarossa and the air<br>battles which raged over the Eastern Front from 1942 onwards, but not always in its primary strike role. Due to the rapidly deteriorating situation for the<br>Germans, Heinkel He-111 bombers were also used for casualty evacuation and re-supply duties, where they would supplemented the efforts of the lumbering<br>Junkers Ju-52 Trimotors. This particular Heinkel has added rather effective whitewash blotches over its standard camouflage, something which would have<br>looked rather effective against the frozen Russian tundra from above. Whilst attempting a low level bombing attack against targets in the Kaluga area, south<br>of Moscow, this bomber was hit by accurate Soviet anti-aircraft fire and was forced to crash land, thankfully for the crew, safely behind German lines.<br>Although the Soviet High Command had a strong mistrust of the Germans, they did not necessarily want to do anything militarily that would provoke them into<br>an attack. Also, despite the fact that their massive air force was coming towards the end of a significant period modernisation and reorganization, this work<br>was still ongoing and on the eve of Operation Barbarossa, even though more modern aircraft were now slowly being introduced, pilot conversion and the<br>general organisation of the force still left much to be desired. With Soviet airfields in the Western districts regularly undergoing air raid drills, when the sirens<br>sounded in the early hours of 22nd June 1941, few on the seventy-six airfields identified for attack by Luftwaffe aircraft that morning actually took any notice,<br>with crews remaining in their tents sheltering from the rain, only rushing to their posts once the explosions started. These early Luftwaffe strikes proved to be<br>devastatingly effective, with reports sent back to headquarters later claiming almost 1500 Soviet<br>aircraft destroyed on the ground alone, figures which seemed so incredible that Herman Goering<br>had them independently verified.In fact, the figures proved to be a little conservative and as<br>German ground troops overran numerous Soviet airfields during their lightning<br>advance, it became clear that this figure was actually well in excess of 2000<br>aircraft destroyed. In the air it was a different story and despite flying<br>obsolete Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters, Soviet pilots proved to be<br>tenacious and brave, resorting to ramming their German foes if<br>they could get close enough. This would prove to be the sign of<br>things to come and whilst initial German victories were indeed<br>spectacular, the Russian winter and the nation’s manufacturing<br>prowess and fighting spirit would soon turn the tables in their favou</p>
