Heinkel He 113

The Heinkel He 113 was a supposed Luftwaffe fighter aircraft of World War II, but which existed only as a propaganda and/or disinformation strategy.

In 1940 Joseph Goebbels publicised the fact that a new fighter was entering service with the Luftwaffe. The plan involved taking pictures of Heinkel He 100 D-1s at different air bases around Germany, each time sporting a new paint job for various fictional fighter groups. The pictures were then published in the press with the He 113 name, sometimes billed as night-fighters (even though they did not even have a landing light).

The aircraft also appeared in a series of "action shot" photographs in various magazines like "Der Adler", including claims that it had proven itself in combat in Denmark and Norway. One source claims that the aircraft were on loan to the one Luftwaffe staffeln in Norway for a time, but this might be a case of the same misinformation working many years later.

It's unclear even today exactly who this effort was intended to impress —foreign air forces or Germany's public— but it seems to have been a successful deception. British intelligence featured the aircraft in AIR 40/237, a report on the Luftwaffe that was completed in 1940. There the top speed was listed as 390 mph (628 km/h). It also states the wing was 167 square feet (15.5 m²) and it noted that the aircraft was in production. Reports of 113s encountered and shot down were listed throughout the early years of the war.

pecifications (He 113/He 100D-1)

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?= plane
jet or prop?= prop
ref=
crew= one, pilot
capacity=
length main= 8.20 m
length alt= 26 ft 11 in
span main= 9.42 m
span alt= 30 ft 11 in
height main= 3.60 m
height alt= 11 ft 10 in
area main= 14.5 m²
area alt= 156 ft²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 2,070 kg
empty weight alt= 4,563 lb
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 2,500 kg
max takeoff weight alt= 5,512 lb
more general=
engine (prop)= Daimler-Benz DB 601M
type of prop= liquid-cooled supercharged V12 engine
number of props=1
power main= 876 kW
power alt= 1,175 hp
power original=
max speed main= 668 km/h
max speed alt= 362 knots, 416 mph
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
range main= 900 km
range alt= 486 nm, 560 mi
ceiling main= 11,000 m
ceiling alt= 36,090 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
* 1 × 20 mm (0.78 in) MG FF cannon
* 2 × 7.92 mm (0.30 in) MG 17 machine guns
avionics=

References

* Dabrowski, Hans-Peter. "Heinkel He 100, World Record and Propaganda Aircraft". Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1991. ISBN 0-88740-345-X.
* Donald, David, ed. "The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft" Etobicoke, Ontario: Prospero Books, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
* Green, William. "Heinkel's Hoaxer". "RAF Flying Review, Feb. 1963".
* Heinkel, Ernst. "Stormy Life". New York: E.P. Dutton, 1956.

External links

* [http://www.csd.uwo.ca/~pettypi/elevon/baugher_other/he110.html Heinkel He 110]
* [http://www.luft46.com/heinkel/hep1076.html Additional details on the P.1076 from Don Johnson's Luft'46 site]
* [http://www.pro.gov.uk/default.htm Public Records Office]
* [http://www.pro.gov.uk/inthenews/heinkel%5Fhe%5F113/heinkel1.htm AIR 40/237]
* [http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org Luftwaffe Resource Group]
* [http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/he100.html He 100 page contains a three view of the D-1 and some basic information]
* [http://www.geocities.com/lastdingo/aviation/he100.htm This page includes a description similar to that from The Encyclopedia, as well as links to a number of images of the aircraft.]