German Aircraft

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Image courtesy of M. Williams
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German Aircraft
Attacking Nations
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Click on the aircraft that you would like to
study.
Messerschmitt Bf 109
Messerschmitt Bf 110
Junkers JU 87 (Stuka)
Dornier Do 17 Z
Heinkel He 111
Links to Key Word definitions are in green
Images provided by the Battle of Britain
Historical Society
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Sources Battle of Britain Richard Townshend
Bickers, Battle of Britain Alfred Price, Battle
of Britain Len Deighton
Messerschmitt Bf 109 E The Bf 109 E was the only
single-engined fighter used by the Luftwaffe
during The Battle of Britain. It had a maximum
speed of 345 m.p.h. and had two cannon and two
machine-guns. It could also carry a small amount
of bombs if necessary. By the time that this
Messerschmitt fighter appeared over Britain, it
had become extremely well known amongst RAF
pilots, partly because the Germans had said that
it was invincible.
Learn more about the Bf 109 E
Image and information provided by the Battle of
Britain Historical Society
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In some respects, the Bf 109 E pilots became
over confident because they started to believe
that they actually may be invincible. Until the
Battle of Britain they had beaten off other
enemies like those in Poland and France - with
relative ease. The Luftwaffe pilots soon changed
their minds when they met Hurricanes and
Spitfires in force over Britain. By 1939 the
Lufftwaffe had 850 Bf 109 Es and by August 1940,
23 different Gruppen (Fighter Groups) were
operating along the Channel front.
By
the end of 1945 the Bf 109 E had become
the
most widely produced combat aircraft of
the war.
Images and information provided by the Battle of
Britain Historical Society
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Sources Battle of Britain Richard Townshend
Bickers, Battle of Britain Len Deighton
Junkers Ju87 Stuka" No warplane spread greater
fear in the opening months of World War Two than
the Junkers Ju 87 two-seat dive bomber. Indeed it
had shown time and again in Poland and France
that it was an outstandingly effective precision
bomber and ground strafer.
Learn more about the Ju 87
Key Word - Strafe
Key Word - Precision
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Britain Historical Society
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The Ju 87 (Stuka) emitted a high pitched wail as
it hurtled vertically earthwards. This had a
devastating psychological effect on the people
that it was attacking. The shape of the aircraft
alone, with its swept back wings was enough to
spread panic on the ground below. The Stuka
seemed perfect as a tool to support advancing
German ground forces, yet it was a relatively
slow aeroplane with a maximum speed of only 232
m.p.h. It also had a short range and could only
carry a small bombload. When confronted with
strong ground defences or quicker and more
manoeuvrable aircraft, such as during the Battle
of Britain, it proved vulnerable and rather
inadequate. The Ju 87 was, after the first few
weeks of the Battle of Britain, kept in reserve
against lighter opposition.
Key Word - Emitted
Key Word - psychological
Images and information provided by the Battle of
Britain Historical Society
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Sources Battle of Britain Richard Townshend
Bickers, Battle of Britain Len Deighton
Messerschmitt Bf 110 During the Battle of
Britain, the Messerschmitt Bf 110 had an
awe-inspiring reputation. It was referred to as
the destroyer. It was a a high-performance,
twin-engined, multi-seat aircraft. Its job was to
clear a path through the enemys fighters so that
bombers could follow behind it. It also provided
close escort for bomber formations and could act
on its own, attacking targets as it found them.
Learn more about the Bf 110
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Britain Historical Society
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Hermann Goering (Reichsmarschall in charge of the
German Air Force) saw Bf 110s as the elite of
the Luftwaffe. Yet, no aircraft designer had by
1940 come up with a way of helping such a heavy
fighter to compete with a short range,
single-seater fighter such as the Hurricane or
Spitfire.
Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering
Bf 110s were first seen over Britain on 20th
July, 1940. Two hundred 110s tried to tempt RAF
fighters into combat. The German bomber squadrons
following at a suitable distance would then
arrive when the defending fighters had exhausted
their fuel and were powerless to stop them. It
was thought that the RAF fighters, while rearming
and refuelling at their bases, would be ideal
targets for the bombers and the Bf 110s escorting
them.
Key Word - Elite
Key Word - Exhausted
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Britain Historical Society
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The acceleration of the Bf 110 was not good
enough to allow pilots to avoid combat when
attacked by enemy fighters. Therefore, as soon as
the R.A.F. had worked out how best to attack the
Bf 110s (from the rear), many 110s began to be
destroyed. During August 1940 the Luftwaffe lost
a total of 120 Bf 110s. Despite a reduction in
missions and changes in tactics, a further 83
aircraft were lost by the end of September 1940.
Throughout the final weeks of the Battle of
Britain the Bf 110s were switched to
fighter-bomber and reconnaissance
tasks. Goering's elite planes had not
performed as well as he had hoped.
Key Word - Reconnaissance
Images and information provided by the Battle of
Britain Historical Society
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Sources Battle of Britain Len Deighton
Dornier Do 17 Z The Dornier Do 17 Z was known as
the Flying Pencil probably because of its
shape, but also because it was originally
designed to be an air mail carrier. The Do 17 Z
had a wingspan of 59 feet and was 52 foot long.
It could have up to eight machine-guns attached
and could carry 2,200 lbs (pounds in weight) of
bombs. It could also fly for 745 miles without
refuelling.
Learn more about the Do 17 Z
Image provided by the Battle of Britain
Historical Society
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About one quarter of the bombers used during the
Battle of Britain were Dornier Do 17s. The number
of bombs carried compared with other German
bombers was relatively small and it could only
travel at a maximum speed of 245 m.p.h. It was
therefore vulnerable to attacks from Spitfires
and Hurricanes. Many Luftwaffe pilots liked
the Do 17 for all of its faults as it was seen as
being reliable and could often withstand a number
of attacks from British fighters despite the fact
that it had no armour plating.
Key Word - Relatively
Key Word - Vulnerable
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Sources Battle of Britain Richard Townshend
Bickers, Battle of Britain Alfred Price, Battle
of Britain Len Deighton
Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel was a twin-engined
bomber that had a crew of four. Crew members
often had more than one job. The navigator not
only helped the pilot plot a course by telling
him which way to turn and when, but he was also
responsible for aiming the bombs and firing the
forward facing guns. The radio operator was also
the rear gunner and the flight engineer the
ventral gunner (firing the guns underneath the
plane).
Learn more about the He 111
Image and information provided by the Battle of
Britain Historical Society
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The HE 111 carried roughly double the Dornier Do
17 Zs bombload, but was still relatively slow and
found it hard to accelerate away from attacking
fighters. It did however have heavy protective
armour and three free-mounted machine-guns. The
HE 111 suffered heavy losses when carrying out
daylight raids during the Battle of Britain and
was, from September 1940, used as a night time
bomber only.
From 1941 onwards the HE 111 was mainly used in
an anti-shipping and transport role.
Images provided by the Battle of Britain
Historical Society
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Key words and their definitions
Elite The best of something. To be the best.
Emitted To give out - e.g. to emit a sound.
Exhausted To be tired or worn out. When energy
has been used up.
Precision To be exact or accurate.
Psychological A persons mental state. Affecting
the mind.
Reconnaissance Examining an area or possible
target. Scouting,
usually for a military purpose.
Relatively In relation to something else
compared to something else.
Strafe To attack something from the air
(usually using bullets).
Vulnerable Exposed to, or open to, attack.
Capable of being hurt.
Back to Bf 109 Es
Bf 110s
Ju 87
Dornier 17 Z
He 111