| Heinkel He 59 | |
|---|---|
 He 59 Air Sea Rescue Aircraft. [1] | |
| Origin | Ernst Heinkel AG, Marienehe; production subcontracted to Walter Bachmann AG, Ribnitz; also some built under license (About 1935) by Arado Flugzeugwerke |
| Type | Multi-Role Seaplane |
| Engine | Two 660 hp 12-Cylinder water cooled vee BMW VI |
| Fuel | |
| Dimensions | |
| Span | 77 ft. 9.5 in. (23.70m) |
| Length | 57 ft. 1.75 in. (17.40m) |
| Height | 23 ft. 3.75in. (7.10m) |
| Weights | |
| Empty | 13,702 lbs. (6,215kg) |
| Loaded | 19,842 lbs. (9,000kg) |
| Performance | |
| Speed | 134 mph (215km/h) |
| Service Ceiling | 11,480ft (3,500m) [2] |
| Range | (with max fuel): 1,087 miles (1,750km) |
| Armament | Three or four 7.92mm MG 15 (later MG 81) manually aimed from bow, dorsal, and ventral positions. Many subtypes carried at least one 20mm MG FF. Most B-2 variants had provisions for 2,205 lbs. (1000kg) of mines, bombs, and other ordnance. |
| History | |
| First Flight | September, 1931 |
| End of Production | c. 1936 |
| End of service | after 1943 |
| Operators | Germany |
| Number Produced | |
Though one of the first warplanes built by Germany after WWI, the He 59 proved to be extremely versatile and useful long after it was "obsolete". So much so that in 1943, even though thier numbers had dwindled, no less than 18 units still operated various models of He 59. These units used this venerable aircraft for such missions and mining, ground attack, rescue, transport, electronic warfare and psy-war missions. The He 59 served with the Kondor legion as a bomber and in 1940 ten He 59C-2 rescue transport were used to fly 60 troops to the Waal at Rotterdam to capture the bridges there.[1]
Apperance in Piece of Cake
The Novel
In august 1940, Yellow Section - 'Moggy' Cattermole and NIM Renouf were scrambled by Snowball in pursuit of a single aircraft flying North west of Dover.After almost half an hour flying back and forth over East Kent, Cattermole spotted a He-59 preparing to rescue the crew of a Messerschmitt Bf-110 which had crashed in the English Channel.[3] After getting his windscreen covered by blood and feathers from a seagull flying into his prop, Cattermole pulled away and ordered Renouf to destroy the Heinkel, which burst into flames.[4]
When 'Baggy' Bletchley visited Hornet Squadron that evening to inspect the squadron's aircraft, he confirmed the orders to destroy German Red Cross aircraft, as they were used to snoop on convoys and intercept Allied radio transmissions, but advised the squadron to keep quite about it, as the public might not understand.[5]
The Miniseries
Due to non availability of a Heinkel He 59, the sequance featuring the attack on the Red Cross aircraft featured a Junkers Ju-52
References
Sources
Bibliography
- Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War
- Piece of Cake