The Heinkel He 115 was an all-metal twin-engined military seaplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Heinkel. Early on its flying history, the He 115 established several new international records for floatplanes.

In terms of its general configuration, the He 115 was an all-metal mid-wing monoplane with a monocoque fuselage. Initially, the He 115's armament consisted of two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns, one in the nose and one in the dorsal position. Furthermore, some variants carried LTF 5 or LTF 6b torpedoes and SD 500 or SC 250 bombs, while others carried LMB III or LMA mines.

During August 1937, the first prototype He 115 performed its maiden flight. Flight testing went relatively smoothly, the type's flight characteristics proving to be quite favourable. During March of that year, the first prototype was used to establish a series of international records for floatplanes over and closed circuits at a speed of . Prior to these records being set, the prototype had been modified to achieve greater aerodynamic performance, such as the deletion of the angular glazed nose and the rear compartment, which were replaced by fairings.

Operational history

Luftwaffe

thumb|A German Heinkel He 115B of 1./Küstenfliegergruppe 206 on a crane.

Throughout the Second World War, the primary mission of the Luftwaffe's He 115s was to conduct minelaying, typically during night time to lower the likelihood of interception. Following the first such mission on 20 November 1939, the He 115 was frequently used for dropping (typically via parachute) magnetic mines in British waters, normally aiming for narrow passages close to busy ports on the English south coast; the River Thames was also a prime target. These mining efforts supplemented the efforts of the Kriegsmarine. The island of Sylt was used as a base for He 115s performing these missions; in response, it became a target for Allied bombing missions.

Perhaps the most effective missions performed by the He 115 were its anti-shipping operations against Arctic convoys, for which it operated out of bases in occupied northern Norway. Due to early convoys lacking any air cover, the slow and lightly armed He 115 was less vulnerable during these attacks than it was when operating near to the English coast. Following the appearance of carriers and escort carriers, coupled with the arrival of new Soviet heavy fighters like the Petlyakov Pe-3bis, Luftwaffe air superiority over the convoys was challenged and losses increased.

thumb|left|He 115 shot down by [[de Havilland Mosquito.]]

Apart from its use as a minelayer and torpedo bomber, the He 115 was used for coastal reconnaissance and by KG 200 to drop agents behind enemy lines.

Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service

thumb|Norwegian He 115Ns in 1939–1940.

In response to the rising tensions in Europe, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence had ordered six He 115Ns for the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service (RNoNAS) on 28 August 1939 and the aircraft were delivered from 14 July – 13 November 1939. The He 115N order was intended to replace the RNoNAS fleet of 1920s vintage Douglas DT torpedo bombers and the obsolescent Marinens Flyvebaatfabrikk M.F.11, which was the mainstay of the RNoNAS in 1940. The Norwegians signed another order of six He 115Ns in December 1939, with delivery expected in March/April 1940 but this was forestalled by Operation Weserübung, the German invasion of Norway of 9 April 1940. A sixth He 115 (F.54) also tried to make the journey to Britain but was lost over the North Sea. The last of the Norwegian He 115s, F.62 (one of the two captured German aircraft), was unserviceable at the time of the evacuation and was abandoned at Skattøra, later being repaired and flown by the Germans.

Royal Air Force

The four escaped aircraft were reformed into the Norwegian Helensburgh Group under Commander Bugge.

Three of the Norwegian He 115s (F.56, F.58 and F.64) were subsequently used in covert operations off Norway and in the Mediterranean Sea with Norwegian crews. In British service, the three received new serial numbers, BV184, BV185 and BV187.

Variants

Prototypes

Five prototypes were used in the development of the aircraft,

  • He 115 V1 August 1937, set eight payload/speed records
  • He 115 V2 November 1937, similar to V1
  • He 115 V3 March 1938, introduced glassed cockpit, which became standard
  • He 115 V4 May 1938, production prototype, introduced struts in place of wires between the fuselage and floats
  • He 115 V5 1939

Production

The basic design of the aircraft remained unchanged during the type's career. The main differences, with a few notable exceptions, were changes in armament and avionics. Also to note is that the 'new' 'E' version, launched when production restarted in 1941, is in fact similar to the 'C'-series, again with the exception of armament changes.

  • He 115 A-0 10 pre-production examples, armed with a single machine gun
  • He 115 A-1 added a nose-mounted machine gun.
  • He 115 A-2 similar to A-1, exported to Norway and Sweden
  • He 115 A-3 modified weapons bay and changes to the radio equipment
  • He 115 B-0 the 'B'-series introduced the ability to trade fuel and bomb load, as well as the possibility to carry a magnetic mine
  • He 115 B-1 added increased fuel capacity
  • He 115 B-1/R1
  • He 115 B-1/R2
  • He 115 B-1/R3
  • He 115 B-2 had reinforced floats for operation from ice or snow
  • He 115 C-1 introduced additional armament
  • He 115 C-1/R1
  • He 115 C-1/R2
  • He 115 C-1/R3
  • He 115 C-1/R4
  • He 115 C-2 reinforced floats in same manner as B-2
  • He 115 C-3 minelayer version.
  • He 115 C-4 torpedo bomber version.
  • He 115 D one aircraft fitted with BMW 801C engines rated at 1,147 kW (1,560 PS) each.
  • He 115 E-1 similar to the 'C'-series, but with revised armament.

Operators

;

  • Ilmavoimat

; Germany

  • Luftwaffe

;

  • Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service

;

  • Aviación Nacional

;

  • Svenska flygvapnet

;

  • Royal Air Force

Surviving aircraft

thumb|Heinkel He 115 in restoration at the [[Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola.]]

  • He 115 A-2 Werknr. 3043? Recovered from Russia, now in storage with private owner in France.
  • He 115 B/C Werknr. 2398 sunk to the bottom of a fjord on 26 December 1942 and was recovered from Hafrsfjord in Norway on 2 June 2012. It was part of 1 Staffel, Seefernaufklärungsgruppe 906 (No. 1 Squadron, 906 Maritime Reconnaissance Group), known until February 1941 as Küstenfliegergruppe 906 (906 Coastal Aviation Group), Luftflotte 5. In July 2012, the aircraft was in storage awaiting restoration at the Flyhistorisk Museum, Sola near Stavanger.
  • The wreck of a He 115 was located at the bottom of the lake Limingen in Nord-Trøndelag, Norway in 2013.

Specifications (He 115 B-1)

thumb|He 115