First Quarter (Jan - Mar) 2011 Volume 24, Number 1 The Newsletter of the War Eagles Air Museum Editorial any readers probably know the quote, “History is written M by the victors,” attributed var- iously to Niccolò Machiavelli, Winston Churchill or other learned sages of the distant past. Those of us interested in his- toric aircraft and the roles they played in the wars of the 20th century might put a different twist on the adage: “Interesting hardware is preserved by the victors.” This could be one reason why very few of the most fascinating aircraft ever designed—those developed by Germany in World War II—are displayed in muse- ums anywhere in the world. The list of aeronautical “firsts” that German aircraft designers came up with in their feverish attempts to turn the tide of the War is long—the first jet fighter (Messerschmitt Me.262), first rocket fighter (Me.163B), first variable-sweep-wing aircraft (Mes- S Nazi Germany’s fast, innovative Heinkel serschmitt P.1101), first forward-swept- Featured Aircraft He.177 Greif strategic bomber came too late wing aircraft (Junkers Ju.287), first oper- to have much effect on World War II. In this ational cruise missile (V-1), first practical here is little doubt World War II painting by artist Mark Postlthwaite (used ballistic missile (V-2), first jet-powered could have ended very different- without permission), He.177s of KG40 bomb flying wing (Horten Ho.229), and more. ly if a few key events had played England during Operation Steinbock, the T “Mini-Blitz,” in early 1944. With some notable exceptions, however, out in other ways than they did. For ex- these machines have faded into relative ample, what might have happened if Hit- obscurity, not on display to public view, ler had deployed his V-1 and V-2 “ven- unknown and unloved except by geeky geance weapons” earlier and used them Inside This Issue aviation enthusiasts. more effectively? Certainly, the War in Editorial......................................1 This issue’s “Featured Aircraft” is a Europe would have been prolonged, even good example. Although 1,000 Heinkel though the outcome probably would not Featured Aircraft........................1 He.177 Greifs were produced during the have changed. For another example, con- From the Director.......................2 War, none of them exist today. But even sider “what if” Hitler had invaded and Historical Perspectives ..............6 though you’ll never see one for real, we occupied the British Isles. This would hope you find this hard-luck story of Hit- have changed the course of the War dra- Membership Application ............7 ler’s strategic bomber interesting and in- New Exhibit................................8 formative. Enjoy. Featured Aircraft (Continued on Page 2) 1 www.war-eagles-air-museum.com Plane Talk—The Newsletter of the War Eagles Air Museum First Quarter 2011 Featured Aircraft (Continued from page 1) such as the British Avro Lancaster or the From the Director American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress matically, and maybe even changed its and Consolidated B-24 Liberator. The ast spring in this column, I men- outcome, since Allied forces would have Allies later used such aircraft with deva- tioned that War Eagles Air Mu- lost the air bases from which they later stating effect, bringing Germany to its L seum’s displays of aircraft, auto- launched thousand-plane raids against the knees and incontrovertibly proving the mobiles and artifacts are not static, and I Third Reich. For several reasons, Hitler military utility of strategic bombing. Hit- listed several “new” aircraft, automobiles did not undertake Operation Sea Lion, ler did not have such an aircraft for the and other items that we’ve acquired over his planned invasion, including the fact Battle of Britain, and that may have cost the last five years or so. I’m happy to say that he felt a deep kinship with the Brit- him the Battle and the War. that this trend continues. ish. But another factor played into his de- But it wasn’t for lack of trying… If you haven’t visited the Museum in cision to cancel the operation. A success- Ironically, Germany’s lack of a big a while, you should come out to see our ful invasion would have required the bomber stemmed largely from its mili- latest exhibit: a Vietnam-era Hughes 500 Luftwaffe to have air superiority over the tary successes in the Spanish Civil War light helicopter. It’s so light, in fact, and English Channel, and the only way to as- and in the first months of World War II. we’re so short of floor space, that we’ve sure that would have been for it to neu- As early as 1933, Luftwaffe Chief of Staff hung it from the ceiling. There’s no sign- tralize the Royal Air Force (RAF). In the General Walther Wever realized the im- age for it yet—we’re still working to up- Battle of Britain, “the few” valiant RAF portant role that strategic bombing would grade all of our signs—but you can still fighter pilots, flying Hawker Hurricanes play in a war with the Soviet Union—a get a good look at it. and Supermarine Spitfires, soundly de- war then seen as inevitable. He commis- Sometime later this year, we hope to feated hoards of Luftwaffe Messerschmitt sioned two of Germany’s leading aircraft finish our display of four air-dropped nu- Bf.109s and Bf-110s, Dornier Do.17s, manufacturers, Dornier and Junkers, to clear weapons, which we are in the proc- Junkers Ju.87s and Ju.88s, and Heinkel design a new strategic bombardment air- ess of refurbishing. The display will in- He.111s that attacked relentlessly from plane dubbed the “Ural Bomber.” In clude six four-by-eight-foot information their bases in occupied Northern France. 1935, the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministeri- panels that tell the entire story of nuclear In doing so, they saved England, denied um, or Reich Aviation Ministry) ordered weapons. It will be very educational. Al- Hitler the air superiority he needed and prototypes of the resulting aircraft, the so, we’re working with Franklin Moun- changed the course of the War. Dornier Do.19 and Junkers Ju.89. But tains State Park, the El Paso County His- after Wever’s death in an airplane crash torical Society and the El Paso Commu- in June 1936, interest in a Luftwaffe stra- nity Foundation (among others) to com- tegic bomber force waned. Wever’s suc- memorate local military airplane crashes. cessor, Albert Kesselring, saw no need We’ll soon have a display of plaques that for such a force, so he canceled the Ural honor the crews of three aircraft—two Bomber on April 29, 1937. He thought B-24s and a B-36—that crashed in the the Luftwaffe needed more small, tactical Franklin Mountains decades ago. aircraft. The successes of the Condor Le- There’s always something new at the gion in tactical support and dive-bomb- War Eagles Air Museum. Pay us a visit ing roles in the Spanish Civil War, from soon and take a look around! November 1936 through May 1939, ap- S Great numbers of Heinkel He.111 twin- peared to confirm Kesselring’s opinion. Skip Trammell engine medium bombers attacked London in Luftwaffe Commander-in-Chief Hermann the Battle of Britain, but their small bomb- Göring agreed; “The Führer does not ask load limited their effectiveness. me how big my bombers are, but how Plane Talk many I have.” This style of warfare had a Despite the many types of German name—Blitzkrieg (Lightning War). Published quarterly by: fighters and bombers used in the Battle Even as the Luftwaffe armed up with War Eagles Air Museum of Britain, one thing was missing from fighters and medium bombers, however, 8012 Airport Road the lineup. The largest Luftwaffe bomber a new strategic bomber project simmered Santa Teresa, New Mexico 88008 at the time was the relatively slow and on the back burner. Apparently Kessel- (575) 589-2000 ring and Göring feared completely giving vulnerable Heinkel He.111, a twin-en- Author/Executive Editor: Terry Sunday gine medium bomber designed in the ear- up on the idea of big airplanes, in case Senior Associate Editor: Frank Harrison ly 1930s. He.111s were too small to carry the Führer ever changed his mind. On Associate Editor: Kathy Sunday decisive quantities of bombs to targets in June 3, 1936, the RLM had issued speci- [email protected] England. What Germany needed was a fications for “Projekt 1041 Bomber A,” a heavy, four-engine, long-range bomber, more-advanced aircraft than the Do.19 www.war-eagles-air-museum.com 2 First Quarter 2011 Plane Talk—The Newsletter of the War Eagles Air Museum and Ju.89, solely to Ernst Heinkel Flug- zeugwerke at Rostock-Marienehe on Ger- many’s Baltic Coast. Bomber A was to be capable of carrying a 2,200 pound bomb load over a range of 4,160 miles at not less than 335 miles per hour. It would be able to outrun all contemporary fight- ers and outperform all bombers then in service. A year later, on June 2, 1937, the RLM directed Heinkel to build a full- scale mockup of the aircraft it had de- signed to meet the specification. On No- vember 5, the RLM approved the mock- up and assigned Heinkel’s big bomber the type number “8-177,” while at the same time demanding that the company beef up the design so it could withstand the stresses of dive-bombing attacks.1 Heinkel knew his heavy bomber had to have four engines in order to meet its performance requirements.