A H M R E S T O R AT I O N
One of the most iconic German bomber of WWII
HEINKEL HE 111H-3
The American Heritage Museum began importing an extremely rare, original German Heinkel He 111H-3 from Sweden to the United States for restoration to static display condition. The most produced and successful bomber aircraft operated by the German Luftwaffe during World War II, the He 111 was initially built in the mid-1930’s as a civilian transport to comply with the Treaty of Versailles. Quickly, the “sheep’s clothing” came off and the He 111 took part in the Spanish Civil War bombing of Guernica, immortalized in Picasso’s famous painting. The He 111 is famous for its role during the Blitzkrieg and the subjugation of Poland and France. Later, the He 111 was used in nighttime bomber raids on key British cities during the Battle of Britain in 1940.
Today, there are only three other complete, original wartime He 111’s: one in Germany, one in England, and one in Norway. Once complete, this He 111 would be the only of its type on display outside of Europe and one of four with documented combat history in World War II. Though the aircraft was recovered from a lake after belly landing on ice, it is remarkably complete and the previous restoration team had assembled many additional artifacts to further complement the restoration effort. A great deal of work remains to be finished, but our experienced preservation partners have the skills needed to take on the challenge. There is no doubt that the aircraft will 21
COLLINGS FOUNDATION - AMERICAN HERITAGE MUSEUM
emerge as a true world-class example of one of the rarest bomber aircraft in existence from the early days of World War II. Further, it has the ability to tell a very unique story about the start of World War II and some of the lesser known offensive battles in the Scandinavian peninsula. The Norwegian Campaign of World War II took place from April to June of 1940, as the German Nazi Kriegsmarine and British Royal Navy fought for control of the ice-free harbor of Narvik. The port provided crucial access to iron ore supplies from Kiruna in Sweden and both sides had significant interest in securing this natural resource. OVERVIEW In May of 1940, German Heinkel He 111 bombers made daily attacks on Allied troops disembarking in Narvik. The only protection against these attacks came from Blackburn Skua aircraft based on Royal Navy carriers. At 10:10 am on May 15, 1940, three Blackburn Skua fighters, of the 800 Squadron, launched from the English aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal. Their orders were to protect the anchorages of Allied ships at Tjeldsund and Harstad. Shortly after launching, the fighters observed four Heinkel He 111 bombers in formation over Hartvigvann attacking the British ships at Bjerkvik. The four Skuas attacked the bomber formation and the He 111’s released their bombs into the sea and disbursed, disappearing into a
