Heinkel He111 Restoration

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 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

Photo: The He 111 after belly landing on the ice of Sitasjaure Lake in 1940.

cloud bank heading south. Moments later, a lone He 111 was sighted by the Royal Navy fighters and though it attempted to evade the attackers by weaving in and out of clouds, Skua “Red 1” flown by Lieutenant EGD Finch-Noyes with stern gunner Petty Officer airman H. Cunningham, attacked the bomber five times assisted by “Red 2” flown by Midshipmen L. Gallagher with gunner P / O R. Rolph. The He 111 was significantly damaged by the attacking Skuas.

Piloted by German pilot Uffz. Siegfried Blume, this He 111 of KG 26 was in a dire situation. Blume quickly decided to attempt a belly landing ahead on the dense wet snow still covering the ice on Sitasjaure Lake. Blume and his crew survived the landing and climbed out into the frozen surface and began a long trek over mountains in an attempt to reach farms that they had spotted near Skjomen. On May 16 at 2:00 pm, they were captured by a Polish patrol and transported to England as POWs. The He 111 was left at the lake and was not recovered by the Germans due to the remote location.

In 1977, a police officer from Kiruna applied through the Swedish lost property law to become the owner of several aircraft wrecks that remained in northern Sweden after the war. One of these wrecks was this He 111 at Sitasjaure. The recovery operation began in August 2008. After nearly two years of planning, a Sikorsky Sea King helicopter from the Norwegian Air Force transported the components to a staging area accessible by road. The pieces were loaded onto trailers and transported to Sweden, where restoration began. In the years since recovery, the mostly volunteer restoration team has transformed these salvaged pieces into a very complete airframe with components from other recoveries contributing to the effort.

Though this could be a three-year restoration project, the value of the completed aircraft for display and its importance in the context of the World War II history make it a key addition to the American Heritage Museum. We hope you will make a donation toward this project.