Heinkel He-III P-2

Scale 1/72

SKU A06014

Manufacturer Airfix

Price: £34.99

1 in stock

1 in stock

Description

Early in the morning of the 26th April 1940, four members of KG 4 took off in their Heinkel He111 P-2 5J+CN from Fernebu, Oslo in Norway. One of three Heinkels tasked with attacking the town of Andalsnes, the bomber was damaged by the guns of HMS Manchester.

Unable to keep formation with the other Heinkels the crew were then taken by surprise by two Blackburn Skuas of No. 801 Squadron FAA from HMS Ark Royal. The pilot of Skua A7-A unleashed a hail of machine gun fire on the bomber – killing flight engineer Willi Stock. With one engine failing and the other on fire, pilot Richard Gumbrecht had no choice but to force-land somewhere among the snow covered mountains below.

With Stock dead, the remaining three crew members escaped the wreckage and made their way down the mountain. The largely intact Heinkel sat on the mountain for over 30 years, before being recovered and restored by the Norwegian Armed Forces Aircraft Collection.

The kit was first released in 2015, and the tooling based upon Airfix’s new 3D scanning technology. The Heinkel He III P2 was responsible for more damage from strategic bombing than any other aircraft during the Battle of Britain, this super high detailed aircraft has been designed with information never prevously used in Airfix model design.

“A wolf in sheep’s clothing”, this formidably fast medium bomber was at first masqueraded by the Luftwaffe as a commercial aircraft, when the intention was in fact for it to be converted into the enemy’s primary bomber during early stages of World War Two.

First flying in 1935 when Germany was banned from building bombers under the Treaty of Versailles, the Heinkel He111 was at first disguised as a fast transport plane. However its real purpose soon became clear when it was used as a bomber during the Spanish Civil War. The early variants proved to be capable fast bombers with only small numbers being lost to enemy action.

By the start of the Second World War the He111 had undergone some major changes, resulting in the P model. The engines were now more powerful Daimler Benz DB601 units, and there was an enlarged glass nose section housing the majority of the crew. This afforded them excellent visibility but made them very vulnerable. During the Battle of Britain the P variant was being phased out, but it continued to serve in some numbers. Against the modern RAF fighters the He111 now suffered from a lack of speed and defensive armament. Before being switched to night duties the He111 formed the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s bomber force, but did suffer some heavy casualties.

Additional information

Brand

Airfix

Scale

1/72