In 1930 Heinkel began development work on a new twin-engine biplane, to the watching
world it was being designed as a civil transport, but in reality it was being developed for
the Reichsmarine.
They were looking for a new maritime patrol aircraft, and at the time Heinkel was the
most established name in the clandestine business of building military planes for Germany.
Heinkel’s new aircraft was designed as a large twin-engine attack and reconnaissance
plane which could be operated either as a landplane or a floatplane.
As such, two prototypes were ordered to test out both versions of the design, the floatplane
was designated the He 59a, and the landplane was the He 59b.
Though the actual design of the aircraft was not cutting edge, it was appealing due to
its sturdiness and relatively cheap cost – an important factor to consider when Germany,
and indeed a lot of the world, was somewhat broke in 1931.
Like many aircraft of this size, particularly the German ones, it had a tubular fuselage
with slab sides.
The twin engines were housed in a pair of nacelles outboard from the fuselage and between
the wings, these were supported by struts that connected to the upper and lower wing
spars; The engines themselves were 660hp 46 litre BMW V-12s.
The lower struts also connected to the framework that connected the twin floats or the undercarriage
to the airframe, this was done to distribute the impact of landing more evenly and in general
provide a more sturdy platform.
Compared to other floatplanes at the time, the He-59 was rather large, with a wingspan
of just under 24 meters and enough room in the fuselage to facilitate an internal bomb
bay.
This would allow it to carry a mixed payload of bombs or a single heavy torpedo.
Aside from landing mechanism, the only difference between the two prototypes was the location
of the fuel tanks: the floatplane had two additional fuel tanks in the keels of the
floats, whereas the landplane had to rely on just the internal tanks, though it could
sacrifice space in the bomb bay for extra fuel if needed.
In total, the floatplane version had a standard fuel capacity of 2700 litres, and this could
be brought up to 3200 litres with the addition of internal tanks.
Despite being the second design, the landplane version was completed first.
Fitted with wheels and large streamlined fairings for the undercarriage, it made its maiden
flight in September 1931.
A few months later the floatplane prototype, equipped with a pair of long single-step floats,
took off in January of 1932.
From the outset the He 59a was preferred, being more suited for maritime duties with
its floats, and a small batch of additional prototypes were ordered for further evaluation.
Despite the engines being considered slightly underpowered, and the aircraft’s modest
top speed still being a bit uncomfortable with an open cockpit, the He59 was deemed
successful in all of its evaluation trials, and this resulted in the order of a pre-production
batch of sixteen He59-B1s (which would later be re-designated B-0).
This should not be confused with the prototype He-59b which was a landplane, as this design
was abandoned by this point, though it’s a little confusing when aircraft manufacturers
decide to make their designations case-sensitive rather than assigning a fresh letter to them.
Compared to the prototype there were some minor equipment changes, and the addition
of a 7.9mm MG 15 machine gun in the nose.
However, these pre-production models were quickly superseded by the He 59B-2, which
was produced by both Heinkel and Arado.
Like its predecessors, this version was powered by two 660hp BMW engines, and was of a mixed
construction.
However, it now had a new all-metal nose with bomb aiming panels, while glazed panels were
also fitted for a ventral gunner position and a similar setup in the dorsal position.
In this configuration the aircraft now had three defensive guns and a total crew of four,
with the nose gunner also acting as bomb aimer.
The He 59 entered Luftwaffe service as a torpedo bomber and maritime patrol aircraft in 1935.
Photos suggest that at least some of the pre-production models were brought up to the standard of
the He 59B-2, however records and photographic evidence is pretty sparse on this so its very
difficult to tell how many of these were upgraded.
It soon earned a good reputation for its flight handling, being very easy to take off, fly,
and land, however it was still considered underpowered, and its range was somewhat limited
at 942km.
This aircraft would see action relatively early in its career, with several units being
deployed as part of Germany’s Condor legion during the Spanish Civil War.
They were used for a mixture of night bombing and anti-shipping patrols, the latter having
them equipped with a 20mm cannon in the nose in place of the machine gun.
With production of the He 59B-2 established; Heinkel be````gan work on more specialised
versions.
The first was the He 59B-3 which was a reconnaissance version that sacrificed a gunner position
for camera equipment.
The He 59c-2 was also without armament, but it was designed to accommodate six dinghies
and the required equipment for air-sea rescue.
By the outbreak of the second world war they had been used successfully in multiple rescue
operations.
Another reconnaissance version was later developed, designated the E-2, six were built for long-range
missions and had three advanced cameras installed.
Various models of the He 59 were also introduced for training purposes.
The 59C-1 was originally designed for reconnaissance but was further lightened by stripping it
of all weaponry and converted to a training platform.
The 59D-1 was similar to the C-2 model used for sea rescue, but it was used for training
pilots, radio operators and navigators.
More advanced training was given with the He 59N, which had specialised radio equipment,
and torpedo dropping was taught with the He 59E-1.
By the outbreak of war in 1939 the bomber version had been withdrawn from service, being
deemed too obsolete for any direct offensive roles.
Due to this, the He 59 was largely used for maritime reconnaissance and air-sea rescue,
equipping squadrons on the coasts of the Baltic and the North Sea.
During the early stages of the war approximately 80 He 59s were employed by the Luftwaffe,
and whilst most were either in reconnaissance or air-sea rescue roles, there were also some
specialised units.
Early on, the Luftwaffe had foreseen the need to set aside a number of seaplanes for special
duties, and a Squadron had been formed in 1939 for the purpose of transporting small
groups of soldiers to carry out amphibious attacks against hostile shores.
Two such minor operations were carried out during the invasion of Poland, but it was
during the invasion of Norway that this unit proved its value.
In the last three weeks of April 1940, the seaplanes were flown into numerous fjords
to deliver parties of up to 50 soldiers who then paddled ashore to secure key objectives.
Later, as the German army fought its way northwards, the He 59s were used to deliver stores, mail
and medical supplies, as well as to evacuate critically wounded soldiers.
Though successful in Norway, their most spectacular use was to be carried out on the first day
of Germany’s invasion of the Netherlands.
A key objective on May the 10th was the capture of the twin bridges over the Maas at Rotterdam.
At 7am that morning six He59s flew in to deliver 120 assault troops and their dinghies, though
heavy fire brought down four of the planes the troops were successfully disembarked,
and they captured their objective with the aid of paratroops.
Later that year the He 59 would become one of the lesser-known participants in the Battle
of Britain.
Scores of them flew rescue missions in the English Channel, picking up downed Luftwaffe
pilots, a task that increased in frequency as the air war escalated.
For these missions the aircraft were painted white with red crosses, which would normally
protect them from enemy engagement, however it became known that some of these rescue
planes were also radioing the location of British fighter patrols to German bomber formations…and
their protection was subsequently revoked.
Moreover, at least two of these planes were also shot down while laying mines in the Thames
Estuary, and it was noted that of the score of Heinkels shot down there was scarcely a
crew member who was actually qualified to render basic first aid, let alone deal with
serious wounds.
After the Battle of Britain petered out the He 59 continued to see operational duty until
mid-1942 when it was finally retired from active service.
Training models continued to be used for another two years, but most were either destroyed
or too worn out to be of any use by the time of the Normandy landings.
Four aircraft were leased to the Finnish Air Force in 1943, but this was only a short-term
affair, and they were returned to Germany after four months.
None of these aircraft survived the war, and frankly there isn’t a huge photographic
record of them either.
But their use as a somewhat aggressive ambulance and transport service gives an interesting
history to what was otherwise a very uninteresting aircraft, and I hope you found it interesting
as well.
As always you all very much for watching, and I’ll catch you all next time.