Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Heinkel He 219

Deutsche Kampfflugzeuge der Luftwaffe 1939-1945: Heinkel He 219

German Warplanes flown by the Luftwaffe 1939-1945: Heinkel He 219

During and after the end of the Second War a number of German Warplanes were captured and evaluated by the Allied forces.  Most of these aircraft were later scrapped and therefore only a handful have survived.  This is a partial list of He 219 aircraft that were known to have been flown by the Luftwaffe.

Während und nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurden eine Reihe deutscher Kampfflugzeuge von den Alliierten erbeutet und ausgewertet.  Die meisten dieser Flugzeuge wurden später verschrottet und daher haben nur eine Handvoll überlebt. Dies ist eine unvollständige Liste von He 219 Flugzeugen, von denen bekannt war, dass sie von der Luftwaffe geflogen wurden.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Heinkel He 219A Uhu in Luftwaffe service.

The Heinkel He 219 Uhu ("Eagle-Owl") is a night fighter that served with the German Luftwaffe in the later stages of World War II. A relatively sophisticated design, the He 219 possessed a variety of innovations, including Lichtenstein SN-2 advanced VHF-band intercept radar, also used on the Ju 88G and Bf 110G night fighters. It was also the first operational military aircraft to be equipped with ejection seats and the first operational German Second World War-era aircraft with tricycle landing gear. Had the Uhu been available in quantity, it might have had a significant effect on the strategic night bombing offensive of the Royal Air Force; however, only 294 of all models were built by the end of the war and these saw only limited service. Ernst-Wilhelm Modrow was the leading night fighter ace on the He 219. Modrow was credited with 33 of his 34 night air victories on the type.

The He 219 had an auspicious combat debut. On the night of 11–12 June 1943, Werner Streib flew the V9 and shot down five bombers between 01:05 and 02:22 hours, before crashing on landing. (Wikipedia)

(Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-1972-004-32 / CC-BY-SA 3.0)

Heinkel He 219A Nachtjäger with Hirschgeweih VHF radar antennas.

(Luftwaffe Photo)

The He 219 was a capable fighter aircraft and the pilots were free to hunt down any detected Allied bombers. Ground control sent the aircraft into the right area, where the pilots took over and guided themselves towards the bombers with the Lichtenstein VHF radar's information. The SN-2 radar's 4 km (3 mi) maximum detection range was greater than the distance between the bombers. While the performance of the A-2 was not extraordinary—approximately 580 km/h (360 mph) speed—it was enough of an advance over the Messerschmitt Bf 110Gs and Dornier Do 217Ns for the crew to chase several bombers in a single sortie.

(Luftwaffe Photos)

Heinkel He 219A-7 Uhu night fighter in Luftwaffe service.

(RAF Photos)

Heinkel He 219A-7 Uhu, (Wk. Nr. 310189), D5+CL of I/NJG 3 night fighter captured at Grove, Denmark.  This aircraft was designated RAF AM22.  It was scrapped at Farnborough in 1946.  RCAF Squadron Leaders Joe McCarthy and Ian Somerville both flew these aircraft.

Germany pProduced less than 300 aircraft, but only 195 were ever issued to the Luftwaffe. The USA tested three aircraft after the war, one of which survives. The RAF transported five aircraft back to the UK at least two He 219, these were given to Czechoslovakia and used for testing.

(USAAF Photos)

Heinkel He 219A-0 Uhu, (Wk. Nr. 210903), captured at Grove, Denmark.  Designated RAF USA 8, this aircraft was shipped to the USA on HMS Reaper, and re-designated USA FE-612 at Freeman Field, Indiana post war.  This aircraft was scrapped about 1950.

When the war had ended in Europe, the U.S. Army Air Forces Intelligence Service, as part of "Operation LUSTY" (Luftwaffe Secret Technology), took control of three He 219s at the Grove base of the 1st Night Fighter Wing (Nachtjagdgeschwader 1) in Jutland, Denmark starting on 16 June 1945. These aircraft were made flight-worthy by "Watson's Whizzers" and flown to Cherbourg, France. He 219 A-2 Werknummer 290202 was shipped to the United States with 21 other captured German aircraft on board the British escort carrier HMS Reaper, and was reassembled at Newark Army Air Field, Newark, New Jersey.Werknummer 290202 was given the foreign equipment number FE-614, and later T2-614. The aircraft was flown to Freeman Field, Indiana for flight testing along with a second of the three He 219s: a He 219 A-5 prototype, Werknummer 290060 and given the foreign equipment number FE-612. The fate of Werknummer 290060 is unknown. Following testing, He 219 A-2 Werknummer 290202 was then moved to Orchard Place Airport in Park Ridge, Illinois in 1946. It was stored in a vacant aircraft factory and then transferred to the Smithsonian's National Air Museum on 3 January 1949. Finally, the He 219 was crated and shipped to the Smithsonian's Silver Hill, Maryland storage facility in early 1955. He 219 A-2 Werknummer 290202 is currently restored and on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center by Dulles Airport. (Wikipedia)

(USAAF Photo)

Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Wk. Nr. 290202), captured at Grove, Denmark.  Designated RAF USA 10, USA FE-614, later T2-614, Freeman Field Indiana fall 1945.  This aircraft is preserved in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre, Chantilly, Virginia.

(Mark Pellegrini Photo)

Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Wk. Nr. 290202), captured at Grove, Denmark.  Designated RAF USA 10, USA FE-614, preserved in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre, Chantilly, Virginia.

(Kogo Photos)

(MulveyA Photo)

Heinkel He 219 Uhu (Wk. Nr. 290202), captured at Grove, Denmark.  Designated RAF USA 10, USA FE-614, preserved in the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Centre, Chantilly, Virginia.

When the war had ended in Europe, the U.S. Army Air Forces Intelligence Service, as part of "Operation LUSTY" (Luftwaffe Secret Technology), took control of three He 219s at the Grove base of the 1st Night Fighter Wing (Nachtjagdgeschwader 1) in Jutland, Denmark starting on 16 June 1945. These aircraft were made flight-worthy by "Watson's Whizzers" and flown to Cherbourg, France. He 219 A-2 Werknummer 290202 was shipped to the United States with 21 other captured German aircraft on board the British escort carrier HMS Reaper, and was reassembled at Newark Army Air Field, Newark, New Jersey.Werknummer 290202 was given the foreign equipment number FE-614, and later T2-614. The aircraft was flown to Freeman Field, Indiana for flight testing along with a second of the three He 219s: a He 219 A-5 prototype, Werknummer 290060 and given the foreign equipment number FE-612. The fate of Werknummer 290060 is unknown. Following testing, He 219 A-2 Werknummer 290202 was then moved to Orchard Place Airport in Park Ridge, Illinois in 1946. It was stored in a vacant aircraft factory and then transferred to the Smithsonian's National Air Museum on 3 January 1949. Finally, the He 219 was crated and shipped to the Smithsonian's Silver Hill, Maryland storage facility in early 1955.

By August 2014 the wing structure (without control surfaces fitted) had been essentially restored, and was ready for the trip to the NASM's Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center shops within its integral Mary Baker Engen Restoration Hangar, to join the fuselage and engine nacelles there, with replacement Hirschgeweih VHF-band radar antenna components to be fabricated, based on a preserved example located in Europe and loaned to the NASM for replication, as part of the ongoing restoration process. The repainted wings were displayed during the 30 January 2016 open house in the restoration hangar paint shack.He 219 A-2 Werknummer 290202 is currently restored and on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center by Dulles Airport. As of 2021 the restored and assembled aircraft, including its wings, nacelles (possibly as Heinkel-designed specific, Kraftei unitized powerplant installations), and partially restored DB 603 engines (missing propellers) can be seen displayed next the museum's Arado Ar 234 and Dornier Do 335, the only surviving examples of those aircraft, both of which accompanied WkNr. 290202 across the Atlantic over 60 years ago.

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