Japanese Heinkel He 119

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heinkel-he-119-v2-japanese
Heinkel He 119 (ハインケルHe 119 )
The Heinkel He 119 is a German experimental bomber that was built in 1937. 4-8 prototypes were built, of which the V7 and V8 or V2 and V4 were purchased by the Japanese around 1940. The planes arrived in Japan in 1941 and were severely damaged during the tests, and the results of the tests laid the foundations for the experimental R2Y1 reconnaissance aircraft.
History
History in Germany
In the 1930s, brothers Siegfried and Walter Günter pushed the boundaries of aerodynamics by designing aircraft for Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in Germany. One of their concepts was the He 119 reconnaissance aircraft/light bomber. Work on it began in the autumn of 1935 as a private venture financed by Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke. At the beginning, it was designated P. 1055. During the design work, in order to reduce aerodynamic drag, it was decided to give the cockpit at the front of the machine, the engine behind the cabin, and the propeller was located on the nose of the machine. A propeller shaft came out of the engine, which passed between the pilots and drove a four-bladed propeller. As the Germans did not have a powerful engine at that time, they decided to combine two Daimler-Benz DB 601 engines that were placed next to each other and connected to each other by means of a common gear reduction. This is how the DB 606 engine with 2,350 hp was created. This engine emitted a lot of heat, so cooling was used in the wings (as in the He 100). The aircraft was produced in secret, and the first prototype (V1) was ready by June 1937. In the same month, the plane made its maiden flight, with Gerhard Nitschke at the controls. The aircraft reached a speed of 565 km/h, which confirmed to Heinkel and the Günter brothers that the aircraft did not need defensive armament, but when the aircraft was shown to German officials, they insisted that it be armed with two defensive positions at the rear of the aircraft (from the bottom and top). At this point, the aircraft received the official designation He 119 and work began on further improvements. However, there are contradictions here, some say that the He 119 V1 plane was used to break the speed record, and on the second attempt it crashed or the plane was delegated to propaganda activities. The next He 119 V2 prototype was equipped with a retractable upper gunner station equipped with the MG 15. Sources say that the plane was either flown in September 1937 or early 1938. The next aircraft was the V4, which was built either in October 1937 or in 1940. The plane probably crashed in December 1937 while trying to break the speed record. The next aircraft was the He 119 V3, which was a seaplane, so work on it took longer, all prototypes after the V3 (V5, V6, V7, V8) had new wings with a smaller area and with a straight wing attack. Not much is known about the V5 and V6 aircraft, although there are sources that say that they were improved reconnaissance aircraft. On November 22, 1937, one of the He 119 planes was used to break the speed record. Due to low clouds, the plane was not able to reach the optimal altitude and reached only 504.988 km / h, which allowed it to break the world record. Unfortunately, a week later he was beaten by a Breda 88 plane. The next test took place in December 1937, but the He 119 piloted by Nitschke and Hans Dieterle crashed the Travemünde after the engine stopped working. After this event, it was forbidden to break speed records with He 119. Probably also He 119, V7 and V8 planes were created, which were additionally modified as bombers (All He 119s except the V1 had a compartment that held 750-1000 kg bombs). All but two German He 119s (V2 and V4 or V7 and V8) were scrapped during World War II, as neither Lufftwafe nor Krigsmarine wanted this aircraft.

German Heinkel He 119

OIP
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heinkel-he-119-v3-side (1)
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History in Japan
At the end of 1938, one of the He 119s was shown to a delegation of the Japanese Navy. The Japanese expressed great interest in the He 119 aircraft and after long negotiations in 1940 they purchased the production rights and copies of the He 119. Unfortunately, it is not known exactly which planes they were, V2 and V4, or V7 and V8. It is known that the planes ordered by Japan had bomb bays and an MG 15 top gunner. The aircraft were delivered to Japan in parts in late 1940 or early 1941. The aircraft were assembled by the Navy at Kasumigaura Airport, and the aircraft were tested at the Yokosuka Naval Base. The first He 119 crashed during landing during one of the tests, and the second shortly after. Although the tests lasted very short, they gave Japanese engineers very useful data, which was later used in the Yokosuka R2Y1 aircraft.

Japanese Heinkel He 119

heinkel-he-119-v2-japanese
The Japanese Commission at Henkel He 119 ^


Construction description
The Heinkel He 119 was a lower-wing wing that was powered by the DB 606 engine, which was located in the fuselage. In the front there was a glass cockpit for two pilots, through the cockpit between the pilots there was a drive shaft driving the propeller which was mounted on the nose. Behind the cockpit there was space for the engine, and a radiator was mounted at the bottom of the fuselage. The wings were used to cool the engine (the same as in the He 100). Behind the girders of the main wing there was a bomb bay, which held either a maximum of 1000 kg or reconnaissance equipment. Behind the bomb bay there was room for another reconnaissance equipment, which was operated by the rear gunner. The gunner’s position was located on top of the fuselage and was retractable to improve aerodynamic capabilities. A special chassis was designed for the Henkel He 119. A conventional main landing gear would have been too long to fit in a semi-elliptical wing with an inverted seagull. A telescopic strut was invented that collapsed when the gear retracted. This allowed the gear to fit the sash and also to extend to provide the required ground clearance.
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Technical sketches



Screenshot-2023-10-31-160403

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3
  • Length: 14.8 m (48 ft 7 in)
  • Wingspan: 15.9 m (52 ft 2 in)
  • Height: 5.4 m (17 ft 9 in)
  • Wing area: 50.2 m2 (540 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 5,201 kg (11,466 lb)
  • Gross weight: 7,581 kg (16,713 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Daimler-Benz DB 606A-2 24-cylinder coupled V-12 liquid-cooled piston engine, 1,750 kW (2,350 hp)
  • Propellers: 4-bladed constant-speed propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 591 km/h (367 mph, 319 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 510 km/h (320 mph, 280 kn)
  • Range: 3,120 km (1,940 mi, 1,690 nmi) at 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
  • Service ceiling: 8,500 m (27,900 ft)
  • Time to altitude: 2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 3 minutes 6 seconds

Armament

  • Guns: 1 × 7.9 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun in dorsal position
  • Bombs: 750-1000kg

Summary
The Heinkel He 119 would be a very interesting aircraft for Japan in War Thunder. It would be a great Premium bomber (just like other foreign vehicles) that would be very different from other bombers. His speed would allow him to easily escape most fighters. In the game, the rear gunner, as there is one, should be extended only then when switching to it. Otherwise, the plane will lose its only advantage, i.e. speed. I encourage you to discuss in the comments and to share your own knowledge on this subject.
Finally, I apologize for the linguistic and logical errors because unfortunately English is not my main language and I had to use google translator.

Internet sources

He 119 (航空機) - Wikipedia
Heinkel He 119 : Heinkel (valka.cz)
Heinkel He 119 | Old Machine Press
Yokosuka (Kugisho) R2Y1 Keiun | Old Machine Press
Heinkel He 119 - reconnaissance, bomber (aviastar.org)
He 119 Multipurpose Seaplane - Luftwaffe (airpages.ru)
Weird He 119 Carried its Crew Inside the Nose - PlaneHistoria
Exports to Japan - Page 2 - Luftwaffe and Allied Air Forces Discussion Forum (12oclockhigh.net)
Heinkel He 119: Photos, History, Specification
Heinkel He 119 High-Speed Prototype Aircraft (militaryfactory.com)

Book sources
  • 日本航空機総集 輸入機篇 (Japan Aircraft Catalogue Imported Aircraft Edition) Shuppan Kyosha, 1972, page. 168-170.
  • “Warplanes of the Third Reich” Green, William. New York: Doubleday, 1972.
4 Likes

Looks cool!

Question, Do they operate it?

I hope not it would be out classes by everything

It depends on how you understand operational activity. Neither the Germans nor the Japanese used this plane in combat, in both countries it was used for testing or breaking speed records. Of course, we can also suggest two variants for Germany, i.e. He 119 V2/V4 or V3 with floats.

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The way it should be. The idea is that it has to be in combat. Always made little sense to me. The definition of combat implies “a fight or contest between individuals or groups.” which would count testing trials, or Aerial combat mockups. Might even include Airshows.

No. They never used it in service, and it is not an indigenous Japanese vehicle. Germany doesn’t even have this aircraft, so you would have to divert resources away from actual, indigenous designs in order for Japan to have it, unless you have the German team implement it, at which point it becomes copy paste.

Outside of testing? Nope.

Japan bought it, it would be fitting as a premium in the Japanese tree.

Or maybe you start to consider that there is no “diverted resources”, instead resources are used more efficiently when Gaijin can use this model to add to multiple countries.

There is nothing about a copy paste premium that takes away from anything. You can just not buy it if you don’t want to, but players that do would really appreciate such an addition. It’s also not locking a unique vehicle behind a paywall if you can go over to the German tree and research it for free.

2 Likes

Dude, I think you’re exaggerating a bit with your complaints about captured vehicles. Your actions cause your suggestions to reach more people, which usually results in more yes votes. As a rule, you are the only one actively against it, so every weak percentage shows that the community is against a certain vehicle. Additionally, I plan to write about the captured LaGG-3 and P-40N, and your complaints will not stop me.

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in principle, i am not against such, as long as you make suggestions for the german equivalents (or japanese in case of original Japanese design tested by germany)

For now, I only write about the Japanese. If I run out of suggestions, I will move to other countries. I do not deny that there will be suggestions for He 119 V2/4 and V3

3 Likes

funny plane also good speed

+1, i have no problem of a nation getting a vehicle from another nation before the other nation itself (ju-86 per example)

Oh yeah, I actually forgot about the Ju 86…

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Oh, I’m glad to see someone suggested it! It’s a pretty neat plane, in my honest opinion. It’s a shame there’s only one intact example left, though.

I could’ve sworn I replied to this…

Anyway!

No, that’s silly. By that logic, you can justify large swafts of all the tech trees being in both the US and Russian TTs simply by justifying it by them owning the vehicle in question, effectively rendering redundant the concept of other nation tech trees. Granted, it wouldn’t be as bad as because you would have to pay for what you want, but I can guarantee you a lot of players wouldn’t even touch the German and Japanese tech trees if they can just buy the interesting vehicles and grind out either the US or Russian tech trees. Moreover, it degrades the unique flavor of Japan as a nation by stuffing it with what is effectively bloatware. Japan has no need for it, Japan never used it in service, and it is not Japanese. Therefore, Japan shouldn’t have it. I feel this response also adequately pushes back on your second response. If you want to make efficient use of resources, you can certainly do better than a relatively obscure German prototype.

The problem with that statement is that, at least personally, I see a very different sentiment outside of the suggestion forums. Many are sick and tired of copy paste, premium or no, especially when it dilutes tech trees with foreign vehicles. This leads me to believe that the suggestion forums have a positivity bias, which is backedd up by circumstantial evidence. The Swedish Tiger, for instance, had an approval rating of 60 to 70 percent, yet was subject to intense controversy upon release.

Even if the majority is in support of you, which I highly doubt is the case outside of the suggestion forums, inflating the Japanese tech tree with foreign designs it never used in service does not suddenly become a good idea.

Then I will be there to point out how they are bad ideas.

Yes, but no…

Yes - the plane was purchased, crewed, maintained and evaluated specifically for military purposes. This puts it in advance of several vehicles already in the game both old and new.

No - There are several home grown Japanese bombers and attackers still missing. Inclusion should only be after the original German prototypes are added, with a suitable amount of time before the Japanese one comes along. It doesn’t fill any obvious gap, even less so if true Japanese planes are added.

I place it alongside the Japanese B-17D suggestion. It should be added eventually once conditions are met, but until then it’s simply a controversy waiting to happen. In 2 or 3 years time when the trees reach their zenith and lower tiers need filling out following a top to bottom decompression then it will find a home, although probably as a premium.

XP-50, XP-72 (suggestion), XP-55, A2D-1, P-38 K, Su-9, VB 10, etc. - just to name a few. Not a serious argument…

Never, because it was stolen tech and never saw US service (your pov)…

I have zero clue why you even argue with the OP.

You insist on things like historical accuracy in a game which offers fantasy game play. And you require things like “seeing service” whilst you support stuff like the F-16 XL which never saw service.

So imho you are not consistent and you might consider leaving the OP alone…

1 Like

And to my understanding, those are all indigenous prototypes for their respective nations, not evaluated foreign designs. And, before you bring them up, no, I do not like the Swedish T-80 and other, similar foreign vehicles that were only ever evaluated.

The point was to demonstrate the absurdity of the argument being presented. Simply owning the vehicle in question should not be enough to warrant inclusion.

And, for the record, precedent isn’t what is being argued here. It is wether or not that it’s inclusion is a good idea that I am arguing, and my position is a firm no.

Because I delineate between foreign vehicles that were evaluated and never saw service, and indigenous prototypes that never saw service. The two are different, and so I treat them differently, as one is copy paste and the other is a unique vehicle that cannot be copy-pasted.