Austria's Heinkel He-51 Acquisition: A Historical Overview

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft, developed from the earlier Heinkel He 49. It was ordered into production for the still-secret Luftwaffe in 1931 and entered service in 1934. The He 51 was intended to replace the Arado Ar 65, but ended up serving alongside it. Although it was outdated by the time it entered service, it was the best fighter Germany had at the time. Six Heinkel He 51 fighters were shipped to Spain in August 1936 to support the Nationalists in the Spanish Civil War. The He 51 was soon outclassed by more modern aircraft, particularly the Polikarpov I-15 biplane and the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, and was replaced in the fighter role by the Fiat CR.32 and the Messerschmitt Bf 109. However, the Heinkel proved more successful as a ground-attack aircraft, and it continued in use as such for the remainder of the Civil War. After the war, the surviving aircraft remained in service in Spain until 1952. The He 51 was also used by Bulgaria, which acquired 12 of the planes.

Heinkel He 51's role in the Spanish Civil War

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft, developed from the earlier Heinkel He 49. On 6 August 1936, six Heinkel He 51s were delivered to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War alongside the Nationalists. The aircraft were manned by German "volunteers" and their initial operations were successful, defeating older, obsolete Spanish Republican Air Force fighters on 18 August 1936, the first day of operations.

The Heinkel He 51s continued to be successful in the short term, and by November, two Nationalist squadrons were equipped with the aircraft, along with three Legion Condor squadrons of 12 aircraft each. However, this success was short-lived. The arrival of more modern aircraft from the Soviet Union, including the Polikarpov I-15 biplane and the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, soon outclassed the He 51s. The Heinkel He 51 proved unable to protect the Legion Condor's bombers and was forced to switch to night operations. It was also unable to intercept the much faster Tupolev SB bomber, which was 110 km/h (68 mph) faster.

As a result, the Heinkel He 51 was soon withdrawn from fighter duty and was replaced in that role by the Fiat CR.32 in the Nationalist Air Force. However, the aircraft found a new purpose as a ground-attack aircraft, being used by Wolfram von Richthofen to develop the close air support tactics that would later be used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. In this capacity, the Heinkel He 51 continued to be used for the remainder of the Spanish Civil War, although losses were heavy.

After the war, the surviving aircraft remained in service in Spain until 1952. The Heinkel He 51's role in the Spanish Civil War, particularly in the area of ground-attack operations, helped to shape the future of fighter aircraft development and contributed to the Luftwaffe's tactics and doctrine for World War II.

Heinkel He 51's performance and specifications

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft, with a seaplane variant and a ground-attack version also developed. It was powered by a glycol-cooled BMW VI engine, with an armament of two 7.92 mm machine guns mounted above the engine. The He 51 had a maximum speed of 210 mph (330 km/h), a cruise speed of 170 mph (280 km/h), and a range of 350 miles (570 km). Its service ceiling was 25,300 ft (7,700 m), and it could climb to 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 1 minute and 24 seconds, and to 20,000 ft (6,000 m) in 16 minutes and 30 seconds.

The He 51 was a development of the earlier He 49, which was officially an advanced trainer but was also a fighter. Heinkel recruited the talented aircraft designers Walter and Siegfried Günter in 1931, and their first major design for Heinkel was the He 49. The He 49 was ordered into production as the He 51 by the still-secret Luftwaffe, and testing began in 1933. The Heinkel He 51 was intended to replace the Arado Ar 65, but ended up serving alongside the slightly later Arado Ar 68.

The He 51 was obsolete before it even entered service, and after an initial run of 150 production fighters, production switched to the modified He 51B, of which approximately 450 were built. The He 51B-1 was powered by a single BMW VI series 7,3Z liquid-cooled V12 engine with an output of 750 horsepower. The He 51B-2 was a floatplane variant, and the He 51B-3 was a dedicated high-altitude version. The He 51C-1 was the first dedicated light ground attack model, and the He 51C-2 was an improved version with new radio equipment.

The He 51 was used by the Luftwaffe, the Spanish State, and Bulgaria. It was first used in combat during the Spanish Civil War, where it was quickly outclassed by more modern aircraft from the Soviet Union. Despite this, the He 51 proved more successful as a ground-attack aircraft, and it continued to be used in this role during the Spanish Civil War and by the Luftwaffe in World War II.

Heinkel He 51's production and variants

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft, developed from the earlier Heinkel He 49. It was produced in a number of different versions, including a seaplane variant and a ground-attack version. The Heinkel He 51 was intended to replace the Arado Ar 65, but it ended up serving alongside the Arado Ar 68.

The Heinkel He 51 was designed by Walter and Siegfried Günter, who were recruited by Heinkel in 1931. The first prototype of the He 49, the He 49a, flew in 1932, followed by two more prototypes: the He 49b with a longer fuselage, and the He 49c with a revised engine. The He 49 was ordered into production as the He 51 by the still-secret Luftwaffe, and testing began in 1933.

The Heinkel He 51 was a conventional single-bay biplane, with all-metal construction and fabric covering. It was powered by a glycol-cooled BMW VI engine, with an armament of two 7.92 mm machine guns mounted above the engine. The initial order for He 51A-1s was 75, but many were built under licence by other companies.

The He 51 was obsolete by the time it entered service, and after an initial run of 150 production fighters, production switched to the modified He 51B, of which approximately 450 were built, including about 46 He 51B-2 floatplanes. A further 100 He 51C light ground-attack aircraft were also built.

The He 51 first saw combat in the Spanish Civil War, where it was delivered to the Nationalists in August 1936. It was soon outclassed by more modern aircraft from the Soviet Union, and it was replaced in the fighter role by the Fiat CR.32. However, the Heinkel proved more successful as a ground-attack aircraft, and it continued to be used in this capacity for the remainder of the Civil War. After the war, the surviving aircraft remained in service in Spain until 1952.

The He 51 remained in front-line service with the Luftwaffe until 1938, when it was replaced by the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It continued to be used as an advanced trainer during the first few years of World War II.

Heinkel He 51's use in World War II

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft, developed in the early 1930s. It was one of the first modern aircraft to be used by the newly-formed Luftwaffe. The Heinkel He 51 was used during World War II, although it was obsolete by the time the war began.

The Heinkel He 51 was a small aircraft with a wingspan of just over 10 meters. It was powered by a single radial engine and had a maximum speed of around 225 mph (362 km/h). It was armed with two 7.92 mm machine guns mounted in the fuselage, and it could also carry bombs or rockets.

The Heinkel He 51 entered service with the Luftwaffe in 1935 and was used extensively in the Spanish Civil War, where it proved to be a capable fighter against older biplane designs. However, by the start of World War II, the Heinkel He 51 was already obsolete and was mainly used for training and ground-attack missions. It remained in front-line service with the Luftwaffe until 1938, when it was replaced by more advanced aircraft. During World War II, the Heinkel He 51 was used as an advanced trainer and for ground-attack missions. It was eventually phased out of service in 1942.

The Heinkel He 51 played an important role in the development of close air support tactics used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. Wolfram von Richthofen used the aircraft to develop these tactics during the Spanish Civil War, where the Heinkel He 51 was more successful as a ground-attack aircraft than as a fighter.

Heinkel He 51's comparison to other aircraft

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft, with seaplane and ground-attack variants. It was developed from the earlier Heinkel He 49, which was officially an advanced trainer but was, in reality, a fighter aircraft. The He 51 was ordered into production for the still-secret Luftwaffe in 1933 and was intended to replace the Arado Ar 65. However, it ended up serving alongside the Arado Ar 68.

The He 51 had a conventional single-bay biplane design, with all-metal construction and fabric covering. It was powered by a glycol-cooled BMW VI engine and was armed with two 7.92 mm machine guns mounted above the engine. The aircraft had a maximum speed of 330 km/h (210 mph) and a range of 570 km (350 mi).

Despite being outdated by the time it entered service, the He 51 was Germany's best fighter at the time. However, its success as a fighter was short-lived due to the arrival of more modern aircraft, such as the Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 from the Soviet Union. The He 51 was unable to keep up with these faster and more advanced planes and was soon outclassed in the fighter role.

In comparison to other aircraft of its time, the He 51 had a shorter range and lower speed than the Tupolev SB bomber, which could reach speeds 110 km/h (68 mph) faster. It was also outperformed by the Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, which could simply outrun the He 51 in dogfights.

While the He 51's days as a fighter were numbered, it found new life as a ground-attack aircraft. It was used by Wolfram von Richthofen to develop the close air support tactics that would be employed by the Luftwaffe during World War II. In this role, the He 51 continued to see action during the Spanish Civil War, despite heavy losses.

In terms of design and performance, the He 51 shared similarities with other aircraft of its era, such as the Boeing P-12E Model 234 and the Kawasaki Army Type 92 Fighter. These planes were also biplanes with similar configurations and roles.

Overall, while the Heinkel He 51 may have been outclassed as a fighter by more advanced aircraft, it still found a niche as a ground-attack platform and played a role in shaping the Luftwaffe's tactics during World War II.

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