Any He 111 available?

Colin also acquired the former RAFM fuselage section of CASA 2111 which was used in fuselage shots during the film. It departed the U.K a long time ago for use in a ‘Heinkel’ project in Austria.

From the http://www.preservedaxisaircraft.com/ website and consisting of the CASA fuselage being married to the remains of the He-111P2 WrkNo 5883 recovered by the RAF from Norway in 1974.

Google doesn’t find much information about that recovery or exactly what was recovered, I recall the aero magazines advising of it at the time, and I recall assuming that a relatively intact example had been found/recovered?

However it seems this recovery was the Heinkel involved in the battle with the RN FAM Museum’s Skua also recovered in 1974 from Norway, and apparently recovered at the same time the Skua was recovered.

If so, the recovered remains were largely the rear fuselage section and shattered wing remains?, with much of the wreckage still apparently existing in the mountain site still today?

http://home.online.no/~oela/page3.html

Edit – Apparantly not?

Consulting the Geoff Goodall Directory reports the 1974 recovery as thus?

forced landing on frozen lake Norway, later sank c42
Norwegian AF Museum, Gardermoen AB .73
(incomplete wreck recov. ex lake .73)
RAF Museum Store, RAF Cardington: wreck stored
Imperial War Museum, Duxford: wreck stored
sold to private owner in UK
private collector, Austria 00/03
(rear fuse. & components stored Austria 03, planned
composite static rest. project using cockpit section &
cwntre fuse. sections of CASA-2.111B B.2I-20 used in
filming of movie Battle of Britain in 68)
(also has been rep. as He 111P-2 Werke Nr. 5883)

http://www.goodall.com.au/warbirds-directory-v6/heinkel.pdf

So I really am still un-the-wiser as to how much was really recovered and where in Norway it was recovered from in 1974, Geoff’s directory suggests the recovery in 1974 was an underwater lake recovery?, which clearly isn’t the one associated with the Skua site and photos above?

Google did however find this one, far more “intact” and still sitting there today in the mountains of Norway smiles

http://www.urbanghostsmedia.com/2013/07/grotli-ghost-town-norway-wrecked-heinkel-bomber-replica/

Now it could be married together with that ex BoB replica cockpit section at East Kirby…….

regards

Mark Pilkington

The cockpit at East Kirkby is a tubular steel mock up that was built for pyrotecnic use in the film. It follows little in terms of the original article’s construction techniques its ex Firbeck and Colin Waterworth. Colin also acquired the former RAFM fuselage section of CASA 2111 which was used in fuselage shots during the film. It departed the U.K a long time ago for use in a ‘Heinkel’ project in Austria.

True anything can be made airworthy with enough cash. Still like some of the new Spitfires it would be nothing but a very,very expensive replica with very little of the original airframe surviving. I would still love to see it in the air though!
Phill

Isn’t the nose section at East Kirkby???

I seem to remember a nice tail section at NEAM recovered from the North Sea?

so its a simple matter of getting those two bits into one shed and quickly filling in the bits in between,

No different to a dataplate spitfire replica starting with a corroded windscreen?

sounds like a plan – will it be at Legends?

Smiles

Mark Pilkington

I seem to remember a nice tail section at NEAM recovered from the North Sea?

What happened to Colin Waterworths HE111 stuff that was at Firbeck???

Isn’t the nose section at East Kirkby???

…Still like some of the new Spitfires it would be nothing but a very,very expensive replica…

To quote Life of Brian… An unbeliever! Persecute! Kill the heretic!!!;o)

True anything can be made airworthy with enough cash. Still like some of the new Spitfires it would be nothing but a very,very expensive replica with very little of the original airframe surviving. I would still love to see it in the air though!

Phill

Well, I guess it could be melted down and make cute little ‘einkel shaped paperweights to sell.

The one at Duxford was origionaly going to be made airworthy by OFMC. Unfortunatly it was far to gone and only good for static restoration. I have heard that it might even be to far gone for that!Phill

Can’t help thinking that the OFMC “Heinkel” would look perfect as a permanent restored inhabitant of the BoB display. Seems a shame that it’s still languishing in Hangar 5-but surely it ought to be OK for static restoration? After all, it’s been sat indoors for years.

“Sitting indoors for years” means little in terms of the deterioration of Aircraft structures. You will find a vast difference in the quality of materials used in the Spanish developments compared to their original gene line “parents”. The CASA built “Heinkels” are known for their wing corrosion problems…

The one at Duxford was origionaly going to be made airworthy by OFMC. Unfortunatly it was far to gone and only good for static restoration. I have heard that it might even be to far gone for that!

Phill

I think had it been a Spitfire with a Data plate it would be restored.

Can’t help thinking that the OFMC “Heinkel” would look perfect as a permanent restored inhabitant of the BoB display. Seems a shame that it’s still languishing in Hangar 5-but surely it ought to be OK for static restoration? After all, it’s been sat indoors for years.

The one at Duxford was origionaly going to be made airworthy by OFMC. Unfortunatly it was far to gone and only good for static restoration. I have heard that it might even be to far gone for that!

Phill

Like Spitfire P9374 was too far gone?…

: )

There is no such thing as ‘too far gone’ for restoration..

Indeed – look at HMS Victory. Or many of the restored from wreckage flyers that there now are around the world.

Too far gone for their money, maybe.

There is no such thing as ‘too far gone’ for restoration, flying or static. I think the economic justification may be too far gone, but that can be overcome…

The one at Duxford was origionaly going to be made airworthy by OFMC. Unfortunatly it was far to gone and only good for static restoration. I have heard that it might even be to far gone for that!

Phill

Not that I’m aware of. I think the nearest one is in Hermeskeil. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Brussels but I’ve never seen a Casa 2.111 there (or my memory is really going…)

Isn’t there one in Brussels?

Madrid is well worth a visit…

No, I can remember my personal shock at discovering that there was a second surviving genuine He111 – a step-nosed version at that! – when all the books I had said there was just the Hendon one.
I was even led on by an early edition of Flypast which (I think) mentioned the ‘lone survivor’ RAFM exhibit when all that was left was relics and the Spanish-built versions. Ah, the days when there were just two Ju88s, two Ju87s, a handful of ‘real’ BF109s and a few Fw190s… Compare that with all those Do24’s that apparently survived in Spain – now what happened there*?

*The impression being that they all survived to the late 1960s; I guess the books were wrong and the other eight were scrapped.

You are forgetting the Spanish E model