Finally done!
By 1938, it was becoming clear that, given the same engine, the Heinkel He 100 would out-perform the Messerschmitt Bf 109 in maximum speed, range, and altitude. As a result, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium decided to get the most out of the limited supply of Daimler-Benz DB 601 engines available. Priority was given to the He 100 while Messerschmitt received the balance. The Heinkel He 100D soon entered full-scale production, the first units receiving their aircraft in early 1939. By spring of 1940, the Bf 109 remained the backbone of the Jagdwaffe, but the He 100 was quickly replacing it in front line units. By the invasion of France, the He 100 would comprise roughly half of the fighters in Jagdgeschwader stationed on the Western Front. The He 100 cut large swathes through French and British fighters opposing it, making aces out of many of its pilots during the campaign.
One such pilot was the flamboyant Adolf Galland. A veteran of Spain, Galland mentored under fellow Condor Legion veteran and accomplished ace Werner Mölders, quickly becoming an ace and leader in his own right. After scoring 14 kills flying the He 100 with JG 27, Galland took command of III./JG 26. He would remain with JG 26 throughout the Battle of Britain, achieving dozens of kills throughout the summer in the skies over Britain. The He 100 had greater range than the Bf 109, effectively making it the only escort for German bombers over London. Despite the successes of German fighter pilots, bomber losses continued to mount and Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring eventually ordered the Jagdgeschwader to remain close to the bombers they were escorting. As Galland recalled:
We had the impression that, whatever we did, we were bound to be wrong. Fighter protection for bombers created many problems which had to be solved in action. Bomber pilots preferred close screening in which their formation was surrounded by pairs of fighters pursuing a zigzag course. Obviously, the visible presence of the protective fighters gave the bomber pilots a greater sense of security. However, this was a faulty conclusion, because a fighter can only carry out this purely defensive task by taking the initiative in the offensive. He must never wait until attacked because he then loses the chance of acting.
We fighter pilots certainly preferred the ‘free chase during the approach and over the target area’. This gives the greatest relief and the best protection for the bomber force, although not perhaps a sense of security for the latter.
Obviously, the advantages of the He 100 over the British fighters such as the Spitfire were greatly marginalized under such circumstances and losses began to mount. While the large daylight raids by German bombers began to wind down near the end of October, German fighters continued to engage RAF fighters in large-scale combat throughout 1940 and into 1941. The speed of the He 100 meant that it could engage in combat and disengage almost at will. Its range also allowed the He 100 considerable time over Britain to seek out RAF fighters. In this environment, Galland found great success, scoring over 60 kills before the year was out.
This profile depicts Galland’s personal He 100D-2/N as it appeared in late 1940. The /N sub-type of the He 100 was powered by the 1,270 hp DB 601N, an uprated version of the DB 601A used in earlier Doras. The new engine had flattened instead of concave piston heads for improved compression, produced an additional 75 hp at altitude, and used 100 octane C3 synthetic fuel. Also seen is Galland’s distinctive telescope, used to distinguish friend from foe at greater range. Behind the cockpit is the additional armor installed behind the pilot’s seat, a feature that would save Galland’s life in 1941. Finally, painted under the cockpit is Galland’s personal emblem, Mickey Mouse, used by Galland since the Spanish Civil War.
I hope it was worth the wait!
Cheers,
Logan