Heinkel He 51
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The Heinkel He 51 was a single-seat biplane which was produced in a number of different versions. Initially developed as a fighter, a seaplane variant, and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was development of the earlier Heinkel He 37 and Heinkel He 49 which had flown much earlier.
The He 51 was a conventional biplane fighter, which first flew in May 1933 when the Luftwaffe was still a secret. Deliveries started in July of the next year, the 51 was intended to replace the earlier Arado Ar 65 and 68s but they ended up flying side by side. The He 51 was outdated the day it entered service, and after an initial run of 75 production fighters, the design was switched into the B-2 reconnaissance floatplane for another 80, and then finally the C-1 light ground attack plane for a further 79.
On August 6th, 1936 six of the planes were sent to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Deliveries continued until there were three squadrons of 12 planes each, and the Legión Cóndor (Condor Legion) was formed from these squadrons in November. Deliveries continued as the hostilities increased, and the plane met and beat a number of older biplane designs.
This time of superiority was short lived. The arrival of the superior Polikarpov I-15 started its downfall, and when the new Polikarpov I-16 monoplane arrived it was clearly hopeless. The He 51 was withdrawn from fighter duty and relegated to the ground attack role, and then eventually to training. After the war the 46 surviving planes would be joined by another 15 new builds, and serve in the utility role in Spain until 1952!
The experiences in Spain would prove once and for all that the days of the biplane fighter were over. Although the later model Fiat biplanes were superior to the He 51 and continued to soldier on in Nationalist service, the I-16 monoplanes were basically untouchable because of their speed. If the conditions were right they could use their heavy armament in a quick pass and then leave, if things weren't so favorable they simply flew away. The lesson learned by all of the participants was that speed was far more important in combat than maneuverability.
None were still in frontline service with the Luftwaffe at the start of World War 2. It was used as a trainer and utility aircraft during the war.
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