Heinkel He 51

Heinkel · Germany · first flew 1933 · fighter

The Heinkel He 51 was Germany's primary fighter when the Luftwaffe was officially established in 1935, a single-seat biplane that represented the rearmament Germany was conducting in violation of the Versailles Treaty. It saw combat in the Spanish Civil War with the Condor Legion.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsHigh-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage8.4 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Classic 1930s biplane fighter with staggered unequal wings, fixed undercarriage with wheel spats and a long-chord cowling over the BMW VI inline engine; the inline engine rather than a radial distinguishes it from the Ar 68.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

First flown in 1933, the He 51 entered Luftwaffe service in 1935 as the first aircraft of the newly revealed German air force. It was sent to Spain with the Condor Legion in 1936, where it proved inferior to the Soviet Polikarpov I-15 and I-16 fighters. Recognising its inadequacy as a fighter, the Legion switched its He 51s to ground-attack duties, a mission in which they performed much better. By the start of WWII the He 51 had been entirely supplanted by the Bf 109.

Variants

The He 51A was the land-based fighter; the He 51B introduced minor improvements; the He 51C was a tropicalised version for Spain.

Where you'll see it

Served with the Luftwaffe from 1935–38 in the fighter role; combat service with the Condor Legion in Spain 1936–39, where it transitioned to ground attack.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 5,024 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.