He 112 B-1/U2 (Germany)

He 112 B-1/U2

He 112 B-1/U2

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
2.3	2.0	2.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

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This page is about the premium German fighter He 112 B-1/U2. For other versions, see He 112 (Family).

Description

File:GarageImage He 112 B-1 U2.png

420px

The He 112 B-1/U2 is a premium rank II German fighter with a battle rating of 2.3 (AB/SB) and 2.0 (RB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27. This He 112 B-1/U2 represents a version serving in the Hungarian Air Force.

This nimble little fighter is an excellent aircraft to fly and benefits from forgiving flight characteristics, strong armament and forgiving matchmaking. All in all, it is a very great beginner aircraft to speed up progression in the German Aircraft Tree.

General info

Flight performance

The He 112 B-1/U2 benefits from very forgiving flight characteristics. It has an excellent turn rate of 16.0 seconds spaded due to its large control surfaces. However, these same control surfaces suffer from extreme lock-up above speeds of 600 km/h, meaning that steep dives are not recommended at all. The aircraft has excellent energy retention as well, but a weak roll rate. The aircraft's engine provides sufficient power for it to have a great climb rate of 15.8 metres per second spaded, but overheats rather quickly.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 2,800 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	482	467	8500	17.0	17.9	13.0	13.0	325
Upgraded	525	503		15.0	16.0	19.3	15.8

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
0	300	520	520	320	~13	~13

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 298	< 320	< 360	> 312

Survivability and armour

• No armour protection
• Three self-sealing fuel tanks underneath the pilot and inside the wing roots

Armaments

Offensive armament

The He 112 B-1/U2 (Germany) is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm MG FF cannons, -mounted (60 rpg = 120 total)
• 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, -mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

Usage in battles

The He 112 B1/U2 in a turn - This aircraft is very capable as a turnfighter and can out-turn most planes it faces in such as spitfires and hurricanes.

The He 112 B-1/U2 is a nimble little fighter and a very fun aircraft to fly. It benefits from a great turn rate, good frontal armament and great overall flying characteristics, making it an excellent air superiority fighter/dogfighter. The aircraft has a great turn rate of 16 seconds spaded, meaning that it can easily outturn most of the enemies it faces. As well, the aircraft has a great climb rate, on par with its most dangerous adversaries, which it can face. However, it also has some noteworthy flaws, which should be addressed before flying.

Firstly, the aircraft's Junkers Jumo 210E engine is quite underpowered, producing just 700 hp at takeoff. As a result, this plane will take longer to accelerate than most monoplanes it will face. In addition, the aircraft suffers from extreme rudder lock-up past 550 km/h, and it becomes a lawn dart past 650 km/h. As a result, extreme caution should be taken in any sort of diving attack, to prevent the aircraft from nosediving into the ground. Finally, the plane has no armour at all, so care should be taken to prevent the plane from getting hit.

The aircraft is armed with a pair of 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns and a pair of 20 mm MG FF cannons. The MG FFs are great at doing damage, but lack minengeschoss ammunition meaning that it will not do as much damage as the MG 151 or MG FF/M. As well, plane carries a measly 60 rounds of ammunition per cannon, meaning that trigger discipline is a must. However, in the case that its cannons run out, it still has a pair of MG 17s which are more than capable of damaging the enemies it will face in battle.

The He 112 B-1/U2 will face many biplanes and early monoplanes such as the I-153 M-62, F3F-2 and P-36C. These planes, for the most part, have a much greater turning ability than the He 112. As a result, turn fights should be avoided. Instead, utilize the plane's great climb rate to perform Boom & Zoom attacks on the enemy. Typically, a shallow dive at 15-20 degrees will give plenty of time to down a target with the formidable armament. However, care must be taken to avoid high speeds (600+ km/h), as the aircraft's elevator compression will prevent it from pulling out from a dive.

The He 112 B-1/U2 faces a range of formidable enemies including the P-400/P-39, MiG-3-15, Hurricanes and early Spitfires. These aircraft are all much faster than the He 112 and perform better in dives. As a result, Boom & Zoom will not work as enemies can simply disengage from you by diving away. Thus, the best strategy is to bait enemies into a turn fight, where the He 112's great turn rate can be utilized to the maximum.

Specific Enemies worth noting:

• I-153 M-62: The Soviet Chaika is a very formidable foe in downtiers, having a faster turn time and quad ShKAS machine guns that are very capable of dealing damage. When engaging this aircraft, utilize BnZ and dive on it, as it is unable to follow the He-112 out of the BnZ. However, don't engage any I-153s above you, as they are also capable of reaching high speeds (up to 500 km/h) in a dive.
• P-400: The P-400 and early P-39s are common foes in uptiers, and deadly foes too. They both carry a heavy central weapon (20 mm or 37 mm cannon) that will tear the He 112's airframe apart with a short burst. As well, they are faster than the He 112 by a decent margin. As a result, avoid taking head-ons - instead, bait the P-400 into a turnfight by simply turning outwards when they attempt to Boom and Zoom.
• Hurricanes and early Spitfires: These enemies are quite dangerous as they all have good turn rates (close to that of the He 112) and high top speeds. When engaging them, the best option is to ensure that they are at a lower altitude or energy level, as the He 112 will perform quite similarly to them at similar altitudes.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs
III	Wings repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons
This is a premium vehicle: all modifications are unlocked on purchase

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Great energy retention and turn rate - can out-turn most planes it faces.
• Hard-hitting frontal armament of two 20 mm MG FF cannons and two 7.92 mm machine guns
• Great cockpit visibility for a plane of its era, having a bubble canopy
• Easy-to-fly aircraft that is ideal for beginner pilots
• Has premium aircraft bonuses making it great for quick progression down the German tree

Cons:

• Suffers from extreme rudder lock-up past 550 km/h, and becomes a lawn dart past 650 km/h
• Has just 60 rounds of ammunition per cannon, and the plane only has two machine guns when they run out
• Rather underpowered for a plane of its size, and doesn't accelerate nearly as well as its counterparts such as the Bf 109
• Its MG FFs don't get access to minengeschoss rounds, unlike the later MG FF/M cannons
• Lacks armour protection; self sealing fuel tanks can often be set alight, resulting in a blazing trip back to the hangar

History

In 1933, the German air ministry (RLM) issued a requirement for a new fighter aircraft to replace their ageing biplanes. The aircraft was to have a Junkers Jumo 210 engine and an armament of two 7.92 mm machine guns. It was also required to be of all-metal construction, monoplane design and have retractable landing gear. Arado, BFW and Heinkel were all awarded contracts to design and build prototypes; the final ones submitted were the Ar 80, Bf 109 and He 112.

During tests, the Ar 80 was almost immediately ruled out due to serious design flaws, while the Bf 109 and He 112 A competed for the final contract. The He 112 was better at turning but had lower top speeds and worse agility than the Bf 109, resulting in the Bf 109 being ordered for full-scale production. However, the RLM still ordered Heinkel to produce 10 prototypes of the He 112 A-0 variant.

In 1936, the RLM amended their requirement, and ordered Heinkel to finish producing current A-0s and then develop an updated design. As a result, the He 112 B was developed, an aircraft that was able to compete with the Bf 109. The plane had many major changes, including a new tail, a bubble canopy and heavier armament of two 7.92 mm machine guns and two 20 mm MG FF/M Cannons.

The aircraft was flown at many airshows during the years of 1937 and 1938, and attracted many potential customers. The first orders came from Japan, which ordered them as fast-climbing interceptors capable of shooting down Soviet Tupolev SBs flying over China. However, they cancelled their orders after finding that the He 112 B was harder to maintain, and had a lower turning ability than their A5M fighters.

Its next customer was the Hungarian Air Force, which wanted to purchase 36 He 112Bs. However, due to a variety of mishaps, only three aircraft got into the country, and the order was promptly cancelled. The final, and only successful, customer was Romania, which ordered a full 30 He 112 B aircraft. By that point, the Second World War had broken out and no other nations were interested in purchasing the outdated design. As a result, the He 112 production line was closed after producing just 98 aircraft, of which 85 were B-series planes.

In-game description

Heinkel He 112B-1/U-2 single-engine front-line fighter, 1938 series

Fighters of the He 112 B-1/U-2 variant were equipped with a Junkers Jumo 210Ea twelve-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled carburettor engine.

In June 1938, after a Hungarian delegation visited Heinkel Flugzeugwerke AG, the Ministry of War of Hungary declared that it was ready to purchase 36 Не 112 fighters. But this request remained unfulfilled. In early 1939, only four machines got into the country, and one of them crashed almost immediately during its demonstration flight. The Hungarians soon refused to purchase the rest of the aircraft, because they considered the Junkers Jumo 210 engine be obsolete and underpowered for the fighter, and Heinkel was not allowed to sell the aircraft's variant which was equipped with Daimler-Benz DB 600 engines. Projects to organize the He 112's licensed production in Hungary were also unsuccessful. The three He 112 B-1/U-2s that were purchased did serve in the Hungarian Air Force, but they did not participate in combat operations and were used only for training purposes. By 1944, they were discarded due to damage and wear.

In early 1939, the Romanian government signed a contract for 24 He 112Bs, to equip two squadrons of the Romanian Air Force. The first 13 aircraft that the Romanians agreed to take were He 112 B-1/U-2 variants with Jumo 210 Еа engines.

During the summer of 1939, Romanian pilots came to the Regensburg airfield in groups of 10. There, they were retrained and then flew the fighters back to Bucharest themselves. In the course of training, one He 112B crashed, but the Germans later compensated for this loss with a new machine. By early October, all fighters had reached their destination. They formed the 5th Fighter Group, which comprised two squadrons.

Soon after the first He 112Bs arrived, the Romanians performed tests to compare the German fighter with the IAR 80, a new machine of their own design. The comparison was not in the German plane's favour. The engine's insufficient power was revealed. The IAR 80, equipped with a 900 hp engine and a larger wing, had a maximum speed approximately equal to the He 112B, but it outperformed its rival in manoeuvrability, rate of climb, and service ceiling. In addition, it was easier to pilot. The He 112B's cannon armament was its only advantage, since the IAR 80 had nothing besides rifle-calibre machine guns.

A total of 17 He 112 B-1/U-2 fighters were produced.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.