War and Game

One of the first aircraft acquired by the Luftwaffe, the big He 59 was a versatile machine capable of many functions. It saw active service in World War II and even helped stage daring commando missions.

The He 59 was originally designed in 1930 as part of a clandestine program to equip Germany with military aircraft. Although posited as a twin-engine maritime rescue craft, it was in fact intended as a reconnaissance bomber capable of serving off both water and land. The first prototype, designed by Reinhold Mewes, flew in 1931 with large “trousered” wheel spats, but subsequent versions were all fitted with twin floats. Like many aircraft of this era, the He 59 was of mixed construction, having a fuselage made from steel tubing, wings of wood, and entirely covered by fabric. The bomber seated a crew of four comfortably and was well armed with machine guns in nose, dorsal, and ventral positions. Both flight and water performance were adequate, so the German government ordered 105 machines built in several versions.

The He 59 first saw combat during the Spanish Civil War (1936–1938), where it functioned as a patrol- bomber. Production of the He 59B-2 which introduced an all-metal nose with glazed panels for the bomb-aimer, plus a glazed ventral position housing an MG 15 gun to supplement those in nose and dorsal positions. It was this version that was first to see operational use, being used by the Legion Condor in Spain for night bombing, or for anti-shipping patrols when the nose machine-gun was replaced by a 20-mm MG FF cannon. At night the big craft would glide over an intended target unannounced, then drop bombs upon astonished defenders.

He 59s were pushing obsolescence in 1939 when World War II erupted, but for many months the lumbering craft performed useful work. Most He 59s equipped coastal reconnaissance groups, but others operated with the Seenotdienststaffeln (air/sea rescue squadrons). These craft were conspicuously painted white with large red crosses in the early days of the war and left unmolested by Royal Air Force fighters—until they were discovered directing German bombers by radio. But the most important service of the He 59 was in transporting Staffel Schwilben (special forces). On May 10, 1940, a dozen He 59s landed in the Maas River, Rotterdam, and disgorged 120 assault troops, who paddled ashore and stormed the strategic Willems bridge. They were all finally retired by 1943.

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The He 59 and He 115 floatplanes were intended to be torpedo bombers, but they never carried out an operation. The Germans were aware of their limitations, but because of their indifferent attitude, they failed to exploit the equipment at hand. The Air Staff believed that the larger German warships received adequate service from their Arado and Heinkel floatplanes.

In spring 1939 the OKL did in fact formulate plans for the formation of a "maritime strike force", appointing General Hans Geisler, under command of Luftflotte 2 responsible for the planning and recruitment of suitable resources to strike enemy merchant and military shipping, mine their ports, and generally hinder the free-flow of commerce and war materiel. Upon the outbreak of hostilities his command was redesignated 'Fliegerdivision 10', and a former naval officer (of the Seeluftstreitkraefte) and veteran of the Spanish Civil War with several anti-shipping strikes beneath his belt, Major Martin Harlinghausen, became Geisler's Operations officer. He had already used the technique of ‘masthead bombing’ - attacking shipping from abeam at very low level - in the Spanish Civil war flying a He 59 float-biplane.