One of the more intriguing "what-if" aircraft of the Second World War was the Heinkel He 100, also known, albeit incorrectly, as the He 113. The Heinkel company, having been denied a large production order for its He 112, was determined to capture the world speed record and prove that the company could make a competitive fighter for the Luftwaffe (some would argue that the He 112 was superior to the Bf 109 but political considerations prevented the He 112 from going into mass production). The result of Heinkel's determination was the sleek, and for its time, extremely fast He 100.
The He 100 had some innovative features, such as a reduction in parts to ease production, a fully retractable tailwheel to reduce drag in flight, and a wing evaporation cooling system. Performance was promising, being faster than the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Heinkel being equipped with a Daimler-Benz DB601M engine, but having thinner wings and less drag meant a much higher speed as well as a greater operational range than the Bf 109. The He 100 was purported to be more maneuverable than the Messerschmitt as well. The He 100 production series (the D model) was intended to carry one 20mm MG/FFM and two 13mm MG131 (one source indicates the 15.1mm MG151) or two 7.92mm MG17, but the vulnerable wing cooling system was not used. I would give the He 100, in Check Your 6! terms, a rating of A5 + 2, R1, and armed with 1xLVC and 2xHMG or 2xLMG. The Heinkel had a slower climb rate than the Bf 109, which, in looking at the historical data, yields the He 100 a climb rating of 28.
The Heinkel 100 did go into production, albeit in very small numbers - twenty-five total machines were built, including prototypes. The planes were at one point painted in standard Luftwaffe colors (RLM70 Schwarzgrün and RLM71 Dunkelgrün upper surfaces in a splinter pattern with RLM65 Hellblau undersides) and given fake squadron insignia and heavily photographed in an effort to fool the Allies into thinking that the Germans had yet another sleek fighter in its arsenal. There were at least three squadron insignias used - A lighting bolt type of arrow (as illustrated above), a shield bearer a sword stuck through "Churchill's hat," and a crescent moon character smoking a pipe, the latter used for the fake night fighter squadron (seen below). In fact, all three squadrons were the same planes - the squadron markings were used in rotation to give the impression that at least three squadrons existed. In reality, the He 100 was used mostly for factory defense, flown by Heinkel pilots, and did not see action during the war.
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| Looks a lot like the Kawasaki Ki-61 Hien which took its design from the Heinkel He 100 |
The Heinkel He 100, much like many other promising German designs, did not reach a greater status due to the lack of foresight from German leadership, who preferred to limit their single seat fighter production to just the Messerschmitt range, and later the Focke-Wulf. The Heinkel's advanced cooling system was also a concern from both a maintenance and vulnerability perspective. Regardless of its limited production run, it would make an interesting what-if aircraft to put on the tabletop, which is why I have six Table Top Flights Heinkels awaiting painting!
