Editing Heinkel He 219 Uhu (section)

==Operational history==
The He 219 had an auspicious combat debut. On the night of 11–12 June 1943, [[Werner Streib]] flew the V9 and shot down five bombers between 01:05 and 02:22 hours, before crashing on [[landing]].<ref>Chef für Ausz. und Disziplin Luftwaffen-Personalamt L.P. [A] V Films, Film C. 2027/I", Bundesarchiv/Militärarchiv, Freiburg.</ref><ref name="Smith & Kay p298">Smith and Kay 1972, p. 298.</ref> Claims have been made that, "In the next ten days the three Heinkel He 219A-0 pre-production aircraft [shot] down a total of 20 RAF aircraft, including six of the previously "untouchable" [[de Havilland Mosquito]] [[fighter-bomber]]s. Greatly encouraged, Kammhuber continued to press for immediate production."<ref>"Air International Magazine", Volume 9, No. 1, July 1975, p. 24, see also ''Wings of the Luftwaffe'', Airlife, 1987.</ref><ref name="Smith & Kay p299300"/> No record of corresponding Mosquito losses or any documentary evidence exists that He 219 pilots claimed six Mosquitos.<ref>Chorley 1997, {{Page needed|date=June 2011}}.</ref><ref>Chorley 2004, {{Page needed|date=October 2024}}.</ref><ref>Franks 2000, {{Page needed|date=June 2011}}.</ref><ref>''Abschüsse auf He 219''. Mitteilung 1/44 TAD/Se, dated 25.7.44, detailing all claims made on the He 219 to 17.7.44 List is reproduced with additions to November 1944 in Joachim Dressel and Manfred Griehl, "Heinkel He-219 Uhu".</ref> In the opinion of the accomplished test pilot [[Eric Brown (pilot)|Capt. Eric Brown]] - who flew several He 219 A-2s after the conflict - the He 219 was "decidedly ''underpowered''" (his italics) and the "rate of climb was certainly unimpressive" and found it to be "short on performance to deal with the Mosquito".<ref>Brown 2017, pp. 161-162.</ref>

The first model to be produced in quantity was the ''He 219 A-0'', although initially the pre-production series, it matured into a long running production series, due to numerous changes incorporated into the design, along with the cancellation of several planned variants.<ref name="Smith & Kay p300"/> As a result of production difficulties, the ''A-0'' did not reach ''Luftwaffe'' units until October 1943.<ref name=green>Greenhous 1994, p. 705.</ref> The A-0 was typically armed with a pair of 20&nbsp;mm MG 151/20 cannon in the wing roots and up to four 20&nbsp;mm or 30&nbsp;mm cannon in a ventral weapons bay. The first 10–15 aircraft were delivered with the 490&nbsp;MHz [[Ultra high frequency|UHF]]-band ''FuG'' 212 [[Lichtenstein radar|"Lichtenstein"]] C-1 [[radar]] with a 4 × 8-dipole element ''Matratze'' antenna array.<ref name = "lepage 612">Lepage 2009, pp. 61-62.</ref> In total, 104 He 219 A-0s were built until the summer of 1944, the majority of them at EHW (''[[Ernst Heinkel]] Wien'') or ''Heinkel-Süd'' in [[Vienna International Airport|Wien-Schwechat]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1972-004-32, Heinkel He 219 als Nachtjäger.jpg|thumb|A production He 219A with ''Hirschgeweih'' VHF radar antennas]]

The first planned version to reach production was the ''He 219 A-2'' model, which had longer engine [[nacelle]]s containing extra [[fuel tank]]s, [[Power egg|unitized]] 1670 PS DB 603AA engines with higher critical altitude and often also two 30&nbsp;mm (1.18&nbsp;in) [[MK 108 cannon]], as an offensive ''[[Schräge Musik]]'' upward-firing system completely contained within the rear fuselage, with the cannons' muzzles even with the dorsal fuselage surface.<ref>Mondey 2006, p. 97.</ref><ref name="Smith & Kay p300"/> With Schräge Musik, the ventral weapons bay held two cannon due to space limitations.<ref>''He 219 A-0 aircraft manual,'' section 8A Beiheft 1 ''Schrägbewaffnung'', October 1944.</ref> The A-2 featured an updated, 90&nbsp;MHz [[Very high frequency|VHF]]-band Telefunken FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 radar system, complete with its larger, high-[[Drag (physics)|drag]] 4 × 2-dipole element ''Hirschgeweih'' aerials. It initially had a longer minimum range than the C-1 radar, but had improved accuracy and resolution and was also less vulnerable to [[Chaff (countermeasure)|chaff]] jamming. Through the late summer of 1944, a total of 85 He 219 A-2s were built until November 1944, most at EHR (''Ernst Heinkel Rostock'') or ''Heinkel-Nord'' in Rostock-Marienehe (now Rostock-Schmarl).{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

The He 219 was a capable fighter aircraft and the pilots were free to hunt down any detected Allied bombers. Typically, ground control would dispatch aircraft into the right area, at which point the pilots took over and guided themselves towards the bombers using information from their onboard ''Lichtenstein'' VHF radar. The SN-2 radar's 4&nbsp;km (3&nbsp;mi) maximum detection range was greater than the distance between the bombers. While the performance of the A-2 was not extraordinary—approximately 580&nbsp;km/h (360&nbsp;mph) [[Airspeed|speed]]—it was enough of an advance over the [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]]Gs and Dornier Do 217Ns for the crew to chase several bombers in a single [[sortie]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} The He 219 was typically well received by personnel; ground crews benefited from its high level of accessibility for maintenance work.<ref name="Smith & Kay p302"/> Furthermore, the inclusion of an ejector seat was credited with saving the lives of numerous air crew. Pilots also favoured its weapons placement.<ref name="Smith & Kay p302"/>

[[File:Heinkel He219.jpg|thumb|Captured He 219 in British markings in 1945. The aircraft is missing its cockpit canopy]]

In order to improve its ability to intercept the Mosquito, one model of the He 219 was intentionally stripped to minimise its weight. Following the removal of some armaments and radio apparatus, the aircraft was able to attain a speed of 650&nbsp;km/h (404&nbsp;mph); this version was given the designation ''A-6''.<ref name="Smith & Kay p302"/> None of these were produced, but similar weight saving measures could be undertaken at the unit level.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}} The He 219 was the only piston-engined night fighter capable of combat with the Mosquito on equal terms, given its speed, manoeuvrability and firepower,<ref>Kay and Smith 2002, p. 154.</ref> however, it was never able to play a significant role in the conflict because Germany's industrial base failing to produce it in sufficient numbers.<ref name=green/>

The last major production version was the ''A-7'' with improved, unitized DB 603E engines. The A-7 typically had two [[20 mm caliber|20&nbsp;mm]] [[MG 151 cannon|MG 151/20 cannon]] in the wing roots (inboard of the propeller arcs), two 20&nbsp;mm MG 151/20 in the ventral weapons bay and two 30&nbsp;mm (1.18&nbsp;in) MK 108s as rear-fuselage dorsal mount, upwards-firing ''Schräge Musik'' offensive ordnance.<ref name="Smith & Kay p302303">Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 302-303.</ref> Production of 210 aircraft was to start November/December 1944, but the number produced is not known as original documents have been lost or contained no sub-version number.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

===Further developments===
[[File:Jumo 222E 2.jpg|thumb|The troublesome [[Jumo 222]] multibank engine, meant for the He 219B and -C subtypes]]

The follow-on series to the He 219As in service was to be the ''He 219B'' fitted with the new 1,864&nbsp;kW (2,500&nbsp;hp) [[Junkers Jumo 222]]A/B 24-cylinder engines which would have allowed the He 219 to reach 700&nbsp;km/h (440&nbsp;mph). The He 219B was also to have had an increased span of 22.06&nbsp;m (72.38&nbsp;ft), for better high altitude performance. The Jumo 222 did not reach production status, with just under 300 examples built in at least three differing displacement sizes.<ref name="Smith & Kay p303">Smith and Kay 1972, p. 303.</ref> Only a few test machines were ever fitted with the engines; some additional airframes were built with the enlarged wing. These examples were intended to fly with high-altitude versions of the standard DB 603 powerplants in place of the Jumo 222 multibank powerplants, but only one or two test machines ever flew with them.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

A further adaptation would have been the He 219C, also intended to use the B-series design's big wing and Jumo 222 powerplants as well as an all-new fuselage of 17.15&nbsp;m (56.27&nbsp;ft), with a complete three-man Ju 388J cockpit section forward, converted to accept the He 219A's standard nose gear layout the Borsig-designed ''Hecklafette'' HL 131V "quadmount", hydraulic-powered four-[[MG 131 machine gun|gun]] manned tail turret intended for later He 177A versions and the [[Heinkel He 177#Further development-the Heinkel He 177B|He 177B-5]], as well as more than one ''Amerikabomber'' strategic bomber design competitor.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140309001843/http://www.germanaircraftwwii.com/img/upload/heee1_1.jpg Heinkel ''Typenblatt'' general arrangement drawing."] ''germanaircraftwwii.com''. Retrieved: 23 April 2015.</ref> Day bomber and night fighter versions were proposed and metal was cut for the project but since the 1,500-kW Jumo 222 engines remained experimental they never flew.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

Paper projects include the very-high-altitude He 219E with a vastly increased wingspan of 28.5&nbsp;m (93.5&nbsp;ft) and 1,500&nbsp;kW (2,000 PS) output rated DB 614 engines, which were apparently a further-uprated version of the never-produced DB 603G inverted V12, capable of the desired 1,491&nbsp;kW (2,000&nbsp;hp) power output level that Germany [[Bomber B#High-output engines|were unable to develop into a reliable powerplant]].{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}

A more reasonable project was the [[Hütter Hü 211]], a design by Wolfgang Hütter that took a standard He 219 fuselage and tail and added a long-span, high [[Aspect ratio (wing)|aspect ratio]] [[wing]] of 24.55&nbsp;m (80.54&nbsp;ft) to create a fast, high altitude [[Interceptor aircraft|interceptor]]. Since this design was also meant to be powered by the ill-fated Jumo 222 it never flew, although work continued on two sets of wings until they were destroyed by Allied bombing.{{citation needed|date=October 2024}}