Heinkel He111H-8 Paravane Balloon cutter

Heinkel He-111H-8 with ant-barrage balloon Paravane, WWII German Aircraft. In July 1940, the Battle of Britain began. This was the name given to the German military operation aimed at conquering the airspace over southern England. According to the German command, this was to undermine the morale of the British people. To protect the airspace over large cities, the British used barrage balloons with taut cables. To break through these barriers, the Luftwaffe used converted airplanes on which special steel structures with cutters were installed. These cutters were also called paravans, similar to devices for protecting against sea mines. Among the converted aircraft were He 111 bombers, this modification was designated He 111H-8. Piloting such aircraft was quite difficult, as the massive structure of the paravan worsened the flight characteristics of the aircraft. Some of these aircraft were lost during 1941, and the remaining ones were later used as conventional bombers.