ICM He 111H-8 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 leadership, this was intended to undermine the morale of the British population. To protect the airspace over major cities, the British deployed barrage balloons with taut cables. To break through these barriers, the Luftwaffe used modified aircraft equipped with special steel structures fitted with blades. These cutters were also referred to as paravans, similar to devices used for protection against naval mines. Among the modified aircraft were He 111 bombers, designated as He 111H-8. Controlling such aircraft was quite difficult, as the massive structure of the paravan impaired the flight characteristics of the plane. Some of these aircraft were lost during the year 1941, and the remaining ones were later used as conventional bombers.