In this video we take a look at the Heinkel He 219 Uhu, a German Night Fighter from mid-to-late World War II that sought to bring a true, specially designed night fighter to the Luftwaffe. We first talk about the origins of the project in a private venture from Heinkel, to effectively make their own version of the Junkers Ju 88. We talk about the multitude of innovative features in that initial design, and how those features led to the project being cancelled. We then talk about the revival of the project a year later, with Germany's stable of night fighters in the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Ju 88 starting to lose effectiveness.
We take a look at the initial design schematics and how they outlined a very promising fighter. We also talk about some early initial delays in the project caused by British attacks and the lack of the proposed engine, and then one of the biggest obstacles of the He 219 in one of the Luftwaffe leaders in Erhard Milch, who despised the plane and the company behind it. We talk about his hatred of many in the aircraft industry, and how this led to his opposition to the project entirely. We talk about the eventual solid reported performance of the He 219, and how it was later ended by its biggest enemy.
