Book excerpt: The Heinkel He 111 is perhaps the best known of all the Luftwaffe's World War Two bombers. Designed originally as a civil airliner, it made its mark in the bomber role in the Spanish Civil War. Active from the beginning of WWII, the He 111 played a crucial part in the bombardment of targets in Britain and, later, the Eastern front. The author's history of this important aircraft places it firmly in the context of the course of WWII, and shows how it went from being a fast, effective machine to a seriously outclassed death-trap, attempting to stay on the offensive right up until the end of the war.