Initially pegged as a run-of-the-mill mail carrier, the Heinkel He 70 Blitz was miles away from the high-stakes world of aerial dogfights and bombing runs.
However, not long after its debut in the early 1930s, this unassuming aircraft caught the eagle eye of the German military brass. Tucked within its sleek frame was cutting-edge tech from Heinkel Flugzeugwerke, turning it into a marvel of untapped potential.
Ripping through the heavens at a blistering 224 miles per hour, the Heinkel He 70 Blitz outpaced every other civilian and cargo flier of its era, making even the Junkers Ju 86 bomber seem like molasses flowing uphill.
With its all-metal construction, sturdy retractable landing gear, and reliable flight performance, this one-time mail plane was primed to morph into a state-of-the-art Luftwaffe bomber, ready to unleash havoc on the Reich's foes.
It wasn't long before the Blitz was thundering across the war-scarred skies of Spain, where its astonishing speed and destructive firepower dubbed it "rayo"—Spanish for lightning. The Blitz stood on the cusp of redefining German air power. Yet, lurking within its streamlined hull was a critical flaw, The warplane relied on a material called Elektron, a ticking time bomb that threatened to ground this high-flier for good…
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.
