Designed to relace the Heinkel He 60 on German warships, the Heinkel He 114 floatplane was not a great success and was soon replaced by the Arado Ar 196.
He 114 floatplanes were used aboard the hilfskreuzer (auxiliary cruisers or raiders) Atlantis, Pinguin and Widder with each equipped with two He 114. They made extensive use of these aircraft during their raiding careers in 1940-41, until the aircraft were lost or worn out.
Spain purchased twelve Heinkel He 114 floatplanes. the last was retired in 1954.
The Heinkel He 114 was a two-seat twin float shipborne reconnaissance seaplane built for the German Navy in the 1930s. It was designed to replace the company’s He 60, but did not remain in service long before being replaced in turn by the Arado Ar 196 as Germany’s standard observation seaplane.
The He 114 was never a great success, was not built in large numbers, and served with the Luftwaffe for only a short time. A total of 24 aircraft were exported to Romania, where the last 8 remained in service until 1 May 1960. In July 1943 Spain acquired a total number of 12 aircraft of the A and C variants, they were retired in 1954. On 1 November 1939 Sweden ordered 12 aircraft, but these were not delivered until 1941 due to an embargo on exporting aircraft from Germany.
