In message , Peter Twydell
writes
Even further OT, does anyone know why the He 111 had its bombs stowed
nose up?

Don't know.

Guess is "to fit in available volume" given that a big space of the
He111 was originally devoted to low-density passenger accommodation, and
the space for "bulky luggage / bombload" is limited by CG constraints.

As bombs got bigger and engines more powerful, the airframe could carry
more load, but there was no way to extend the bomb-bay aft (guessing!)
so "more bombs" had to be carried vertically around a precise datum to
pack more ordnance around the existing centre-of-pressure. You couldn't
add bombs aft at all, adding them forward made the aircraft unflyable,
but rigging the bombs vertically around the CG meant adding more was
easier, so 'increasing density' by carrying bombs vertically rather than
horizontally might help.

Speculation only.

--
When you have to kill a man, it costs nothing to be polite.
W S Churchill

Paul J. Adam