It is at this point that sources disagree on the He 119’s history. One theory is that the second prototype (V2) first flew in September 1937, followed by the fourth prototype (V4) in October 1937. The He 119 V4 set a speed record on November 22, 1937 and was destroyed in a follow-up attempt on December 16. A total of eight aircraft were built; the seventh (V7) and eighth (V8) were purchased by and subsequently shipped to Japan.
The other theory, supported by German Heinkel expert Volker Koos, is that the V1 was prepared (which included the installation of a new radiator as used on the subsequent prototypes) for the record flight. The V1 flew the record flight and crashed during the follow-up attempt. The first flight of V2 was in 1938, and V4 first flew in May 1940. Most likely, only four aircraft were built, and V2 and V4 were shipped to Japan.
All sources agree that the He 119 carrying the registration D-AUTE made the record flights. The third prototype (V3) was first flown after V4 because V3 was built as a seaplane. All prototypes from V3 on were built with a new wing that had a straight leading edge and a slightly reduced span of 52 ft 2 in (15.9 m).