Heinkel He 177

The Heinkel He 177, 'Greif', was a WW2, German heavy bomber. It had a bomb-load capacity of 7,500 kg and a ferry range of 5,600 km (3,500 miles). Designed as Projekt 1041 by Ernst Heinkel, its prototype, the V1, had first flown on November 19, 1939. After many test flights, it finally entered service with the Luftwaffe, on October 15, 1942, as the He 177A-3. It took part in Operation Steinbock, which was the bombing campaign in southern England in 1944, and other bombing raids on the Eastern Front.

Although it was able to carry a large number of bombs, this German bomber was plagued by a series of technical troubles, which hindered its performance. To start with, its Daimler-Benz 606 engines had a tendency to catch fire without warning. This led the Luftwaffe's pilots to nickname it the "Luftwaffenfeuerzeug" (flying lighter). The aircraft also exhibited a nasty swing on take-off, resulting in several crash. This was due to the inadequacy of the tail surfaces. These problems were solved by replacing the powerplant and fitting it with a larger tail and a stronger damping on the tailwheel.

Technical Characteristics

Despite the initial problems, the 3,500Heinkel He 177 received favorable reports from most pilots, in terms of handling and performance, once it was flying. It was fitted with straight, long mid-wings and an all-metal sleek fuselage. The wings features Fowler-type extensible trailing edge flaps. It had a round, hemispherical nose, with glass panels. The powerplant of the He 177A-5, which was the major production version, consisted of two Daimler-Benz DB 610A-1, 24-cylinder, liquid-cooled engines, each delivering 2,950 HP.

Specifications

Type: long-range, heavy bomber

Length: 22 m (72 ft, 1 in)

Wingspan: 31.44 m (103 ft, 1 in)

Wing Area: 102 square meters (1,098 sq. ft.)

Height: 6.39 m (21 ft)

Maximum Speed: 488 km/h (303 mph)

Range: 5,600 km (3,500 miles)

Armament: six 7.92mm machine guns set up in dorsal and ventral turrets; two 20mm MG-151 cannons; on Henschel 293A missile; bombs.

Below, the Heinkel He 177A-5 variant in flight, carrying the Henschel 293A anti-ship missile.

Three, He 177A-3 on a Luftwaffe airbase in northern France in 1944.