Aviation News – June 2018

P

olitical and military interference,

technical problems and engine

 res all contributed to the failure of

the four-engined Heinkel He 177

to ful l its potential. High fuel consumption

grounded the aircraft at just the moment

when all its problems seem to have been

ironed out.

When war began in September 1939,

the Luftwaffe had no long-range bomber,

even though the feasibility of such an

aircraft had been under consideration

since 1936.

It was November 1939 before the He 177

Greif (Griffon) made its maiden  ight, but it

would be another three years before a full

operational debut.

The Luftwaffe had originally envisaged

the Dornier Do 19 or Junkers Ju 89 as its

four-engined, long-range bomber capable

of reaching the Ural Mountains in the Soviet

Union. Development was cancelled after just

one Do and two Ju aircraft were completed.

Both aircraft types were then found to be

underpowered.

After the German champion of strategic

bombing, Gen Walther Wever, Luftwaffe

Chief of Staff, was killed in a  ying accident

on June 3, 1936, the Germans concentrated

on tactical bombers, such as the He 111 and

Ju 88.

However, on the day Wever was killed,

the Luftwaffe issued what was known as

the ‘Bomber A’ heavy bomber speci cation,

which would ultimately result in the He 177.

It called for an aircraft with a top speed of

just over 310mph (nearly 500km/h), a range

He 17 7 G R I F F O N

STRATEGIC HEAVY BOMBER

The He 177 was conceived by Germany before World War Two as a strategic

heavy bomber. Chris Goss discovers why it never made a telling impact.

78 Aviation News incorporating Jets June 2018

Above: Aircraft Wk Nr 000017 was the second

prototype and is shown being operated by

Erprobungsstelle Rechlin. All photos via Chris

Goss

Below: Prototype 12 is an A-1/Us coded GI+BL

 tted with twin 30mm cannon. This adaptation

was never installed on production aircraft.

78-82_he177DC.mfDC.mfDC.mfDC.mf.indd 78 02/05/2018 12:45