Germany's Stillborn Bomber

One of the many iconic images from World War II is the sight of hundreds of heavy bombers flying into the heart of Germany to pound the Fatherland into submission. Germany was well-known for its tactical dive bombers, like the Junkers Ju87. However, Germany did have one kind of heavy bomber in its arsenal, one meant to rival such planes as the B-17 Flying Fortress and the Avro Lancaster. Unfortunately, by the time the dust of radical redesigns settled, the planned mighty bomber ended up as the 'flying lighter'.

The key difference between tactical bombers and strategic bombers is the number of engines, which determines the payload the plane can carry. A tactical bomber typically has two engines, and is usually capable of ground support roles and dive bombing. A strategic bomber, like the B-17, has four engines and can carry massive bombs designed to level even the toughest bunker. The Allies had these in abundance, and Germany soon realized it needed one of its own.

The Heinkel He-177 Greif (Eagle) was originally designed to be a traditional four-engined bomber with some German ingenuity added in. The reason the bomber appears to have only two engines is because it has four engines, they're just doubled up on each other. Each of the two engine bays has two engines connected to each other to drive the propeller, giving it exceptional power. This design process could have yielded a powerful and effective bomber. Unfortunately, Hitler intervened.

The He-177 was extensively modified because the Fuehrer wanted the bomber to be a dive bomber, a technique mastered in the Spanish Civil War and the invasion of Poland and the Low Countries by the Ju87 Stuka. This required the bomber to be lighter than intended and to be equipped with large dive brakes on the wings. This cut in weight also affected the amount of armor in critical areas of the plane, such as the engines  and the fuel tanks. This is how the Greif got the name 'flying lighter', because it took only a handful of well placed shots to set the plane aflame very quickly.

Of course, these problems were eventually fixed, and the Luftwaffe had a successful bomber to use. However, by this time Germany had so few resources that the Greif's role was reduced to almost nothing, priorities in the Luftwaffe shifted mostly towards fighter aircraft to shoot down Allied bombers. It is interesting to hypothesize what might have been had the Germans got the Greif to its full potential earlier in the war, but in the end the Grief has become a curiosity of the German war machine, one that is mostly overlooked. Until next time, take care, and thank you.