The Heinkel He 177 Greif (Griffin)
Overview
In 1936 the German Air Ministry (RLM)[i] put out a requirement for a bomber with a maximum speed of 335 miles per hour (540 km/h) with a combat radius of 1,000 miles (1,600 km) with a 4,400-pound bomb load (2,000 kg) or an 1,800-mile radius (2,900 km) with a 2,200-pound bomb load (1,000 kg).[ii]
Heinkel designed the He 177 to meet these specifications. Heinkel put a high priority on reducing weight and drag. The He 177’s design had four engines in two engine nacelles. Decisions related to this engine design gave it nicknames of “flaming coffins” and “flying fireworks.”
The first He 177 flight was on November 19, 1939. Test pilot Francke ended the flight after 12 minutes because the engine temperatures had an alarming rise.[iii] Heinkel produced 1,446 He 177s.[iv]
The He 177 used cutting edge technology which resulted in a complex and unforgiving aircraft that had to overcome many technical obstacles.
[i] Reichsluftfahrtministerium
[ii] Aircraft Profile 234, Heinkel He 177 by Alfred Price © Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
[iii] Warplanes of the Third Reich by William Green © 1970. P.339.
[iv] The Luftwaffe War Diaries by Cajus Bekker © 1966 by Macdonald & Company, Ltd.
Operational History
The Luftwaffe used the seven available He 177s of I/KG 50 to support the Stalingrad airlift. An He 177 crashed on its first mission, killing Major Kurt Scheede, the group commander. The He 177 wasn’t useful for flying out wounded. The Greif’s carrying capacity wasn’t much greater than the twin-engine He 111.[i]’ The He 177’s missions changed to bombing, including flak suppression. The unit flew 13 missions and lost seven aircraft, none to enemy action.[ii]
He 177s of II/KG40 flew their first major mission on November 21, 1943. Twenty-five He 177s attacked convoy SL139/MKS30. A Liberator of No. 224 Squadron, Royal Air Force Coastal Command, piloted by Pilot Officer A. Wilson, engaged the He 177s and none of the ships of the main convoy were damaged. Hauptmann Nuss attacked two straggling ships. He sank the SS Marsa and damaged the Delius. Boy Christian Joseph Cayley was the Marsa’s only fatality.[iii] The attack on the Delius killed the captain, second officer, and two other crew members.[iv] KG40 lost three He 177s and two crews. Another He 177 crash-landed and had 45% damage. Three other He 177s had combat damage.[v]
On November 26, 21 He 177s took off on a mission against convoy KMF26. One Grief’s crankshaft broke, and crash landed. The resulting fire destroyed the aircraft. The convoy put up concentrated anti-aircraft fire. Free French Spitfires of Squadron of CG 1/7, U.S.A.A.F. P-39s of the 350th Fighter Group, and RAF Beaufighters of No. 153 Squadron attacked the He 177s. The defenses shot down six He 177s, their crews which included Major Rudolf Mons and Hauptmann Nuss. Weather severely damaged KG40’s airfield and two He 177s crashed on landing. Their crews survived.[vi] When the other surviving members of KG40 broke off their attacks, Major Hans Dochtermann came out of the clouds and launched an HS-293 radio-guided missile. The missile sank the HMT Rohna. The ship was carrying about 2,000 American troops. The attack killed 1,015 American soldiers, and 134 crewmembers.[vii] The U.S. military downplayed the possibility of an air attack sinking the Rohna. KG40 ended their daylight attacks and switched to safer but less accurate night missions.[viii]
The Luftwaffe began Operation Steinbock, a night bombing campaign against London, on January 21, 1944. A Mosquito of No. 151 Squadron piloted by Flying Officer H. Kemp with radar operator Flight Sergeant J. Maidment shot down the first He 177 over Britain. Two of the He 177 crew died the other four bailed out and became prisoners.[ix] Another He 177 fell to a Mosquito that night, one Greif crew member survived.[x]
Six He 177s bombed London on February 3 without loss.[xi] The next He 177 mission was the night of February 12/13. Of the 14 that took off, nine didn’t complete the mission for mechanical problems. One bomber got lost and bombed Holland. A night fighter shot down one of the He 177s. He 177s flew missions on the 19th and 21st without losing any aircraft in combat. On the night of the 23rd/24th Mosquitos shot down two He 177s.[xii]
A Mosquito shot down a He 177 on March 2nd and another He 177 fell to a Mosquito on March 20th. He 177 flew missions April 18, 23, and 27 and lost a Greif on each of these nights.[xiii]
The He 177 availability rate was low because of mechanical problems. One successful He 177 tactic was to gain altitude over the English Channel, then fly to London in a slight dive. Dive speeds could reach 350 mph (560 km/h). This complicated tracking and interception.[xiv] He 177s also used chaff. These measures made the British Anti-Aircraft Artillery (AAA) ineffective against the He 177.[xv]
This campaign, nicknamed the “Baby Blitz,” involved 524 Luftwaffe aircraft, including 46 He 177s. Over 500 RAF night fighters flew against these raiders. The raids killed 1,556 civilians and wounded 2,916. The British air defenses shot down 329 Luftwaffe aircraft, few of these were He 177s.
He 177s flew missions against allied ships supporting the landings in Anzio, Italy. The Royal Navy lost a cruiser and two destroyers off Anzio to aircraft. The U.S. Navy lost an LCT to an air attack. The Luftwaffe also sank the Liberty Ship SS Samuel Huntington. The Luftwaffe sank the hospital ship HMHS St. David. It was properly marked as a hospital ship. The attack killed the captain and 12 other crew members, 22 patients, and 22 Royal Army Medical Corps personnel, including nursing sisters Sarah Elizabeth Dixon and Winnie Alice Elizabeth Harrison.[xvi] Bombers damaged other ships, some sustained enough damage to take them out of the fight. The Royal Navy kept their larger ships too far away to directly support the landing for fear of air attacks. Allies generally attributed Do 217s as aircraft that sank its ships.
The He 177s attacked allied shipping in the English Channel after the D-Day invasion. On June 6 the destroyer HMS Onslow sustained minor damage.[xvii] Mosquito pilot, Flying Officer F. Stevens, and his radar operator Flying Officer Kellett shot down two He 177s.[xviii] On June 7 the HMS Bulolo, received minor damage and one sailor killed from an air attack.[xix] Bombers also hit the cruiser HMS Eucrates. An air attack sank the frigate HMS Lawford on June 8, killing 37 of its crew. [xx] Air attacks sank the 7,244-ton merchant ship SS Charles Morgan on June 10, and the destroyer HMS Boadicea on June 13.[xxi] Five He 177s fell to night fighters on these missions. [xxii] An air attack sank the SS Albert C. Field on June 18, four Field crew members died in the attack.[xxiii]
He 177s also carried out mine laying operations. In June and July mines sank 15 allied ships and damaged 20 others, including the battleship HMS Nelson, and some smaller vessels.[xxiv]
He 177s carried out their largest raid, 87 aircraft, against railroad targets in Velikiye Luki on July 19. It was a daylight raid and the He 177s flew at 6,000 meters (19,700 feet).[xxv] The altitude increased bomber safety but decreased bombing accuracy.
Most of the He 177s were grounded in the summer of 1944, as was most of the bomber fleet, because of fuel shortages and priority to fighters. A few He 177s flew missions until the end of the war.
[i] The Luftwaffe War Diaries by Cajus Bekker © 1966 by Macdonald & Company, Ltd.
[ii] Warbirds Resource Group, “Heinkel He 177”, https://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/LRG/he177-history.html, last accessed 11/20/24.
[iii] Commonwealth War Graves Commission, Boy Christian Joseph Cayley, https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/2798531/christian-joseph-cayley/, last accessed 11/30/24.
[iv] Ships of the past: Delius, Nautilus Telegraph feature: Ships of the past: Delius, last accessed 11/30/24.
[v] Aircraft Profile 234, Heinkel He 177 by Alfred Price © Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
[vi] Aircraft Profile 234, Heinkel He 177 by Alfred Price © Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
[vii] National WW2 Museum, The Sinking of the HMT Rohna, November 17, 2023, The Sinking of the HMT Rohna, last accessed 11/7/24.
[viii] Aircraft Profile 234, Heinkel He 177 by Alfred Price © Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
[ix] Aircraft Profile 234, Heinkel He 177 by Alfred Price © Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
[x] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xi] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xii] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xiii] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xiv] Aircraft Profile 234, Heinkel He 177 by Alfred Price © Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
[xv] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xvi] Benfleet Community Archive, H.M.H.S. St. David | Second World War | Benfleet Community Archive, last accessed 11/30/24.
[xvii] Naval-History.net, https://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DD-46O-HMS_Onslow.htm, last accessed 11/17/24.
[xviii] Aircraft Profile 234, Heinkel He 177 by Alfred Price © Profile Publications Ltd., 1972.
[xix] SS Maritime.com, H.M.S. Bulolo WW2 Service Record 1939 to 1946, last accessed 11/18/24.
[xx] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xxi] Ibiblio.org, HyperWar: The G.A.F. and the Invasion of Normandy, 1944, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xxii] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xxiii] https://alchetron.com/SS-Albert-C.-Field, last accessed 11/16/24.
[xxiv] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
[xxv] Airpages, He-177 - Combat Use, last accessed 11/13/24.
He 177 and Allied Contemporaries
| Aircraft | He 177A5/R2 | B-24 | Lancaster |
|---|---|---|---|
First Flight | November 19, '39 | December 29, '39 | January 9, '41 |
Number Built | 1,446 | 18,475 | 7,377 |
Wt empty (Lbs) | 37038 | 36500 | 36900 |
Max T/O Wt. (Lbs) | 68343 | 71200 | 70000 |
Diff (Lbs) | 31305 | 34700 | 33100 |
Max Speed | 303 mph (488 km/h) | 290 mph (467 km/h) | 287 mph (462 km/h) |
Max Range | 3,417 miles (5,500 km) | 2,100 miles (3,380 km) | 2,530 miles (4,072 km) |
Armament | 3x31cal. mg. (7.9mm) 3x51cal. mg. (13mm) 2x20mm cannon | 10x50cal. mg. (12.7mm) | 8 x 303cal. mg. (7.7 mm) |
Max bomb load | 4,410 lbs (2,000 kgs) Long Range | 12,000 lbs (5,443 kgs) | 14,000 lbs (6,350 kgs) |
Perspective
In 1936/37 then Generalleutnant Albert Kesselring stopped four-engine bomber development. In 1954 the former Field-Marshall explained his reasoning for his decision. He reasoned Germany could produce 400-500 long-range bombers. Such production would diminish the production of tactical aircraft. He pointed out the U.S. and Britain didn’t have a credible strategic air arm until 1943.[i]
Here is comparison of Luftwaffe losses in the Baby Blitz to some Anglo-American strategic bombing losses:
- On the night of January 21/22, 1944 RAF Bomber Command attacked Magdeburg with a diversionary attack on Berlin. Bomber Command lost 58 heavy bombers. A February 19/20 raid cost Bomber Command 78 heavy bombers. Bomber Command lost 33 heavy bombers on February 24/25.[ii]
- The 8th Air Force lost 370 heavy bombers in May 1944. This includes those that returned to base beyond economical repair.
- The British lost 2,236 Halifax bombers and 3,936 Lancasters during the war. [iii]
In the 1930s the airpower theory of General Giulio Douhet was popular among aviation officers. The concept was bombing the enemy’s cities would disable their industrial base and demoralize the population. This would force the enemy to capitulate without a ground invasion.
The He 177 is an argument against strategic bombing theory. They weren’t available for combat until after the tide of the war turned against Germany. There was no chance the He 177 could be deployed in sufficient numbers to prevent or stall Germany’s defeat. A strategic bomber fleet was a luxury only a couple of countries could afford.
[i] The Luftwaffe War Diaries by Cajus Bekker, © 1966 by Macdonald & Company Ltd., Appendix 11.
[ii] The Bomber Command War Diaries by Martin Middlebrook and Chris Everitt © 1985. P.466.
[iii] Weapons and Warfare, Handley Page Halifax, https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2016/01/15/handley-page-halifax/, last accessed 12/1/24.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2024 Robert Sacchi
