Heinkel He 177

The Heinkel He 177 is a plane bomber of the Second world war.

History

strategic Bomber awaited very a long time by the Luftwaffe, He 177 was a large-sized plane whose propulsion was ensured by four assembled engines two by two in nacelles of aerofoil. This solution had the advantage of giving to the apparatus the power of a four-engined plane with aérodynamisme of a twin-engine. However, it appeared impossible to develop: the heating produced by the defect of synchronization caused very many fires (planes took fire during the airlift of Stalingrad, in full Russian winter!). Heinkel proposed a provisional alternative with 4 separate engines but Luftwaffe did not want to intend to speak in spite of the behavior satisfying about the prototype (used by France after war). Another solution with push-pulls (as on C 26) was not even considered. It will have to be awaited at the end of 1943 so that the version He 177A-5 either about usable, or a delay of approximately 18 months on the forecasts. But the general situation did not make it possible any more to constitute an important fleet. It should be noted that to believe the memories of Speer of them ( In the middle of IIIe Reich ), Hitler, which was regularly made present all the new materials of its army and its aviation, when him the prototype of He 177 was shown and that his very particular configuration had been described to him, would have said: “That will never go!” . In fact, all the other attempts at planes with coupled engines (there was out of Germany) never led to a mass production.

Entered in operational service in the middle of the year 1942, this apparatus was equipped with a large bomb bay and wings with strong lengthening. Its characteristics on paper clearly carried it on those of B-17, B-24 and Lancaster (but not on B-29, it is true more recent). He 177A profited from a remarkable capacity of carrying of load, but suffered constantly from mechanical problems and structures. So it took part only seldom in raids of great scale on the Western face, and was rather used for the attack of maritime convoys. However, KG 1 employed 87 He 177 during a forwarding on Velikye Luki, in Soviet Union, in the middle of 1944.

He 177 ceased being employed when the Luftwaffe started to lack fuel: in July 1944, only one mission of the 3 groups of KG 1 consumed 20% of the daily production of gasoline of Reich. The loss of Rumanian oil in August signed the death warrant not only He 177 but of the major part of the German bombardment.

Units of He 177

At the end of June 1941, the IV (Erg) /KG 40 ( Erg for Erganzung , i.e. of immediate replacement; in Luftwaffe, each squadron or groups autonomous has its own training to compensate for the undergone losses, at a rate of a flotilla per group) receives He 177 for familiarisation and completion of the development. In May 1942, its 10 (Erg) /KG 40 becomes 15/KG 40 to devote itself only to the He 177, of which a year of tests showed the serious defects.

In August 1942, this 15/KG 40 becomes I/KG 50 , a complete group, accompanied by the ErgSt/KG 50 . But this unit does not fight and is always devoted to the tests and the development. The engagement of some He 177 available at the time of the airlift of Stalingrad is disastrous: the plane transports very little (it was not conceived for that, contrary to He 111) and takes fire in spite of temperatures of -30°.

In February 1943, of He 177 arrive at I/KG 4 . In May, the IV (Erg) /KG 100 receives from them also some. It is always of development and not about combat.

In September 1943, I/KG 50 becomes II/KG 40 and the ErgSt/KG 50 is redésigné IV (Erg) /KG 40 , while in October I/KG 4 becomes I/KG 100 . The intention of the OKL is then to constitute 2 squadrons (with 3 groups each one) with the new He 177A-5 which goes correctly (=sans to take all alone fire): one of traditional bombardment, the KG 100 (the technically most advanced unit of Luftwaffe since 1940) and one of naval bombardment, the KG 40 (whose four-engined planes FW 200 take part since 1940 in the battle of the Atlantic but suffer more and more). In fact, I/KG 40 passes out of He 177 in November 1943 and II/KG 100 in spring 1944.

He 177 thus take part in the night offensive against England of at the beginning of 1944 and behave there honourably. Their engagement in the Atlantic is less brilliant in spite of the use of radio-controlled bombs Hs 293 (indeed, many those are sabotaged by French Resistance). The OKL then gives up completing the conversion of the 2 squadrons concerned: the elements of III/KG 40 and III/KG 100 which had received some He yield 177 them to the other groups and find their old planes.

The OKL then decides to start a strategic offensive of bombardment in Russia: defense is null there and the Russian factories are very far from the face, out of reach He 111 and Ju 88. In the KG 1 will be charged , a squadron on Ju 88A-4 which vegetates since the autumn 1943. I/KG 1 and II/KG 1 thus pass on He 177 in February 1944, and the IV (Erg) /KG 1 receives in March from it. With the redesignation of I/KG 100 in III/KG 1 at the end of May, Luftwaffe finally has a complete squadron (3 groups of combat + 1 Erganzung ) of its new four-engined plane. Remain only I/KG 40 and II/KG 40 on the Atlantic, reinforced in April 1944 by a flotilla weather, the Wekusta ObdL 2 (becoming shortly after Wekusta OKL 2 ). The offensive in Russia, from May in July 1944, is an undeniable technical success: the He 177 formations practically reach all their objectives without losses because the Russian hunters, conceived for low altitude, are unable to join them (moreover, the USSR does not have a coverage radar).

But in the west, the unloading of Normandy obliges Luftwaffe to give up in June the Atlantic facade: I/KG 40 is dissolved as of July and II/KG 40 folded up in Germany where, in October 1944, one will decide to convert it on Me 262. The IV (Erg) /KG 40 , him, is preserved while becoming ErgKGr He 177 in July 1944, recovering a flotilla of the IV (Erg) /KG 100 ; it is even carried to 4 escadrilles instead of 3. As for the Wekusta OKL 2 , it is dissolved in September. II/KG 100 cease about any activity but is preserved while the IV (Erg) /KG 100 is dissolved in August - September 1944.

In the East, the Russian offensive of June 22nd, 1944 led to use He 177 for the support on the ground (as besides did the Anglo-Saxons in Normandy with their four-engined planes) but the results are unimportant for high losses. In addition, the loss in August of oils of Romania strangles all Wehrmacht. The 4 groups of the KG 1 are dissolved in August (like the near total of the units of He 111).

In October 1944, the ErgKGr He 177 becomes again IV (Erg) /KG 40 and must pass on Me 262 but its 4th flotilla is preserved as a ErgSt He 177 , becoming ErguESt FK before dissolution in November 1944.

Do not remain any more whereas II/KG 100 which is dissolved only in February 1945; perhaps one counted on him to transport a possible German atomic bomb…

Independently of these units which used indeed the apparatus, the registers of Luftwaffe show that I/KG 3 , II/KG 3 , I/KG 54 and II/KG 54 were envisaged like having to pass on He 177.

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