Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'It is straightforward idiocy to ask that a four-engined bomber should dive' - Herman Goring, 1942, 13 April 2009
The He 177 has always had a bad reputation. Most aviation enthusiasts will know that the type was almost fatally handicapped from the very start by the use of the DB 606 engine, effectively two DB 601s joined by a gearbox, necessary to allow it to act as a dive bomber - engines which had an alarming tendency to burst into flames. But the full story of the aircraft is both more complex and more interesting than this simple impression allows. Smith and Creek have produced an impressive, well illustrated and readable volume which clearly tells the history of this unloved aircraft.
Chapters one to three cover the development of strategic bombing theory in the Luftwaffe and other air forces to set the He 177 in context, the history of the Heinkel company and the development of the He 177 as far as the production of the first prototypes and production A-1 series aircraft. There is a brief but interesting comparison of the He 177 and the Avro Manchester, also powered by coupled engines which proved unreliable.
Chapters four to six cover the development and early operational history of the design. The initial disastrous deployment of the He 177 was in late 1942 in support of the German army surrounded at Stalingrad. On the meagre 19 supply sorties flown five He 177s were lost due to engine fires, demonstrating just how immature the design was. Smith and Creek also show how it was also limited by a number of other shortcomings, such as oscillations at high speeds and a weak wing, surprising in an aircraft that was designed from the start as a dive bomber. The use on later models of He 177 of guided anti-ship weapons such as the Fritz-X and Hs 293 is described in some detail. The increasing frustration among the higher ranks of the Luftwaffe with the seemingly endless problems and delays the He 177 encountered is also covered.
Chapter seven covers the various plans to eliminate the main problem of the He 177 by replacing its troublesome pair of coupled engines with four single ones, or creating new aircraft based on it such as the He 277 or the high-altitude He 274.
Chapters eight to ten cover the late war use of the He 177. In the west it participated in the 'mini-Blitz' against London of Operation Steinbock and attacked shipping off the D-Day beaches. In the east it conducted a brief strategic bombing campaign as well as near suicidal low-level sorties against Soviet tank formations. By now the design had matured enough that the He 177A-5, strengthened and re-engined, could be a capable bomber if well trained crews and (importantly) maintenance support was available. But they rarely were, and this coupled with Allied air superiority stopped the aircraft achieving anything notable despite often appalling losses. Smith and Creek tell this part of the story well.
The British and Americans flew captured He 177s at the end of the war and chapter 11 relate Capt. Eric Brown and Col. Harold E. Watson's impressions of the aircraft. A lengthy set of appendices describe the aircraft in detail, give its specifications, the unit commanders of He 177 formations, detail camouflage and markings, and finally list He 177s by werknummern (serial numbers) with details against individual aircraft if know.
Physically the book continues the high standard recent Classic volumes have set. There are many interesting photographs, including extracts from He 177 manuals, which are reproduced sharply (though some of the originals are of poor quality). Captions sometimes just repeat the main text of the book rather than adding extra information. There are several colour photographs and most chapters have a colour profile of a relevant He 177.
In summary this is a well produced, copiously illustrated and readable book that can be recommended to anyone interested in this aircraft with its great potential but numerous flaws.
The only other book I know of covering the He 177 in similar depth is Griehl and Dressel's 'Heinkel He 177, 277, 274.' Their book has more detail, but in my opinion does not tell the He 177 story as clearly as this one. Many of the photographs are the same in both books but they are reproduced slightly better in Smith and Creek's volume, which also has some colour illustrations. Both volumes can be recommended as each has its strengths.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five-star reading for Luftwaffe enthusiasts!, 15 April 2009
I was half-expecting the authors to rehabilitate the He 177 in this new work - according to the author of the Warpaint book the He 177 was 'designed with a touch of genius' and ruined by political interference, but no, it gets completely trashed here, Creek & Smith describing it at one point as "completely useless " - so much for German aeronautical engineering prowess, especially when compared -as the authors do over the first twenty pages- with concurrent heavy bomber developments in the US & UK. The prototype He 177 first flew in late 1939 (three of the first five machines crashing & burning) and the type wasn't cleared for operations until mid-1943. Less than a year later the He 177's operational career was effectively over; from page 39 the book is one long litany of failure. Engine fires, diving & stalling trials, the poorly designed & weak wing, all killed many skilled crews as the Luftwaffe struggled to bring the He 177 into service. Over one thousand were built; less than 200 flew combat sorties. As for political interference... Göring appears to be one of the saner, more rational voices in the whole sorry business, but rather like AH & the Me 262 the scientists and engineers weren't listening to him. The increasing frustration among the higher ranks of the Luftwaffe with the delays and failures soon led him to demand a conventional four-engine type to replace this "ramshackle old tin can". The various plans to replace the coupled engines with four single engines, and/or create a new aircraft based on it such as the He 277 or the high-altitude He 274 are also covered.
The brief late war service of the He 177 gets a number of chapters. Particularly interesting are the reminiscences from a KG 100 missile technician - operations with guided anti-ship weapons such as the Fritz-X and Hs 293 are described in some detail. While Ulf Balke is credited with some photos, some pilot accounts from his KG 100 book would have been useful here - his father flew the He 177 with KG 100. In the west the type flew sorties in the 'mini-Blitz' against London (Steinbock) and attacked shipping off the D-Day beaches, while on the Eastern Front some strategic bombing raids were flown along with suicidal low-level sorties against Soviet tank formations. By now the design had "matured" into the He 177A-5 sub-type, strengthened and re-engined, potentially a capable bomber if well trained crews and (importantly) maintenance support had been available. But they rarely were. The British and Americans each flew a captured He 177 at the end of the war and there is a chapter of pilot impressions (Capt. Eric Brown and Col. Harold E. Watson) - 'a real clunker of an airplane'. There is also a lengthy set of appendices & more importantly for the modellers a nice reproduction of the type handbook with lots of clear images.
To sum up, well produced, copiously illustrated and very readable. Comparisons with the Griehl book published by Airlife are probably inevitable... in some areas Griehl has more detail (French service) but Smith & Creek tell the story of the He 177 in a much clearer & a more 'entertaining' way. Unfortunately many of the photographs are the same in both books but reproduction is better in the Classic volume. The Classic colour artworks are an additional feature of course and are well done, but the book has to be turned up the other way to view them. I'd also liked to have seen more pics from those expensive French archives - the He 177 saw most of its service in France - but then I guess you can't have everything.
Difficult to resist, especially with the excellent Amazon discount!
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