Rare examination of the Luftwaffe's greatest bomber. The Heinkel He
177 'Grief' (Griffin) was Germany's only
purpose-built heavy long-range bomber that made it into series production during
World War II. Aircrews nicknamed it the "Luftwaffenfeuerzeug" ("Luftwaffe's
lighter”) or the "Flaming Coffin" due to the engines' tendency to catch fire on
early versions of the aircraft. Yet when the teething problems were fixed, and
it became a serious contender in the war, the German situation was rapidly
deteriorating. Had it not been for the mess the Third Reich administration was
in, the blunders the RLM (Reich Air Ministry) made, or the catastrophic fuel
situation Germany faced late in the war, this
advanced aircraft could have had a much bigger effect on the war than it was
ever able to. Dinan tells the story of the design, development, production and
operational use of one of World War II's most mysterious
aircraft.
