In many ways, the Heinkel He 177 "Greif" (Griffon) was Nazi Germany's
"lost" strategic bomber. With some fundamental creases ironed out, and
built in numbers, the He 177 would have offered the Luftwaffe the means
with which to carry out long-range, mass bombing attacks against targets
of a strategic nature. Although competing interests and personalities
served to prevent this from happening, from mid-1943 the aircraft
nevertheless saw service over England, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean,
and in Russia. The He 177 flew to the end of the war, with some machines
undertaking extremely hazardous low-level missions against Soviet armor
in Poland in late 1944--45.
This fascinating book, filled with detailed artwork and contemporary
photographs, tells the story of this aircraft, including the political
infighting at the top of the Luftwaffe's hierarchy that stymied its
development, its radical technical design, and state-of-the-art
weaponry.