he177

[olds442]

come on HTC we need a german bomber that is worth upping

specs

Engine: 2 x Daimler Benz DB 610
Horsepower: 2,950hp at take-off
Crew: 6 (pilot, co-pilot/nose gunner/bomb aimer, observer/ wireless operator/ ventral gunner, two dorsal gunners, rear gunner
Span: 103ft 1in
Length: 72ft 1in
Max Speed: 303 mph at 20,000ft, 270 mph with full load
Cruising Speed: 210 mph at 20,000ft
Ceiling: 26,246 feet
Range: 3417 miles
Time to 10,000 feet: 10 minutes
Full weight: 68,342lb

Armament: One 7.9mm MG 81J in nose, one 20mm MG 151 in front ventral gondola, two 7.9mm MG 81 in rear ventral gondola, two 13mm MG 131 in dorsal barbette, one 20mm MG 151 in dorsal turret, one 20mm MG 151 in tail turret.

Bomb load: Normally retained internal bomb bay for 1000kg of bombs (2205lbs) plus under wing pylons for a variety of advanced munitions. Could carry 5000kg/ 11,000lb of conventional bombs if required.

[Tupac]

Was this the one they put a radar on the front and used as a nightfighter? (I know they did the same thing with Ju88)

If it is, +1

If it isn't, +1

[olds442]

Was this the one they put a radar on the front and used as a nightfighter? (I know they did the same thing with Ju88)

If it is, +1

If it isn't, +1

neg that was the 217

[Guppy35]

Worth upping might be the operative phrase here.  Did you check on it's combat record?

[Vadjan-Sama]

The only and alone german heavy bomber...






A pretty nice add to the axis bomber set 

[Karnak]

Originally stated by Eric Brown:
"Its ground stance reminded me vividly of a Short Stirling which had sunk to its knees. In fact if there had been a choice between the Stirling and the He 177 as aesthetically the least appealling of bombers then I think the German contender would have won by a short head. A check of stability showed the aircraft to be positive about all axes, but the controls were all remarkably light for such a large aircraft. Indeed I had the feeling that the elevator was dangerously light and I was all too aware of the intelligence reports of He 177s breaking up in the air so I decided to treat this control very gently. I began a cautious exploration of the aircraft's diving characteristics since the permissible acceleration was 2.3 g with a flying weight of 27 tonnes it was vital to know the exact weight of the He 177 at all times. The aircraft had an automatic pull-out device and an acceleration warning apparatus fitted, but it really was nailbiting to have to treat a giant like this immense Heinkel bomber as if it was made of glass. The stalling characteristics with flaps and undercarriage lowered the aircraft buffeted violently at 140 km/h (87 mph) before the nose dropped at 135 km/h (84 mph). The buffet experienced was so violent that I had some concerns over structural damage. Somehow the He 177 always conveyed an impression of fragility despite its size."

[olds442]

Worth upping might be the operative phrase here.  Did you check on it's combat record?

not in LW but in MW it would be

[lyric1]

I have been reading about this aircraft in a book about operation Lusty. The allied pilots were scared to death of this plane they could not even get German crews to fly it after the war ended. A dive bomber that could not dive.

Throw it in I say. If they model it's flaws as they seem to have done with the B-29 it will be rarely used.

[olds442]

I have been reading about this aircraft in a book about operation Lusty. The allied pilots were scared to death of this plane they could not even get German crews to fly it after the war ended. A dive bomber that could not dive.

Throw it in I say. If they model it's flaws as they seem to have done with the B-29 it will be rarely used.

   

[Tyrannis]

I have been reading about this aircraft in a book about operation Lusty. The allied pilots were scared to death of this plane they could not even get German crews to fly it after the war ended. A dive bomber that could not dive.

Throw it in I say. If they model it's flaws as they seem to have done with the B-29 it will be rarely used.

b29 got buffed up with the last patch.

[Tyrannis]

I have been reading about this aircraft in a book about operation Lusty. The allied pilots were scared to death of this plane they could not even get German crews to fly it after the war ended. A dive bomber that could not dive.

Throw it in I say. If they model it's flaws as they seem to have done with the B-29 it will be rarely used.

[lyric1]

Info from a book I have on operation Lusty the retrieval of German equipment after the war.

[Sakai]

This one has been hashed out too many times to mention, here's a note from 2009:

http://bbs.hitechcreations.com/smf/index.php/topic,69958.15.html

Essentially, no.

That plane was in development from 1938 to 1945 and was shelved as a total failure and waste of resources with the only hopes for it's being serviceable pinned on variants that never saw combat (e.g., the A7).  While many have tried in recent years to recast it as "misunderstood", that is, uhhhmmmm, less than accurate.  The Germans did everything they could to make it work and after 7 years of development said "well, ok, that was a wasted effort."  As late as 1945 Heinkel was, even after being ordered to stop, trying to show off a 4-engined version that might have been a useful bombing patform.  He called the twin nacelle version "that cursed 177" as I recall.  Since he designed it, I reckon he knew something about it. 

Its service record as a Bomber is so insignificant as to be laughable, it's only real use was as a transport, then turned into cannon-equipped raider/strafer.  No real service record of note exists as abomber with few raids and even fewer sucesses.  That is to say, at the end, when desperate to stem Ivan's rush, like 300-400 of them rotting on Tarmacs because of their uselessness were shipped to the Eastern Front to use first as transports then as ground attackers.  If Germany had possessed 400 serviceable Gotha bombers from WWI they'd have shipped them to Russia for the same uses. I don't think any flew to speak of after Summer 1944 did they?  One bombing mission they sent like 14 to bomb England (14 aircraft, sound like a raid or a trial?), ten caught on fire returned/never lifted off, the remaining few dive-bombed a pasture. 

Loss of coolant was fatal, and arguably fatal far sooner than on other WWII AC. If the fragility of that AC is modeled, the hue and cry and whining about it's worthlessness will be immense, causing everyone to want something serviceable like the Do-217 instead.  I would say:

Skip point A and go straight to modeling the excellent, sturdy, workmanlike Do-217.  More AC built, wider use, vastly superior in level and dive bombing recorded use.  8k loadout, fighter variants available,  . . .

Simply put, no honest or reasonable comparison would select the 177 over the 217.

Cheers,

Sakai

[Vulkan]

Big ol' +1