The .22He 177B.22 versus He 277 controversy Heinkel He 277

the troublesome db 610 welded-together engine 177a-5 – db 606a/b powerplants similar in configuration, each weighing 1.5 tonnes



oberst edgar petersen, kde commander of luftwaffe s test station network.

statements göring himself in august 1942 in response oberst edgar petersen s reports - in capacity kommandeur der erprobungstellen (commander of luftwaffe test stations), headquartered @ erprobungsstelle rechlin - on solving serious problems original heinkel 177a s powerplants, however, seem directly contradict elements of oft-repeated story, statements seem show göring thought 177a had 4 separate engines, , in late august 1942 göring derisively labeled 177a s coupled engine arrangements, 1.5 tonnes-apiece db 606 , db 610 power systems @ time monstrous zusammengeschweißte motoren, or welded-together engines , in complaints 177a s ongoing engine difficulties, , anxious see four-engined version of heinkel s heavy bomber developed , in production.

facts have fostered origin of post-war aviation book storyline 177b /he 277 controversy rlm, in listing 177 development projects approved of heinkel firm doing work on of february 1943 — 6 months after göring s recorded engine complaint statements, , 18 months after first-ever consideration rlm 177 proposed variant have 4 individual powerplants, paper-only 177h high-altitude predecessor later 274 in october 1941, included 177 a-5 heavy bomber, a-6 high-altitude bomber, a-7 long-range version, , 277 itself, defining february 1943 date earliest reliable date of official german government mention of such 277 -designated aircraft, date indicates time rlm had issued heinkel firm 8-277 airframe design number project. rlm expecting, during late spring of 1943 — 1 year after mid-spring 1942 amerika bomber proposal first arrived in göring s offices — trio of 277 v-series prototype aircraft, , construction of ten pre-production 277a-0 series service test machines completed, progressive development of still-unbuilt , unfinalized design, anticipated coming heinkel s schwechat southern plant complex in austria. initial starting place 277 s fuselage design had been meant originate last coupled-engine proposed variant of 177 itself, long-range a-7, basis four-engined variant of greif 177a-10, redesignated 177b-7 in late summer of 1943, both a-7 , b-7 had omitted manned rear dorsal turret of earlier a-series versions lighter weight. considerable changes in 277 s overall design philosophy evolved after amerika bomber proposal s emergence in may 1942, changes in 277 s general arrangement proposal drawings during time period. original proposal, meant use 177a-7 s fuselage starting point, evolved designing dedicated, new , wider 219-general pattern fuselage layout 277 spring 1943 timeframe onward, more capable of using tricycle undercarriage gaining favor few german aviation designers, 277 not known have been considered rlm in earlier timeframe amerika bomber proposal.

the main factor seemingly required lower-drag coupled powerplant format 177a, diving attack mandate rlm, ernst heinkel vehemently disagreed since original greif s beginnings in late 1930s, rescinded göring himself 5 months before 277 s earliest-known february 1943 rlm approval date. heinkel firm started work on 177b straightforward, separately four-engined development of 177a under b-series designation @ least late summer of 1943, when official heinkel documents began referring 177b, evidenced august 1943-dated, heinkel factory-created general arrangement typenblatt drawing of 177 v101 being labeled 8-177 rlm designation entire line of greif airframes, , b-5 elsewhere in drawing s title block, rlm approved development of original 177 aircraft line, , not in way directly related entirely separate 277 advanced bomber design project, summer of 1943 considered heinkel s amerika bomber aviation contract contender. first development of original 177a fly 4 individual engines – using quartet of 219-style annular radiators cool likely-unitized daimler-benz db 603 powerplants – second 177b prototype, 177 v102, on december 20, 1943.

trio of separate efforts

in total, there 3 separate efforts, movement toward had been initiated ernst heinkel november 1938, develop true four-engined versions of a-series greif: 177b, culminated in 4 prototype examples being built, 3 getting airborne before war s end; 274, of 2 prototypes started before end of world war ii , completed , flown in france after war s end; , 277, few airframe parts had been in process of completion, no completed prototypes @ time, before or after end of war.