{"id":20943,"date":"2026-08-10T18:56:37","date_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:56:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/?page_id=20943"},"modified":"2026-08-10T18:56:37","modified_gmt":"2026-08-10T16:56:37","slug":"heinkel-he-177","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/cz\/aircraft\/heinkel-he-177\/","title":{"rendered":"Heinkel He 177 Greif \u2014 History, Specs, Photos &#038; Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"mfam\">\n<style> html{overflow-x:hidden} body.page-id-20943{overflow-x:hidden} body.page-id-20943 h1.entry-title.main_title{display:none} body.page-id-20943 #sidebar{display:none} body.page-id-20943 #left-area{width:100%!important;float:none;padding:0} body.page-id-20943 #main-content .container::before{display:none!important;background:none!important} body.page-id-20943 #main-content .container{padding-top:0} body.page-id-20943 #main-content{background:#fff} #mfam{width:100vw;margin-left:calc(50% - 50vw);overflow:hidden;font-family:'Gilroy 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.sub{font-size:18px;color:#c3cddd;max-width:64ch;margin:0 0 28px} #mfam .flycard{flex:0 0 300px;background:#161c26;border:1px solid #26303d;color:#fff;display:flex;flex-direction:column} #mfam .flycard img{width:100%;height:180px;object-fit:cover} #mfam .flycard .fcx{padding:18px 18px 22px;display:flex;flex-direction:column;flex:1} #mfam .flycard .fcx h4{color:#fff;font-size:18px;margin:0 0 4px} #mfam .flycard .fcx .loc{font-size:13px;color:#8fb6ff;margin-bottom:12px} #mfam .flycard .fcx .go{margin-top:auto;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold';font-size:14px;color:#fff;background:#5C91FF;padding:10px 14px;text-align:center;display:block} #mfam .flycard .fcx .go:hover{background:#3568e0;text-decoration:none} \/* RELATED *\/ #mfam .relgrid{display:grid;grid-template-columns:repeat(3,1fr);gap:22px} #mfam .relgrid>p{display:contents} #mfam .relcard{border:1px solid #e2e7ee;background:#fff;display:block;color:#0d1117} #mfam .relcard:hover{text-decoration:none;border-color:#5C91FF} #mfam .relcard span{display:block} #mfam .relcard .rt{font-family:'Gilroy semiBold';font-size:19px;padding:20px 20px 4px} #mfam .relcard .rd{font-size:14.5px;color:#5a6675;padding:0 20px 20px} \/* SOURCES *\/ #mfam .srcgrid{columns:2;column-gap:40px} #mfam .srcgrid .src{break-inside:avoid;margin-bottom:16px;padding-bottom:16px;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee} #mfam .srcgrid .src .sn{font-family:'Gilroy semiBold';font-size:15.5px;color:#0d1117} #mfam .srcgrid .src .sd{font-size:13.5px;color:#5a6675} @media(max-width:900px){ #mfam .ncards{grid-template-columns:1fr} #mfam .spwrap{grid-template-columns:1fr;gap:24px} #mfam .cstats{grid-template-columns:1fr 1fr} #mfam .relgrid{grid-template-columns:1fr} #mfam .srcgrid{columns:1} #mfam .hero h1{font-size:40px} #mfam .hero .claim{font-size:18px} } <\/style>\n<div class=\"hero\"><img data-opt-id=118719191  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-in-flight-1942.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" class=\"bg\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 Greif heavy bomber in flight, 1942\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"hero-in\">\n<div class=\"kick\">Aircraft Museum \u00b7 Germany \u00b7 1942\u20131945<\/div>\n<h1>Heinkel He 177 Greif<\/h1>\n<p class=\"claim\">Germany&#8217;s only heavy bomber to reach operational service in WWII \u2014 advanced, long-ranged, and so prone to engine fires that its own crews called it the &#8220;Luftwaffe&#8217;s cigarette lighter.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"statstrip\">\n<div class=\"st\">\n<div class=\"sv\">~565 km\/h<\/div>\n<div class=\"sl\">Max speed<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"st\">\n<div class=\"sv\">~5,500 km<\/div>\n<div class=\"sl\">Range<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"st\">\n<div class=\"sv\">6<\/div>\n<div class=\"sl\">Crew<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"st\">\n<div class=\"sv\">~1,169<\/div>\n<div class=\"sl\">Built<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"chips\">\n<div class=\"wrap\"><span class=\"chip\"><b>Role<\/b> Heavy bomber \/ maritime strike<\/span><span class=\"chip\"><b>Era<\/b> World War II (1942\u201345)<\/span><span class=\"chip\"><b>Engines<\/b> 2\u00d7 DB 610 coupled \u2014 4 engines, 2 propellers<\/span><span class=\"chip\"><b>Origin<\/b> Germany (Heinkel)<\/span><span class=\"chip\"><b>Status<\/b> Retired \u2014 no complete survivor<\/span><a href=\"#faq\" class=\"chip cta\">Want to see what you actually CAN fly?<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">The Story<\/div>\n<h2>The Heinkel He 177 Greif: Germany&#8217;s brilliant, burning heavy bomber<\/h2>\n<p class=\"lead\">On paper, the Heinkel He 177 Greif (&#8220;Griffin&#8221;) should have been one of the most formidable aircraft of the Second World War. It was big, aerodynamically clean, and could carry a heavy bomb load farther than almost anything in the Luftwaffe. In practice it became a byword for how a promising design can be strangled by a single flawed idea \u2014 and by the shifting demands of the men who ordered it.<\/p>\n<p>Germany entered the war without a true four-engine strategic bomber. The Luftwaffe had been built around fast, medium, twin-engine machines meant to support the army, and the visionary who had championed a long-range &#8220;Ural bomber,&#8221; General Walther Wever, died in a 1936 flying accident. When the air ministry (the RLM) finally issued a requirement for a long-range heavy bomber in 1936, it handed the job to Heinkel \u2014 and then loaded the specification with contradictions.<\/p>\n<p>The most fateful of these was drag. To hit the demanded speed and range, the design team under Siegfried and Walter G\u00fcnter chose to bury four engines behind just two propellers. Each propeller was driven not by one engine but by a &#8220;power system&#8221; that bolted two Daimler-Benz V12s together side by side into a single unit \u2014 the DB 606, and later the more powerful DB 610. The result looked, from the front, like a twin-engine aircraft. It flew like nothing anyone had built before, and it caught fire with terrible regularity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"pquote\">&#8220;The engines were mounted so close together, and ran so hot, that oil pooling in the bottom of the cowling could ignite in flight. Crews learned to watch the nacelles as closely as they watched the sky.&#8221;<span>\u2014 Summary of accounts collected by wartime and post-war aviation historians<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Worse still, in 1937\u201338 the head of Luftwaffe development, Ernst Udet, insisted that even this enormous bomber must be able to perform medium-angle dive-bombing \u2014 a tactic that made sense for a Stuka, not a 30-tonne aircraft. Meeting that demand forced Heinkel to strengthen the entire airframe, adding weight, complexity, and delay. The requirement was eventually relaxed, but the damage to the timetable and the structure was done.<\/p>\n<p>The Greif finally reached front-line units in 1942\u201343 and saw action on several fronts: night raids on Britain during the &#8220;Baby Blitz&#8221; of early 1944, bomber and improvised transport work on the Eastern Front (including the doomed Stalingrad airlift), and \u2014 arguably its most effective role \u2014 long-range maritime strikes launching Hs 293 radio-guided anti-ship missiles at Allied convoys. But chronic unreliability, a punishing training burden, and Germany&#8217;s collapsing fuel supply meant many He 177s never flew a combat mission at all. Large numbers were destroyed on the ground or left grounded for lack of aviation fuel.<\/p>\n<p>By the end of the war the Greif was effectively finished. Around 1,169 were built \u2014 a huge industrial effort for an aircraft that rarely delivered on its promise. Today, uniquely among the major bombers of the war, not a single complete He 177 survives anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n<p>What makes the story so poignant is that the failure was not really the aircraft&#8217;s fault. Strip away the coupled engines and the dive-bombing demand, and the underlying design was excellent: clean, fast, long-legged and heavily armed, with modern remotely sighted defensive positions and, in the maritime role, a guided missile that pointed straight at the future of naval warfare. Ernst Heinkel and his engineers had built a good aeroplane around a bad idea, and then been ordered to make the bad idea worse. Every serious attempt to fix it \u2014 most obviously by fitting four separate engines \u2014 ran aground on official indecision and, later, on the simple exhaustion of German resources.<\/p>\n<p>That is why the He 177 occupies such a peculiar place in aviation history. It is not remembered as a triumph like the Lancaster, nor as an honest workhorse like its own smaller cousin the He 111. It is remembered as a cautionary tale: proof that raw engineering talent and industrial muscle count for little when the requirement itself is flawed, when priorities keep shifting, and when the strategic thinking behind a weapon never quite catches up with the weapon itself.<\/p>\n<div class=\"expwrap\">\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">01<\/span><span class=\"exh\">Why Germany had no heavy bomber: the He 177&#8217;s origins and the &#8220;Ural bomber&#8221; that never was<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>The Luftwaffe of 1939 was a tactical air force. Its doctrine, shaped by the needs of a fast-moving army, favoured twin-engine medium bombers such as the He 111 and Do 17 that could strike battlefield and near-rear targets. A small group of officers, led by the Luftwaffe&#8217;s first Chief of Staff Walther Wever, had argued for a genuine long-range strategic bomber \u2014 the so-called &#8220;Ural bomber&#8221; that could reach industry deep inside the Soviet Union. Wever&#8217;s death in a 1936 crash removed the concept&#8217;s most powerful advocate, and the early four-engine prototypes (the Dornier Do 19 and Junkers Ju 89) were cancelled.<\/p>\n<p>The He 177 grew out of the requirement that replaced them, issued by the RLM as &#8220;Bomber A&#8221; in 1936. It called for a bomber able to carry a substantial load over very long range at high speed \u2014 but the ministry&#8217;s insistence on a low-drag, effectively twin-nacelle layout, combined with later demands for dive-bombing capability, set the programme on a collision course with the laws of engineering. The Greif was, in a sense, Germany&#8217;s belated attempt to build the strategic bomber it had talked itself out of building years earlier.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">02<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The He 177&#8217;s coupled engines explained: how four engines drove only two propellers<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>This is the single most important thing to understand about the Greif. To reduce drag, Heinkel did not hang four separate engines under the wings. Instead it created two &#8220;power systems,&#8221; each formed by coupling two Daimler-Benz inverted-V12 engines together side by side so they drove a common gearbox and a single large propeller. Early aircraft used the DB 606 (two DB 601s); later production used the DB 610 (two DB 605s), each unit producing roughly 2,900 hp.<\/p>\n<p>The idea was elegant on the drawing board: the aircraft would have the power of four engines but the frontal area and drag closer to a twin, and only two large propellers to maintain. The reality was a nightmare of packaging. The paired engines were crammed into a tight nacelle with poor airflow. Fuel and oil lines ran through a cramped, hot space; oil tended to collect where it could be sprayed onto hot exhaust manifolds; and the engine bearings were overstressed. Fires broke out in flight so often that ground and air crews gave the aircraft a string of grim nicknames \u2014 &#8220;Luftwaffenfeuerzeug&#8221; (the Luftwaffe&#8217;s cigarette lighter), &#8220;Reichsfeuerzeug,&#8221; and the &#8220;flaming coffin.&#8221; Heinkel and Daimler-Benz chased the problem for years with revised oil systems, better cowlings and firewalls, and the redesigned DB 610; the later A-5 was considerably safer, but the Greif never fully shed its reputation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">03<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The dive-bombing folly: how one RLM demand crippled a strategic bomber<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>Perhaps the most self-defeating decision in the whole programme was the requirement \u2014 pushed by the technical office under Ernst Udet in the late 1930s \u2014 that the He 177 be stressed for medium-angle dive-bombing. Dive-bombing had delivered spectacular results with the small, purpose-built Ju 87 Stuka, and it briefly became an obsession in the RLM: even large bombers were expected to be able to do it.<\/p>\n<p>For a heavy bomber this was close to absurd. To survive dive-recovery loads, the airframe had to be strengthened throughout, driving up empty weight and eating into range and payload. Dive brakes and associated systems added complexity. The requirement contributed to delays and to the aircraft&#8217;s chronic overweight problems, and it was quietly abandoned as impractical \u2014 but only after it had shaped the structure. It is one of the clearest examples in aviation history of a specification demanding two incompatible things at once and getting a compromised aircraft as a result.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\" style=\"background:#f6f8fb;border-top:1px solid #e2e7ee;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Design &#038; Engineering<\/div>\n<h2>How the He 177 Greif was built \u2014 and why it kept catching fire<\/h2>\n<div class=\"ncards\">\n<div class=\"ncard\">\n<div class=\"n\">01<\/div>\n<h3>Two propellers, four engines<\/h3>\n<p>The defining feature: coupled DB 606\/DB 610 &#8220;power systems&#8221; gave four-engine power with near-twin drag \u2014 and packed two hot V12s into one cramped, fire-prone nacelle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ncard\">\n<div class=\"n\">02<\/div>\n<h3>Clean, modern airframe<\/h3>\n<p>A slim fuselage, high-aspect-ratio wing, evaporative-then-conventional cooling and remotely controlled defensive barbettes made the Greif aerodynamically advanced for its day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ncard\">\n<div class=\"n\">03<\/div>\n<h3>Missile carrier<\/h3>\n<p>The A-5 could launch Hs 293 guided anti-ship missiles and carry Fritz X (FX 1400) and torpedoes \u2014 making it one of the war&#8217;s most capable stand-off maritime strike platforms on paper.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"expwrap\">\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">04<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The He 177&#8217;s structure and systems: wing, defensive barbettes and remote turrets<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>The Greif was a genuinely modern aeroplane. It used a stressed-skin, all-metal structure with a long, slender fuselage and a high-aspect-ratio wing that gave it good range. Early prototypes experimented with surface evaporative cooling to cut drag further; this proved unworkable and production aircraft reverted to conventional annular radiators around the coupled engines, which is part of why the nacelles ran so hot.<\/p>\n<p>Defensive armament evolved through the variants and typically combined 7.92 mm MG 81 machine guns, 13 mm MG 131 heavy machine guns and 20 mm MG 151 cannon distributed across nose, dorsal, ventral and tail positions \u2014 some in manned stations and some in remotely sighted barbettes. A crew of six operated the aircraft. For all its troubles, a healthy He 177 handled well and was fast for its size, which is exactly why the Luftwaffe kept trying to make it work.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">05<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The He 177&#8217;s engine fires: causes, nicknames and the fixes that came too late<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>The fires had several overlapping causes. The DB 606\/610 installation placed the two inner exhaust manifolds close together in a poorly ventilated space; oil and fuel unions in that hot zone could leak; oil collected in the lower cowling and could be flung onto hot metal; and the engine mounting left little room for the oil lines, encouraging chafing and failure. Prolonged high-power running \u2014 exactly what a heavily loaded bomber demanded on take-off and climb \u2014 made things worse. Bearing failures could throw connecting rods, and a thrown rod in a tank full of hot oil was a fire waiting to happen.<\/p>\n<p>Heinkel and Daimler-Benz worked the problem hard. Revised oil systems, additional firewalls, better cowling ventilation, shortened fuel lines and the redesigned DB 610 all reduced the fire rate, and the definitive A-5 was markedly safer than the early A-1\/A-3 aircraft. But the reputation stuck, and the underlying compromise \u2014 two engines feeding one propeller through one cramped nacelle \u2014 could never be fully engineered away. The nicknames &#8220;Luftwaffenfeuerzeug&#8221; and &#8220;flaming coffin&#8221; outlived every fix. It is worth stressing the honest nuance here: by 1944 the Greif was nowhere near as lethal to its own crews as the legend suggests, and thousands of sorties were flown without incident. But reputations, once earned in blood, are hard to unmake \u2014 and the early fires had done their damage to the aircraft&#8217;s standing long before the engineers caught up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">06<\/span><span class=\"exh\">Variants of the He 177: from the A-1 to the four-propeller He 177 B \/ He 277<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>Main production centred on the A-series: the early A-1 and A-3, and the definitive A-5, which had a strengthened structure, revised engine installation and full provision for the Hs 293 guided missile and other stand-off weapons. Specialised sub-variants were fitted for anti-shipping work, high-altitude reconnaissance and other roles.<\/p>\n<p>Heinkel and its engineers repeatedly proposed the obvious cure \u2014 abandoning the coupled engines for four conventional ones. This led to the He 177 B \/ He 277, a true four-propeller derivative, and to other paper and prototype schemes. But by the time these matured, Germany lacked the fuel, resources and time to put a new heavy bomber into mass production, and they never entered meaningful service. The coupled-engine A-5 remained the Greif that actually went to war.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Full Specifications<\/div>\n<h2>Heinkel He 177 A-5 specifications and cost<\/h2>\n<p style=\"max-width:70ch;color:#333b47\">Figures below are for the definitive He 177 A-5 and are drawn from established reference works; wartime German figures vary between sources, so contested values are flagged as estimates.<\/p>\n<div class=\"spwrap\">\n<table class=\"spec\">\n<caption>Airframe &#038; performance<\/caption>\n<tr>\n<th>Type<\/th>\n<td>Heavy bomber \/ long-range maritime strike<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Crew<\/th>\n<td>6<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Length<\/th>\n<td>22.0 m (72 ft 2 in)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Wingspan<\/th>\n<td>31.44 m (103 ft 2 in)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Height<\/th>\n<td>6.4 m (21 ft)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Max speed<\/th>\n<td>~565 km\/h (351 mph) at altitude <span class=\"estflag\">estimate \u2014 sources give ~488\u2013565 km\/h<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Range<\/th>\n<td>~5,500 km (3,400 mi) with reduced load <span class=\"estflag\">varies by load<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Service ceiling<\/th>\n<td>~8,000 m (26,200 ft)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Empty weight<\/th>\n<td>~16,800 kg (37,000 lb) <span class=\"estflag\">estimate<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Max take-off weight<\/th>\n<td>~31,000 kg (68,300 lb)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>First flight<\/th>\n<td>19 November 1939 (He 177 V1)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Number built<\/th>\n<td>~1,169 (all variants) <span class=\"estflag\">sources vary ~1,137\u20131,169<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<table class=\"spec\">\n<caption>Powerplant, armament &#038; cost<\/caption>\n<tr>\n<th>Engines<\/th>\n<td>2 \u00d7 Daimler-Benz DB 610 &#8220;power systems,&#8221; each coupling two DB 605 inverted-V12s (four engines, two propellers)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Power<\/th>\n<td>~2,900 hp (2,950 PS) per coupled unit at take-off <span class=\"estflag\">estimate<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Defensive armament<\/th>\n<td>Mix of 7.92 mm MG 81, 13 mm MG 131 and 20 mm MG 151 in nose, dorsal, ventral &#038; tail positions <span class=\"estflag\">varies by variant<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Bomb \/ weapon load<\/th>\n<td>Up to ~7,000 kg; carried Hs 293 guided anti-ship missiles, Fritz X (FX 1400), torpedoes or conventional bombs <span class=\"estflag\">max, rarely lifted<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Unit cost<\/th>\n<td>Not reliably recorded (WWII)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Cost per flight hour<\/th>\n<td>Not applicable \u2014 no surviving \/ airworthy example<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Programme cost<\/th>\n<td>Not reliably recorded (WWII)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Surviving airworthy aircraft<\/th>\n<td>None \u2014 the type is one of WWII&#8217;s notable &#8220;no complete survivor&#8221; aircraft<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table><\/div>\n<div class=\"expwrap\">\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">07<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The He 177 Greif&#8217;s operating costs: why no cost-per-hour figure exists today<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>Unlike post-war jets, wartime German aircraft were not costed in a way that translates into a modern cost-per-flight-hour number, and reliable programme accounting for the He 177 has not survived in any comparable form. Reichsmark unit prices quoted for other Luftwaffe types are of limited use and are not consistently recorded for the Greif.<\/p>\n<p>More fundamentally, there is no He 177 flying anywhere in the world, and no complete airframe exists to restore. That means there is quite literally no operator, no maintenance programme and no fuel bill to measure \u2014 so any &#8220;cost per hour&#8221; figure would be fiction. We record it honestly here as not applicable. If you want to know what flying a genuine historic military jet actually costs today, MiGFlug&#8217;s live pricing is the place to look.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">08<\/span><span class=\"exh\">He 177 numbers built and losses: how many Greifs were made, and how many were wasted<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>Production totals for the He 177 are usually given as roughly 1,169 aircraft across all variants, though sources differ (figures in the ~1,137\u20131,169 range are common). That represents an enormous diversion of German industrial capacity into an aircraft that, for much of its career, could not be used to full effect.<\/p>\n<p>A striking share of that output was effectively wasted. Chronic engine unreliability grounded aircraft for maintenance; the training burden of the complex machine kept crews and airframes out of action; and from 1944 the collapse of Germany&#8217;s aviation-fuel supply left whole units unable to fly. Many He 177s were destroyed on the ground, dispersed and abandoned, or captured intact and unused at war&#8217;s end \u2014 a bomber built in the hundreds that flew relatively few effective missions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">In Context<\/div>\n<h2>The He 177 versus the Allied heavy bombers<\/h2>\n<p style=\"max-width:74ch;color:#333b47\">Germany fielded exactly one operational heavy bomber. The Allies fielded several, in their thousands. The comparison shows both how capable the Greif was on paper and how isolated it was as a type. Figures are representative and rounded; wartime sources vary.<\/p>\n<table class=\"spec\" style=\"width:100%\">\n<caption>Representative heavy-bomber comparison<\/caption>\n<tr>\n<th style=\"width:26%\">Aircraft<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:14%;color:#5a6675;font-weight:normal\">Origin<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:16%;color:#5a6675;font-weight:normal\">Engines<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:14%;color:#5a6675;font-weight:normal\">Max speed<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:14%;color:#5a6675;font-weight:normal\">Bomb load<\/th>\n<th style=\"width:16%;color:#5a6675;font-weight:normal\">Built<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td><b style=\"font-family:'Gilroy semiBold'\">Heinkel He 177 A-5<\/b><\/td>\n<td>Germany<\/td>\n<td>4 (coupled, 2 props)<\/td>\n<td>~565 km\/h<\/td>\n<td>up to ~7,000 kg<\/td>\n<td>~1,169<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Avro Lancaster<\/td>\n<td>UK<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>~450 km\/h<\/td>\n<td>up to ~6,350 kg<\/td>\n<td>~7,377<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>~460 km\/h<\/td>\n<td>~2,000\u20133,600 kg<\/td>\n<td>~12,731<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>Consolidated B-24 Liberator<\/td>\n<td>USA<\/td>\n<td>4<\/td>\n<td>~490 km\/h<\/td>\n<td>~3,600 kg<\/td>\n<td>~18,480<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n<p style=\"max-width:74ch;color:#333b47;margin-top:18px\">The Greif was fast and could, in theory, lift a very heavy load a long way. What it could not do was be built in the numbers, or flown with the reliability, that made the Allied heavies decisive. Where Britain and America turned out tens of thousands of dependable four-engine bombers, Germany produced barely more than a thousand troublesome ones \u2014 and could rarely fuel or maintain even those.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\" style=\"background:#f6f8fb;border-top:1px solid #e2e7ee;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Timeline<\/div>\n<h2>The Heinkel He 177 Greif: a development and service timeline<\/h2>\n<div class=\"tl\">\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1936<\/div>\n<h4>Requirement issued<\/h4>\n<p>The RLM issues the &#8220;Bomber A&#8221; specification for a long-range heavy bomber; Heinkel receives the contract that becomes the He 177.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1938<\/div>\n<h4>Dive-bombing demanded<\/h4>\n<p>Ernst Udet&#8217;s technical office insists the heavy bomber be capable of medium-angle dive-bombing, forcing structural strengthening and delay.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1939<\/div>\n<h4>First flight<\/h4>\n<p>The He 177 V1 prototype flies on 19 November 1939. Overheating and engine trouble appear almost immediately and dog the test programme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1939\u201342<\/div>\n<h4>Crashes and fires<\/h4>\n<p>Prototype and early aircraft are lost to structural failures and engine fires; the coupled DB 606 installation earns its deadly reputation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1942<\/div>\n<h4>Into service<\/h4>\n<p>The Greif reaches operational units. Early A-1\/A-3 aircraft remain troublesome; some are pressed into the Stalingrad airlift as heavy transports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1943<\/div>\n<h4>Maritime strike and the A-5<\/h4>\n<p>KG 40 uses He 177s to launch Hs 293 guided missiles against Allied convoys. The improved A-5 enters production with a safer engine installation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1944<\/div>\n<h4>The &#8220;Baby Blitz&#8221;<\/h4>\n<p>He 177s take part in Operation Steinbock, the night raids on Britain, and in massed Eastern Front bomber raids \u2014 but fuel shortages soon bite.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">1944\u201345<\/div>\n<h4>Grounded and abandoned<\/h4>\n<p>With aviation fuel exhausted, most He 177s are grounded, dispersed or destroyed. Many are captured intact and unused as the war ends.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ev\">\n<div class=\"yr\">Today<\/div>\n<h4>No survivor<\/h4>\n<p>Every complete He 177 was eventually scrapped. Only fragments and wreck-site relics remain \u2014 the Greif is one of WWII&#8217;s great &#8220;no survivor&#8221; types.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Stories &#038; Eyewitnesses<\/div>\n<h2>The He 177 Greif in the words of those who flew and fought it<\/h2>\n<p style=\"max-width:70ch;color:#333b47\">Twelve short stories that capture the Greif&#8217;s strange, troubled career \u2014 from its burning engines to its guided-missile strikes. Expand each card to read more.<\/p>\n<div class=\"caro\">\n<div class=\"track\" id=\"story-track\">\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">The nickname<\/div>\n<h4>&#8220;The Luftwaffe&#8217;s cigarette lighter&#8221;<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">Ground crews had a black-humoured name for the Greif. So many caught fire that they called it the &#8220;Luftwaffenfeuerzeug.&#8221;<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">The fires were frequent enough that crews watched the engine nacelles as closely as they watched for enemy fighters. The problem traced back to the coupled DB 606\/610 installation, where two hot V12s shared one cramped, badly ventilated nacelle and oil could be flung onto glowing exhaust manifolds. Variants of the black joke \u2014 &#8220;Reichsfeuerzeug&#8221; (the Reich\u2019s lighter), &#8220;flaming coffin&#8221; \u2014 followed the aircraft through its whole career, even after the later A-5, with its revised oil system and better cowlings, markedly reduced the risk. No amount of engineering ever quite killed the reputation.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Test flying<\/div>\n<h4>The prototype that overheated on day one<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">When the He 177 V1 first flew in November 1939, engine temperatures climbed alarmingly and the flight was cut short.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">The overheating that appeared on the very first flight, on 19 November 1939, was a warning of everything to come. Test pilots contended with soaring oil and coolant temperatures that forced flights to be cut short, and several early prototypes were lost outright \u2014 some to in-flight fires, others to structural failures during the very dive-bombing trials the RLM had insisted upon. Each loss cost time the programme did not have, and by the time the bugs were understood the war had already begun. The Greif spent years in a troubled, crash-strewn development that would have killed a less politically important project.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Eastern Front<\/div>\n<h4>A heavy bomber turned reluctant freighter<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">During the Stalingrad airlift, some He 177s were pressed into service hauling supplies rather than bombs.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">The Greif was never designed as a transport, and using a temperamental heavy bomber to fly cargo into the encircled Stalingrad pocket in the depths of the 1942\u201343 winter was a measure of pure desperation. Serviceability in the cold was poor, the numbers involved were tiny, and the contribution to the doomed airlift was negligible. It is a telling footnote: at the very moment the Luftwaffe most needed dependable heavy aircraft, its one heavy bomber was so unreliable that flying freight was about all a handful of them could be trusted to attempt \u2014 and even that badly.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Maritime strike<\/div>\n<h4>Launching the Hs 293 at Allied convoys<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">In its most effective role, the He 177 stood off from convoys and fired radio-guided Hs 293 missiles.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">Operating from bases in occupied France, KG 40\u2019s He 177s could attack shipping from stand-off range instead of flying into the teeth of a convoy\u2019s massed anti-aircraft fire, guiding the rocket-boosted Hs 293 onto its target by radio command while a bombardier watched a flare in the missile\u2019s tail. It was a genuine glimpse of the future of air-launched anti-ship warfare, decades ahead of its time. But it was undercut, as ever, by the aircraft\u2019s unreliability, by Allied jamming of the guidance link, and by Germany\u2019s dwindling stocks of fuel and trained crews.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">The Baby Blitz<\/div>\n<h4>High-speed dives over London<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">In Operation Steinbock, He 177 crews often dived at speed across southern England to release their bombs and escape.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">The early-1944 &#8220;Baby Blitz&#8221; (Operation Steinbock) was Germany\u2019s last serious bombing campaign against Britain, and Londoners named it in wry comparison with the far heavier raids of 1940\u201341. He 177 crews frequently ran in at altitude and then made shallow, high-speed diving attacks to cut the seconds spent in the reach of RAF night-fighters and radar-directed flak. Results were modest, bombing was often inaccurate, and losses were significant; the campaign guttered out within months. Yet it was one of the very few times the Greif was actually used as the long-range strategic bomber it had been designed to be.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Engineering<\/div>\n<h4>Four engines hiding behind two propellers<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">To visitors, the He 177 looked like a twin. In fact each propeller was driven by two coupled V12s.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">The DB 606 and later DB 610 &#8220;power systems&#8221; were an ingenious attempt to enjoy four-engine power while paying only twin-engine drag: two Daimler-Benz inverted-V12s were bolted together side by side to spin a single large propeller through a common gearbox. From the front the aircraft looked like a twin. Mechanics, though, faced two full engines jammed into one nacelle with barely room to reach the fuel and oil unions buried between them \u2014 a maintenance nightmare that helps explain both the fires and the chronically poor serviceability that dogged the type throughout its life.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">The fix<\/div>\n<h4>The A-5: safer, but too late<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">The definitive He 177 A-5 addressed many of the fire risks \u2014 arriving as Germany was already losing the air war.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">Revised oil systems, shortened and rerouted fuel lines, better cowling ventilation, additional firewalls and the improved DB 610 together made the definitive A-5 far less likely to burst into flame than the early A-1 and A-3 aircraft. Structurally it was also cleaned up and fully cleared to carry guided weapons. But by the time the A-5 was in full production in 1944, fuel shortages and overwhelming Allied air superiority meant the improved bomber could rarely be flown to full effect. It was, in the end, the right fix delivered at the wrong time in the war.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Design politics<\/div>\n<h4>The dive-bombing demand no one could meet<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">Ordering a 30-tonne bomber to dive-bomb was, engineers knew, close to impossible \u2014 but the RLM insisted.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">Pushed by Ernst Udet\u2019s technical office in the grip of a service-wide enthusiasm for dive-bombing, the demand forced Heinkel to stress the entire airframe for dive-recovery loads, adding weight that ate directly into range and payload and fitting dive brakes and associated systems the aircraft did not need. It also swallowed months of development time. The requirement was eventually abandoned as impractical for so large a machine \u2014 but only after it had permanently shaped the structure. It stands as a textbook case of a specification demanding two incompatible things at once and getting a heavier, later, worse aeroplane in return.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Grounded<\/div>\n<h4>Destroyed without ever fighting<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">By late 1944 many He 177s sat useless on their airfields, grounded for want of fuel.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">Germany\u2019s aviation-fuel crisis, driven by the Allied bombing of synthetic-fuel plants, hit the thirsty four-engine Greif especially hard. From mid-1944 whole units were effectively immobilised; aircraft were dispersed to the edges of airfields, camouflaged, cannibalised for spare parts, or simply abandoned where they stood. A significant number of He 177s were captured intact and unflown by advancing Allied forces \u2014 costly heavy bombers, representing an enormous investment of German industry, that never dropped a bomb in anger. Few aircraft so completely illustrate the collapse of the Luftwaffe\u2019s ambitions.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Captured<\/div>\n<h4>Flown and tested by the Allies<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">After the war, captured He 177s were evaluated by British and American teams.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">The RAF test-flew a captured Greif at Farnborough, and other examples were shipped to Britain and the United States for detailed study. Allied testers confirmed both the aircraft\u2019s genuine strengths \u2014 it was fast and long-ranged \u2014 and its equally genuine flaws, above all the fragile, fire-prone coupled engines. Crucially, none of these captured aircraft was preserved. Once their evaluation was complete they were scrapped like any other surplus enemy hardware, at a moment when a defeated foe\u2019s troublesome bomber held little sentimental value. That decision is the direct reason no complete He 177 exists today.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">The bigger picture<\/div>\n<h4>Germany&#8217;s only operational heavy bomber<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">For all its faults, the He 177 was the only German heavy bomber to reach real operational service.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">While the Allies fielded thousands of Lancasters, B-17s and B-24s in disciplined strategic-bombing campaigns, Germany never built a comparable heavy-bomber force at all. The He 177 was its single serious attempt to put a true strategic bomber into operational service \u2014 and it arrived late, in modest numbers, and burdened with problems. That is why the Greif is so often cited as emblematic of the Luftwaffe\u2019s deeper strategic shortcomings: a tactical air force that grasped too late for a strategic weapon, and then could not make the one it built work.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div class=\"stx\">\n<div class=\"tag\">Legacy<\/div>\n<h4>Why the Greif has no survivor<\/h4>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"pre\">Alone among the war&#8217;s major bombers, no complete He 177 exists anywhere today.<\/p>\n<details class=\"stmore\">\n<summary>Read more<\/summary>\n<div class=\"stb\">The combination of heavy wartime destruction, the post-war scrapping of the captured examples, and the aircraft\u2019s poor reputation meant that not one He 177 was set aside for a museum before it was too late. Only fragments \u2014 recovered engine parts, crash-site relics dug from fields and seabeds \u2014 remain. For enthusiasts and historians the Greif is therefore a &#8220;ghost&#8221; type, one of the very few major bombers of the war studied entirely from photographs, factory drawings and wreckage rather than from any surviving airframe you can stand beside and walk around.<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"navrow\"><button class=\"navbtn\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('story-track').scrollBy({left:-720,behavior:'smooth'})\">&#8249;<\/button><button class=\"navbtn\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('story-track').scrollBy({left:720,behavior:'smooth'})\">&#8250;<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Photo Gallery<\/div>\n<h2>Heinkel He 177 Greif photographs<\/h2>\n<p style=\"max-width:70ch;color:#333b47\">Genuine wartime and archival images of the Greif. Click any photo to enlarge. All images via Wikimedia Commons \u2014 credits below each frame.<\/p>\n<div class=\"caro\">\n<div class=\"track\" id=\"gal-track\">\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-in-flight-1942.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 in flight 1942\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177 A-02 in flight, 1942. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=118719191  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-in-flight-1942.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 in flight, 1942\"><figcaption>He 177 A-02 in flight, 1942 \u00b7 Public domain \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-v5-prototype-in-flight.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 V5 prototype in flight\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177 V5 prototype in flight, c.1942-43. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=1226649429  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-v5-prototype-in-flight.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 V5 prototype in flight\"><figcaption>He 177 V5 prototype in flight, c.1942\u201343 \u00b7 Public domain \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-1.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 Luftwaffe wartime\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177 of the Luftwaffe, wartime. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-668-7163-14 \/ Linden \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=1407026766  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-1.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 Luftwaffe wartime photograph\"><figcaption>He 177, wartime \u00b7 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-668-7163-14 \/ Linden \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-2.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 on the ground\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177 on the ground, wartime. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-668-7163-24A \/ Linden \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=1733263737  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-2.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 Greif on the ground\"><figcaption>He 177 on the ground, wartime \u00b7 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-668-7163-24A \/ Linden \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-3.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 detail\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177, wartime. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-668-7163-25A \/ Linden \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=2027558772  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-3.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 Greif detail view\"><figcaption>He 177, wartime \u00b7 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-668-7163-25A \/ Linden \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-4.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 in service\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177 in service, wartime. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-674-7766-25A \/ Keiner \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=296754124  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-4.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 Greif in Luftwaffe service\"><figcaption>He 177 in service, wartime \u00b7 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-674-7766-25A \/ Keiner \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-5.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 with ground crew\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177 with ground crew, wartime. Bundesarchiv, Bild 101I-674-7766-31A \/ Keiner \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=1609603262  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-5.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 Greif with ground crew\"><figcaption>He 177 with ground crew, wartime \u00b7 Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-674-7766-31A \/ Keiner \/ CC BY-SA 3.0 de<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"gal-item\" data-full=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-a5-three-view-drawing.jpg\" data-alt=\"Heinkel He 177 A-5 three-view drawing\" data-cap=\"Heinkel He 177 A-5 three-view drawing. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.\"><img data-opt-id=1351284168  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-a5-three-view-drawing.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Heinkel He 177 A-5 three-view line drawing\"><figcaption>He 177 A-5 three-view drawing \u00b7 Public domain \/ Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"navrow\"><button class=\"navbtn\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('gal-track').scrollBy({left:-720,behavior:'smooth'})\">&#8249;<\/button><button class=\"navbtn\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('gal-track').scrollBy({left:720,behavior:'smooth'})\">&#8250;<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"he177-lightbox\"><button class=\"he177-lb-close\">&times;<\/button><button class=\"he177-lb-prev\">&#8249;<\/button><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"he177-lb-img\" src=\"\" alt=\"\"><button class=\"he177-lb-next\">&#8250;<\/button><\/p>\n<div class=\"he177-lb-cap\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\" style=\"background:#f6f8fb;border-top:1px solid #e2e7ee;border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Video<\/div>\n<h2>Watch: the He 177 Greif, the &#8220;flaming coffin&#8221;<\/h2>\n<div class=\"vid\">\n<div class=\"vidframe\"><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/ii9FrFS5olc\" title=\"The Flaming Coffin - Heinkel He 177 Greif (Dark Skies)\" loading=\"lazy\" allow=\"accelerometer;autoplay;clipboard-write;encrypted-media;gyroscope;picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p class=\"vidcap\">&#8220;The Flaming Coffin \u2013 Heinkel He 177 Greif&#8221; by Dark Skies (695k subscribers) \u2014 1.1 million views. An accessible documentary on the Greif&#8217;s troubled engines and career. Verified on YouTube.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec map-sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Operations Map<\/div>\n<h2>Where the Heinkel He 177 flew \u2014 origin, theatres and survivors<\/h2>\n<p style=\"max-width:74ch;color:#333b47\">The Greif was a German aircraft used almost exclusively by the Luftwaffe. This map shows its country of origin, the wartime theatres where it operated, the nations that captured and evaluated it after the war \u2014 and, tellingly, an empty &#8220;Surviving airframes&#8221; category, because no complete He 177 exists anywhere today. Hover (or tap) a country for detail.<\/p>\n<div id=\"he177-map-widget\">\n<div id=\"he177-map-container\"><svg id=\"he177-map-svg\"><\/svg><\/p>\n<div id=\"he177-tooltip\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"he177-controls\"> <button class=\"he177-toggle active\" data-cat=\"origin\" data-full=\"Origin &#038; Manufacturer\" data-short=\"Origin\" style=\"border-color:#5C91FF\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"width:14px;height:14px;flex-shrink:0;background:#5C91FF\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"he177-label\">Origin &amp; Manufacturer<\/span><span class=\"he177-check\">&#10003;<\/span><\/button> <button class=\"he177-toggle active\" data-cat=\"theatre\" data-full=\"Wartime Operators &#038; Theatres\" data-short=\"Theatres\" style=\"border-color:#6B8E23\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"width:14px;height:14px;flex-shrink:0;background:linear-gradient(135deg,#4A6741 25%,#6B8E23 25%,#6B8E23 50%,#556B2F 50%,#556B2F 75%,#8B9D77 75%);background-size:8px 8px\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"he177-label\">Wartime Operators &amp; Theatres<\/span><span class=\"he177-check\">&#10003;<\/span><\/button> <button class=\"he177-toggle active\" data-cat=\"evaluated\" data-full=\"Captured &#038; Evaluated\" data-short=\"Evaluated\" style=\"border-color:#555\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"width:14px;height:14px;flex-shrink:0;background:#555\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"he177-label\">Captured &amp; Evaluated<\/span><span class=\"he177-check\">&#10003;<\/span><\/button> <button class=\"he177-toggle active\" data-cat=\"surviving\" data-full=\"Surviving Airframes\" data-short=\"Survivors\" style=\"border-color:#bbb\"><\/p>\n<div style=\"width:14px;height:14px;flex-shrink:0;background:#C0C0C0\"><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"he177-label\">Surviving Airframes<\/span><span class=\"he177-check\">&#10003;<\/span><\/button> <\/div>\n<div id=\"he177-count\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"maplegend\">Combat theatres show where the He 177 was used in anger \u2014 over Britain (Baby Blitz), the Eastern Front, and Allied shipping off France and Italy \u2014 not the operating air force alone.<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Combat Record<\/div>\n<h2>The He 177 Greif by the numbers<\/h2>\n<div class=\"cstats\">\n<div class=\"cstat\">\n<div class=\"cv\">~1,169<\/div>\n<div class=\"cl\">Aircraft built (all variants; sources vary)<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cstat\">\n<div class=\"cv\">2 props<\/div>\n<div class=\"cl\">Driven by 4 coupled engines<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cstat\">\n<div class=\"cv\">1944<\/div>\n<div class=\"cl\">Peak use: Baby Blitz &amp; maritime strike<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"cstat\">\n<div class=\"cv\">0<\/div>\n<div class=\"cl\">Complete airframes surviving today<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Go Deeper<\/div>\n<h2>The Heinkel He 177 Greif: six deeper questions<\/h2>\n<div class=\"expwrap\" style=\"margin-top:8px\">\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">09<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The He 177 and the Hs 293: how the Greif became a guided-missile bomber<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>The most genuinely advanced thing the He 177 did was carry and launch the Henschel Hs 293, one of the first operational air-launched guided anti-ship missiles. The Hs 293 was a small rocket-boosted glide bomb with a radio-command guidance link: after release, a bombardier in the parent aircraft steered it onto a ship by watching a flare in its tail and correcting with a joystick.<\/p>\n<p>For a maritime-strike bomber this was a leap forward. It let the He 177 attack from outside the range of a convoy&#8217;s close-in defences, standing off while the missile did the dangerous work. KG 40, flying from occupied France, used He 177s in exactly this role against Atlantic convoys, and He 177s also carried the heavier, armour-piercing Fritz X (FX 1400) against harder targets. The concept pointed directly at the anti-ship missiles that dominate naval warfare today \u2014 but in 1943\u201344 it was undercut by the Greif&#8217;s unreliability, by Allied electronic countermeasures against the radio link, and by Germany&#8217;s inability to sustain the effort. When it did work, the effect could be dramatic \u2014 Allied sailors dreaded the sight of a distant bomber loitering just out of gun range \u2014 but the moments of success were too few and too costly to change the course of the war at sea.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">10<\/span><span class=\"exh\">Operation Steinbock: the He 177 in Germany&#8217;s last blitz on Britain<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>By early 1944 the Luftwaffe mounted one final concentrated bombing campaign against Britain, code-named Operation Steinbock and nicknamed the &#8220;Baby Blitz&#8221; by Londoners who remembered the far heavier raids of 1940\u201341. The He 177 was one of the aircraft committed to it.<\/p>\n<p>Greif crews typically approached at altitude and then made shallow, high-speed diving runs across their targets to cut the time spent in the killing zone of British night-fighters and anti-aircraft guns. The campaign achieved little of strategic value: bomb loads were often dropped inaccurately, losses to the increasingly effective RAF night defences were heavy, and the effort drained aircraft and crews Germany could not spare. For the He 177 it was a rare chance to act as the strategic bomber it had been designed to be \u2014 and a demonstration of how little difference even that could now make.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">11<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The He 177 on the Eastern Front: bomber, tank-buster and desperate transport<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>On the Eastern Front the Greif was used in a jumble of roles that reflected the Luftwaffe&#8217;s shifting fortunes. Early in its service, a handful were drawn into the Stalingrad airlift of the winter of 1942\u201343, pressed into service as heavy freighters to supply the encircled Sixth Army \u2014 a task for which the temperamental bomber was poorly suited and in which it achieved little.<\/p>\n<p>Later, He 177 units flew conventional bombing raids, including rare massed heavy-bomber attacks on Soviet rail junctions and industrial targets in 1944, and some aircraft were fitted with heavy anti-tank cannon for ground attack. As always, two forces worked against the Greif: its own mechanical fragility, and the deepening fuel crisis that from mid-1944 left much of the fleet grounded. The Eastern Front showed both the aircraft&#8217;s flexibility and the futility of deploying a scarce, unreliable heavy bomber piecemeal across an enormous front.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">12<\/span><span class=\"exh\">The He 277 and He 274: the four-engine Greifs that came too late<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>Heinkel&#8217;s engineers understood the real cure for the He 177&#8217;s troubles from early on: replace the coupled engines with four separate, conventional ones. This logic led to the He 277 (essentially a four-propeller Greif) and the high-altitude He 274, along with a series of related proposals designated He 177 B and beyond.<\/p>\n<p>On paper these promised the reliability the Greif lacked. In practice they were repeatedly delayed by official indecision \u2014 the air ministry blew hot and cold on whether it even wanted a strategic bomber \u2014 and then overtaken by events. By the time a four-engine derivative could have entered production, Germany had neither the fuel, the raw materials, the factory capacity nor the time to build one in numbers. Only a handful of prototypes flew. The coupled-engine A-5 remained the only He 177 to see real service, and the &#8220;obvious fix&#8221; never reached the front.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">13<\/span><span class=\"exh\">Flying the Greif: what it was like for the six-man crew<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>A healthy He 177 was, by the accounts of those who flew it, a surprisingly pleasant aircraft \u2014 fast, reasonably manoeuvrable for its size, and well equipped. The catch was the word &#8220;healthy.&#8221; Crews had to nurse the coupled engines carefully, avoiding the prolonged high-power settings that invited fires, and they kept a constant watch on the nacelles for the first wisp of smoke.<\/p>\n<p>The six-man crew \u2014 pilot, co-pilot, and gunners\/operators manning the nose, dorsal, ventral and tail positions, some of them remotely sighted \u2014 worked a complex machine that demanded far more training than a simple medium bomber. That training burden, combined with poor serviceability, meant that even when aircraft were available, fully worked-up crews often were not. The Greif asked a great deal of the men who flew it, and gave back a nagging awareness that the aircraft might betray them before the enemy did.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details class=\"exp\">\n<summary><span class=\"exn\">14<\/span><span class=\"exh\">Why no He 177 survives: the story of a bomber with no museum<\/span><span class=\"ext\">+<\/span><\/summary>\n<div class=\"exbody\">\n<p>Almost every major bomber of the Second World War has at least one preserved survivor \u2014 a Lancaster, a B-17, a B-24, even the Greif&#8217;s smaller stablemate the He 111 (in the form of Spanish-built airframes). The He 177 is the great exception. Not one complete example exists anywhere in the world.<\/p>\n<p>The reasons are a mix of history and reputation. Many He 177s were destroyed in the war or scrapped in its immediate aftermath; the examples captured and evaluated by the Allies were tested and then broken up rather than kept, at a time when a defeated enemy&#8217;s troublesome bomber had little appeal as a museum piece. By the time historic preservation became a priority, the airframes were long gone. Today only fragments and crash-site relics remain, which is why the Greif is so often called a &#8220;ghost&#8221; aircraft \u2014 one you can study in photographs, drawings and wreckage, but never walk around intact. Occasionally, recovered components \u2014 a propeller boss, a section of engine, a data plate \u2014 surface in private collections or specialist museums, and enthusiasts have long dreamed of one day assembling enough relics to reconstruct a representative airframe. For now, though, the Greif remains the great absentee of Second World War bomber preservation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\" id=\"faq\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Questions &#038; Answers<\/div>\n<h2>Heinkel He 177 Greif: your questions answered<\/h2>\n<div class=\"qa\">\n<details open>\n<summary>Can I fly in a Heinkel He 177?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>No. Not a single complete Heinkel He 177 survives anywhere in the world \u2014 the type is one of WWII&#8217;s notable &#8220;no complete survivor&#8221; aircraft, so there is no airworthy, static or bookable He 177 of any kind. MiGFlug does <b>not<\/b> offer He 177 flights, and no one else can either.<\/p>\n<p>You <b>can<\/b>, however, fly in several genuine historic military jets today. MiGFlug arranges real flights in aircraft such as the L-39 Albatros, Hawker Hunter, MiG-15, de Havilland Vampire and others. See what is currently bookable at <a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/\">migflug.com\/flights-prices<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Why did the He 177 keep catching fire?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>To cut drag, Heinkel coupled two engines together to drive each propeller (the DB 606, later DB 610). This crammed two hot V12s into one tight nacelle where oil and fuel lines ran through a poorly ventilated space, oil could pool and be sprayed onto hot exhausts, and bearings were overstressed. In-flight fires were common enough to earn the aircraft nicknames such as the &#8220;Luftwaffe&#8217;s cigarette lighter&#8221; and &#8220;flaming coffin.&#8221; The later A-5 was much safer, but the reputation stuck.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Why did a four-engine bomber have only two propellers?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>Because the four engines were paired. Each of the He 177&#8217;s two propellers was driven by a &#8220;power system&#8221; formed from two Daimler-Benz V12 engines coupled side by side. The goal was four-engine power with the low drag of a twin \u2014 an elegant idea that turned into a persistent reliability and fire problem.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Did the RLM really order a heavy bomber to dive-bomb?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>Yes. In the late 1930s the technical office under Ernst Udet insisted the He 177 be able to perform medium-angle dive-bombing \u2014 a tactic suited to the small Ju 87 Stuka, not a 30-tonne bomber. Meeting the demand forced heavy structural strengthening that added weight and delay. It was eventually dropped as impractical, but only after it had compromised the design.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What was the He 177 used for in combat?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>Three main roles. It flew night raids on Britain during the early-1944 &#8220;Baby Blitz&#8221; (Operation Steinbock); it operated as a bomber and improvised transport on the Eastern Front, including the Stalingrad airlift; and \u2014 most effectively \u2014 it launched Hs 293 radio-guided anti-ship missiles at Allied convoys from bases in occupied France and against shipping in the Mediterranean. Unreliability and fuel shortages limited its overall impact.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>How many He 177s were built and how fast was it?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>Roughly 1,169 were built across all variants, though sources vary (about 1,137\u20131,169). The definitive A-5 had a top speed commonly cited at around 565 km\/h (351 mph) at altitude \u2014 some references give lower figures nearer 488 km\/h with a full load \u2014 a range of roughly 5,500 km, a crew of six, and a maximum weapon load of up to about 7,000 kg.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Are there any surviving He 177s in museums?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>No complete example survives. Unlike the Lancaster, B-17 or He 111, every He 177 was eventually scrapped \u2014 including the aircraft captured and evaluated by the Allies after the war. Only fragments and crash-site relics remain, which makes the Greif a &#8220;ghost&#8221; type studied from photographs, drawings and wreckage rather than a preserved airframe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>What does &#8220;Greif&#8221; mean, and why was it nicknamed a lighter?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>&#8220;Greif&#8221; is German for &#8220;Griffin,&#8221; the mythical eagle-lion \u2014 a suitably fierce name for a heavy bomber. In service, though, crews coined far less flattering names because of the aircraft&#8217;s frequent engine fires: &#8220;Luftwaffenfeuerzeug&#8221; (the Luftwaffe&#8217;s cigarette lighter), &#8220;Reichsfeuerzeug&#8221; (the Reich&#8217;s lighter) and the &#8220;flaming coffin.&#8221; The gap between the official name and the crews&#8217; nicknames says almost everything about the Greif&#8217;s reputation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>Was the He 177 Germany&#8217;s only heavy bomber?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>It was the only German heavy bomber to reach real operational service in the Second World War. Earlier four-engine designs such as the Dornier Do 19 and Junkers Ju 89 &#8220;Ural bombers&#8221; were cancelled in the 1930s, and later four-engine derivatives like the He 277 never entered meaningful production. So while Germany studied and prototyped several heavy bombers, the He 177 was the one it actually fielded \u2014 which is a large part of why its shortcomings mattered so much.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<details>\n<summary>How does the He 177 compare to the Fw 200 Condor?<\/summary>\n<div class=\"qb\">\n<p>Both were long-range German aircraft used against Atlantic shipping, but they were very different machines. The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor was a converted airliner \u2014 elegant but structurally weak \u2014 that shadowed and bombed convoys. The He 177 was a purpose-built heavy bomber, much faster and better armed, and could launch Hs 293 guided missiles. On paper the Greif was the far more formidable maritime striker; in practice its unreliability meant the older Condor often did more actual damage.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">The Verdict<\/div>\n<h2>Was the Heinkel He 177 a failure \u2014 or a good aircraft ruined by bad decisions?<\/h2>\n<p>It is tempting to file the He 177 under &#8220;German wonder-weapon that didn&#8217;t work,&#8221; but that misses the more interesting truth. The Greif was not a bad design. Aerodynamically it was ahead of its Allied contemporaries; it was faster than a Lancaster or a B-17, carried a heavier maximum load, and pioneered stand-off guided-missile attack years before anyone else made it work. In the hands of a well-trained crew, a healthy A-5 was a genuinely capable and even pleasant aircraft to fly.<\/p>\n<p>What ruined it was a chain of decisions taken before a single bolt was cut. The insistence on burying four engines behind two propellers, to shave drag, created a fire-prone powerplant that no amount of later engineering could fully tame. The demand that a 30-tonne bomber also dive-bomb loaded the airframe with weight and delay for a capability it never needed. And the air ministry\u2019s chronic indecision about whether Germany even wanted a strategic bomber meant the obvious cure \u2014 four separate engines, as in the He 277 \u2014 was never pursued in time. Layered on top came the strategic realities that doomed the whole Luftwaffe: too few aircraft, too little fuel, too many fronts.<\/p>\n<p>The result is one of aviation history\u2019s great &#8220;what ifs.&#8221; Give the He 177 four conventional engines from the start, drop the dive-bombing nonsense, build it in quantity a year earlier, and Germany might have had a heavy bomber worth the name. Instead it got a brilliant airframe strapped to a self-inflicted flaw, built in the hundreds, and largely wasted. That is why the Greif fascinates: not because it was hopeless, but because it was so nearly great.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec cta\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\" style=\"color:#8fb6ff\">You can&#8217;t fly the He 177 \u2014 these, you can<\/div>\n<h2>No Greif survives. But you can strap into a real fighter jet.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"sub\">The He 177 exists only in photographs today. If you want the genuine experience of flying in a historic military aircraft \u2014 the g-forces, the noise, the view from a fighter cockpit \u2014 MiGFlug makes it real. Here are some of the aircraft you can actually book.<\/p>\n<div class=\"caro\">\n<div class=\"track\" id=\"fly-track\">\n<div class=\"flycard\"><img data-opt-id=1226649429  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-v5-prototype-in-flight.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Historic jet flight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"fcx\">\n<h4>L-39 Albatros<\/h4>\n<div class=\"loc\">Multiple locations worldwide<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/l-39-albatros-italian-alps\/\">See L-39 flights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flycard\"><img data-opt-id=1407026766  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-1.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Hawker Hunter flight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"fcx\">\n<h4>Hawker Hunter<\/h4>\n<div class=\"loc\">Switzerland<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/hawker-hunter-switzerland\/\">See Hunter flights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flycard\"><img data-opt-id=296754124  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-4.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"MiG-15 flight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"fcx\">\n<h4>MiG-15 Fagot<\/h4>\n<div class=\"loc\">Czech Republic<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/mig-15-fagot-czech-republic\/\">See MiG-15 flights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flycard\"><img data-opt-id=1733263737  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-2.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"Vampire jet flight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"fcx\">\n<h4>de Havilland Vampire<\/h4>\n<div class=\"loc\">Near London, UK<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/vampire-flight-near-london\/\">See Vampire flights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flycard\"><img data-opt-id=1609603262  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-5.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"F-104 Starfighter flight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"fcx\">\n<h4>F-104 Starfighter<\/h4>\n<div class=\"loc\">Book via MiGFlug<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/f104-starfighter-flight\/\">See Starfighter flights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"flycard\"><img data-opt-id=2027558772  data-opt-src=\"https:\/\/ml5psubhxdln.i.optimole.com\/cb:78--.b845\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:96\/f:best\/https:\/\/migflug.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/heinkel-he-177-greif-luftwaffe-3.jpg\"  decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20viewBox%3D%220%200%20100%%20100%%22%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20xmlns%3D%22http%3A%2F%2Fwww.w3.org%2F2000%2Fsvg%22%3E%3Crect%20width%3D%22100%%22%20height%3D%22100%%22%20fill%3D%22transparent%22%2F%3E%3C%2Fsvg%3E\" alt=\"T-33 jet flight\"><\/p>\n<div class=\"fcx\">\n<h4>T-33 Shooting Star<\/h4>\n<div class=\"loc\">Canada<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"go\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/t-33-in-canada\/\">See T-33 flights<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<div class=\"navrow\"><button class=\"navbtn\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('fly-track').scrollBy({left:-660,behavior:'smooth'})\">&#8249;<\/button><button class=\"navbtn\" onclick=\"document.getElementById('fly-track').scrollBy({left:660,behavior:'smooth'})\">&#8250;<\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p style=\"margin-top:24px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/flights-prices\/\" style=\"color:#fff;background:#5C91FF;padding:14px 26px;display:inline-block;font-family:'Gilroy semiBold'\">See all bookable flights &amp; prices<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Related Aircraft<\/div>\n<h2>Explore more from the Aircraft Museum<\/h2>\n<div class=\"relgrid\"> <a class=\"relcard\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/he-111\/\"><span class=\"rt\">Heinkel He 111<\/span><span class=\"rd\">The Luftwaffe&#8217;s iconic twin-engine medium bomber \u2014 the backbone of the German bomber force and a Battle of Britain regular.<\/span><\/a> <a class=\"relcard\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/ju-88\/\"><span class=\"rt\">Junkers Ju 88<\/span><span class=\"rd\">Germany&#8217;s versatile &#8220;maid of all work&#8221; \u2014 bomber, dive-bomber, night-fighter and reconnaissance aircraft in one adaptable airframe.<\/span><\/a> <a class=\"relcard\" href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/aircraft\/fw-200-condor\/\"><span class=\"rt\">Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor<\/span><span class=\"rd\">The long-range maritime patrol bomber Churchill called the &#8220;scourge of the Atlantic,&#8221; hunting convoys far out to sea.<\/span><\/a> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"sec\" style=\"background:#f6f8fb;border-top:1px solid #e2e7ee\">\n<div class=\"wrap\">\n<div class=\"sec-tt\">Sources &#038; Further Reading<\/div>\n<h2>Sources &#038; further reading<\/h2>\n<div class=\"srcgrid\">\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">Royal Air Force Museum<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Reference material on Luftwaffe bombers and captured German aircraft evaluated in Britain.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">Imperial War Museums (IWM)<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Photographs and records of the German bombing campaigns against Britain, including the 1944 &#8220;Baby Blitz.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Background on German wartime aviation technology and guided weapons such as the Hs 293.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">HistoryOfWar.org \u2014 Heinkel He 177 Greif<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Detailed technical and service history, including A-5 specifications and armament.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">German Federal Archives (Bundesarchiv)<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Original wartime photographs of the He 177 in Luftwaffe service (via Wikimedia Commons).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">William Green, &#8220;Warplanes of the Third Reich&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Standard reference on the He 177&#8217;s development, variants and coupled-engine troubles.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">Dark Skies \u2014 &#8220;The Flaming Coffin: Heinkel He 177 Greif&#8221;<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Documentary overview of the aircraft&#8217;s engine problems and combat career (1.1M views).<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"src\">\n<div class=\"sn\">MiGFlug Aircraft Museum<\/div>\n<div class=\"sd\">Companion exhibits on the He 111, Ju 88 and Fw 200 Condor.<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Can I fly in a Heinkel He 177?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. Not a single complete Heinkel He 177 survives anywhere in the world, so there is no airworthy, static or bookable He 177 of any kind. MiGFlug does not offer He 177 flights. You can, however, fly in several genuine historic military jets today, such as the L-39 Albatros, Hawker Hunter, MiG-15 and de Havilland Vampire. See migflug.com\/flights-prices.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did the He 177 keep catching fire?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"To cut drag, Heinkel coupled two engines together to drive each propeller (the DB 606, later DB 610). This crammed two hot V12s into one tight nacelle where oil and fuel lines ran through a poorly ventilated space, oil could pool and be sprayed onto hot exhausts, and bearings were overstressed. In-flight fires were common enough to earn nicknames such as the Luftwaffe's cigarette lighter and flaming coffin. The later A-5 was much safer, but the reputation stuck.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why did a four-engine bomber have only two propellers?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Because the four engines were paired. Each of the He 177's two propellers was driven by a power system formed from two Daimler-Benz V12 engines coupled side by side. The goal was four-engine power with the low drag of a twin, an idea that became a persistent reliability and fire problem.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did the RLM really order a heavy bomber to dive-bomb?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. In the late 1930s the technical office under Ernst Udet insisted the He 177 be able to perform medium-angle dive-bombing, a tactic suited to the small Ju 87 Stuka rather than a 30-tonne bomber. Meeting the demand forced heavy structural strengthening that added weight and delay. It was eventually dropped as impractical, but only after it had compromised the design.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What was the He 177 used for in combat?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Three main roles: night raids on Britain during the early-1944 Baby Blitz (Operation Steinbock); bomber and improvised transport work on the Eastern Front, including the Stalingrad airlift; and long-range maritime strikes launching Hs 293 radio-guided anti-ship missiles at Allied convoys. Unreliability and fuel shortages limited its overall impact.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How many He 177s were built and how fast was it?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Roughly 1,169 were built across all variants, though sources vary (about 1,137 to 1,169). The definitive A-5 had a top speed commonly cited at around 565 km\/h (351 mph) at altitude, with some references giving lower figures nearer 488 km\/h at full load, a range of roughly 5,500 km, a crew of six, and a maximum weapon load of up to about 7,000 kg.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Are there any surviving He 177s in museums?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No complete example survives. Unlike the Lancaster, B-17 or He 111, every He 177 was eventually scrapped, including the aircraft captured and evaluated by the Allies after the war. Only fragments and crash-site relics remain.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What does Greif mean, and why was it nicknamed a lighter?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Greif is German for Griffin, the mythical eagle-lion. In service, crews coined far less flattering names because of the aircraft's frequent engine fires: Luftwaffenfeuerzeug (the Luftwaffe's cigarette lighter), Reichsfeuerzeug (the Reich's lighter) and the flaming coffin.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was the He 177 Germany's only heavy bomber?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"It was the only German heavy bomber to reach real operational service in the Second World War. Earlier four-engine designs such as the Dornier Do 19 and Junkers Ju 89 Ural bombers were cancelled in the 1930s, and later four-engine derivatives like the He 277 never entered meaningful production.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How does the He 177 compare to the Fw 200 Condor?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Both were long-range German aircraft used against Atlantic shipping, but very different machines. The Fw 200 Condor was a converted airliner, elegant but structurally weak. The He 177 was a purpose-built heavy bomber, much faster and better armed, and could launch Hs 293 guided missiles. On paper the Greif was the more formidable striker; in practice its unreliability meant the older Condor often did more actual damage.\"}}]}<\/script> <script src=\"https:\/\/cdnjs.cloudflare.com\/ajax\/libs\/d3\/7.8.5\/d3.min.js\"><\/script> <script src=\"https:\/\/cdnjs.cloudflare.com\/ajax\/libs\/topojson\/3.0.2\/topojson.min.js\"><\/script> <script src=\"https:\/\/cdn.jsdelivr.net\/npm\/d3-geo-projection@4\/dist\/d3-geo-projection.min.js\"><\/script> <\/p>\n<div id=\"he177-data\" 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