Gixxerman
Senior Airman
Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that He177s actually did bomb the U.K. some time mid-war.
Yes they did (along with Ju88s, Do 217s, Me410s Ju188s, the Ju188 mentioned as pathfinders, IIRC) in 'Operation Steinbock'.
Most of the books I've seen mention that the He177's diving ability (shallow diving from height) meant that they could get to somewhere around 400mph drop their bombs (like the talk of a 'much vaunted' Me110 this is always described as 'nervously dropping the bombs'......like as if any crew from any nation in WW2 would at the point of bombs away over enemy territory be anything but 'nervous') and then scream off for home keeping the speed as high as possible.
That is those that made it to target, lots did not because of technical failures - which is interesting becase many books say that the late A-5 version was all but cured of problems.
The tactic is invariably stated as allowing the craft to be immune to RAF interception (the sources I've come across say none were lost to the RAF's, by then highly effective radar directed equipped night-fighter force......the German use of duppel/window/chaff is also mentioned which must have helped too).