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I have a copy of Manfred Griehl and Joachim Dressel's 1998 book on the Heinkel He 177 and related aircraft (this book was published in German in 1989 and the English translation came out in 1998, which is why the bibliography of this book contains no post-1990 publications), and this photo is actually of the unbuilt Heinkel He 277, which had a wingspan of 131 feet and would have had either four BMW 801s or Daimler Benz DB 603s.
Clear to whom?However, it is clear that the He 177 V38 was merely intended to test the bomb bay of the production Junkers Ju 287 forward swept wing bomber.
The following link answers the first question:Clear to whom?
The He177 was being developed independent of the Ju287 and since when were bomb-bays "tested"?
And best run over to wiki and check the difference in size between the Ju287 and the He177 - the Grief was nearly twice the size of the Ju287...
Ok soooo...you're sending me to another WWII forum to read a thread that covers a discussion that we have going on here?The following link answers the first question:
German Bomber modified for A Bomb Delivery - Page 2 - Axis History Forum
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However, it is clear that the He 177 V38 was merely intended to test the bomb bay of the production Junkers Ju 287 forward swept wing bomber.
From the Nevington War Museum website:
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Many postwar publications on Nazi aircraft, including William Green's 1970 book Warplanes of the Third Reich, claimed that the Heinkel He 177 V38 (a production He 177A-5, Wk.Nr. 550002) was intended to be the prototype of a nuclear-armed strategic bomber due to its huge bomb bay and the fact that the base in Czechoslovakia where it was tested was home to secret Nazi weapons apart from the vengeance weapons. However, it is clear that the He 177 V38 was merely intended to test the bomb bay of the production Junkers Ju 287 forward swept wing bomber.
I searched for information bombings Germans to do 1943-44. but I can't really find it.
They built more than 1000 pc examble He 177 Grief planes. I guess they were used for something?
What happened to all of them?
The Ju287 V1 fitted with an enlarged bomb bay for the 76 Zentner, had fixed spatted wheels , so wheel retraction was not an issue.Vahe - Dave's on the money with the size difference between the 177 and 287. You posted this schematic cross-section of the 287 recently on another thread - and those main landing wheels barely fit in the fuselage.
No way is that bomb-bay above gonna fit on a 287...
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