The Flaming Coffin - Heinkel He 177 Greif

The Heinkel He 177 heavy bomber was doomed from the very start.

Conceptual problems and incompatible design elements gave it a terrible reputation. It was often named the "Luftwaffenfeuerzeug XX," or "The Air Force Lighter," for its constant engine fires.

It was also nicknamed the "The Flaming Coffin," the "One Way Bomber," and the "Volcano" for the many accidents pilots had while flying it. During World War II, it only saw limited service with the Luftwaffe.

Most of the crashes the He 177 suffered were caused by mechanical failures, not by enemy fire. Hitler despised it. Göring despised it. But some Luftwaffe pilots still pushed the project in hopes of deploying it as the dive bomber.

The He 177 was Germany's only long-range heavy bomber produced in appreciable numbers. The 35-ton plane, however, would contribute to the German defeat by sucking up valuable resources into an ineffective and compromised project.

Historians even say that all the effort spent trying to fix the aircraft may have doomed the Third Reich to lose the war in the air because of the enormous resources the project required.

---

Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

Видео The Flaming Coffin - Heinkel He 177 Greif канала Dark Skies