WOW268 Heinkel He-177 Greif

Description

The Heinkel He 177 Greif  was a long-range heavy bomber flown by the Luftwaffe   during WW2. The He 177 was the only operational long-range heavy bomber available to the Luftwaffe during the war years that had a pay load and range  similar to the four-engined heavy bombers flown by the RAF & USAAF , it did however have a higher cruising and maximum speeds.

Designed to a 1936 requirement known as Bomber A, the aircraft was originally intended to be a purely strategic bomber intended to support a long-term bombing campaign against Soviet industry in the Urals. In spite of its large, 30 metres (98 ft) wingspan, the design was limited to two engines. During the design, Luftwaffe doctrine came to stress the use of moderate-angle dive bombing, or “glide bombing”, to improve accuracy. Applying the changes needed for this type of attack to such a large aircraft was unrealistic.

The type matured into a usable design too late in the war to play an important role. It was built and used in some numbers, especially on the Russian Front where its range made it particularly useful. It is notable for its use in mass raids on Velikie Luki  in 1944, one of the late-war heavy bombing efforts by the Luftwaffe. It saw considerably less use on the Western Front although it played a role during  the baby blitz), against the UK in 1944.

Several pioneering weapon systems were used on the He-177 including Nebelwerfer style rockets intended to disrupt Allied bomber formations, air to sea missiles and even a 50mm cannon carried in an anti-tank version!

Our variant comes with two anti-shipping torpedoes and two under wing air to sea guided missiles.

Limited to 2 pieces in this version. Please note the figures shown are for scale purposes and are not included. There is no free shipping on warbirds due to their large size. This variant of the He-177 comes with detachable wings but as you can see from the photos is hardly noticeable and ensures a safer journey to you with the likelihood of any damage being reduced in transit to a minimum. If you are not happy with your purchase upon receipt, you are more than welcome to return it to us in the original box and we will refund your original costs.

Cost for this model is $1600 plus $250 shipping and this is reflected in the website banner price.