During World War II, Germany developed only one aircraft that could truly be considered a heavy bomber. It was an aircraft that was plagued by design changes throughout its development and saddled with an untried engine The DB 606. This was a 'double engine' if you would, that combined two engines with a common crankcase. On paper it looked like a great idea, but in reality, it was constantly catching fire at the most inopportune times and did not produced the power originally estimated. By the time it reached unit service, the war had already swung around against the Axis and the ability to use the airplane as intended was gone. The final versions of the aircraft were essentially flown from the factory to a holding area where they were stripped of useful materials and left as the time for bombers was gone and all of the air war effort was into fighters for defense.

Author Manfred Griehl tells us the story of this aircraft as well as a brief look at its operational record. The title of the series is a photo archive and so we are treated to more He-177 images in one place than I have ever seen before. Some of them are old friends and some of them are new to my eyes. All have been well chosen for clarity and help to tell the story of one of the Luftwaffe's more intriguing aircraft. The photos are in historical sequence starting with the prototypes and ending with the final production versions. There is also a section on the various defensive armaments carried by the 177 during its life span. The inside of both covers have a variety of color profiles depicting some of the planes illustrated in the book.

Air Doc's dual German/English books have set a very high standard for books of this type. It not only provides an excellent historical reference, but an equally outstanding photo reference and this one is no exception. Overall it is a superlative book that is well written, well designed and a delight to read. One I can recommend to you without hesitation.

April 2009

My thanks to AirDoc for the review book. You can find these at your local hobby shop and if not, ask them to order them for you. You can also order direct by e-mailing them at www.airdoc.eu

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