Heinkel He 177 Units of World War 2

In many ways, the Heinkel He 177 "Greif" (Griffon) was Nazi Germany's "lost" strategic bomber. With some fundamental creases ironed out, and built in numbers, the He 177 would have offered the Luftwaffe the means with which to carry out long-range, mass bombing attacks against targets of a strategic nature. Although competing interests and personalities served to prevent this from happening, from mid-1943 the aircraft nevertheless saw service over England, the Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and in Russia. The He 177 flew to the end of the war, with some machines undertaking extremely hazardous low-level missions against Soviet armor in Poland in late 1944--45.

This fascinating book, filled with detailed artwork and contemporary photographs, tells the story of this aircraft, including the political infighting at the top of the Luftwaffe's hierarchy that stymied its development, its radical technical design, and state-of-the-art weaponry.

Robert Forsyth has studied the history and operations of the Luftwaffe for many years. He has written a number of books for Osprey, including Jagdverband 44 and Jagdgeschwader 7 'Notwony' (Aviation Elite Units series), Fw 190 Sturmboche vs B-17 Flying Fortress (Duel), Aces of the Legion Condor and Luftwaffe Viermot Aces 1942-45 (Aircraft of the Aces), Me 262 Bomber and Reconnaissance Units (Combat Aircraft), and Messerschmidt Me264 Amerika Bomber (X-Planes). He works in publishing, having founded Classic Publications and the imprint Tattered Flag. He lives in the UK.

Jim Laurier is a native of New England, growing up in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. He has been drawing since he could hold a pencil and throughout his life he has worked in many mediums creating artwork on a variety of subjects. He has worked on the Osprey Aviation list since 2000, and in that time he has produced some of the finest artwork seen in these volumes. He currently lives in New Hampshire.