HouseHobbit
Charter Member
Here she is in action all..
Missions package for the He 177
Briefings as follows;
It was on the afternoon of November 21, 1943, that the He 177 flew its first major operation. On that day Major Mons, the commander of the Second Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 40 (II./K.G.40), led 25 of these bombers against the large convoy SL139/MKS 30 as it was moving northwards in a position some 680km to the north-east of Cape Finisterre, Spain. Each of the He 177s carried two glider-bombs.
Marsa and Delius
"The ship (Marsa)(16:00 hrs.) was hit near the water line. At this stage it was clear that Marsa could not be saved; an escort came alongside and took off her crew. The second straggler, the Delius, also came under attack from the Heinkels; she too suffered a hit, but was able to reach port under her own steam.
Five days later, at dusk on November 26, 1943, II./K.G.40 struck again. This time 21 Heinkels set off with glider-bombs to attack convoy KMF 26 as it passed Cape Bougie on the Algerian coast. Almost immediately after take-off, one of the bombers suffered a broken crankshaft in one of its engines; it was burnt out following the subsequent crash landing. Such was the inauspicious start to what was to prove a disastrous operation for the Germans.
When they reached the convoy, the He 177 crews found the concentrated anti-aircraft barrage disconcerting enough. But then came the fighters -Supermarine Spitfires of the French squadron GC 1/7, Bell P-39 Airacobras of the U.S.A.A.F. 350th Fighter Group and Bristol Beaufighters of No. 153 Squadron, R.A.F. During the rough-and-tumble which followed, six Heinkels were shot down, including those piloted by Major Mons and Hauptmann Nuss. In return, the crews of II./K.G.40 were able to score at least one glider-bomb hit on the troop-carrying liner -Rolma, which sank. The rapidly approaching darkness and the heavy swell greatly impeded rescue work and more than a thousand American soldiers -more than half of those embarked - perished.
On the night of February 13, 1944 as part of Operation Steinbock, fourteen He 177 taxied out on a bombing mission, thirteen took off, one suffering a burst tire, eight promptly returned to base with overheating or burning engines. Of the four He 177s which did reach London one was shot down by night fighters. It is not always clarified that these aircraft were brand new, delivered about a week before the operation and not properly flown-in, as the air unit had moved to a new airfield the day before and lacked sufficient maintenance personnel and material.
Night of February 20-21 1944: Some 200 aircraft set out for London. I./K.G.100 put up about 30 He 177s, which took-off from and landed back at Rheine.
Have a look all..
Missions package for the He 177
Briefings as follows;
It was on the afternoon of November 21, 1943, that the He 177 flew its first major operation. On that day Major Mons, the commander of the Second Gruppe of Kampfgeschwader 40 (II./K.G.40), led 25 of these bombers against the large convoy SL139/MKS 30 as it was moving northwards in a position some 680km to the north-east of Cape Finisterre, Spain. Each of the He 177s carried two glider-bombs.
Marsa and Delius
"The ship (Marsa)(16:00 hrs.) was hit near the water line. At this stage it was clear that Marsa could not be saved; an escort came alongside and took off her crew. The second straggler, the Delius, also came under attack from the Heinkels; she too suffered a hit, but was able to reach port under her own steam.
Five days later, at dusk on November 26, 1943, II./K.G.40 struck again. This time 21 Heinkels set off with glider-bombs to attack convoy KMF 26 as it passed Cape Bougie on the Algerian coast. Almost immediately after take-off, one of the bombers suffered a broken crankshaft in one of its engines; it was burnt out following the subsequent crash landing. Such was the inauspicious start to what was to prove a disastrous operation for the Germans.
When they reached the convoy, the He 177 crews found the concentrated anti-aircraft barrage disconcerting enough. But then came the fighters -Supermarine Spitfires of the French squadron GC 1/7, Bell P-39 Airacobras of the U.S.A.A.F. 350th Fighter Group and Bristol Beaufighters of No. 153 Squadron, R.A.F. During the rough-and-tumble which followed, six Heinkels were shot down, including those piloted by Major Mons and Hauptmann Nuss. In return, the crews of II./K.G.40 were able to score at least one glider-bomb hit on the troop-carrying liner -Rolma, which sank. The rapidly approaching darkness and the heavy swell greatly impeded rescue work and more than a thousand American soldiers -more than half of those embarked - perished.
On the night of February 13, 1944 as part of Operation Steinbock, fourteen He 177 taxied out on a bombing mission, thirteen took off, one suffering a burst tire, eight promptly returned to base with overheating or burning engines. Of the four He 177s which did reach London one was shot down by night fighters. It is not always clarified that these aircraft were brand new, delivered about a week before the operation and not properly flown-in, as the air unit had moved to a new airfield the day before and lacked sufficient maintenance personnel and material.
Night of February 20-21 1944: Some 200 aircraft set out for London. I./K.G.100 put up about 30 He 177s, which took-off from and landed back at Rheine.
Have a look all..
