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Jane Gulliford Lowes welcomes author, editor, and aviation historian Dan Sharp to dig into the Luftwaffe’s bomber plans, from prewar requirements to late war jet concepts. The conversation focuses on how German bomber strategy was shaped by speed, range, and technological ambition, and why so many of the most advanced ideas never arrived in time.

They also unpack the long standing myth around the Heinkel 177 dive bomber requirement, showing how the real story is more complicated than the usual explanation.

Key topics

• We discuss Dan Sharp’s new book, Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe, Volume 2, and why it matters for understanding German bomber development.
• Dan explains that the Luftwaffe did not expect the Heinkel 111, Dornier 17, and Junkers 87 to remain its long term bomber force.
• We discuss the 1938 plan to replace older bombers with two fast types, the Junkers 88 and Heinkel 177, in a force of 12,000 aircraft.
• Dan shares how early Luftwaffe requirements were heavily influenced by prewar aviation experiments, especially the push for speed seen in aircraft like the Heinkel 70.
• We discuss the idea of the bomber that survives by being fast rather than heavily armed, and how that logic shaped the Schnellbomber and Höhenbomber requirements.
• Dan shares that Luftwaffe procurement was slow and process driven, so even ambitious requirements took four or five years to reach production.
• We discuss the gap between planned strength and wartime reality, including the Luftwaffe going to war in 1939 with only 23 Junkers 88s.
• Dan explains the Grossbomber and Fernbomber concepts, and how they fed into the development of the Heinkel 177.
• We discuss why the Heinkel 177’s problems were driven more by overambitious speed requirements and aerodynamic compromises than by the dive bomber story alone.
• Dan shares how the supposed dive bomber role for the Heinkel 177 was really about shallow glide attacks, not Ju 87 style near vertical dives.
• We discuss how the Luftwaffe repeatedly tried to adapt strategy around technology, rather than simply fielding weapons to match a fixed plan.
• Dan explains the guided weapon effort, including the HS 293 and Fritz X, and how difficult it was to make those systems work in real combat.
• We discuss the attempted long range bombing of America, including refueling concepts, the America Bomber studies, and the ME 264 and JU 390 family of ideas.
• Dan shares how late war jet bomber projects like the Heinkel 343 and Junkers 287 reflected a last ditch belief in technological superiority.

Timestamps

00:00 - Welcome back after the summer break
 02:24 - Dan Sharp introduced and the focus on Luftwaffe bomber projects
 04:06 - The Luftwaffe’s plan to replace older bombers with the Ju 88 and He 177
 05:11 - The origins of German bomber requirements before the Luftwaffe era
 07:05 - The Heinkel 70 and the obsession with speed
 10:10 - Why fast aircraft changed thinking about bomber design
 12:36 - Walter Wever and the push for faster bomber types
 15:17 - How speed, altitude, and range became separate bomber philosophies
 17:02 - How German aircraft procurement actually worked
 19:38 - Why new bombers took years to reach service
 22:27 - The Luftwaffe’s outdated bomber fleet at the outbreak of war
 25:23 - Grossbomber and the search for a true heavy bomber
 27:19 - Wever’s Fernbomber priorities and his death in 1936
 31:19 - The real requirement behind Bomber A
 33:01 - The meaning of shallow glide attacks and airframe strength categories
 35:45 - Why a 40 degree descent was not a Ju 87 style dive
 37:23 - The 50 degree change and the mystery around it
 39:18 - How the He 177 was engineered for speed
 40:54 - The coupled engine arrangement and why it caused problems
 42:25 - Remote controlled defensive turrets and evaporative cooling ideas
 44:44 - The later myth of the dive bomber requirement
 47:32 - Strategy being forced to adapt to technological limits
 51:07 - Luftwaffe thinking after the Soviet campaign
 55:09 - The shift toward high altitude specialist weapons
 57:13 - Guided missiles and the limits of wartime technology
 60:51 - The idea of bombing America and the refueling problem
 62:48 - The America Bomber studies and extreme range requirements
 65:27 - The ME 264, JU 290, and JU 390 concepts
 68:00 - Why the America Bomber concept was shelved
 70:29 - Late war technological superiority and the endgame
 72:14 - Jet bomber projects and the He 343 versus Ju 287
 74:46 - The last attempt to revive the jet bomber concept
 76:21 - Closing reflections on quality versus quantity in Luftwaffe thinking
 77:43 - Where to find Dan Sharp’s books
 78:25 - Outro and listener support information

Action items

• Look out for Dan Sharp’s Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe, Volume 2.
• Check out Volume 1 if you want the wider background to the series.
• If you enjoyed the episode, support the podcast by leaving a rating or review and joining the listener community.

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