This is the first picture I've seen of this plane. Not sure if it's been posted here previously. Secret Weapons of the Third Reich | Nazi Super Weapons | Captain America | InnovationNewsDaily
William Green's Warplanes of the 3rd Reich has a bit more info on the ME 264, including a few pictures, and a 3-view.
Would you like some of the article in the book on the Amerika Bomber? I think I could type in a paragraph or two, including the list of specs.
Just noticed this in the link Poppy posted: Intended to reach the continental United States, the bombers of the Amerika Bomber project, were designed to carry 3 to 6.5 ton payloads from the Azore Islands to targets like New York City. from the Azore Islands is quite a change from the usual suggestion that the Amerika Bomber - of whatever type - would hit the US direct from Europe. It's certainly more feasible in terms of 1940s aircraft performance; but did someone in Germany actually think they could occupy and hold the Azores, let alone support heavy bomber bases there?
Doesn't basing the bomber in the Azores create another problem though? The British and Americans had been there since 1943. Since Portugal gave approval for the use of their Azores Islands by British and American Naval and Airforces in 1943. This agreement stemmed from a treaty signed in the year of 1373, the treaty was way back in 1373, and signed between King Henry the IIIrd and King Ferdinand and Queen Eleanor of Portugal. I foresee some difficulty in the Germans being able to use the Azores as an air base, they have to invade and throw out those allies already there. The Nazis don't have a great track record in invading islands and occupying them. Their Crete adventure was such a costly one, Hitler declared it to be the last of that type of airborne work.
according to several noted German author/historians the Me 264 even flying from western French A/F's could not even fly over the eastern portion of the States except the possibility of flying over Labrador, but the Ju 390 could do that at 4500km.
Dear Poppy, Erich & Co.: Bader's Briar here...that Griehl/Dressel book on the entire He 177 series DID include this quote by Ernst Heinkel, dated about October 1943 on pages 197 through 199...and as also mentioned in two previous posts on the subject by yours truly here and here concerning previously-hidden He 177 history tidbits... "In our opinion, the Me 264 is a record-breaking aircraft, and does not come up to service requirements for operations in large numbers. The Bv 222 and Ju 290 are far too big and are not bombers, in addition to which the Ju 290 has to be altered to Ju 390 (six engines). This would make the construction effort bigger still. Thus, only the Ta 400 and the He 277 remain as useful operational aircraft". — Ernst Heinkel ...in a chapter from the Griehl/Dressel book concerning the He 274, and the He 277's emergent role from Ernst's firm - with a differing fuselage from any other member (looking more like an enlarged He 219) of the He 177's lineage sporting four "individual engines"...the four ordered prototypes of the He 177B, three of which flew (first one was the He 177 V102 on Dec 20 1943) during the late war years, the two post-war completed examples of the He 274 high-altitude descendant in France, and like the He 343, no example of the He 277 was EVER completed during the war years...both the He 343 and He 277 only each had a few parts made for them, but neither one came ANYWHERE close to being a flyable aircraft in any manner. ALL of that is in the Griehl/Dressel book...published in 1998, it's apparently got more recently revealed info on the whole He 177 "family" in there than any other volume published before it. Just a friendly message, to consider either getting... View attachment 17747 this book for oneself, or borrowing a copy to read from someone you know, or a local library that's big enough to have one...it's got a LOT of details on the "Gruesome Griffin" in there! Yours Sincerely, Bader's Briar....!!
