The He 177 Greif was big, fast and carried a large bomb load. It was also terribly unreliable and had a slightly concerning tendency of catching fire in flight. This is well known, with plenty of memes and jokes even dating back to the Second World War, but why did this actually happen? Why was this otherwise promising aircraft doomed from the start? Well, it was all to do with its overstressed, poorly engineered engines that got so hot they would essentially spontaneously combust. Lets take ...
