The production comparison sets about 1,169 Heinkel He 177s against 7,377 Avro Lancasters, roughly six Lancasters per He 177. The maximum bomb loads checked are broadly comparable: 15,000 pounds for the He 177 and 14,000 pounds for the Lancaster I. The Lancaster is only one part of the British heavy-bomber force in this comparison. A capable individual aircraft therefore does not establish the capacity for sustained mass bombing. Thousand-bomber raids require enough aircraft to assemble forces on that scale.
Notable Point · 2:50:36-2:52:41
He 177 and Lancaster: bomb load versus production scale
Comparable individual bomb loads concealed a large difference in the number of heavy bombers available.