Dornier Do 217

Template:Infobox Aircraft The Dornier Do 217 was a World War II heavy bomber designed from scratch as a replacement for the venerable Dornier Do 17.

Dornier recognized shortcomings of its fast Dornier Do 17 well before the war. With Junkers' new Junkers Ju 88 prototype being superior to the Do 17 in every way, Dornier decided to make a new bomber better than its Do 17, and its Ju 88 competition. Superficially a scaled up Do 215, powered at first by the same DB 601 engines, the Do 217 was actually considerably larger and totally different in detailed design. Much of Dornier's efforts in 1938-1940 were devoted to finding more powerful engines and improving the flying qualities, and when the BMW 801 radial engine was available the Do 217 really fulfilled its potential and carried a heavier bomb load than any other Luftwaffe bomber of the time.

In almost every way, the Do 217 was a success. It could carry much higher bomb loads than either the Ju 88 or the Heinkel He 111. It was also very fast, surpassing the Ju 88 in maximum speed. It was Germany's largest bomber for nearly two years until the Heinkel He 177 was finally safe enough to use. Do 217's sank the Italian battleship Roma with Fritz X missiles as she steamed to the Allies after Italy's capitulation.

However, the Do 217 had some quite serious flaws. It was at the size limit for a twin-engined bomber, given the engines available. Unlike its agile cousin Do 17, this aircraft was difficult to fly. Instability was a problem at first, but modifications such as fixed slats along the leading edges of the vertical fins helped to improve flight stability.

Like the Do 17 and the Ju 88, it was used in a variety of different variants and roles, including the night fighter - a sign that Germany desperately needed fighters, and far more than it needed bombers. Production was stopped in late 1943 in favour of fighters.

Today, only a few fragments of the Do 217 exist. Like the Do 17, this major type in the service of the Luftwaffe is frequently overlooked.

Do 217 versions:

• Do 217A-0: Small pre-production series with two 1,100 hp DB 601 inline piston engines, used for clandestine reconnaissance missions. Eight Do 217A-0 pre-production aircraft were built.
• Do 217C-0: Pre-production bomber, DB 601 engines, increased defensive armament, four built.
• Do 217E-0: Pre-production bomber with two 1,600 hp BMW 801A/B engines.
• Do 217E-1: Production bomber with five 7.92 mm MG 15 and one 15 mm MG 151 for defence.
• Do 217E-2:
• Do 217E-3:
• Do 217E-4:
• Do 217E-5:
• Do 217H:
• Do 217K: Bomber with two 1,730 hp BMW 801G/H radial piston engines, longer wingspan to carry guided missiles/bombs.
• Do 217K-1:
• Do 217K-2:
• Do 217K-3:
• Do 217M: Bomber, a Do 217K with 1,750 hp DB 603A inline piston engines.
• Do 217M-1:
• Do 217M-3:
• Do 217M-5:
• Do 217M-11:
• Do 217J: Night fighter based on the Do 217E - solid nose with 4x 7,92 mm MG 17 machine guns and 4x 20 mm MG FF/M cannon.
• Do 217J-1:
• DO 217J-2:
• Do 217L: Two experimental aircraft.
• Do 217N: Night fighter based on the Do 217M - armament as Do 217J + 4x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon as Schräge Musik.
• Do 217N-1:
• Do 217N-2:
• Do 217P: High altitude reconnaissance aircraft with two 1,860 hp DB 603B supercharged by a DB 605T in the fuselage with a ceiling of 53,000 ft.
• Do 217R: redesignated Do 317

Specifications (Do 217 J-2)

General characteristics

• Crew: four

Performance Armament

• 4 x 20 mm MG FF cannon
• 4 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine gun
• 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun
• up to 400 kg of disposable stores

Specifications (Do 217 M-1)

General characteristics

• Crew: four

Performance Armament

• 4 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun
• 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun
• up to 4000 kg (8820 lb) of disposable stores