The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined
light bomber
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance.
The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...
produced by
Dornier Flugzeugwerke
Dornier Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer founded in Friedrichshafen in 1914 by Claude Dornier. Over the course of its long lifespan, the company produced many designs for both the civil and military markets.
History
Originally ...
for the German
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Designed in the early 1930s as a ''
Schnellbomber
A ''Schnellbomber'' (German; literally "fast bomber") is a bomber that relies upon speed to avoid enemy fighters, rather than relying on defensive armament and armor.
Concept
The concept developed in the 1930s when it was believed that a ver ...
'' ("fast bomber") intended to be fast enough to outrun opposing aircraft, the lightly built craft had a
twin tail
A twin tail is a specific type of vertical stabilizer arrangement found on the empennage of some aircraft. Two vertical stabilizers—often smaller on their own than a single conventional tail would be—are mounted at the outside of the aircra ...
and "
shoulder wing
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...
". Sometimes referred to as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' ("flying pencil"), it was popular among its crews due to its handling, especially at low altitude, which made the Do 17 harder to hit than other German
bomber
A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching aerial torpedo, torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped ...
s.
The Do 17 made its combat debut in 1937 during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, operating in the
Condor Legion
The Condor Legion (german: Legion Condor) was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legio ...
in various roles. Along with the
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...
it was the main bomber type of the German air arm in 1939–1940. The Dornier was used throughout the early war, and saw action in significant numbers in every major campaign theatre as a front line aircraft until the end of 1941, when its effectiveness and usage was curtailed as its bomb load and range were limited.
Production of the Dornier ended in mid-1940, in favour of the newer and more powerful
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 is a German World War II ''Luftwaffe'' twin-engined multirole combat aircraft. Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (JFM) designed the plane in the mid-1930s as a so-called ''Schnellbomber'' ("fast bomber") that would be too fast ...
. The successor of the Do 17 was the much more powerful
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber ...
, which started to appear in strength in 1942. Some remaining Do 17s continued in various Luftwaffe roles until the end of the war, as a glider tug, research, and
trainer aircraft. A considerable number were sent to other
Axis
An axis (plural ''axes'') is an imaginary line around which an object rotates or is symmetrical. Axis may also refer to:
Mathematics
* Axis of rotation: see rotation around a fixed axis
* Axis (mathematics), a designator for a Cartesian-coordinat ...
nations, with few surviving the war. The last was scrapped in Finland.
Development
In 1932, the Ordnance Department (
''Heereswaffenamt'') issued a specification for the construction of a "freight aircraft for
German State Railways", and a "high speed mail plane for
Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), commonly shortened to Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. When combined with its subsidiaries, it is the second- largest airline in Europe in terms of passengers carried. Lufthansa is one of the five founding m ...
".
[Dressel and Griehl 1994, p. 25.] The factory at
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...
began work on the design on 1 August 1932.
When the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
s took power in 1933,
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German politician, military leader and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which ruled Germany from 1933 to 1 ...
became National Commissar for aviation with former
Deutsche Luft Hansa
''Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G.'' (from 1933 styled as ''Deutsche Lufthansa'' and also known as ''Luft Hansa'', ''Lufthansa'', or DLH) was a German airline, serving as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and th ...
employee
Erhard Milch
Erhard Milch (30 March 1892 – 25 January 1972) was a German general field marshal (''Generalfeldmarschall'') of Jewish heritage who oversaw the development of the German air force (''Luftwaffe'') as part of the re-armament of Nazi Germany foll ...
as his deputy, soon forming the
Ministry of Aviation
The Ministry of Aviation was a department of the United Kingdom government established in 1959. Its responsibilities included the regulation of civil aviation and the supply of military aircraft, which it took on from the Ministry of Supply.
...
. The Ministry of Aviation designated the new aircraft Do 17, and on 17 March 1933, just three months after taking office, Milch gave the go ahead for the building of
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
s. At the end of 1933, the Ministry of Aviation issued an order for a "high speed aircraft with double tail," and for a "freight aircraft with special equipment," in other words, a bomber. The original design (the Do 17 V1) configuration in 1932 had sported a single
vertical stabilizer
A vertical stabilizer or tail fin is the static part of the vertical tail of an aircraft. The term is commonly applied to the assembly of both this fixed surface and one or more movable rudders hinged to it. Their role is to provide control, sta ...
, and Dornier continued developing that model. The Do 17 was first demonstrated in mock-up form in April 1933. The "special equipment" was to be fitted later, to disguise its offensive role.
[Griehl 2005, p. 2.]
In April 1934, the Dornier works at
Manzell
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the di ...
began project "definition." During this month, the defensive armament was designed and the bomb release mechanism details ironed out. Production of these prototypes began on 20 May 1934 and, on 23 November 1934, the Do 17 V1, with a single fin and powered by two
BMW VI
The BMW VI was a water-cooled V-12 aircraft engine built in Germany in the 1920s. It was one of the most important German aero engines in the years leading up to World War II, with thousands built. It was further developed as the BMW VII and B ...
7.3 motors, took off on its first flight. Testing was delayed by a series of accidents, with V1 being damaged in landing accidents in February and April 1935. The twin-tailed V2 (powered by low-compression BMW VI 6.3 engines) first flew on 18 May 1935 and was evaluated together with the V1 by the Ministry of Aviation at
Rechlin
Rechlin is a municipality in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany, around 100 km (60 mi) northwest of Berlin. The town's airport has a long history and was the Luftwaffe's main testing ground for new aircraft designs in Nazi Germany. ...
in June. During the tests, the single fin proved to be only marginally stable, resulting in the V1 being modified with a twin tail. The aircraft was destroyed in a crash after an engine failure on 21 December 1935.
[Green and Swanborough 1986, pp. 42–43.] The V3, also fitted with a twin tail, was originally planned to be powered by
Hispano-Suiza 12Y
The Hispano-Suiza 12Y was an aircraft engine produced by Hispano-Suiza for the French Air Force before the Second World War. The 12Y became the primary French 1,000 hp (750 kW) class engine and was used in a number of famous aircraft, ...
brs engines, but as these were unavailable, it was fitted with BMW VI 7.3 engines like the V1 and flew on 19 September 1935.
[Green and Swanborough 1986, p. 43.] The V1 prototype remained the only built machine with the single stabilizer.
It is claimed that, unlike the
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...
series, whose military use was planned from the start, the Do 17 V1 was contracted as a fast six-passenger
mail plane
A mail plane is an aircraft used for carrying mail.
Aircraft that were purely mail planes existed almost exclusively prior to World War II. Because early aircraft were too underpowered to carry cargoes, and too costly to run any "economy class" ...
to compete with the smaller
Heinkel He 70
The Heinkel He 70 ''Blitz'' ("lightning") was a German mail plane and fast passenger monoplane aircraft of the 1930s designed by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke, which was later used as a bomber and for aerial reconnaissance. It had a brief commercial car ...
monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes.
A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
It has been suggested that it was rejected by Luft Hansa, as the cramped
cabin was too uncomfortable for passenger use and the operating costs were too high for a mail plane.
[Nowarra 1990, p. 4.] According to the story, the three prototypes remained unused in the Dornier factory in Lowental for almost six months, until Flight Captain Untucht of Luft Hansa came across them. After receiving permission to fly one of the machines, he proceeded to put it through an almost stunt flying routine. After landing, he said that "the machine is as nimble as a fighter, give it more lateral stability and we'll have a high speed bomber!" Untucht's comments prompted Dornier to redesign the tail unit and revived interest in the type.
[Nowarra 1990, p. 5.]
Dornier was then ordered to produce the V4 prototype. Some sources state this differed from the V3 in that the passenger portholes were removed and the single fin was replaced with two smaller ones.
[Goss 2005, p. 7.] Photographic evidence demonstrates the V3 had twin stabilizers from the start of its construction.
[Griehl 2005, p. 12.] The tests of the "twin-tailed" V4, V6 and V7 prototypes were positive and more prototypes like the V8 emerged as the forerunner of the long-range
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
version, while the V9 was tested as a high-speed
airliner
An airliner is a type of aircraft for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. Although the definition of an airliner can vary from country to country, an airliner is typically defined as an ...
.
[Dressel and Griehl 1994, p. 26.] The V9 machine was still flying in 1944.
Design
The forward fuselage had a conventional stepped cockpit, with a fully glazed nose. Early variants were labelled the "flying pencil" owing to its sleek and continuous "stick-like" lines. As a result of the lessons learned in the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
, the cockpit roof was raised and the lower, or bottom half, of the crew compartment was a typical under-nose
gondola
The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, ...
or "Bodenlafette" (abbreviated ''Bola''): this inverted-casemate design ventral defensive armament position was a common feature of most German medium bombers. The ''Bola'' was extended back to the leading edge of the wings where the lower-rear gunners position and upper-rear gunner position were level with each other.
[Goss 2005, p. 12.] As with contemporary German bombers, the crew were concentrated in a single compartment.
The cockpit layout consisted of the pilot seat and front gunner in the forward part of the cockpit. The pilot sat on the left side, close up to the Plexiglas windshield. One of the gunners sat on the right seat, which was set further back to provide room for the
MG 15 machine gun
The MG 15 was a German 7.92 mm machine gun designed specifically as a hand-manipulated defensive gun for combat aircraft during the early 1930s. By 1941 it was replaced by other types and found new uses with ground troops.
History
The MG 1 ...
to be traversed in use. The Do 17 usually carried a crew of four: the pilot, a bombardier and two gunners. The bomb-aimer also manned the MG 15 in the nose glazing and ''Bola''-housed rear lower position. The two gunners operated the forward-firing MG 15 installed in the front windshield, the two MGs located in the side windows (one each side) and the rearward firing weapon. The cockpit offered a bright and panoramic view at high altitude. The standard ammunition load was 3,300 rounds of 7.92 mm ammunition in 44 double-drum magazines.
[Griehl 2005, p. 6.]
![Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-658-6356-25, Reichsgebiet, Piloten im Cockpit eines Flugzeugs](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d7/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-658-6356-25%2C_Reichsgebiet%2C_Piloten_im_Cockpit_eines_Flugzeugs.jpg)
The wings were of a broad area and had a span of with a straight leading edge which curved in a near-perfect semicircle into the trailing edge. The positions of the wing roots were offset. The leading edge wing root merged with the top of the fuselage and cockpit. As the wing extended backwards, by roughly two thirds, it declined downwards at a sharp angle so that the trailing edge wing root ended nearly halfway down the side of the fuselage increasing the
angle of incidence. This design feature was used on all future Dornier bomber designs, namely the
Dornier Do 217
The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German ''Luftwaffe'' during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the ''Fliegender Bleistift'' (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber ...
. The trailing edge was
faired into the round fuselage shape. The engine nacelle was also faired into the
flaps. The extreme rear of the nacelle was hollow and allowed the flap with an attached vertical slot to fit into the cavity when deployed.
![FuG 10 radio Dornier Do 17 Z 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/FuG_10_radio_Dornier_Do_17_Z_1.JPG)
The fuselage was long. It was thin and narrow, which presented an enemy with a difficult target to hit. The fuselage had twin vertical stabilizers to increase lateral stability. The power plant of the Z-1 was to have been the
Daimler-Benz DB 601
The Daimler-Benz DB 601 was a German aircraft engine built during World War II. It was a liquid-cooled inverted V12 engine, V12, and powered the Messerschmitt Bf 109, Messerschmitt Bf 110, and many others. Approximately 19,000 601's were pr ...
but, owing to shortages from priority allocation for Bf 109E and Bf 110 fighter production, it was allocated
Bramo 323
The Bramo 323 ''Fafnir'' is a nine-cylinder radial aircraft engine of the World War II era. Based heavily on Siemens/Bramo's earlier experience producing the Bristol Jupiter under licence, the Bramo 323 saw limited use.
Design and development
...
A-1 power plants. The Bramos could only reach at . The limited performance of the Bramo 323s ensured the Do 17 could not reach at in level flight when fully loaded.
[Griehl 2005, p. 5.] The range of the Do 17Z-1 at ground level was ; this increased to 1,370 km (850 nm) at . This gave an average attack range of . The introduction of the Bramo 323P increased the Z-2 performance slightly in all areas.
The Dornier had
self-sealing fuel tank
A self-sealing fuel tank is a type of fuel tank, typically used in aircraft fuel tanks or fuel bladders, that prevents them from leaking fuel and igniting after being damaged.
Typical self-sealing tanks have multiple layers of rubber and reinforc ...
s to protect fuel stored in the wings and fuselage. This reduced the loss of fuel and risk of fire when hit in action, and often enabled the aircraft to return. Twenty oxygen bottles were provided for crew use during long flights above .
Communications usually consisted of FuG X, the later
FuG 10, navigational direction finder ''PeilG V''
direction finder
Direction finding (DF), or radio direction finding (RDF), isin accordance with International Telecommunication Union (ITU)defined as radio location that uses the reception of radio waves to determine the direction in which a radio station ...
(PeilG - ''Peilgerät'') and the FuG 25 IFF and FuBI 1 blind-landing devices. The crew communicated by EiV intercom.
A primitive autopilot device, the
Siemens
Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad.
The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', '' ...
K4Ü, was installed and could maintain
bearing using the rudder's control surfaces.
The bomb bay accommodated four bomb racks, the No. 5 for SC50 bombs and two ETC 500 racks to carry heavier loads of up to each. A ''Lotfe'' A, or B bombsight was issued together with the BZA-2 aperture (a modernised optical lens system).
The aircraft's bomb bay allowed two options. The first was to carry four bombs for a load of , which reduced aircraft range. With half the maximum load, ten bombs, additional fuel tanks could be placed into the forward part of the bomb bay to increase range. The
bomb aimer aimed the bombs via the Lotfe (A, B or C 7/A, depending on the variant) bomb sight which was in the left side of the nose compartment directly under and forward of the pilot. When fully loaded, the Z-1 weighed .
Variants
Early Daimler-Benz-powered variants
![Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-565-1407-35A, Italien, Dornier Do 17, Lastensegler DFS 230](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a7/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-565-1407-35A%2C_Italien%2C_Dornier_Do_17%2C_Lastensegler_DFS_230.jpg)
The initial production variants were the Do 17E-1 bomber, which was tested with two
Daimler-Benz DB 600
The Daimler-Benz DB 600 was a German aircraft engine designed and built before World War II as part of a new generation of German engine technology. It was a liquid-cooled inverted V12 engine, and powered the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Heinkel He ...
,
and Do 17F-1 reconnaissance aircraft, powered like the early prototypes with BMW VI engines, which entered production in late 1936. The first Luftwaffe units converted to the Do 17 in early 1937.
[Green 1967, pp. 142–144.]
The Do 17E-1 was equipped with two
BMW VI 7.3D inline engines of 750
PS each. The crew numbered three. The radio operator manned the two 7.92 mm
MG 15 machine gun
The MG 15 was a German 7.92 mm machine gun designed specifically as a hand-manipulated defensive gun for combat aircraft during the early 1930s. By 1941 it was replaced by other types and found new uses with ground troops.
History
The MG 1 ...
s within a B-Stand pod in the rear cockpit. They had 750 rounds of ammunition. The bomb bay was divided into two compartments. Each had five bomb racks with individual capacity of . A single ETC 500/IX bomb rack could be mounted externally underneath the aircraft to carry a 500 kg bomb. A Do 17 E-1 with the designation D-AJUN was tested with an unusual configuration, two
SC 500 bombs mounted side by side under the fuselage. It showed a notable performance reduction due to the increase in weight and drag, this configuration was not used operationally. The E-1 continued to carry low bomb loads into the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The performance of the E-1 enabled it to reach a speed of at . Conducting a shallow dive the light frame of the Do 17 could reach . Its maximum ceiling was . Several E-1s were rebuilt as E-2 or E-3, at least three E-2 and one E-3 were used by DVL and Hansa-Luftbild GmbH (Hansa Aerial Photography Ltd) in a secret military reconnaissance role prior to the war.
[Griehl 2005, p. 3.]
The Do 17F-1 was a long-range reconnaissance aircraft based on field modified Do 17Es. The Do 17 prototype V8 was used to test the configuration of the F-1 and V11 for the F-2. The defensive armament consisted of a MG 15 in the B- and C-Stand (B-Stand - an upper rear firing position, C-Stand — lower gun emplacement). The fuselage had two cameras along with six ejector tubes for flashlight cartridges. The F-1 saw service until replaced by the Do 17 P in 1938. Only one F-2 was ever built, it was designated D-ACZJ and was used by Zeiss-Jena Company as a factory aircraft.
Conversion of two E-2 series aircraft with two
BMW 132F radial engine
The radial engine is a reciprocating type internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. It resembles a stylized star when viewed from the front, and is ca ...
s led to the Do 17 J-1 and J-2. These aircraft served as flight testing machines to evaluate the BMW 132 for usage in the Do 17. The aircraft were the V18 (''Wrk Nr'', or ''Werknummer'' meaning works/factory number, 2021) and V19 (Wrk Nr 2022) prototypes. Trials began in late 1937. A similar conversion, but with
Bramo 323
The Bramo 323 ''Fafnir'' is a nine-cylinder radial aircraft engine of the World War II era. Based heavily on Siemens/Bramo's earlier experience producing the Bristol Jupiter under licence, the Bramo 323 saw limited use.
Design and development
...
radial engines, led to the designation Do 17 L-1 and L-2. Two Do 17 (Wrk Nr 2031 and 2032) were renamed as V20 and V21 prototypes and used to evaluate the Bramo 323 for usage in the Do 17. The test was satisfactory and all future production models were equipped with this engine.
After seeing the Do 17M V1 at the
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
air races in 1937, the
Yugoslav Royal Air Force
The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; ( sl, Jugoslovansko kraljevo vojno letalstv ...
bought license rights for production at the ''Drzavna Fabrika Aviona'' factory in 1938. They equipped it with the more powerful
Gnome-Rhône 14 NO radial engine.
Dornier designs were delivered to the ''Pomorsko Vazduhoplovstvo'' (Naval Aviation - PV) in 1926, namely the
Dornier Komet
The Dornier ''Komet'' ("Comet"), ''Merkur'' ("Mercury"), Do C, Do D, and Do T were a family of aircraft manufactured in Germany during the 1920s, originally as small airliners, but which saw military use as well. The earliest aircraft in the ser ...
and
Dornier Do Y
The Dornier Do Y was a German bomber of the 1930s, the second bomber design by Dornier Flugzeugwerke.
Development
Design on the aircraft began in 1930, to follow up from the other Dornier bomber prototype, the Dornier Do P. The first aircraft ...
heavy bombers. The Yugoslavs were familiar with Dornier designs, and on 19 November 1935 Yugoslav pilots test-flew the Do 17 V-3 prototype, D-ABIH, W.Nr. 258. They decided to select the Do 17 for service, despite it being more expensive than any other aircraft, because of the German willingness to deliver them quickly without limitations on numbers.
[Ciglic and Savic 2007, p. 5.]
The Do 17L-0 and Do 17M-0 were developed in parallel as replacements for the earlier E and Fs, the L being the reconnaissance version. Both were designed around the more powerful DB 600A engines, delivering about . Two L and one M versions were built as prototypes, both with another MG 15 in the nose. The first prototype of the revised version, the Do 17M V1 (D-ABVD) was powered by two DB 600s, and demonstrated impressive performance, including a maximum speed of .
[Green and Swanborough 1986, p. 46.]
At the International Military Aircraft Competition at
Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
,
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
in 1937, the Dornier Do 17M V1 proved a leader in its class and was faster than the fastest foreign fighter, the French
Dewoitine D.510.
The Do 17, along with the
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
, won many prizes, demonstrating the prowess of German aviation design.
Radial variants
Despite its success, owing to shortages in the supply of the
Daimler-Benz
The Mercedes-Benz Group Aktiengesellschaft, AG (previously named Daimler-Benz, DaimlerChrysler and Daimler) is a German Multinational corporation, multinational automotive corporation headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It ...
engine, the production Do 17M was fitted with the Bramo 323 engine,
[Green 1967, p. 146.] with the corresponding reconnaissance aircraft, the Do 17P, being powered by BMW 132Ns to give better range.
[Green 1967, p. 148.]
The supply of the DB 600 remained extremely limited as production was soon switched over to the fuel-injected DB 601, which was reserved for the
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
and
Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110,Because it was built before ''Bayerische Flugzeugwerke'' became Messerschmitt AG in July 1938, the Bf 110 was never officially given the designation Me 110. is a twin-engine (Des ...
fighters. Therefore, production versions of the basic Do 17M model airframe were fitted with the new
Bramo 323A-1 Fafnir engines of , which gave reasonable performance and raised the bomb load to . The resulting Do 17 M-1 was produced in small numbers and operated until 1941.
The prototypes for the M-1 series were Do 17M V1 (Werk Nr 691) and Do 17M V2 (''Werk Nr'' 692) which were tested with bomb loads of a medium bomber. The third prototype, Do 17M V3 was evaluated as a fast bomber. The M V1 was fitted with two Daimler Benz DB 601 inline engines while the M V2 and M V3 had the Bramo 323 A and D respectively. The Ministry of Aviation favoured the widespread use of the DB 601, but demand for the DB 601s in fighter aircraft and the lack of production forced the use of the Bramo.
[Griehl 2005, p. 4.]
The Do 17 M-1 started its service as a medium bomber and was able to carry of bombs. It was equipped with two
air-cooled
Air-cooled engines rely on the circulation of air directly over heat dissipation fins or hot areas of the engine to cool them in order to keep the engine within operating temperatures. In all combustion engines, a great percentage of the heat ge ...
Bramo 323 A-1 or A-2. The defensive armament consisted of two, and later three, MG 15 machine guns. The first was operated in an A-Stand pod operated by the navigator through the windshield. The position was allocated 370 rounds of ammunition. The rearward firing B-Stand was operated by the radio operator and allocated 750 rounds. The rear position in the lower fuselage was allocated 375 rounds in a C-Stand pod. The Do 17M could carry a bomb load of either 20 SC50 or two
SC250 bombs or 10 SC50 and a single SC250 bomb. The speed of the M was superior to that of the E variant. The Do 17M could reach at altitudes of and could achieve a maximum service ceiling of and a range of .
![Do-17-2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Do-17-2.jpg)
Reconnaissance aircraft based on the M-1, the under-surfaces of the wing were covered with
duralumin
Duralumin (also called duraluminum, duraluminium, duralum, dural(l)ium, or dural) is a trade name for one of the earliest types of age-hardenable aluminium alloys. The term is a combination of '' Dürener'' and ''aluminium''.
Its use as a tra ...
and it had a wider engine axis and longer engine nacelles. The demand for a reconnaissance aircraft based on the M-1 led to the development of the P-1 variant.
[Ciglic and Savic 2007, p. 10.]
The L version would not be able to enter production with the DB 600 owing to its use in the Bf 109, and the Bramo engine was rather thirsty on fuel and left the M models with too short a range for reconnaissance use.
BMW 132
The BMW 132 was a nine-cylinder radial aircraft engine produced by BMW starting in 1933.
Design and development
BMW took over a license for manufacturing air-cooled radial engines from Pratt & Whitney on 3 January 1928. The nine-cylinder model ...
N radials of 865 PS were selected instead, which had lower fuel consumption for better range. Another two prototypes with DB 600 engines were produced as the Do 17R-0, but did not enter production. During reconnaissance missions the P-1 was armed with four MG 15s in the A, B and C—Stands. One machine gun was located in the rear of the cockpit, another in the lower rear ''Bola'' mount, one facing forward through the windscreen and the other in the nose glazing. In earlier variants the B-Stand (the gun position in the upper rear cockpit) was open to the elements, but the P-1 now provided an enclosed bulb-shaped mount protecting the radio operator from the weather.
[Griehl 2005, p. 22.]
The P variant had similar features to the Do 17M-1, with added blind flying and camera equipment for reconnaissance work. The Do 17P-1 was powered by two BMW 132N radial engines with a maximum performance of 865 PS ( each. The machine was fitted with several radio variations. The FuG IIIaU radio (
''Funkgerät''), the PeilG V
direction finder
Direction finding (DF), or radio direction finding (RDF), isin accordance with International Telecommunication Union (ITU)defined as radio location that uses the reception of radio waves to determine the direction in which a radio station ...
(PeilG - ''Peilgerät'') and the FuBI 1 radio blind-landing device (FuBI - ''Funkblindlandegerät'').
The crew of three communicated with each other via the EiV
intercom
An intercom, also called an intercommunication device, intercommunicator, or interphone, is a stand-alone voice communications system for use within a building or small collection of buildings which functions independently of the public telephon ...
(EiV -''Eigenverständigungsanlage'').
The P-1 was equipped with either Rb 20/30 and Rb 50/30 or Rb 20/18 and Rb 50/18 cameras. The P-1/trop was fitted with filters and protection for the cameras. The cameras were controlled remotely by the crew from the cockpit.
![Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-343-0663-17, Belgien-Frankreich, Dornier Do 17, Instandhaltung](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-343-0663-17%2C_Belgien-Frankreich%2C_Dornier_Do_17%2C_Instandhaltung.jpg)
Due to a shortage of night fighters, at least one Do 17P-1 was assigned to this role. A smooth metal sheet was installed in place of its glass nose and it was armed with three
MG 151/20 cannon
The MG 151 (MG 151/15) was a German 15 mm aircraft-mounted autocannon produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II. Its 20mm variant, the 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, was widely used on German Luftwaffe fighters, night fighters, ...
s. The machine operated under
''Luftflotte'' 1.
The Do 17P-2 was identical to the P-1, with the additional installation of an ETC 500 bomb rack under the fuselage. These aircraft were designed for night reconnaissance. It is assumed that Dornier converted most, if not all, P-2 models from existing P-1 production aircraft.
Unlike the P-2, the Do 17R-1 did not see series production. The experiences of the Spanish Civil War proved that unarmed aircraft were easy prey for
fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...
. The R-1 was to be a fast long-range reconnaissance aircraft with two additional fuel cells inside the fuselage aft of the bomb bay. Two variants were suggested, the first (variant I) had a single Rb 50/30 and two Rb 20/30 cameras, while variant II had a third fuel cell to replace the rear Rb 20/30. The aircraft had a gross weight of but could be overloaded to in emergencies. The crew usually numbered three, but a fourth was added depending on the missions to be flown.
To achieve a high performance at increased altitudes two DB 600 Gs were to be used. The power plants were tested in the Do 17R V1 prototype registered D-ABEE. The second, the R V2, registered D-ATJU, received the even more powerful DB 601 Aa engines.
The power plant of the R-1s that did exist are not known.
The lessons from the Spanish Civil War had led Dornier's designers to incorporate more defensive machine guns. Battles with
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...
-built fighter aircraft had demonstrated that the Dornier was not as fast and invulnerable as was first thought.
To cope with this, a completely new pod-like cockpit was designed to give the crew more room and better visibility. The roof was extended upward over the line of the fuselage, sloping down to meet it just in front of the wing. The dorsal gun was moved to the rear of the pod where it had a considerably better field of fire. Likewise, the floor was dropped under the fuselage as a ''Bola'' casemate-style defensive armament emplacement, and the ventral gun moved to the back of the ''Bola'', allowing it to fire directly to the rear. The changes in the roof and floor made the whole front of the aircraft much larger. The rest of the airframe remained the same. The new cockpit design was nicknamed ''Kampfkopf'' (German: "battle head").
Three S variant prototypes with the DB 600 G inline engines were tested. The S-01 (designation D-AFFY), 03 and 04 were flown.
The inverted V-12 engines were constructed as the Do 17 S-0 reconnaissance version, but it did not go into production. An additional 15 Do 17 U-1 pathfinder models were built, similar to the S-0 but adding another crewman (taking the total to five) to operate the extra
radio
Radio is the technology of signaling and communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 30 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmit ...
equipment. The U models were to fly ahead of other bombers on night missions, using the radio equipment to locate the target and drop flares on it. They were personally requested by KG 100 as experimental models for this role. The U-1 had a maximum speed of and a combat ceiling of . The U-1 had a cruising speed of and a maximum reachable height of , owing to the "rather low performance of the Bramo 323 A-1 engines". The three prototypes (U-01 - U-03) and twelve production aircraft were built by 1938.
Dornier Do 17Z: The main variant
![Dornier Do 17 Z (1942)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Dornier_Do_17_Z_%281942%29.jpg)
The Dornier Do 17Z series was the most recognised and mass-produced variant, and saw more combat service than the E-U types. The type was modified as a result of combat experience during the Spanish Civil War. The forward
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
was redesigned, with the cockpit area being "dropped", or extended further to enable a rear firing gunner position to be installed, and the
canopy
Canopy may refer to:
Plants
* Canopy (biology), aboveground portion of plant community or crop (including forests)
* Canopy (grape), aboveground portion of grapes
Religion and ceremonies
* Baldachin or canopy of state, typically placed over an a ...
extended aft, until it was nearly parallel with the
leading edge
The leading edge of an airfoil surface such as a wing is its foremost edge and is therefore the part which first meets the oncoming air.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third edition'', page 305. Aviation Supplies & Academics, ...
and
wing root
The wing root is the part of the wing on a fixed-wing aircraft or winged-spaceship that is closest to the fuselage,Peppler, I.L.: ''From The Ground Up'', page 9. Aviation Publishers Co. Limited, Ottawa Ontario, Twenty Seventh Revised Edition, 1996 ...
.
To test the design, the Do 17S and Do 17U were produced, both to be powered by the DB 600 power plants. However, a call for all DB 600 series engines to be reserved for fighters led to the variants being fitted with Bramo Fafnir 323 A radial engines. The bomb load was increased to and a fourth crew member was added. It proved to be underpowered, so Bramo 323 P engines were then fitted. Only three Do 17S and 15 Do 17Us were built. With the updates, the Dornier, with a full bomb load, had a combat radius of . Later variants, in the Do 17 Z-3, Z-4 and Z-5, which were fitted with cameras, dual trainer controls and flotation aids (for maritime operations) respectively, still could not solve the problems with range and bomb load.
At first, a batch of Z-0s were built with the Fafnir for testing, the DB 600 again proving to be too hard to obtain. These were quickly replaced with the Z-1 model, which added another gun for the bombardier, but the additional weight of the nose and guns meant the bomb load was reduced to . The Luftwaffe, not being satisfied with the test outcome of the Z series, immediately ordered performance and design studies to increase the overall performance of the bomber. These resulted in very optimistic speeds and altitudes for all future Z variants, especially for the Z-5 aircraft. Planned performance altitudes of up to at a maximum speed of with an aircraft weight of were planned. Unfortunately, production aircraft never reached these optimistic performances during the service career of the Do 17Z. At , the heavy Do 17Z-1 used two Bramo 323 A-1 engines with self-sealing fuel cells in the fuselage and wings. The crew of four consumed approximately 20 bottles of oxygen during long flights above . The Do 17Z-1 had a speed of at . However, the performance of the Bramo 323s did not permit the Do 17 to reach at and level flight when fully loaded. Range of the Z-1 at ground level was while at this increased to . This gave an average range of . The introduction of the Bramo 323P increased subsequent performance in the following sub variants.
This was addressed in the major production model, the Do 17 Z-2. The Z-2 mounted the new 323P-1 version of the Fafnir with , which was specifically tuned to the performance needs of the Do 17 by decreasing
supercharger
In an internal combustion engine, a supercharger compresses the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The current categorisation is that a supercharger is a form of forced induct ...
power at lower altitudes and thus improving low-level performance. The increase in takeoff power allowed the bomb load to be increased from .
However the combat range with a full bomb load was a very short .
The armament was further upgraded by adding another pair of guns firing out of the sides of the upper part of the pod, but as the three guns were all fired by a single gunner, only one of them could be fired at a time. From May 1940, 422 Do 17 Z-2s flew with ''
Kampfgeschwader 2
''Kampfgeschwader'' 2 " Holzhammer " (KG 2) (Battle Wing 2) was a Luftwaffe bomber unit during the Second World War. The unit was formed in May 1939. The unit operated the Dornier Do 17 light bomber, Dornier Do 217 and Junkers Ju 188 heavy bo ...
'', ''
Kampfgeschwader 3'', ''
Kampfgeschwader 76
''Kampfgeschwader 76'' (KG 76) (Battle Wing) was a Luftwaffe bomber Group during World War II. It was one of the few bomber groups that operated throughout the war.
In 1933 Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party came to power in Germany. To meet the ex ...
'' and ''
Kampfgeschwader 77
''Kampfgeschwader 77'' (KG 77) was a Luftwaffe bomber wing during World War II.
Its units participated on all of the major fronts in the European Theatre until its dissolution in 1944. It operated all three of the major German bomber types; the ...
''.
The upgrades of the Z-2 had its overall weight increased from .
After heavy losses of Do 17s during the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
it was decided to replace the
MG FF cannon
The MG FF was a drum-fed, blowback-operated, 20 mm aircraft autocannon, developed in 1936 by Ikaria Werke Berlin of Germany. It was a derivative of the Swiss Oerlikon FF F cannon (its ''FF'' suffix indicating ''Flügel Fest'', for a fixed ...
with the more powerful
MG 151/15. Losses had mounted in spite of an increase of up to eight machine guns in some Dorniers.
[Griehl 2005, pp. 6–7.]
The Z-3 formed part of the bomber versions of the Z series, it was, however, also used as a reconnaissance aircraft by the staff flight of the particular unit. The engines and the general equipment were identical to the Z-2 standard; however two cameras — the Rb 50/30 and Rb 20/30 - were incorporated into the crew entry hatch. A handheld camera was issued to the crew to validate the success during bombing missions. Autopilot equipment was added later. The Z-2 and Z-3 were identical visually, and could only be distinguished from each other by the altered crew hatch on the Z-3. Owing to spacing problems because of the added camera equipment, the ammunition supply was reduced from 44 to 42 magazines.
[Griehl 2005, p. 7.] The power plant of the Z-3 was upgraded to the Bramo 323P-2. The Bramo P-2 remained the engine of all the remaining Z series variants.
![Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-341-0489-13, Frankreich, Flugzeug Dornier Do 17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-341-0489-13%2C_Frankreich%2C_Flugzeug_Dornier_Do_17.jpg)
The Z-4 was designed as trainer. Although nearly identical to the Z-2 and Z-3, it featured several equipment changes optimised for blind flying training. The four-seat aircraft had a single control column with dual steering, which was achieved by a jib protruding to the right. Rudder pedals were in front of both seats. The defensive armament and bomb racks were reduced, or in most cases omitted to reduce weight.
The Z-5 was similar to the Z-3 with a weight of . Designed as an anti-shipping aircraft, the Z-5, was fitted with flotation cells in the fuselage and engine nacelles in case it was forced down on water.
[Griehl 2005, p. 9.] Usually the flotation devices took the form of inflatable bags stored in the rear of the engine nacelles and in bulges on either side of the nose, just behind the front glazing.
[Goss 2005, p. 14.]
Later variants of the Z model were developed. The Z-6 was to be a reconnaissance aircraft, although it was only built as a prototype. During the war only a few were converted from existing combat variants. The type was selected for weather check flights. It was identical to the Z-1/Z-2 variants, but offensive armament was omitted and extra fuel cells fitted. This increased the fuel load to 2,890 L (578 imperial gallons). As flights required higher altitude, the oxygen supply was increased from 20 to 24 bottles. For long-range flights over water, the larger dinghy of the Z-5 with its updated emergency escape equipment was mandatory during operations.
The Z-6s were also used for night fighter operations. Some of the few converted Z-6s had the Ju 88C-6 nose installed and were equipped with machine guns and cannons. The nose proved to be unsatisfactory, and it was redesigned. In the tip of the new nose was an
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
spotlight which was soon made redundant after the introduction of
Lichtenstein radar
The Lichtenstein radar was among the earliest airborne radars available to the Luftwaffe in World War II and the first one used exclusively for air interception. Developed by Telefunken, it was available in at least four major revisions, cal ...
which was fitted to some of the Z-6.
![Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-341-0456-04, Frankreich, Flugzeuge Dornier Do 17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-341-0456-04%2C_Frankreich%2C_Flugzeuge_Dornier_Do_17.jpg)
The Z-8 ''Geier'' was not produced. It was intended as a ground attack aircraft and reached the first planning phase but was given up due to lack of performance and protective armour allocation against anti-aircraft artillery. An increase in armour would have meant a decrease in speed which would have exposed the aircraft further to enemy fire.
[Griehl 2005, p. 8.]
The Z-9, which was fitted with special bomb release equipment, and delayed release gear for low-level attack missions. Its purpose was to suppress enemy air defences. Therefore, it was designed to fly over anti-aircraft positions and drop
Butterfly Bomb
A Butterfly Bomb (or ''Sprengbombe Dickwandig 2 kg'' or SD 2) was a German anti-personnel submunition used by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War. It was so named because the thin cylindrical metal outer shell which hinged open when ...
s, an early form of
cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller submunitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill personnel and destroy vehicl ...
munitions. This could only be done with
air superiority
Aerial supremacy (also air superiority) is the degree to which a side in a conflict holds control of air power over opposing forces. There are levels of control of the air in aerial warfare. Control of the air is the aerial equivalent of c ...
, as the Z-9 was unarmoured. The airframe and equipment was identical to the Z-1/Z-2 version. Only the bomb bay was altered to accommodate 16 bomb-dispenser systems. The maximum weight of the Z-9 was . The design did not reach serial production.
After bomber production ended in 1940, the Z model was modified with a "solid" nose from the Ju 88C, fitted with one 20 mm
MG FF cannon
The MG FF was a drum-fed, blowback-operated, 20 mm aircraft autocannon, developed in 1936 by Ikaria Werke Berlin of Germany. It was a derivative of the Swiss Oerlikon FF F cannon (its ''FF'' suffix indicating ''Flügel Fest'', for a fixed ...
and three 7.92 mm (.312 in)
MG 17 machine gun
The MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, typically as forward-firing offensive armament. The MG 17 was based on the older MG 30 light machine gun, ...
s, to be used as night fighters. Three prototypes were converted from existing Z-series airframes to the Do 17 Z-7 Kauz I ("
screech-owl") configuration. The standard Z-7 was fitted with Bramo 323P-1 radial engines and had a crew of three airmen. In comparison to the standard bomber version, the fuel load arrangement was altered by subdividing into cells. Two cells were in the wings, with a capacity of 770 litres (154 imperial gallons) each. A third cell was placed in the bomb bay within the main fuselage, having a capacity of 895 litres (179 imperial gallons). The oxygen supply for the three man crew was reduced to nine bottles, as intercepts at high altitudes were not anticipated. Add-on armour in the form of heavy steel plates was bolted to the nose bulkhead to protect the crew against frontal fire. Originally, it was planned to completely armour the crew compartment. This idea, was given up again as the increased weight would have reduced flight performance of an already slow aircraft. The ammunition loads for the three 7.92 mm MG 17s amounted to 3,000 rounds and 400 rounds of ammunition for the 20 mm MG 151 cannon (although some Do 17Z bombers carried a single 20 mm for ground attack missions).
![Lichtenstein radar Do 17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Lichtenstein_radar_Do_17.jpg)
Later, the design was further modified to the Do 17 Z-10 Kauz II, the solid nose now containing an infrared searchlight for the ''Spanner Anlage''
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
detection system.
[Smith 1967, p. 6.] The infrared lamp in the nose was used to illuminate the target while the display unit in the windshield made the reflection visible to the pilot. The Z-10 was armed with four 7.92 mm (.312 in)
MG 17 machine gun
The MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, typically as forward-firing offensive armament. The MG 17 was based on the older MG 30 light machine gun, ...
s grouped above the IR light and two 20 mm MG FF in the lower nose.
The crew could reload the 20 mm cannons'
drum magazine
A drum magazine is a type of high-capacity magazine for firearms. Cylindrical in shape (similar to a drum), drum magazines store rounds in a spiral around the center of the magazine, facing the direction of the barrel. Drum magazines are contrast ...
s internally. The Z-10 contained an IR searchlight (''Spanner-Anlage'') for the Spanner
infrared
Infrared (IR), sometimes called infrared light, is electromagnetic radiation (EMR) with wavelengths longer than those of visible light. It is therefore invisible to the human eye. IR is generally understood to encompass wavelengths from around ...
detection system. A single ''Kauz II'' was equipped with and tested the
Lichtenstein radar
The Lichtenstein radar was among the earliest airborne radars available to the Luftwaffe in World War II and the first one used exclusively for air interception. Developed by Telefunken, it was available in at least four major revisions, cal ...
.
[Nowarra 1990, p. 41.]
Only 10 of these Kauz II designs were converted from existing Z-series airframes. The ''Spanner'' system proved to be essentially useless and many Z-10 were left without any detection system. At least one Z-10, coded CD+PV, was used as a flying test bed to help developing the early low-
UHF band B/C version of the
Lichtenstein radar
The Lichtenstein radar was among the earliest airborne radars available to the Luftwaffe in World War II and the first one used exclusively for air interception. Developed by Telefunken, it was available in at least four major revisions, cal ...
system in late 1941–1942. When the Z-10 was stripped of all non-night fighter equipment, it had a maximum weight of . Armament fit was similar to that of the Z-7, with an added MG 17 and an additional 1,000 rounds of ammunition in the nose section. Defensive gun positions included the B and C stand, each equipped with a single MG 15.
Production
German
![Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-345-0784-14A, Frankreich, Do 17](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9b/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-345-0784-14A%2C_Frankreich%2C_Do_17.jpg)
Official figures state 2,139 Do 17s were built on German
assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process (often called a ''progressive assembly'') in which parts (usually interchangeable parts) are added as the semi-finished assembly moves from workstation to workstation where the parts are added in seq ...
s. At the Dornier factory at
Oberpfaffenhofen
Oberpfaffenhofen is a village that is part of the municipality of Weßling in the district of Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is located about from the city center of Munich.
Village
The village is home to the Oberpfaffenhofen Airport and a m ...
, 328 Do 17Es were built along with a further 77 Do 17Fs and 200 Do 17M variants. Do 17Z production figures for Oberpfaffenhofen stand at 420. At
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...
, 84 Do 17Ks were built, some of which were sold to the Yugoslav Royal Air Force. Do 17P production was spread out over different factory lines. At Siebel/Halle, eight were built. At the
Henschel
Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicle ...
factory at Berlin-Schönefeld 73 were constructed. At the HFB plant in
Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
, timezone1 = Central (CET)
, utc_offset1 = +1
, timezone1_DST = Central (CEST)
, utc_offset1_DST = +2
, postal ...
149 were built. Henschel also produced some 320 Do 17Zs, HFB contributed to construction of 74 at its Hamburg plant, and another 73 were built at Siebel. Some 105 examples of the
Dornier Do 215
The Dornier Do 215 was a light bomber, aerial reconnaissance aircraft and later a night fighter, produced by Dornier originally for export, but in the event most served in the ''Luftwaffe''. Like its predecessor, the Dornier Do 17, it inherited t ...
B was later built at Oberpfaffenhofen.
By 19 September 1938, the Luftwaffe had received 579 Dornier Do 17s. These were mostly Do 17E, F, M and P variants.
[Nowarra 1990, p. 25.]
During 1939–1940, some 475 Dornier Do 17Z bombers, 16 reconnaissance aircraft and nine night fighters were built. Another 100 Dornier Do 215s, an updated variant of the Do 17, were built during this period also.
Yugoslav
Other governments were interested in the Do 17. In June 1936, the
Yugoslav government ordered 36 Do 17E variants from Germany. The negotiations for a licence were completed on 27 June 1938 for 36 Do 17Ka's at the cost of . On 18 March 1938, Yugoslavia ordered 16 complete Do 17 Ka-2's and Ka-3's at a cost of . They received the last on 21 April 1939. The machines were from 72 to 96% complete.
[Ciglic and Savic 2007, p. 9.]
The Dorniers were devoid of German equipment, including engines. The Yugoslavs found a French manufacturer to supply the powerplants instead.
Gnome et Rhône
Gnome et Rhône was a major French aircraft engine manufacturer. Between 1914 and 1918 they produced 25,000 of their 9-cylinder Delta and Le Rhône 110 hp (81 kW) rotary designs, while another 75,000 were produced by various licen ...
was the supplier chosen, and the
Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major
The Gnome-Rhône 14K ''Mistral Major'' was a 14-cylinder, two-row, air-cooled radial engine. It was Gnome-Rhône's major aircraft engine prior to World War II, and matured into a highly sought-after design that would see licensed production ...
engine was to be used in the Dornier. The French had inflated the performance data of the engine, claiming it to have and a speed of at . The constant-speed
propeller
A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s were also poor, and delivered late. This led to trials with
Piaggio Aero
Piaggio Aerospace, formerly Piaggio Aero Industries, is a Multinational corporation, multinational aerospace manufacturing company headquartered in Villanova d'Albenga, Italy. The company designs, develops, manufactures and maintains aircraft, ...
and Ratier propellers.
Only one of the Do 17s delivered was fitted out complete with German equipment. The rest of the Dorniers were equipped with Belgian FN 7.9 mm (.31 in) machine guns, Czech camera equipment and eventually
Telefunken
Telefunken was a German radio and television apparatus company, founded in Berlin in 1903, as a joint venture of Siemens & Halske and the ''Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft'' (AEG) ('General electricity company').
The name "Telefunken" app ...
radio sets.
[Ciglic and Savic 2007, pp. 6–7.] Altogether, 70 Do 17s were produced by Yugoslav factories.
Operators and operational history
![Dornier Do 17 rudder](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e1/Dornier_Do_17_rudder.JPG)
;
* The
Bulgarian Air Force
The Bulgarian Air Force ( bg, Военновъздушни сили, Voennovazdushni sili) is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and p ...
received 11 Do 17 Ms and Ps in 1940 and at least 11 ex-Yugoslav aircraft in 1941. Six more Do 17 Ms were delivered in 1943. They remained in service until at least 1945.
[Green and Swanborough 1989, p. 67.]
;
* The
Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia ( hr, Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske; ZNDH), was the air force of the Independent State of Croatia (NDH), a puppet state established with the support of the Axis Powers on the territory ...
(''Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske'') received at least 21 Do 17Zs (the last 12 in 1945), 11 ex-Yugoslav Do 17Ka's in 1942 and 30 Do 17Es in 1943.
;
*
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; fi, Ilmavoimat, , Air forces; sv, Flygvapnet, , Air weapon) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of Finnis ...
**
46 Squadron received 15 aircraft in January 1942:
[Green 1967, p. 158.]
;
*
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
;
*
Royal Hungarian Air Force
The Hungarian Air Force ( hu, Magyar Légierő), is the air force branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces.
The task of the current Hungarian Air Force is primarily defensive purposes. The flying units of the air force are organised into a single ...
received one ex-Yugoslavian Do 17Ka-3.
;
*''
Regia Aeronautica
The Italian Royal Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was abolis ...
'' operated at least one ex-Yugoslavian Do 17Ka-3 under ''1°Centro Sperimentale'' in
Guidonia, where it was tested until September 1943.
;
*
Royal Romanian Air Force
The Air Force branch of the Royal Romanian forces in World War II was officially named the (ARR), or the Romanian Royal Aeronautics, though it is more commonly referred to in English histories as the (Royal Romanian Air Force, FARR), or simply ...
received 10 worn Do 17Ms in November 1942.
[Goss 2005, p. 16.]
;
*
Spanish Air Force
, colours =
, colours_label =
, march = Spanish Air and Space Force Anthem
, mascot =
, anniversaries = 10 December
, equipment ...
received ex-
Legion Condor
The Condor Legion (german: Legion Condor) was a unit composed of military personnel from the air force and army of Nazi Germany, which served with the Nationalist faction during the Spanish Civil War of July 1936 to March 1939. The Condor Legio ...
Do 17E, F, and Ps and 13 remained in service after the end of the Spanish Civil War.
[Green 1967, p. 145.]
;
*
Swiss Air Force operated a single Do 17Z-2, interned after landing at
Basel Airport in April 1940.
;
*
Royal Yugoslav Air Force
The Royal Yugoslav Air Force ( sh-Latn, Jugoslovensko kraljevsko ratno vazduhoplovstvo, JKRV; sh-Cyrl, Југословенско краљевско ратно ваздухопловство, ЈКРВ; ( sl, Jugoslovansko kraljevo vojno letalstv ...
;
*
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
pressed into service two Yugoslav-built Do 17Ks which escaped Yugoslavia carrying
King Peter and gold. The aircraft were given the serials AX706 and AX707. Both aircraft were destroyed in an air attack on
Ismaïlia
Ismailia ( ar, الإسماعيلية ', ) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city has a population of 1,406,699 (or approximately 750,000, includi ...
airfield on 27 August 1941.
[Goss 2005, p. 11.]
;
*
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
obtained at least one Do 17E-1, WkNr 2095. Renamed ''Axis Sally'', it was taken to the United States after the war and tested.
Surviving aircraft
Until 2007 none of the Dornier twin-engined bomber variants were thought to have survived intact, but various large relics of the Do 17 and Do 215 are held by public museums and private collectors. In September 2007 a
Do 215 B-5 (variant of Do 17Z) was found largely intact in the shallow waters off
Waddenzee
The Wadden Sea ( nl, Waddenzee ; german: Wattenmeer; nds, Wattensee or ; da, Vadehavet; fy, Waadsee, longname=yes; frr, di Heef) is an intertidal zone in the southeastern part of the North Sea. It lies between the coast of northwestern conti ...
in the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
.
Dornier Do 17Z ''Werknummer'' 1160
On 3 September 2010, the
RAF Museum
The Royal Air Force Museum is a museum dedicated to the Royal Air Force in the United Kingdom. The museum is a non-departmental public body of the Ministry of Defence and is a registered charity.
The museum is split into two separate sites:
* R ...
announced that a Do 17 had been discovered in of water off the coast of England. The aircraft had been discovered in September 2008 on the
Goodwin Sands
Goodwin Sands is a sandbank at the southern end of the North Sea lying off the Deal coast in Kent, England. The area consists of a layer of approximately depth of fine sand resting on an Upper Chalk platform belonging to the same geologi ...
, a large sandbank off the coast of
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, but the discovery was kept a closely guarded secret. The Dornier Do 17Z-2, ''Werknummer'' 1160, built under license by
Henschel
Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicle ...
with the full ''Geschwaderkennung'' (combat wing aircraft ID code) of 5K+AR, was operated by 7 ''Staffel'', III ''Gruppe'',
''Kampfgeschwader'' 3 (KG 3).
On 26 August 1940, ''5K+AR'' was taking part in a raid by
KG 2
''Kampfgeschwader'' 2 " Holzhammer " (KG 2) (Battle Wing 2) was a Luftwaffe bomber unit during the Second World War. The unit was formed in May 1939. The unit operated the Dornier Do 17 light bomber, Dornier Do 217 and Junkers Ju 188 heavy bo ...
and KG 3, targeting the RAF stations
RAF Debden
Royal Air Force Debden or more simply RAF Debden is a former Royal Air Force station located southeast of Saffron Walden and approximately north of the village of Debden in North Essex, England
History
The airfield was opened in April 1937 ...
and
RAF Hornchurch
Royal Air Force Hornchurch or RAF Hornchurch is a former Royal Air Force sector station in the parish of Hornchurch, Essex (now the London Borough of Havering in Greater London), located to the southeast of Romford. The airfield was known as Sut ...
. While flying over clouds, the aircraft became separated from the bomber formation and lost its bearings; it was then attacked by
Boulton Paul Defiant
The Boulton Paul Defiant is a British interceptor aircraft that served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) during World War II. The Defiant was designed and built by Boulton Paul Aircraft as a "turret fighter", without any fixed forward-firing guns ...
fighters of
No. 264 Squadron RAF
No. 264 Squadron RAF, also known as No. 264 (Madras Presidency) Squadron, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force.
World War I
The squadron was first formed during the First World War, from two former Royal Naval Air Service flights, No. 439 ...
. One of the Dornier's engines was disabled and the other damaged, so the wounded pilot, ''Feldwebel'' (Flight Sergeant) Willi Effmert, elected to make a crash landing on the Goodwin Sands. He and another crew member survived and were taken prisoner. The other two crew were killed; one is buried at
Cannock Chase German war cemetery
The Cannock Chase German Military Cemetery () is on Cannock Chase, Staffordshire, England. The cemetery contains nearly 5,000 burials from both the First and Second World War. The burials are mainly German and Austrian nationals with a very smal ...
and the other in the Netherlands. The identity of the Defiant that shot down the Dornier is not certain, although it may have been one of three 264 Squadron aircraft that was shot down soon after in a battle with
Messerschmitt Bf 109
The Messerschmitt Bf 109 is a German World War II fighter aircraft that was, along with the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighter force. The Bf 109 first saw operational service in 1937 during the Spanish Civil War an ...
fighter escorts from
Jagdgeschwader 3
''Jagdgeschwader'' 3 (JG 3) "Udet" was a ''Luftwaffe'' fighter wing of World War II. The ''Geschwader'' operated on all the German fronts in the European Theatre of World War II. It was named after Ernst Udet, an important figure in the devel ...
.
![Centerwing section RAFM](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/41/Centerwing_section_RAFM.jpg)
In June 2010 diving operations were carried out and the survey report indicated that the aircraft was largely complete, although ''5K+AR'' lay inverted on the seabed, indicating that it
ground-looped on landing.
The port rudder, starboard stabiliser, forward nose glazing, undercarriage doors and engine cowling were missing, but the discovery of a small debris field associated with the wreck indicates that some or all of those parts may still be present at the site.
["Dornier 17 Conservation: Survey".]
''Royal Air Force Museum,'' 6 December 2012. Retrieved: 30 March 2013. Some items, including two of the Dornier's six
MG 15
The MG 15 was a German 7.92 mm machine gun designed specifically as a hand-manipulated defensive gun for combat aircraft during the early 1930s. By 1941 it was replaced by other types and found new uses with ground troops.
History
The MG 1 ...
machine guns, are missing and are believed to have been removed by unauthorized divers sometime after the aircraft's discovery.
On 10 June 2013, a salvage team raised the airframe from the seabed. It was then taken to the Michael Beetham Restoration Centre at the Royal Air Force Museum's
Cosford site, where metallurgists from
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
have a significant role in the post-recovery conservation of the aircraft.
Dornier Do 17M-1 (Hansakollen, Norway)
On 2 July 1942, a Dornier Do 17M-1 crashed in Hansakollen in
Maridalen
Maridalen is a valley situated just north of Oslo, Norway, just above the suburb of Kjelsås. Considering that Maridalen is within the Oslo city limits, Maridalen has a very low population density. The valley consists of forests, lakes and agricu ...
, near
Oslo
Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
.
"Wars in Maridalen."
''NRK,'' 20 June 2008. The Do 17 was heading to the airport at Gardermoen
Oslo Airport ( no, Oslo lufthavn; ), alternatively referred to as Oslo Gardermoen Airport or simply Gardermoen, is the international airport serving Oslo, Norway, the capital and most populous city in the country. A hub for Flyr, Norse Atlan ...
, but crashed into a mountainside. All three German aviators on board were killed. They are buried in the German war cemetery at Alfaset. The wreck is well preserved and remains clearly visible, nearly 80 years after the accident.
File:Crashed Dornier Do 17M-1 Hansakollen, Maridalen Oslo (1).JPG
File:Crashed Dornier Do 17M-1 Hansakollen, Maridalen Oslo (2).JPG
File:Crashed Dornier Do 17M-1 Hansakollen, Maridalen Oslo (3).JPG
File:Crashed Dornier Do 17M-1 Hansakollen, Maridalen Oslo (4).JPG
Specifications (Do 17 Z-2)
See also
Notes
Citations
Bibliography
* Axworthy, Mark, Cornel Scafes and Cristian Craciunoiu. ''Third Axis, Fourth Ally: Romanian Armed Forces in the European War, 1941–1945.'' London: Arms and Armour Press, 1995. .
* Bergström, Christer. ''Barbarossa - The Air Battle: July–December 1941''. London: Chevron/Ian Allan, 2007. .
*
*
*
* Bungay, Stephen. ''The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain''. London: Aurum Press, 2000. (hardcover), (paperback 2002).
* de Zeng, H.L., D.G. Stanket and E.J. Creek. ''Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945: A Reference Source, Volume 1''. London: Ian Allan Publishing, 2007. .
* de Zeng, H.L., D.G. Stanket and E.J. Creek. ''Bomber Units of the Luftwaffe 1933-1945: A Reference Source, Volume 2''. London: Ian Allan Publishing, 2007. .
* Ciglic, Boris and Dragan Savic. ''Dornier Do 17 - The Yugoslav Story: Operational Record 1937-1947''. Belgrade: Jeroplan Books, 2007. .
* Dressel, Joachim and Manfred Griehl. ''Bombers of the Luftwaffe''. London: DAG Publications, 1994. .
* Goss, Chris. ''Dornier 17: In Focus''. Surrey, UK: Red Kite Books, 2005. .
*Goss, Chris. ''Dornier Do 17: The 'Flying Pencil' in Luftwaffe Service: A Combat and Photographic Record''. Manchester: Classic, 2020
* Green, William. ''Aircraft of the Third Reich''. London: Aerospace Publishing Limited, 2010, pp. 206–225. .
* Green, William. ''Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Eight, Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft''. London: MacDonald. 1967.
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The Annals of the 'Pencil': The Story of the First-Generation Dornier Do 17". ''Air Enthusiast
''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...
'', Issue 30, March—June 1986, pp. 38–53. Bromley, Kent, UK: Pilot Press. ISSN 0143-5450.
* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "Balkan Interlude - The Bulgarian Air Force in WWII". ''Air Enthusiast
''Air Enthusiast'' was a British, bi-monthly, aviation magazine, published by the Key Publishing group. Initially begun in 1974 as ''Air Enthusiast Quarterly'', the magazine was conceived as a historical adjunct to '' Air International'' maga ...
''. Issue 39, May–August 1989. Bromley, Kent: Tri-Service Press, pp. 58–74. ISSN 0143-5450.
* Griehl, Manfred. ''Dornier Do 17E-Z, Do 215B; The Flying Pencil in Luftwaffe Service'' (World War Two Combat Aircraft Archive No. 03). Erlangen, Germany: Air Coc, 2005. .
* Hooton, E. R. ''Luftwaffe at War; Gathering Storm 1933-39: Volume 1''. London: Chevron/Ian Allan, 2007. .
* Hooton, E. R. ''Luftwaffe at War; Blitzkrieg in the West: Volume 2''. London: Chevron/Ian Allan, 2007. .
* Keskinen, Kalevi and Kari Stenman. ''Suomen Ilmavoimien historia 2: Dornier Do 17Z, Junkers Ju 88A-4''. Helsinki, Finland: Hobby-Kustannus Oy, 1999. .
* Likso, Tihomir and Danko Canak. ''Hrvatsko Ratno Zrakoplovstvo u Drugome Svjetskom Ratu (The Croatian Air Force in the Second World War)'' (Croatian/English). Zagreb, Croatia: Nacionalna, 1998. .
* March, Daniel J. ''British Warplanes of World War II''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1998. .
* Munson, Kenneth. ''Fighters and Bombers of World War II''. London: Peerage Books, 1983. .
* Nedyalkov, Dimitar. ''Air Power of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, Volume IV.'' Sofia: FARK OOD, 2001. .
* Neulen, Hans Werner. ''In the Skies of Europe: Air Forces Allied to the Luftwaffe 1939–1945''. Wiltshire, UK: Crowood, 2000. .
*
* Nowarra, Heinz J.''The Flying Pencil''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1990. .
*Olrog, Mikael. ''Dornier Do 215: From Reconnaissance Aircraft to Nightfighter''. Manchester, UK: Crecy Publishing, 2017.
* Savic, Dragan and Boris Ciglic. ''Croatian Aces of World War II'' (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces - 49). Oxford, UK: Oxford, 2002. .
* Schlaug, Georg. ''Die deutschen Lastensegler Verbände 1937–1945'' (German Glider Units) (German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch, 1985. .
* Smith, J.R. ''The Do 17 and Do 215'' (No. 164). London: Profile Publications, 1967.
* Smith, J.R. and Antony L. Kay. ''German Aircraft of the Second World War''. London: Putnam, 1990. .
* Staerck, Christopher and Paul Sinnott. ''Luftwaffe: The Allied Intelligence Files''. Washington, DC: Potomac Books, 2002. .
* Wróbel, Arkadiusz. ''Dornier DO 17/DO 215'' (Monograph Series 39). Lublin, Poland: Kagero Oficyna Wydawnicza, 2008. .
External links
Dornier Do 17Z-2 Werke nr. 1160 located on Goodwin Sands
*
History of Dornier Do 17Z-2 Werke nr. 1160 and the German crew
*
Images and survey
{{Authority control
Do 017
1930s German bomber aircraft
World War II light bombers of Germany
High-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1934
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft
Twin-tail aircraft
World War II aircraft of Finland