Jo\2 17 = = a EE ed]¢ Dornier Do 217 M-1 K7+HK of 2.(F)/Aufkl.Gr.Nacht., based in Denmark, May 1945, Drawings by David Howley+ one ofthe primary manufactures A scrnnssened St foe India he Dome coaemn of Frcidechein rds i ark om ep ar avon wold ith is ighly ete Tne De 1 The 1938 vintage Tying pent went ont give relable ely wat eve vet wr pees Gevaoped ino the De 213 of 958, That fae Jara further efaemest cued at ie BO 217 Tis sadn expo ton of the basi desig if the Do 317 and 417 became th last Dom bbe 0 dra leer ih ea tn concn wit munerom oer sro, the oat? den osc coieed fx ole pec ee bre > voy eel vomavama ir 8 Took ara the scald "en seek pena Jn et evelopment, Convinced tit the toning seat) abiond oye Fe kombat sould pteeed a inger acraih boh Ge Slee wf tcc Ae isty tcked Done groper « De 217 lilac, ‘The rauranct, pt fr ward is fommy 1935, goon chen. By February the Do 217 hd been ted down sw nary Gorm sit ee ‘Siete he Ve Se eS cccmermeare poy oondrealloplnig pole ie rental roel we td ee er onthe due to its anticipated high water landing speed and Domier, although not entirely shelving the floatplane concept, tumed its attention to developing the Do 217 asa land: plane to fulfill a bombing and reconn sance role A challenge many military aireraft design: ets had to allow fori the late 1930s was the slow development of aero engines, not only ‘with enough rated power but available in the numbers required for mass production Domier "hedged its bes’ by giving the Do 217 the design option of accommodating the DB 601 B, the Jumo 211, the Bramo 329 and the BMW 139, a forerunner of the 801 On 5 June 1938 Domier presented a revised Do 217 proposal to the Te ‘As the only Lufwaffe unt fully equipped with known to fend and foe ake. This Biscked Out” E:d model of 8/Stafel (USFS) is making. an Spproach te land over fat Duteh landscape, {Bindesarehiv) Amt. It emphasised @ land-based role and the structural improvements made over the Do 17 to enable the new aircraft to carry a treater bomb load and increased armament. Despite the ‘sea Stuka’ proposal offically being shelved in January 1939, Domier pre- sented mock ups of the Do 217W V1 and Do 2ITW V2 in floatplane configuration for inspection that spring. This exercise was important in that it con- firmed the overall dimensions of the new sireraft, albeit with a single fin and rudder, DORNIER Do 217 WARPAINT PAGE 1departure from earlier Domier design prac- tice. Domier put forward the Do 217 as a Jong range bomber, with a secondary mat- itime reconnaissance capability. Follow the construction of several mock-ups the Do TV emerged as a bomber powered by two DB 601A engines, the aircraft having PAGE 2 DORNIER Do217_ WARPAINT a for a crew of four. The prototype also included the bomb targets with the aid of braking device which jon to slow the rate of descent Flying ftom Friedrichshafen for the first time on 4 October 1938, the Do 217V1 opened umbrella-fash ‘Above: Each newly completed Do 217E was {camouflaged in spite pater green 771 with blue 68 undersides, given a factory code and fest flown before delivery to the. Luftwate. ‘Banking away from the cameraship iss types fexample coded TC+ZK. (MAP) Left The German Propaganda ministry widely distributed photos {to 217s taken at righ, preferably with the raft efacted in water to helghten the dramatic ttoet! This Do 2176-2 (RHFEL) was the subject ‘fa series of prints, some of which wore repro when it was a type new to led inteligence (Bundessrehiv) Nr, 687) exhibited rather poor handling qualities and suffered from directional insta bility, I existed for just over one week for on 1 October it crashed during handling trials When one engine inadvertantly feathered. The extent of the damage was such that the prototype was not repaired, test fying pass Ing 10 the Do 217V2, W. Nr. 688 (D ABWCICH#HD) which flew on 5 November powered by Jumo 211A engines. This air craft undertook the necessary pre-produc tion trials programme including being mod ified for single pilot eontrol to minimise loss ‘of crew members in the event of another crash, The programme was joined by a replacement forthe ost VI, the Do 217V1F (WN, 694), in June 1939. DESIGN CHANGES On 25 February 1939 the Do 217V3 (D- ACDE/CN+HK) had flown, powered by Jumo 211A-1 engines, This airraft also car fied out-numerous tials, incl associated with the most practical vertical tail surfaces. At various times tll single fin and rudder and two different twin assem: biies, one featuring distinctive ‘riangulae Facto re D0 217-18 (with thle forward n, the main company production Plant forthe typ, although Do 2176s wore also tat the Munich and Wiemer works Various fight tests required” several examples ‘being Fetained by the company. (WAP)Dornier Do 217 camouflage and markings D-AMSD Dornier De 217V4, D-AMSO, th hit Jumo-engines prone Domiar Do 217V4, CN*HL, markings used whist under test at Lowantl in 193040 “A, Dernier De 2176-1, F8+GN of KG 40, Bordeaur. France in 1941 Dorner De 2176, USFS 7 of BIKG 2, France, February 1042 Drawings by David Howley a ‘DORNER 00217 WARPAINT PAGESDornier Do 2176, USED of Stabl/KG 2 France 1982 Dornier Do 2176, USSKL 18 0f31KG 2 ‘The elogant ines of te Do 217E are apparent in this view of an early production machine on Fight test. Light eects have istrted the upper Surface paintwork which wae a pater of rear A Torr (wAP) \ K aircraft respectively being registered D- ACBF and D-AHUE. Further refinement ofthe basic design led to the first production variants, the Do 217A-0 and C-0, as well as @ prototype of the Do 217E series, which started life as the single Do 217VE. Initial production (of three Do 217A-Is) commenced in late 1939, these first aireraft carrying the temporary designation Do 217A (Rowehl). The suffix indicated their use by Kommando Rowe, an operational reconnaissance group (Aufklarungsgruppe) under the direct com te fins and rudders, were considered 'V4 (D-AMSD), VS and V6 fo: lowed and by the time war broke out, much of the testing with Jumo 211B-1 engines had been completed, these engines being replaced by the DB 601A in April 1940, Also cleared for production aircraft were revised and slightly larger vertical tail surfaces first fitted to the Do 217V4 and incorporating fixed slots in the leading edges ofeach fin to cure low speed stalling. To ensure that the new aircraft functioned equally well with air cooled powerplants, BMW 139 engines were fitted to the Do 217 V7 with BMW ‘801s being substituted in the VS, these two Extonded tralling edge faps divided by the fengine nacelles seen to advantage on a Oo 2172 of KG 40. The reduction in sizeof the faselage Balkenkrour wae one of mary note ‘worthy changes In bomber camouflage brought ‘bout by night operations via Geeh) PAGE 4 DORNIER Oo 217 WARPANTConsiderable retouching, extending even to the Femoval of whito on both upper wing surtace Balkenkreuz fs evident on a Do 217E-AR 19 (W. Ne4272) U5. + NT of O/KG.2 which has a Derigsope cockpit sight fr the fixed tai guns. (via Gren mand of Oberbefehlshaber der Lufwatfe (OAL), or ofice of the C-in-C of the air force Ithad been possible to deliver the Do 217 isance aitcraft by early 1940 because they were so similar to the Do 215 that Few new jigs had been required to build ther. But delays in obtaining engines of su ficient power for the high altitude, long range Do 217B derivative ultimately led to its cancellation although nine examples (W Ne. 2710 to 2718) of the similar Do 217C-0 were built A foutth Do 217A-0, which stated life as the V6 (Wr, Nr 2704/CO+ID), made its maiden flight on 15 October 1939. Among its other test programmes, this aircraft was flown from Travemunde during exploration of aerial mine delivery techniques. A pro: jected configuration of the Do 217 that cemerged at this time included extended Right: An ear production Fotraction. (NAP) Below: ‘Revuing up the BMWs feady to tax! out this Do 2176-4 (F8¢CP) of KG 40 was photographed at Soesterburg early In 1043, almost certainly about to embark gna training Might as this was IV'Groppe's ety st that tne. Note the SC’ 500 bombs marked with yellow stripes to denote Wight cate with HE composition In tho fore ‘round (Bundessreh) DORNIERD0217 WARPAINT PAG![Above: Mist shrouded mountains and airerat rarely mix wel but these Do 2176-48 of KG 2 are ‘maintaining * g003 acy progress Across a range. This wes another instance when Waite recognition markings ere useful, Left. ‘Starboard side infight view of 2 D0 2176-2 reveals the aileron hinges, raclo mas, the Name ‘Somping faring forthe top group of exhaust pes and, inthis caso, light armament. What Sppears to be 2 retractable stop Is elso in ov ‘ence below the gun turret. (Bundeesrehiv) wings and power derived from DB 601R engines. HIGH ALTITUDE, 11 as also in ate 1939 that Dom's exper- al work centred on a version ofthe Do 2ITA fined with a pressure eabin, The first eral lew on 23 April 1940, followed by a PAGE6 DORNIER Do 217 WARPANTsecond - actually the fifth Do 217A-0 - both machines being intended to explore this important advancement in aeronautial eng neering. But once again, engines of the required power for sustained high altitude flight did not materialise and Dornier deci. ed in October 1941, to reconfigured both op: White wing and fusolage bands on thie D> 2ifes (W, Nie S402IU3HKS) of 8IKG 2 were ‘applied primarily for recognition purposes for Gorman Flak gunners But they also elped pre ‘ent calliions. In dusk oF night conditions. Detais of the EDL dorsal turret and port side fear cockpit MG 1S machine gun ara wall shown. (Groh ight Numerous mo Cored in the Do 2176's cape Including the 14 SC 50s shown he test Note how both sets of doors fold back on themselves. and are held in plece by stout hinges. (Dornier) Below A Do 2176-2 moving fr soni. The airerat Is typically anonymous ‘due to the widespread Luftwate practice of ‘of the turelage code, painting ut mo (Bundosarenivy DORNIERDo217 WARPAINT PAGE 7Dornier 00 2178-2, US+NT o ernie Do 2176-2, FBYMP of 6/KG 40 in 1943 Doenir Do 2176-2, USKN of 5/KG 2, France, summer 1942 PAGE® DORNIER Do 217 WARPAINTing on the fn when the fuselage codes wore painted over was 2 notabe feature of Do 217E markings The practice Is well lustrate i this iow of 8 4IKG 40 Do 217 (FO+DM). Right: KG Ps Do 217 USeFS taken by 4 German photogra- her afew moments before the pletre on page TToticlal photographers few many sortie vith fervice crews often risking their vos to record the work of the German armed frees, (Bundes- aren, examples as standard aircraft. ‘An order was then received for both the “high altitude’ Dorniers to be converted for use in the transport support role without delay, although neither was completed before the Febuary 1942 deadiine. It was 30 December before the second transport con: version was able to enter service with [Behelstelle Sud although it appears that the first conversion was operated on such duties fiom about mid-1941 The final example ofthe Do 217A-0 series (Wr. Nr. 2706) flew from Lowenthal in late July 1940 and following a number of fights to test an autopilot, it passed into the hands ‘of Aufklarungsgruppe Ob.LL. on the 30th of that month The early Dornier Do 217s continued an extensive research programme to determine the ideal engines fora Luftwaffe service ver- sion and four different models of BMW A and D series engines were fitted at various times. ninth prototype, which frst lew in September 1940, caried out manufacturer's trials aimed at curing engine vibration prob The first production Do 2174 ‘ted with TC {o00PKiA racks under both wings during load ing teste at Fragrchshaten Various loads could by these racks (Rustsatz R10) among, rat UMA anes holding up to 900 les (2187 actane ful. (DornVariant Ne uit variant No Bui DozITAo (6) Do2I7K1 "(0N) Dozireo (10) Boats a0") Do2i7e-1 (G4) Do 217K3 (a0) DozI7E2 (185) Do217M1 (440% Dezies S) Boatmen Gr) Do2I7E-4 ss) Do 2t7N-1 (240% Dozi7Es (70) Do 2aINe (954) Dott Do 2uRA (8) (190) Doai7a 6) 1.968 + Foes bus quale are aperoxmate "Toil baloved to be combined wh nox rode! bl Tis toll shows a cicrepancy of 73 aera compared wih the acceptance figure (1.87) Sqoted n the tox. Anche source quotes {otal of 1730 aera whl yet smother sates {hat 1.581 bombers pus 364 igh gers were titling 1908 aera lems as well as adverse performance effects ‘deriving ftom the latice-type tail air brake, All the early Do 217s (up to the V9) lacked the deeper fron fuselage introduced on the E series airerafl, making them externally simi- lar to the Do 215, Examples fitted with Jumo engines had three and later four-blad- ed propellers to boost performance during reconnaissance flights at the direct behest of the Luftwaffe high command. Such opera- tions succeeded in obtaining extensive aerial photographie coverage of potential Russian targets many months before Hitler tuned his, military might eastwards and the invasion of the Soviet Union was planned. Inthe west, the Luftwaffe's daylight oper ations against the British Isles throughout the second half of 1940 had proved very costly in terms of men and machines, The ‘campaign was nevertheless continued, with the Kampfgeschwaderen increasingly oblig ced to operate at night or in conditions of oor visibility to minimise losses from fight- er imereeption. There was however a need for aireraft with a better performance than the He TIL (the mainstay of the force) if fiture nocturnal raids were to carry any ‘weight. The Do 217 outperformed the He [11 on most counts and had the advantage of cearying its standard bomb load in and a better armament, PAGE 10 DORNIER 00217 WARPANT THE DORNIER Do 217E SERIES With a characteristically deep front fuselage, the frst Do 217E-0 made its maiden fight from Friedrichshafen on | October 1940. A further four aircraft had been completed by the end of the year, these proving that the decision to switch to BMW engines, 1,560 bhp 801Ma-1 models in this ease, had been sound. Originating with the Do 217 V9, th new model had an extra lower fuselage Sec tion compared to the Do 217-0, this hous- ing a 14 10 in bomb bay enclosed by dou: ‘le doors made in wo sections which folded back, sandvvich fashion. As the main bay could be extended rearwards by $f 8 in to accommodate a torpedo the Do 217 had one of the largest bomb bays of any wartime German aireraf. In addition, space was available above the bay for a fuel tank and a dinghy, traverse bracing frames being incor porated to suppor the additional weight Little time was lost in deploying the Do 2ITE operationally when a handful of ait- craft modified (by Rustsatz R6) to cary cameras, were issued to 3(FY/II to continue ‘mapping sorties over the Soviet Union, a task begun by the pre-production Do 217A- (0, This Staffel was transferred to Rumania in January 1941 to shorten the distance from its allocated reconnaissance targets. Further manufacturer’ test Gights conti. vued with early production Do 217Es while the inital serve example, the Do 217E-1 was being built, The fact that the Do 217E's wing loading of 64 Ib’ sq ft was the highest (of any aircraft in its class, did not appear to present any problems. Neither di its 62 f 4 in span, which was shorter even than that of | an early B-26 Marauder's 65 eet, widely believed to be only just adequate for an air craft ofthis size. And the Do 217E was sub- sequently stressed to take the additional weight of glide bombs, torpedoes or drop tanks, which was not attempted with the American bomber, Crews also appreciated the fact that Will known hangar rot view of a De 217€ with the eatior potartype dive brake fully opened dorsal hach and bomb doors open, The device Just visible on the rear fuselage and tethered to the ground onthe right ca jock to rao th craft level, probably Yor a compass. check (Gundesareniv).Domier had addressed the chronically poor armament of previous German bombers. The Do 207E-1 had provision for six guns, including a fixed 15-mm MG 151 eannon, two [3-mm MG 13Is and three 7.9-mm MG ‘machine guns with ares of fire sufficient t0 ‘Antshipping operations brought the Do 2176 2 {alr dogreo of success, for which a more offec: tivo light coloured camoutlag light aroy underside finish 08 fieraft of 8/KG 2 including. thie machine, USe2N. (Bundesarchi) cover fighter at cks from all angles. OPERATIONS Powered by two 1,850 hp BMW radial engines driving three-blade VDM wooden airscrews, enough Do 217E bombers had been completed by the end of 1940 in atic ‘pation of equipping the first operational unit without delay, This. was IUKG 2 ‘Holzhammer’ which began receiving Do 2U7E-Is in January 1941, with 6, Staffel frews being the first to train onthe new air alt. It was decided during the course ofthe year to re-equip the entire Geschwader with ‘the Do 217E for operations in the west and the balance of the unit including IIL Gruppe which served in Russia during the summer cof 1941, was recalled in October. In the event KG 2 became the only Kamp. ipeschwader to fully convert to the Do 217E The first unit to partially equip was KG 40, I Gruppe which was formed to fly the type in March 1941, Based at Soesterburg in Holland and Bordeaux/Merignae in France, ILJKG 40 deployed its Domiets primarily on nti-shipping operations under the control of Fliegerfuhrer Atlantik, which had been formed on 15 March. Domier erews often appreciated the escort service provided by their comrades in V/KG 40 which flew Ju BRC fighters The bulk of the 94 Do 217E-1s built went to KG 2 and KG 40, Domier meanwhile finalising some significant changes to the otherwise similar Do 217E-2. This version, which was to have had dive bombing as its primary operational role, introduced a power ‘operated DLI31. gun turret in the dorsal position mounting a single MG 131 machine un. This turret gun in addition to a maxi mum of five fixed and flexible-mounted weapons including an MG 151 eannon in the nase, gave the Do 217E-2's armament a total of 1,668 muzzle horsepower, superior t0 other bombers and even the Bf 110C in stan- dard form, according to wartime figures, ‘An optional boost to this Firepower was made possible by development of & tall housing designed as an altemative to the ar brake installation. First made available on the Do 217E-2 as Rustsatz R19, it consisted of two MG 81 7.9-mm machine guns paired as a fourgun MG 81Z installation and remotely fired by the pilot using a cockpi mounted Revi periscope sight. Domier Do 217E-25 began leaving the assembly lines in March 1941; 16 examples were immediately allocated to Dorniers ‘ongoing test programme, many flights being undertaken to further confirm the airera’s suitability as a dive bomber. This capability, something ofan obsession onthe part of ce tain RLM officials, was proving far from practical on an aircraft of this size and weight. The tail-mounted air brake was refined when a system employing a braking para ‘chute was introduced although inthe event it proved totally impractical to throw a 33,000 lb bomber into a power dive and expect it 10 build up sufficient speed to elude enemy defences. It simply could not be done with an airerat that weighed over 2,000 Ib more than a fully loaded Ju 88-4 2 feature of many wartime aiields, tis seer: ingly dangerous practice speeding the ground. Crews" loading task: Bombe were in sry event harmless unt they were fused and this Do 217 Crew, almost certally from KG 2, have tie to {ear from two Inert SC 500s, (Bundesarchiv) DORNIERD0217 WARPAINT PAGE 1Dornier Do 2176-4, FCP of 6.KG 40 n 1049, Domier Do 2176-4, W921, FOKEM of 4K 40 Dornier Do 2176-4, US+2N of 5/MG 2 base in the Neherands 1942 pas Configured as a conventional medium bomber the Do 217E-2 could carry a sub- stantial internal mixed load of upto 5.550 Ib with an absolute maximum of §,818 Tb, this figure necessitating the utilisation of Rustsatz R2 wing racks for a pair of SSI-Ib SSC 250 bombs and the auxiliary bomb bay which meant sacrificing the fuselage fuel tank, The Do 217E-2 could be fitted with rious other Rustsatze including the R] special carrer for a 3.968-1b SC 1800 bomb with an annular fin and the RS, which eon sisted ofa single 30-mm MK 101 cannon in the lower port side of the forward fusel At least 28 Rustsatze were prod Do 217E, K, Mand N series Like many nations, the Germans adhe: to the belief that the aerial torpedo repre sented a useful weapon despite a spiralling risk to the delivery aireraft from enemy {defences and the Dornier Do 217E-2/R4 was able to deliver a single LT Fb torpedo slung fon a. PVC 1006 carrier. Not known to have been used in action by the Do 217, torpedo attack trials were nevertheless conducted by HKG 40, ‘When it was issued to operational units, the Do 217E-2 joined the Do 217-3 which hhad actually entered service first. Similar in ost respects to the Do 2178-2, the Do 217-3 featured inctea ‘A cannonarmed De 217-4 of 91KG 2 (W. Ne SA7MUSeET) withthe Black on ight blue eld olzhammer unit badge well shown. Heavily withthe alvrafts ncividval code "in wt Shove the Lott bomb sight housing, Washab Black paint has been applied to the fuselage Undersdes. (Bundesarchiv) PAGE 12 DORNIER Do 217 WARPANTMore than a dozen Do 217s of KG 2 taxying out for’ sol to typlly the German bitz on Brain Miown from the cockpit of Individual bombers during take of: (Bundesarchiv) for the cockpit armament, fixed and flexible-moun being sd had heavier standard 0 MG 15 machine guns and one 20-mm MG FF cased to a maximum of sev ‘The Do 217E-3, of which about 100 were built, was the fast to have a tail braking para- chute fited as standard, When in mid-1941 the REM finally dropped the idea of having ‘svin engined bombers (other than the Ju 88) perform 'Stuka type" attacks, there was con- Siderable relief, not least at Domier which had wrestled with this problem for some time. Do 217s continued however to be built with the ‘long’ tail housing. The original Do 2ITE series of bombers was completed by the similar E-4 which was. powered by BMW SOIC engines of 1,580 hp and had wing leading edge balloon cable cutters, while the Do 217E-5 was built specifically to deliver the Hs 293 missile Having progressively equipped with the Do 217E-1, E-2, E-3 and E-4, the throe Gruppen of KG 2 continued to undertake bombing sorties, maritime patrol and anti- shipping strikes until Hitler demanded large Seale retaliation attacks on England as a Fiposte to Bomber Command's damaging raid on Lubeck on 28°29 March 1942. KG 2 consequently: launched a 'maximum effort raid on Exeter on 23 April, the unit sending 60 Doriers to the Devon county town following night and carrying out two attacks eding two nights. total of 250 sorties were thus flown by KG 2 in four days, an effort not quite matching the 257 RAF sorties flown against Lubeck in one night. Bomber Command devastated Rostock on four occasions during April - and the Fuhrer raged, As a reprisal he vowed to wipe out the principal English cities marked in the DBacdecker Guide as being of ‘special histor- ical and artistic interest. And although KG 2 and other Kampfgeschwader did their best to ‘cary out this task, the so-called Baedecker raids had litle strategic importance. They continued throughout the spring and early fon Bath over the suce summer of 1942, with the most damaging taking place on 3 May when the German bombers devastated Exeter's city centre. But ‘German losses to the defences were relative ly high considering the modest number o aircraft involved, KG 2 lost at least ten Do 217s and two Do 172s (of 12/Staffel sole rent, even more dangerous assignment when on 19 August the Allies invaded Dieppe. For the Allies a mock invasion of a [European port bought experience of con bined operations at high cost and saw much ait action over the bitterly contested beack- ly to night fighters berween April and early head. About 80 of KG 2's Dorniers were August, Then the Kampgeschwader was thrown into action against enemy shipping, DORNER D027 WARPANT PAGE TS‘move am SC 00 bomb out fo the hardstancing {nd a walting Do 2176-4 of SIKG € in a wave Imirrorpatter camouflage scheme. The alrralt (GEVEN) ie tited with FUG 247 Neptun Rear ‘warning radar, a indicated by the eat of four rod Serials under the starboard. wing. (Bune: esarchiv) Set upon by hordes of Allied fighters, the bomber erews suffered heavily and by the nd of the operation the RAF had claimed 33 Do 217s destroyed. The Luftwaffe admit ted to losing only 25 bom including16 of KG 2's De was little short of disasterous for. by September, the unit had but 23 erews avail able for operations, this from & compl establishment of 88 crews at the start 1942, PAGE 14 DORNER Do 217 WARPAINT KG 2 continued to fly combat missions against English targets but the RAF was now retaliating with improved radar-equipped night fighters which not only intercepted tacks on the forward bases attacked before they could take ff or shot down just when they thou they were safely home did nothing for the confidence of replacement and experienced crews alike. rising attrition rate, partiew: larly fiom deadly Mosquito "attacks, demanded a constant flow of replacement ireraf and crews. As well as regular bomber operations, KG 2 used its Do 217s as mine-layers. Typical ‘operations took place on 2/3 and 3/4 May 1943 when the units aireraf respectively sowed mines in the Humber and Thame estuaries and the convoy route betwes Dover and the Thames estuary. Such opera- sometimes concluded without any reaction whatsoever on the part of the British defences. NIGHT FIGHTERS Domier had by the summer of 1941 begun work on a night of the Do 2I7E-2, the company drawing on some pre- ‘A major Do 217 test programme was to develop Carriage and guidance equipment forthe He 293 ahi bomb, Gard opratonay for eb he 2 single He 293, the main anti-shpping attacks with this revolutionary new weapon were made By the vvised Do 247K. (Dorie via Groh)Dorner Do 2174-03,vious experience with the Do 17Z and Do 215 in meeting this demanding role. The Do DITE conversion involved changing th Clear bomber nose fora solid one containin four 20-mm MG FF eannon and four 7.9 mm MG 17 machine guns. Provision for some of the original bomber armament, {including the dorsal turret, was retained, as was the aft bomb bay, but defensive guns ely installed in the lower position ‘owing to an overriding need to sv ‘At 30,208 Tb loaded the Do 2175 was dou- ble the weight of BF 110 and slightly heav jer than the Ju 88C-6, Front line night fight. er crews viewed high weight as the drawback with all Dornier bomber adapt tions for the noctural inte they also felt large size and an overall ack of agility to be equally. detrimental ‘mainly due to a lower than required delivery rate of the Ju 88C to the Nachijagd that the PAGE 16 OORNIER De 217, WARPAINT proposed ‘stop gap’ Dornier night fi was however welcomed by the RLM. Operational evaluation of the Do 21751 whieh was not equipped with sibome radar was initially undertaken by E/NIG 2 at Berlin- Schinefeld in March 1942 and there after at Gilze-Rijen whore IL/NIG 1 flying some Dornier sorties in the | spring Less than favourable erew reports on over all performance also cited the high wing Toading, which restricted the aireraft to using the larger airfields. In view of the nature of helle Nachtjagd, which often required night fighters to seek the nearest available landing ground to avoid running out of fuel, the Do 217 could be put ata considerable disadvan. tage. In the evert many of the early Do 217) night fighters were used as trainers, often with armament drastically reduced ‘When FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar was ini ‘A Lutwatfebisck man’ working in the nose of @ 1Do217E-21R5 sceptical ayes the camera poked his way. The optically flat perspex. panels, including a blanked-off cannon pot at op ight. Were designed to reduce distortion during the Bombing run. Te long barel of he MK 104 car non ie. to the ‘ight of the Lafie 70. sight. (Bundesareniy) tially fitted, the aireraft took the designation Do 217H-2. Although the additional weight ‘of the internal electronic equipment and ‘external aerial array was somewhat offset by deleting the bomb bay, the aireraf remained heavy. The early Dornier Do 217 night fight- cers nevertheless continued in Nachijagd ser- viee, NIG 1, 2,3, 4, and 101 all receiving & number of examples, Despite its less than outstanding pesto mance, nobody could deny that the forward firing armament of the Do-217H could be devastating, a fact not lost on Germany's Italian alles. Lacking a night fighter force to ‘combat RAF night raids over the Alps, the Regia Aeronautica requested BE 110s, Germany, faced with a shortage of night fers, sent three, The Italians were per: suaded that the Do 2174-1 would meet their needs and sx ateralt were supplied between September 1942 and February 1943. And although they were flown operationally by 235 Squadriglia, 41 Stormo based at Treviso and later Lonate Pozzolo, the Italian Dormers met with a singular lick of sugcess {in terms of aerial victories, To meet a request for radar-equipped night fighters, Germany supplied six Do 217K-2s between February and June 1943. One Lancaster destroyed on 16/17 July 1943 was all that could be claimed by 235 Squadriglia while operating the German aircraft Flying in concert with the BE 110 and Ju 88 was to be the operational pattern for the night fighting Do 217J (and the De 217N) Do 21764 (SE+HN) attached to the pathinder tint KG 6 ‘une up is ongines. Immediately before a sortie from Montldier. Tho bomb bay maine open at this stage to prevent any build Upof dangerous umes anda lack of une might inaicate a atning fight (Gundesarchiv)DORNIER Do Prt side view : De a ruse.Ase Hoss SECTIONS DOR HH rma scale [ ‘DORNER DoZi7 WARPAINT PLANS SUPPLENENT PAGE +© : H; $$$ \ Port side view — Staboar oe view SOomer bo 2e2 Port sie view DORNIER Do 21767 DORNIER Do 2170-1 Port sie view DRNIER Do 217 Drawings by Hubert Cance % DORNIER Do 270-2 Port sie viow showing He 239 installation aKa ne HENSCHEL He 2398-1 jppar surface pian view HENSCHEL Hs 2290 Upper surface pian view ‘DORNER D027 WARPAINT PLANS SUPPLEMENT PAGE 1——~_xt DORNIER Do 217M. Prt sie view DORNER De 217 WARPAINT PLANS SUPPLEMENT PAGEDDORNIER Do 217.1 Port side view (at = DORNIER Do 2172 Upper surface pan view DORNER Doz(On front fine sifelds, grounderews could use hand. winenos. to crank open bomb doors Jammed through combat damage or electrical failure. Two SC 500 bombs aren lace. (Domiet via Groh) neither of which were to fully equip a Nachtjagdgeschwader. NIG 1, 2, 3 and 4 used the Do 217J-2 on operations DORNIER Do 217 K AND M With the progress of the air war increasingly restricting Germany's conventional bombing raid tonight sorties, Dornier redesigned the Do 217 series to better undertake that roe. The fist production Do 217K-1 flew on 31 ‘March 1942 and by the late summer the fist examples had entered service with KG 2. ly new nose contours still tire crew of four in the for lage but now the stepped win screen of all earlier Domier bombers had given way toa continuously glazed, stream Tined cockpit Having otherwise decided to retain much of the internal layout of the Do 217E Dornier did briefly explore alternative con figurations, including @ single fin and nud det. Tested on the Do 217K Vi, it was not adopted and the familiar twin fin and rudder assembly of the Do 217E was retained, as was the 62 ft 4 in wing of the Do 217E Three Do 217K prototypes were followed by the initial production K-1 variant which ‘ould be armed with four to six MG 81 and wo MG 131 machine guns, An extended wing of 81 f4 in was fitted to the Do 217K-2, which was built specifi cally to carry the FX 1400 missile Al Do 217Ks were powered by 1,700 bp BMW 8O1D air-cooled radial engines, while the similar Do 217M also with the original ‘wing, had DB 603 liquid-cooled engines of 1,750 hp, As well as having a much less streamlined nacelle, the Daimler-Benz engine required a four rather than three bladed propeller; the Do 217 wing was adapted 10 take liguid cooled engines principally to guard against possible shortages of the BMW powerplant. ‘This appears not to have been a problem as iodest numbers of Do 217Ks - built did not eat into BMW engine output (inereasingly allocated to the Fw 190) t any The first Do 217M-1 made its maiden flight on 16 July 1942, Having decided not to proceed with the Do 217L, which would have had a revised cockpit and different armament, Dorier then built Do 217Ks and Ms simultaneously, enabling both versions to enter Luftwaffe service at much the same time. Again KG 2 was the main recipient of the later Do 217, inital examples of the M: I being accepted during late 1942. Only one other Do 217M variant saw Luftwaffe service. This was the Do 217M- 11, a missile carie similar to the Do 217K- 3, with the extended wing. It was intended that this version would carry an FX 1400 or Hs 293 semi-recessed into the fuselage but in the event many of the Do 217M-I1 ai frames were converted to night fighter con figuration rather than bombers. MISSILE CARRIERS Arguably the most successful operational duty undertaken by the Do 217 was that of ‘mother ship’ for stand-off nisils, In this ‘grey, wavy line pattern over a lighter grey top Surtace inacates previous use a8 2 night Righter {or this Do 2174-2 (NS*AA) pictured at Ala, Finland in March 1944. A unit hack, the airerat with a superimposed eagle and red surround. (Gundessretin) DORNER Do 217 WARPAINT PAGE 17role it was one of the fist aircraft in the world to use weapons that heralded an entirely new form of aerial warfare, The pri ‘mary weapon was the Henschel Hs 293A radio controlled glider bomb. Utilising a conventional SC $00 Ib bomb fitted with a Walter rocket motor and rudi- ‘mentary wings and tailplane, the Hs 293A ‘was put into volume production in January 1942 and fist used in action by Do 217 crews in mid-1943. In April 1943 ILIKG 100 began re-equip- ping with the Do 217E-5 at Graz, where a Second Gruppe, HI/KG 100, had also En route o an ideal night amouflage szhome forite night ghter conversions, Dormer exper. fronted with tis tree tone “ippe" pattern on o"2474"" (KD#Mz}. The shades used on this Yactory defence’ ‘scheme and other ‘early Domier night Hghters have Deen widely intr proted. (Dormer) formed, in March, In August I Gruppe moved to Cognac to begin operations with the Hs 293 while IT Gruppe occupied MarseillesIstres to operate the Do 217K-2, this unit flying aireraft carrying the SD 1400 X armourpiercing guided bomb commonly known as ‘Fritz-X' The Do 217E-$ was adapted 10 take the necessary guidance equipment for control- ling the Hs 293 after launching. Essentially this comprised a Telefunken FuG 203b Kehl ML transmitter linked to the bomb's FuG 230b Strassburg receiver and a Knuppel or joystick/control box for line-of-sight Hight corrections, a task asisted by a flare located in the tail of the weapon. Warm air hoses were built into the Do 217E-5's wings to keep the Hs 293 ata constant temperature to offset any effects from icing or humidity changes, each missile being carried on an ORE ETC 300/KIl wing rack outboard of the engine nacelles Asin radio guidance sytem as that of the Hs 203 was sed forthe 8D 1400, the Do BITK-25 electronics ft being FUG 2OdauG 230s. The Domier Do 217K-3 was sighly more versatile inthe missile Carr fleas it coud we either FuG 2036 or 203d guidance for contol of either pal of Fiz X or two Tis 293 missiles cated inboard of the engine nacelle. working plan for Luftwaleanteship. ping operations with guided missiles handed the Mediterancan area to is equipped with the Do 217 andthe Ata oH 177 tres, with the possiblity of deploying Ju $6 ina similar role in British coat waters, Only arto ths plan could be implemented Ital to ILKG 1005 Do 217-3 Cogn to score the fst confirmed “ll PAGE 18 DORNER Do217{Do 2175.2 formeny part of NIG 2, at Lonate Pzzola, italy in May 1043" on transfor to the Regia Aeronautics The sreraf which arived in full Nachijagd "markings "Including =the ‘Englands badge ana code 3CwIL was subee- {quently allocated the Halla serial number MM 1388. (ia G Apostle) with an Hs 293 when on 28 August 1943, the unit sent 18 Dorniers against a British naval support group inthe Bay of Biscay and sank the sloop Egret. Geschwader Kommodore Maj Fritz Aufthammer flew the aircraft responsible forthe sinking The destroyer HMCS Athabascan was badly damaged by a missile released by the Staffelkapitan of S/KG 100, Hptm Wolfgang Vorpan ‘Operations with the Hs 293 over ‘the Bay had actually started three days beforehand and although 14 Do 217 - with an escort of seven Ju 88Cs of 15/ KG 40 - managed to launch their missiles, only the sloop Landguard was damaged by near misses. In Soptemiber IL/KG 100 joined its sister III Gruppe at Istres shortly before the Halian surrender was announced on the 8th, This ‘was the moment KG 100s crews had bet waiting for, for under the terms of the armistice the Halian flet was ordered to sail from La Spezia to Malta to surrender - the Luftwaffe was to ensure that as few ships as possible could be used by the Alles With the battleship Roma, two other bat Hleships, three cruisers and cight destroyers aiming to rendezvous with three more cruis: from Genoa, the target was tempting German air reconnaissance reported the fleet's position in the afternoon of 9 September and 11 Do 217K-2s of H/KG Code HN’ on a wavecmirror finished Do 247-2 {EHN) of SIKG 6. Dlsimilar camoutlage pat tems were created depending on appication method: sprayguns were preferred but brooms Sen mcel Bencenmeny) aM gure ‘any shortage of BMW engines, Dorior ‘Adapted’ the Do. 217) night tighter to take Junkers Jumo liquid cooled engines and FuG 202 radar under the designation Do 217N. Early ‘machines, similar to this factory test Do 217N-08 {GGrv0}, retained the lower gun position. (Dornier Dornier Do 217 Operational Units BOMBER UNTTS code KG 2 Holehammer vs Ks 40 Fs Kee ae ke e6 2 ke 100 on Versuch Klo/K 200, evev ke 103 3 NIGHT FIGHTER UNITS Nuc co Nug2 Re Nea ae Nes es Nie6 2 NG 100 wr Nig 404 w Dut Ge Noch, 2,9 and 4 ca TRAINING UNITS NBs School uns didnot usualy have codes alo. {BFS Blindtugschule(Ierumenbind fying ‘school 8 100, each carrying a single EX 1400, took off from Istres led by Major Bemhard Jope. Missile launches were made from around 20,000 feet and Uff Oskar Huhn, the bom fimer in Lt Heinrich Schmet's aircraf steered his Fritz X accurately enough to obtain the first near-midships hit on the Roma, Fatally damaged, she sank after a second FX 1400 had struck home. The bat FES (8) -Fugeoughorarscnae (Bomber let raring schoo) 4. § and 38 FFS{(C)- Fugzougtuverschule (rut-engines) 4 & 5 Toon, Sonia 6 Kempfoacbachtorscoue (Bomber Kampiagerschule Bomber ‘rinng schoo) 2 ane ® KSG "Kamptschulgesehwader (Bomber ‘raining wing) 16 103, ecromsce (or SNe MISCELLANEOUS UNITS Kemmance (F| Roweh 6 aot 5 ne Tors, & Vath: Stuf! Ob, Sudwest 3 NB:A numberof ether unt inching: KG 3; St 2, Nachijagd Keo OBS, NAG 102, NJ Keo/OBS iteration): TUK. Werneuchen, the Vebi ‘angst (ison squadron e I Flogerors ‘2nd Lat und Errebungs, Ka 21 areal known tehave operated bo 217s in smal numbers Uleship Halia was damaged by an FX 1400 striking her bow but was able to make Malta Schmetz, Kapitan of 11 Staffel forthe Roma strike, was decorated with the Rtterkrauz on 29 October 1944. KG 100s Domiers continued to present threat to the Allied landings at Salerno and Anzio when this unit subsequently used mis siles 40 damage the cruiser USS Savannah DORNIER Do 217 WARPAINT. PAGE 19PAGE 20 DORNIER D2 217 WARPANT Unarmed D0 2474 trainers belonging to the for ‘mor training formation Nd 102, which Became Sperational in 1048. Numerous Do 217s were Used by the Nachtjagd as trainers. (Peter Heck win La) and battleship HMS Warspite. Two more sinkings were added to the tally of damaged ships on 29 January 1944 when the cruiser IMS Spartan and the Libenty ship Samuel Huntingdon were atacked. On 23 January the destroyer HIMS Jervis was ‘damaged by an Hs 293 Allied opposition to Luftwaffe attacks, both at sea and in the air, had grown so strong by mid-1944 that further missile sorties were all Dut out of the question. Nevertheless IIL/KG 100, then under the command of Heinrich Schmetz, recently promoted to Hauptmann, continued to strike Allied invasion ports and ‘other military targets at night Based at Toulouse-Francazal and Orleans- Bricy, the unit carried out its last major oper- ation with the Hs 293 on 7 August 194, Six Do 217E-5s, each with one missle, attempt ced to destroy an American-held br the Selune river at Pontaubault, The failed in its purpose and one ait shot down - but this operation represented the world’s first attack by aircraft using ‘stand-of? weapons against a land target By the end of August 1944 KG 100 had gone from Orleans and by September the unit had been disbanded. Shortly before this ‘occurred, III Gruppe had taken delivery of five examples of the Do 2178 which as, alphabetically, the final variant of the Do 217 line to see operational service An order of battle dated 20 August listed HLKG 100 with just five serviceable Do Below For Domier night fighters tobe a ofoc tive as thelr tusty BI 10s and Ju BBs, the Nrenjagd recommended s weight saving pro- ‘gramme. Obviously unable to turn 2 medium Bomber into. a lightweight lghter without 2 {usolage step to reduce drag and produced the Do 217N-2, te frat of which was coded PEAW, (Dornien= With the contro tower duty crew casting a shad- fw across the Do 247N07 (GG*YG) was ano ised to test the FuG 202 Lictenstein BC radar ight (Dorn 217s out ofits normal compliment of 30a erat A conversion ofthe stllbom Do 317A-0 of Which six were completed, following the First flight of the prototype on & Sptember 1943, the Do 217R was primarily intended ‘asa missile carrier, witha single Hs 293 rack under the fuselage. Armament was two MG SI and two MG 131 machine guns, plus @ 15.mm MG 151 cannon and the powerplants were Daimler-Benz DB 603s of 1,750 hp. Tris doubtful if KG 100 had time to use the Do 217R operationally, for within weeks, the Hs 293 missiles were erated up and sent back to Germany by ral - but they were used one last time by a Do 217 unit. Desperate to stem the Russia into Germany in the spring Versuchskommando /KG 200 readied 12 Do 217s for an attack on bridges sp river Oder. Carried out on 12 April 1945, the ‘operation was not deemed to be a great suc cess, although a numberof hits with the mis- sile were claimed, Nectilagd undergoing armament ‘maintenance and exhibiting the Bast tuber for the 20-mm MG FF cannon mounted below the ‘arly Indieste a second line machine. With thei Backs to the wall the Germans then had more pressing piries than panting unt idontiy on Sera: Note the open bomb ay. fuselage Match ‘and sprung Zeus fasteners holding the machine {gun ammunition access doors In place. (J. V Grow DORNIER Do 217 WARPAINT PAGE 21[Above: All but anonymous in thei dull green land black paintwork, the Do 217K of KG? femained a tveat albeit 2 small one =o towne nd ees Inthe Bish Ios unt mid. O44. As ‘ras commen, this Do 217K coded’ has it Whee! doors removed. (Bundesarchiv) Right. The Do 217M-1 (We Ne. S6081/USsDK) of 21K 2 by the RAF. Abondoned by Sut of fue In thi Instance the rudder ID mark ing was a numeral rather than water andthe tail United been taken fom W. Rr 5742 00.27 {4°(RAF Museum via W'J Bowyer) Below. A Domnier Do 217K-1 (WLNe 4446) of KG 2 about to {axy out for 3 sortie. The large presentation of the individual ‘code tater "Gon there feflcted 8 sistosairidontfiation st night (Bundes- Bren via MF Bomyer) PAGE 22 DORMER D9 217 WARPAINTDorner Do 217K, USYAA of Stab/KG 2. Holland 1849, Demlae Do 217K, US+AD of Stab KG 2 Doenir Do 217K-1, F of Lutte 2 in the Madrrancen area 1942-49 THE OLD ROUTINE Less exotic weapons continued to be released by those Dornier 217s maintaining the bomber offensive against England and although KG 2 remained the only Geschwader to be equipped solely with Dornier bombers, including the Do 217K and M, this later variant also served with ISJKG 6 which, in April 1943, became LKG 66, This latter unit, formed at Chaves, was a special pathfinder Gruppe initially operating Do 217K-Is. Dietrich Peltz, appointed as Angriflsfuheer England that month, was charged with building revitalised bomber force, a primary element ‘of which was to have skilled erews handling target marking for the ‘main force’. In the event the Do 217 played a relatively smal part as a pathfinder, L/KG 66 mainly being ‘equipped with the Ju 88S and Ju 188, OPERATION STEINBOCK Domier Do 217s of the Holzhammer Geschwader joined other bomber units in a final series of air raids - large by Luttwate standards - on Britain when Operation Steinbock began on 21/22 January 1944, ‘Stab, I and IIL/KG 2 and L/KG 66 field ce about 90 Do 217Ks and Ms to contribute to the total 447 sorties flown by He 177s, Ja anicas GR heDornier Do 217M, K7SLK of 4(FVAUIGrNachy, Russia, 1844 Dornier D0 2170-1, 0049, KEIN, Ai Min 7, captured at Flensburg in 1845, Fito wth Domiar Do 317 style in and de PAGE 24 DORNIER Do 217 _WARPAINTerences betwoon ths and the rade ‘ngined De 217K. ware minimal, alewing Drier to bulla bth simultaneously. (MAP) 885 and Ju 188s plus Me 410s and Fw 190s in the first of these over-ambitious opera Despite being led by pathfinders and cov- i its tacks with ample quantities of Duppel (Window) to blind enemy radar the ‘German force attacking London had very lit ile success, the bombing being scatered ‘over much of south east England. While Steinbock or the ‘Little Blt’ as it ‘was known in Britain, lasted until the spring ‘of 194, it was clear to both sides that the Luftwate bomber force had surrendered any edge it may have enjoyed in 1940/41, KG 2 least five aireraft to RAF night fight- er interception during the period, KG 100 had two of its Do 217K-3s destroyed by Mosquitos of No 406 Squadron fon the night of 29/30 April when II. Gruppe was briefed to use its Fritz X guided bombs against Allied shipping in Plymouth harbo NNo ships were apparently hit by the bombs and none damaged. After 6 June 19444 IIL/KG 100 remained ‘on what became the invasion front to Hy its Do 217Ks in the face of overwhelming enemy air superiority. Handed the daunting task of striking at Allied. shipping, the Gruppe suffered substantial losses, with lit. He recorded success ‘The Dormier crews nevertheless carried out their assignment with determination and at least 22 individuals who served with these tunts and flew a Do 217 forall or part of their service, were ie (Cross, Under a broadly’ interpreted award system, bomber crewmen were usually dec- crated for completing a number of opera. tional sorties or for performing a single out- standing feat of arms. The first Do 217M to fall into British hands did so on the first 21/22. January Steinbock night raid on London. After being Abandoned by its crew near the capital the aircraft flew on to eventually crash land near ‘Cambridge. Found to be largely intact, it was disassembled and taken by road’ to Farnborough for detailed exam NIGHT FIGHTER DI OPMENTS, Although the Do 217N-1 was based on the Left: Mosium bombers were useful test beds as they offered twin engine roliabity, good woight ling eapabiity and ueeful range: Dorner 278 consequently featured as nether ships” for 8 umber of advanced weapons. Including, the ‘ater. the proto vebich (RL*TY) was carried alot ona cradle on 2 Oo 2178 coded ‘Below: A significant redesign in the way of» performance ‘the Do 217.01 nevertheless introduced & Fomiat cockpit and faster fring doensive fr. Power Like many production Domios,fretaine the tal brake housing. (Dornier),‘Above: The Dornier Do 2176's relabe load car ‘ying capability was perpetuated In the Tato Sores of bombers. Among the munitions tasted was the LTFS® arial torpedo, using Do 217-07 (We 4407IRD9dF) toa potentially formida- De oad of four Dornier) updated Do 217M-1 bomber, its outward appearance was similar to the earlier Do 217Is apart from the DB 603A engines, as all Domier night fighters let the production ine with the stepped windscreen ofthe orig inal bomber design. Radar fit was FuG 202 or FuG 212. The similarity of the Do 217N-1 to the Do 2173 extended to the less than useful rear ventral gun position which mounted a single MG BL. Nose armament was four MG 151/20 cannon and four MG 17 machine guns and a single MG 131 was mounted in the dorsal Dornier supplied wooden fairing that ‘could be fitted in place ofthe ventral glazed gun position and a cover for the dorsal ‘Below: Despite a universal use ‘mud and dust kicked up by the tyres. To provent equipment malfunction groundersws cleaned del ate areas such as the FUG. 10 radio aerial onthe port sige, Do 217K coded "of KG 2 fs shown (Bundesarchiv) PAGE 26 DORNIER Do 217 WARPAINT‘mounting ring once the turret dome was removed. Work on these drag and weight reducing modifications was done by Luftwaffe repair depots, the resulting craft being known as Do 217N-1/UL, the suflix standing for Umsatz o Modification H Far more lethal than any number of for ward ‘guns for attacking enemy bombers at ight was a Schrage Musik bat tery of upwards-firing cannon. A weapon pioneoted by Dornier, t was perpetuated on the Do 217N-1/U3 which enabled the instal lation of two or four MG 151/20 cannon, either combination proving highly effective in combat. First recipients ofthe Do 217N-1 were 4/NIG 1 and 4./NJG 3, both units hav ing aircraft operational by April 1943 Thereafter the Do 217N-1 was used by Erg /NIG 2, [Hand IVINIG 3, LINIG 4, IL and IV/NIG 5, plus NIG 100, 101 and 102. The armed. services experimental detach ment (T'VK)-at Wemeuchen also had some examples ULTIMATE VERSION ‘The Do lowed by the ult sate Domier ni tthe Do 217N- This variant dispensed with the dorsal turret and ventral gun position entirely, the substi tuted firings altering the lower ise contours and bring ‘weight down to astilesubstantial 29,100 I, Top tight: Do 217V3, the prototype Do 317A (UK:IY} was an attompt to involve Dorner inte {ittwate's tt fated ‘Bomber 8° programme, Six Do 375 wore built although no sontract mater Siised at'a time whan the Reich needed only fighters Yor detence. (MAP) Centre From the {onthe Do 317 (VKcIY] was simula tos Oo 217 Predecessor although detall changes wore ‘oned later tht year (Dornier via Parrett Fight: Some of tha major changes made to the Do 217P vst included a sealed cockpit canopy ‘and. thie engine in the fuselage to srve the ‘Supercharger unt The vertal at intake forthe ‘engine can be seen in this view. (Dorie vie Sarre) Dornier Do 217P V1, 8K-IR protolype seen Pressured cock Bo 317V4, VAY protoype in 194 DORNIER De 217 WARPAINT PAGE 27Award dates of the Ritterkreuz and Eichenlaub to aircrew associated with Do 217 units Koz Abrahamsk, Rul (14/KG 2) 29 Feb 1048 Bomachain. Waar (42KG-2) 24 Sept 1042 Bade, Waiter (81KG 2) "17 Sept 1941 Ble, Petar (3. and 10.KG 2) 10 Oct 1042 ‘eer Gerhard (0.KG 2) 16 Mar 1041 Frc Johann, ping (XG 2) 20 June 1340, SGanaow daachim (4 2) 23 Marc 1981 Graber Heme (16.6 2) 20 Sept 1943, Halenaeben, Rudlf von (KG 2) 29 Oct Hanger Hoinch (Stab KG 2) 5 Jy 1084 Kecsl, Kart (KG 2) 28 Jan (944 inl Afod(6KG 2) 24 Sop 1942 agg, Nol (0/KG 2) 9 hay T044 Meyer Melnch (KG 2) 19 Oct 1942 Sengechmi, Fritz 1KE 2} 2¢ Sept 1042 Seyfarth, Kurt (Stab /KG 2) 8 Sept T04a SSmier Whe (15 (KG 2) 14 Sop 1942 ELIB Nov 48 6) Stousel, Jos! (KG 2) 20 Oct 1044 Wetlkur Pau! (LKG 2 and KG 53) 18 Sept KG 100: dope, Beard (KG 40 & KG 100) 20 Sapt 180; EL 24 Maren 1944 ‘Schmeiz, Heinen (KG 4, KG 30 8 100) 28 October 4é Schmid, Hermann (1K 100 & KG 68) 20 ‘apr tou Sthol, Slograld(2/KG 100) 24 March 1943 Ke (©) posthumous award [Above rght The elegant ines ofthe Dornier Do 217 were lost or gained with the M mod {depending on the eye of the beholder. By mod: ‘Sing the airrat to this configuration, Dormer {extended the line 9 partially make good @ gen tral" shortfall of bombers to equip the Kampfgeschwader. (Dornier) Right: La tnderwing radiators wer ited tothe fully pres: Surised and highly modified Do 217P V-t which ‘wae unarmed. Deepor and squarer alt Intakes ‘here also incorporated an the D8 6038 engines (Dorner via Jaret) PAGE 28 DORNIER Do 217 WARPANT was considerably better than a Do 217M bomber, which tipped the seales at 36,817 Ib in loaded condition, it ‘was still about 300 Th heavier than the Ju 88G-6, ‘Standard armament ofthe Do 217N-2 was similar to that of the Do 217N-1, a four-can ‘non Schrage Musik installation adding the suffix /R22. The aircraft was fitted with FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2 radar as well as FuG 202 or FuG 212. Service use of the Do 2DITN-2 by the Nachijagd was, as with cal fr variants, spread across the foree in small numbers. The main user units were NIG 3 and NIG 4, with NIG 1, 2, 5 and 6 also Pernaps the most ambitious company project based on the Do 217 bomber was a proposed high alttude reconnalesance variant, tho. D2 217P Vet (BKCAR ) whieh retumed Some impres- ‘ve performance figures. (MAP) EXERIMENTAL VARIANTS. Apart from the standard Do 217s retained by Domier to test numerous systems, the com: pany built the experimental Do 217P which Aimed to offer a high altitude reconnaissance and bombing capability in a single airframe. A reconfigured Do 217-2, the Do 217P V1 had a supercharger system driven by a DB ‘60ST engine mounted in the fuselagePAGE 30 DORNIER Do 217 WARPAINTty sent cartlge cut hanging np, the EDL ture wit angle MG 31 ura gun tadiced onthe Do 2176-2 shows how tire 2 g00d deal ners ponerse merece! race:Looking aft, the Oo 2176-4 bomb bay with two SC 500 and two SC 280 bombs In place. For nor. ‘mal operations the Do 217 was one ofthe few German bombers designed to cary 9 subetan {ial payload entirely Internally. (Dornier via Grieht) Making its first flight in June 1942 the air: craft attained an altitude of 43,965 f, service ceiling later being established at an impres- sive $2,597 f. The Do 217P V2 and V3 were followed by three Do 217P-0 pre-production aircraft although lacking any production order from the Luftwaffe, no further exam- ples were built ‘After the 1943 cancellation of the Do 317, put forward as an insurance against the fail ure ofthe Ju 288 and Fw 191 under the ill: fated ‘Bomber B programme, the few ait craft completed were converted into the Do 2I7R, Production of the Do 217 was termi rated by June 1944, the company’s full ources then being switched tothe Do 335, fighter. The almost total replacement ofthe Do with other types by the last year of the war is shown by a Luftwaffe Order of Battle for 10 January 1945, The only Dorniers then in front line ser- vice were with Femaufklarungsgruppe Nach, which flew sorties under the dir tion of Lufiflote 4 over Hungary and Yugoslavia and atthe behest of Lufton 6, responsible for East Prussia ‘This was not the complete picture, as some Do 217s remained on the strength of KG 200, the night fighter units and training schools, plus some headquarters and liaison units smaller even than Staffel size. Of the projected developments ofthe basic Do 217 design, the Do 3178 would have had the Do 317A fuselage mated to long span wings, remotely controlled armament and DB 610 engines ‘This project was abandoned in 1943 but a Do 417 derivative was studied. Radically different to its predecessors, the Do 417 was tohave had a single fin (in both A and B v sions) and remotely controlled armament, including a tail turtet. The Do 417A was envisaged as having BMW engines, with the DB 603 powering the Do 4178; neither went beyond the drawing board stage [By the time the war ended the majority of the 1,887 Do 217s accepted by the Luftwaffe (out ofa total of approximately 1,998 built) hhad been expended on operations; no alt= frame is known to exist today although some components sill come to light when crash sites are excavated. These sometimes yield poignant reminders of the wartime forays of the Kampfgeshwaderen, particularly when they can confirm the last resting place of crewmen who have been ‘missing in action’ for over $0 years One such was gunner Obfw Heinrich Richter of 8/KG 2 whose remains were found in the wreckage of a Do 217E~ brought down on a raid on Teeside on 13 January 1942. Richter, previously confused with his erew’s radio operator Unteroffizier Hans Maneke, was remembered at @ cere mony at St Peters Church, Middlesborough, located about 400 yards from where his Dornier crashed, Richter was interred. st Thomaby Cemetary on 14 October 1998, PAGE 32 DORNIER D0 217 WARPANT LV Dornier Do 217 kits and accessories Seale Typo Manufacturer 172" Dormir Do 217E ite 1:72 Damier Do 2174-1 + Hs259 Kalen 472 Domnor Do 21744 ter 172 Down Do 278-4 ter 1°72 Domlar Do 217M Nt 1:72 Domine D0 2476 Ait 172 Domir D0 21722 Anwaves 172 Domior Do 24740N Ears 172 Domor Do 247% ‘Squadon Signal 148 DomrOo2t7™-10 MPM 148 Domior Do 217K Ment 148 Doriar Do 247 Mont 148 Domes Be 2175 Monograms Revel Engines and Things produce compete kis 1.72 and 140th cal for eter the BMW801 ‘adel (Dome Do 217€ 15) or the Daimler Bonz 603 V-12n ne engine (omer D0 217M4N) that canbe tas int Ary tn sea Reference Remarks 020 69 105, Coxe 054 e015 tae it should be avaiate in 2000 Injection moulded bt Injection moulded et Injeton moulded kt ttjeston mauled wt (Coe narumetation Tora bomber verson or nght nghter ‘Conversion wih Fit X bom ‘arcpy Compete kt Compete xt Complete xt1 of 6/NUG 4, landed at Outen, Switzerland and nered, 1844 Dornier Do 217N-1, 56051, US*DK of 2/KG 2, Operation Sieinback coder 1344 Crashed near CamnsgeWith VE:Day, examples of al the easing German sireraft types wore evaluated by the RAF including this Do 217H4-1 (W. Ne 6158) of KG 2 whieh Became ‘Ar Misty 107. Three Oo 217Ms came within {his temporary designation system for captured aircraft but none were preserved. (Dorn Bretol Bosutghter £5.95, Hawker Siaaoley Buccaneer £7 80, Juntos su 67 Ska £7 50, Neh Amesean F100. Super Sabre £7.50 Howler Typhoon £7.80, Avo. Shackleton E70, Dunes Ju 68 £750, Aaweer Hurt Eti'8b, Exe Wieatharoat E130. Viware Wotington £7 50, DH Sea Vion £7 80. Fa sm E850, Fw 200 Condo £7.50, BA Lipntsng £1150, Short String £780; Hawker S80 Fury £750, Clostor avon £990, raiser £850, do Haitand Horst tad bea Honet fa, Sipemece Seahe {Grn engines vorars) £50, Armeveng Watery Whitey £6.90, Gloster Meteor E180. P47 Thunderboe £8.50, ‘A number of hore tos aro at Ses cut of ‘ants reacnrs raced 0 choc bre publchers beter org i Do 217 Technical Data DORNIER Do 2176-2 Mechumiheayy bombec Pereepiant wo, Bh SOT. 1écynder Recs Tats nee Seer rrr a bas aire! — Se Pee ee enn nv ned $4.75 (15,000) mum speed 320 mph (56h Fae cose LE ier om cet tenant fen sore cetng 268299, 000m) Rivers cer Rael ‘top feng atone ee-mounte 79-mm MG ‘Stracie ane awards fo ‘mounted? rm M48 machine gure at (ral. cock so postons DORNIER Do 217-1 Type: Medummeavy bomber Powerplant: wo 1178 hp Dasmor-Bonz 08 G03 tzeylnder iquld-coried engres ‘Recommadatlon: cow of four comsing Seciledoaner an So shunigener: ‘imenatons Span 62 in (19 m) iergty $5 85-259 (16.98 m) Bayete a) trp 15945 bo (9.000 ka) ‘asim lad 36.8281 (16,700 kp) Bertormance: ss ‘lati coed: 248 mph (560 keh) at Gararcarccc Renceo ganna Gawemeeeees Seay oy Gemeente. tee tat matiaasite non m lower por nose, ore 13mm MG {3 Irachine gunn coral ert one feo-mount 188 smn iG 131 machine unin von (4.000 ig) utting estat racks; 880 Betray {Feo 7 Str MAG 8 machine guns ne Left: Damier D0 217s of KG2taxying for take of. uring the later stages of the biz on England. Note the Jumo-engined Domier Do 217A: sec: tnd inne (Bundesarehiy) oe 13: MG 121 in dre tua ane MG 131 fn voneal top ana wo 7 Seren tA 81 ‘machin gun tora postions DDORNIER Do 217.2 Pesworplant: fo aun Ben: DB 609A 12. (ina ius coned engines ‘Recommedation: Crew affour comprising radar pera aed Nh or Bera E ec canton ok ‘an rp 2205 (10,280 ko) ‘fassmom lade 29.101 (13.200 a) Performance: mac um speed 207 mh (429 rah eruing sped 264 mph (424 kh) eal ‘rg 0 8 BA rage 1080 toe ‘Armament: Four 20-mm MG 181 cannon anc Sarr 1? racine gre Rata ove pus we or fur Z-nm MG FE cannon deere Sng Shope Mok hinge naa gies ast sana seg ora a Narived Gah Wich! 3 Bowyer urd Us Ces Gam nras Cow ad Bare Wert Petey Ree iho Lid 228 Secure Rone Lun, Decors oc Barred | Find sane Scag by Part ance Th a rn Sst nny hncat rap, andes, Cea Spano