(Dornier) Do 217 @·AIRCRAFTUBE

  • Dornier Do 217 Dornier Do 217
    Dornier Do 217
  • Do 217E Do 217E
    Do 217E
  • Do 217 N-2 Night fighter - 1945 Do 217 N-2 Night fighter - 1945
    Do 217 N-2 Night fighter - 1945
  • Henschel Hs 293 Henschel Hs 293
    Henschel Hs 293
  • Dornier Do 217E-2 - 1943 Dornier Do 217E-2 - 1943
    Dornier Do 217E-2 - 1943
  • Do 217K-2 - 1943 Do 217K-2 - 1943
    Do 217K-2 - 1943

Dornier Do 217

The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by Germany during World War II. It was designed from scratch as a replacement for the venerable Dornier Do 17.

At the beginning of 1938, Dornier issued manufacturing specification No. 1323, recognising the need for a twin engined bomber or long range reconnaissance aircraft powered by Daimler-Benz DB 601B engines. Dornier recognized shortcomings of its fast Dornier Do 17 well before the war. With Junkers' new prototype, the Junkers Ju 88 being superior to the Do 17 in every way, Dornier designed a new bomber to meet a requirement from the RLM for a larger and more versatile bomber than the Do 17, capable of both level and dive bombing. One of the most versatile and useful bomber designs the Germans put into production after the war started, the Dornier Do 217 remedied the shortcomings of the Do 17 while greatly advancing the design in all areas.

Superficially a scaled up Dornier Do 215, and initially powered by the same engines, the Do 217 was actually considerably larger and totally different in detailed design. The first prototype (the Do 217 V1) flew on 4 October 1938, but crashed seven days later during a single engine flying test. It was found to be underpowered and was unmanouverable when compared with contemporary bombers. Instability was a problem at first, but modifications such as fixed slats along the leading edges of the vertical fins helped to improve flight stability.

Much of Dornier's efforts in 1938 to 1940 were devoted to finding more powerful engines and improving the flying qualities. When the BMW 801 radial engine became available, it solved the problems of the aircraft being underpowered and allowed the fuselage to be deepened, thus accommodating larger and heavier bombloads. This enabled the Do 217 to fulfill its potential and carry a heavier bombload than any other Luftwaffe bomber of the time.

There was a desire for the Do 217 to be capable of performing dive bomber duty, so it was therefore fitted with a tail mounted air brake. This could not be made to function adequately in the early models however, and was omitted until the Do 217E-2 entered service. When this mark reached service, use of the dive brake was found to sometimes overstrain the rear fuselage, so the dive brakes were often removed.

Operational history

In almost every way, the Do 217 was a success. It could carry a much heavier bombload than either the Heinkel He 111 or the Junkers Ju 88. It was also very fast, surpassing both aircraft in maximum speed. It was Germany's largest bomber for nearly two years until the Heinkel He 177 was finally safe enough to use. Do 217's sank the Italian battleship Roma with Fritz X missiles as she steamed to the Allies after Italy's capitulation. Do 217's were phased out of combat use in mid 1944.

Like the Do 17 and the Ju 88, the aircraft was used in a variety of roles, including that of the night-fighter - a sign that Germany desperately needed fighters far more than it needed bombers. Production was stopped in April 1944 in favor of single-engined fighters. Operational use of the Do 217 as a night-fighter was restricted in 1943 to the NJG 4. The main part of the production was used in the training role.

The only capability in which the Do 217 was used up to the end of the war was as a night reconnaissance plane. Like the Do 17, this important type of service in the Luftwaffe is frequently overlooked.

Production

The Do 217 was built in series from November 1940 to May 1944. In 1943, 395 aircraft could not be delivered to the Luftwaffe due to shortages of the DB 603 engines used in the M-1 and N-1 versions. These aircraft were stored, and while some were refitted in 1944 when the engines became available, the remainder (around 125) were scrapped. The Do 217 was only built by the three Dornier companies : Dornier Friedrichshafen (DWF) : 316 aircraft, Dornier München (DWM) : 985 aircraft and Norddeutsche Dornier-Werke (NDW) : 602 aircrafr. Production stopped in Friedrichshafen in December 1942, and in Wismar (NDW) in October 1943.

Variants

  • Do 217 A-0 : Pre-production series with two 1,085 hp (or 809 kW) DB 601B inline piston engines, used for reconnaissance missions. Only eight aircraft were built.
  • Do 217 C-0 : Pre-production bomber, DB 601B engines, increased defensive armament. Only four built.
  • Do 217 E-0 : Pre-production bomber with deepened fuselage and powered by two 1,539 hp (or 1,147 kW) BMW 801A engines.
  • Do 217 E-1 : Production bomber with five 7,92 mm MG 15 machine guns and one 15 mm MG 151 cannon for defence.
  • Do 217 E-2 : Bomber with dive bombing capabilities, with three 7,92 mm MG 15 machine guns, two 13 mm MG 131 machine guns, one 15 mm MG 151 cannon, and a 4,000 kg (8,818 lb) bombload.
  • Do 217 E-3 : Level bomber, seven 7,92 mm MG 15 machine guns and one forward firing MG FF cannon.
  • Do 217 E-4 : BMW 801L engines.
  • Do 217 E-5 : E-4 with extended wingspan, modified on production line to launch Henschel Hs 293 missile.
  • Do 217H : Conversion of a Do 217E with DB 601 engines fitted with experimental turbo-superchargers.
  • Do 217K : Bomber with redesigned forward fuselage with stepped windscreen eliminated. Two 1,677 hp (or 1,250 kW) BMW 801 G-2 radial piston engines.
  • Do 217 K-1 : Standard bomber version.
  • Do 217 K-2 : Extended wingspan to carry Fritz X glide bombs on underwing racks.
  • Do 217 K-3 : Similar to K-2, but capable of carrying both Henschel Hs 293 or Fritz X.
  • Do 217M : Bomber, a Do 217K with 1,726 hp, (1,287 kW) DB 603A inline piston engines.
  • Do 217 M-1 : Equivalent to the K-1.
  • Do 217 M-3 : DB 603A-engined equivalent to the K-3.
  • Do 217 M-5 : Henschel Hs 293 carrier with a single missile mounted semi-externally beneath the fuselage.
  • Do 217 M-11 : Similar to the K-2 with extended wingspan and Fritz X missiles.
  • Do 217J : Night fighter based on the Do 217E. Solid nose with four 7,92 mm MG 17 machine guns and four 20 mm MG FF cannons.
  • Do 217 J-1 : Night intruder version.
  • Do 217 J-2 : Dedicated night fighter. Bomb bays removed.
  • Do 217L : Modified version of the Do 217K with rearranged cockpit and defensive armament. Only two built.
  • Do 217N : Night fighter based on the Do 217M. Armament similar to Do 217J but with improved MG 151 cannon replacing the MG FF cannon plus the addition of four MG 151 cannon as Schräge Musik.
  • Do 217 N-1 : Similar to J-2.
  • Do 217 N-2 : A N-1 with defensive gun turret removed to reduce weight.
  • Do 217P : High altitude reconnaissance aircraft with two 1,834 hp, (1,368 kW) DB 603B supercharged by a DB 605T in the fuselage with a ceiling of 16,155 m (or 53,000 ft). Three Do 217 P-0 pre-production aircraft only.
  • Do 217R : Redesignated Dornier Do 317 prototypes used as Henschel Hs 293 carriers.

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This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Dornier Do 217 of Wikipedia ( authors )

Specifications (Do 217J-2)

  • Crew : 3.
  • Length : 18.20 m (or 59 ft 8½ in).
  • Height : 5 m (or 16 ft 5 in).
  • Wingspan : 19 m (or 62 ft 4 in).
  • Wing area : 57 m² (or 613 ft²).
  • Empty weight : 9,350 kg (or 20,600 lb).
  • Max takeoff weight : 13,180 kg (or 29,000 lb).
  • Maximum speed : 487 km/h at 5,500 m (or 300 mph at 18,000 ft).
  • Range : 2,050 km (or 1,270 miles).
  • Service ceiling 8,400 m (or 27,500 ft).
  • Powerplant : Two BMW 801A 14-cylinder radial engine.
  • Power : 1,539 hp (or 1,147 kW) each.
  • Armament : Four 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns in nose or four 20 mm MG FF cannons in nose, two 13 mm MG 131 machine guns in dorsal and ventral positions.

Specifications (Do 217M-1)

  • Crew: 4.
  • Length: 17 m (or 55 ft 9 in).
  • Height: 4.96 m (or 16 ft 3½ in).
  • Wingspan: 19 m (or 62 ft 4 in).
  • Wing area: 57 m² (or 613 ft²).
  • Empty weight: 9,100 kg (or 20,062 lb).
  • Max. takeoff weight: 16,700 kg (or 36,817 lb).
  • Max. speed: 557 km/h at 5,700 m (or 347 mph at 18,700 ft).
  • Cruise speed: 400 km/h (or 248 mph).
  • Range: 2,145 km (or 1,332 miles).
  • Service ceiling 7,370 m (or 24,180 ft, with max. bombload).
  • Rate of climb: 210 m/min (or 688 ft/min).
  • Powerplant: Two DB 603A 12-cylinder inverted-vee engines.
  • Power: 1,726 hp (or 1,287 kW) each.
  • Armament: Four 7.92 mm MG 81 machine guns in nose and lateral positions, two 13 mm MG 131 machine guns in dorsal and ventral positions and up to 4,000 kg (or 8,818 lb) of disposable stores.

— — — = = — — —

This text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
Source : Article Dornier Do 217 of Wikipedia ( authors )
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