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#Post#: 13597--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the week: Dornier Do-17
By: vonofterdingen Date: November 2, 2020, 3:10 pm
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The Dornier D0-17 “Flying Pencil” is something of a forgotten
aircraft. Though prominent in Luftwaffe actions in Spanish Civil
War and Battle of Britain, it tends to be overshadowed by the
He-111 and Ju-88 bombers of the same period.
From Wikipedia:
The Dornier Do 17, sometimes referred to as the Fliegender
Bleistift ("flying pencil"), is a light bomber of Nazi Germany
during World War II. It was produced by Claudius Dornier's
company, Dornier Flugzeugwerke. The aircraft was designed as a
Schnellbomber ("fast bomber"), a light bomber which, in theory,
would be so fast that it could outrun defending fighter
aircraft.
The Dornier was designed with two engines mounted on a
"shoulder wing" structure and possessed a twin tail fin
configuration. The type was popular among its crews due to its
handling, especially at low altitude, which made the Do 17
harder to hit than other German bombers.
Designed in the early 1930s, it was one of the three main
Luftwaffe bomber types used in the first three years of the war.
The Do 17 made its combat debut in 1937 during the Spanish Civil
War, operating in the Condor Legion in various roles. Along with
the Heinkel He 111 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 successor of the Do
17 was the much more powerful Dornier Do 217, which started to
appear in strength in 1942. Even so, the Do 17 continued service
in the Luftwaffe in various roles until the end of the war, as a
glider tug, research and trainer aircraft. A considerable number
of surviving examples were sent to other Axis nations as well as
countries like Finland. Few Dornier Do 17s survived the war and
the last was scrapped in Finland in 1952.
The Do 17's baptism of fire came during the Spanish Civil War
(1936–39), where it outpaced most enemy fighters and performed
well. The Spanish nicknamed the Dornier the Bacalao ("Codfish").
In early 1937, mass production began on the Do 17E and Do 17F
series. The Do 17 F-1 was to replace the Heinkel He 70 as a
high-flying fast reconnaissance aircraft, while the Do 17 E-1
was to supplant the Legion Condor's aging Heinkel He 111B
bomber. However, more modern Soviet-supplied Republican aircraft
were capable of intercepting the E and F variants, which
prompted an upgrade of the Dornier's defensive armament.
Among the units committed to Franco's cause was Hauptmann
Rudolf Freiherr Von Moreau's 4.K/88. On 6 January 1937, it was
decided by Erhard Milch, Albert Kesselring and Ernst Udet that
the Legion should have more modern aircraft. Soon 12 Do 17 E-1s,
as well as He 111B-1s and Ju 86D-1s were dispatched to serve in
Spain. The unit was named VB/88 (Versuchsbomben Staffel, meaning
Experimental Bomber Squadron). VB/88s Dorniers were involved in
a strike around Guernica, but that particular unit's objective
was a bridge, rather than civilian areas. VB/88 dropped 8 tonnes
(9 tons) of bombs, while K/88 added 37 tonnes (41 tons) over the
city itself causing the deaths of about 1,500 people. The
bombing of VB/88 straddled the bridge. The only other target hit
by the German bombers that day was the rail station. On 8 July
1937, the Dorniers flew multiple sorties to protect Nationalist
forces now threatening the capital, Madrid. At this point, the
Junkers Ju 86s had been withdrawn and replaced by the Do 17Fs.
In the spring of 1938, another unit, 1.A/88, equipped with Do
17s, also arrived in Spain. A total of 27 Do 17E, F and P
variants were part of the Condor Legion.
Prior to the invasion of Poland, a series of new models
introduced the new enlarged nose, greatly increasing defensive
firepower, finally settling on the Z models, which were widely
available by 1939. During the first phase of World War II, the
Do 17, along with the He 111, formed the backbone of the
Luftwaffe's Kampfgruppen. From 1939 to 1940, four of the
Luftwaffe's bomber groups, KG 2, KG 3, KG 76 and KG 77 operated
the Dornier. KG 76 and KG 77 operated the first generation Do
17E, with the other two Kampfgeschwader operating only the Do
17Z on the outbreak of war. On 1 September 1939, 533 Dorniers
and 705 Heinkels were combat-ready. The total strength of the
Dornier force was approximately 100 Do 17 E-1s, 32 M-1s, 188 Z-1
and Z-2s as well as 213 P-1s. Its reliability and robustness
made it highly popular in the Luftwaffe.
During the Polish campaign, Do 17s of I./KG 2 took part in the
Battle of Bzura, in which they used incendiary bombs against
Polish forces consisting of Army Poznań and Army Pomorze.
These raids caused a huge number of Polish casualties, who by
now had retreated to dense wooded areas, contributing to their
vulnerability. The Do 17 had performed well and could use its
speed to outrun Polish fighter aircraft under some
circumstances.
The first German aircraft shot down over France during the
war was a Dornier Do 17P of 2(F)123, brought down by Pilot
Officer Mould's Hawker Hurricane of No. 1 Squadron RAF on 30
October 1939. The Dornier, Wrk Nr. 4414, constructed at Blohm &
Voss, crashed near Vassincourt, killing all three of its crew,
Hauptmann Balduin von Norman, Oberleutnant Hermann Heisterberg
and Feldwebel Friedrich Pfeuffer.
On 10 May the Dornier units, Kampfgeschwader 2, KG 3 and KG
4, were under the command of Fliegerkorps. II. Kampfgeschwader
76 and 77 also operated the Do 17 under Fliegerkorps I and
Fliegerkorps VIII. The Do 17 saw its usefulness diminish during
the French campaign owing to its limited bomb load and range.
The design continued to be favoured by the Luftwaffe aircrews,
as it was more maneuverable than the He 111 or Ju 88, and
because of its ability to perform low-level strikes well. An
example of this was a raid carried out by KG 2 against the
RAF-controlled airfield at Vraux on 10 May. Six Bristol
Blenheims and two Fairey Battles of No. 114 Squadron RAF were
destroyed, with many more damaged. However, Allied fighter
resistance on the first day was severe, and KG 2 and KG 3 of
Fliegerkorps II lost a total of nineteen Do 17s between them on
10 May. Only two weeks into the campaign, KG 2 and 3 suffered
fuel shortages, keeping the Dorniers grounded and forcing some
attacks to be aborted. By the beginning of June, the Dornier
Geschwader were encountering less opposition and losses declined
sharply, as the Armée de l'Air was no longer a sufficient
threat. However, over Dunkirk, the RAF fighters inflicted a high
loss rate. On 2 June, thirty German aircraft were destroyed,
including sixteen Do 17s (four from KG 2 and twelve from KG 3).
The Dornier units dropped some 320 tonnes (350 tons) of bombs.
During the Polish campaign, the Do 17Z could use its 427 km/h
(265 mph) maximum speed to stay away from most enemy fighters,
and its light armament was effective. It also fought with
success during the Battle of France and losses were relatively
light, although when facing modern fighters like the Hawker
Hurricane, the bomber proved slow in comparison and more
vulnerable. When it faced British fighters during the Battle of
Britain, it was shown that fast, well-armed monoplane fighters
had changed the balance between bomber and fighter decidedly in
favour of the latter. The Do 17 suffered in early raids.
Since the Fafnir was a low-altitude engine, the Luftwaffe
responded by employing the Do 17 units in a number of
terrain-following mass raids in an attempt to evade fighter
opposition. The Dornier was manoeuvrable in comparison to the
Heinkel and the more robust nature of radial engines made it
ideal for low-level attacks, with a number of units being fitted
with 20 mm cannon. An example of one of these raids was the
attack on RAF Kenley on 18 August, 1940, when nine aircraft from
9th Staffel of KG 76 led by Haupt. Joachim Roth, flew at very
low altitude to avoid being detected by British radar and
followed part of the London to Brighton railway to find their
target. Four aircraft were destroyed in the attack and the
remaining five were all damaged. At least one aircraft was lost
to rocket propelled parachute and cable devices. Another was
damaged by exploding bombs, due to the low altitude at which it
was flying. The Junkers Ju 88 was now entering service in larger
numbers, replacing the Do 17 at higher altitudes. The Dornier
excelled at low-level attacks. However, this was becoming more
and more dangerous. The British were now firing rocket-powered
parachutes into the path of low-flying aircraft and dragging
them from the skies. Losses were considerable.
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The Dornier's performance advantage at low altitude became
moot on 7 September 1940, when the Luftwaffe switched to the
bombing of London (known as the Blitz), requiring all-out
attacks at medium altitude. Losses mounted and on 15 September
1940, the three Dornier-equipped Kampfgruppen suffered heavily,
losing 20 shot down and 13 damaged.
A significant event took place on 15 September 1940, now
known as "Battle of Britain Day". Among these was the famous
casualty of Dornier Do 17 Z-2 Wk Nr.2361, bearing the
Geschwaderkennung code of F1+FH, 1.Staffel/KG 76 flown by Robert
Zehbe. Zehbe developed engine trouble and lagged half a mile
behind the main bomber stream. His Dornier attracted a swarm of
fighters. Eventually Ray Holmes of 504 Squadron, out of bullets,
rammed the bomber. The tail came off and air pressure snapped
off the outer wings short of the engines. The bomber crashed
onto the forecourt of London Victoria station. Zehbe bailed out,
only to die later of wounds suffered during the attack, while
the injured Holmes bailed out of his plane and survived. This
event became one of the defining moments of the Battle of
Britain and elicited a congratulatory note to the RAF from Queen
Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who had witnessed the event. In
the same action Dornier Do 17 F1+FS of 8.Staffel/KG 76, flown by
Rudolf Heitsch, was found in a field near Shoreham. The Dornier
was found to be fitted with a flamethrower, installed in the
tail. Oil, nitrogen, and hydrogen cylinders were found in the
fuselage, while the external pipe was fitted with a jet.
Initially, it was concluded that it was a smoke producing device
to feign damage. But it was discovered that it was a device that
was triggered by one of the rear gunners to destroy a fighter
pursuing the bomber from line astern. However, the lack of
oxygen meant that the device failed to function, and only a
continual spray of oil was emitted.
The losses for the Do 17 in August and September were
considerable. In August 1940, 54 Dorniers were lost and another
20 written off due to technical problems and accidents. In
September 50 more were lost, with 31 Do 17s and crews missing in
action. In October another 36 Dorniers were lost. Dorniers had
improvised armament of eight machine guns installed to increase
defensive firepower, but still were unable to counter fighter
attacks.
The battle continued into October as the Luftwaffe
concentrated on night attacks which were carried out by units
mainly equipped with the Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88, as
they had bigger bomb loads, and the Ju 88 had a greater speed.
The Dornier Do 17's losses in the Battle of Britain are given
as between 132 and 171, the lowest losses as a ratio of the
three German bomber types.
With the introduction of the Junkers Ju 88 and the new
Dornier Do 217 entering production, the Do 17's days were
numbered, and production ceased in mid-1940. Even with the end
of production, the Dornier saw action in notable numbers after
the Battle of Britain, in the Balkan Campaign, Operation
Barbarossa (the invasion of the Soviet Union), and with the
other Axis air forces.
After the successful conclusion of the Balkans campaign, the
Luftwaffe prepared for Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the
Soviet Union. By this time, the Kampfgruppen had mostly
converted to the Ju 88, and the Do 17 played a minimal part.
Only two reconnaissance Staffeln, and three Kampfgruppen
employed the Dornier. KG 2 was the only sole fully equipped
Luftwaffe wing that operated the Dornier. The Dornier's most
notable action on the Eastern front occurred on 23–24 June at
Grodno. The commander of the Soviet Western Front, General Armii
Dmitriy Pavlov attempted a counterattack against Hermann Hoth's
Panzergruppe 3. With air superiority and no air opposition,
Dornier Do 17s of III./KG 2 destroyed columns of Soviet
infantry. With help from other units, the Luftwaffe claimed to
have destroyed 105 Soviet tanks. The Soviet 6th and 11th
Mechanised Corps and 6th Cavalry Corps were routed. For his
unit's particular effectiveness, the commander of 9./KG 2,
Hauptmann Walter Bradel, received the Knight's Cross of the Iron
Cross.
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In game…
I do not fly level bombers much, as I have never mastered the
art of the bombsight yet. It is on my list of things to do, mind
you. So my experience with the Do-17 is as a target, and it
makes for a damn good one. I have some very fond memories of
flying a Hawker Hurricane of 303 squadron into a very large
flight of Do-17s while Spitfires tie up the Me-109s.
#Post#: 13600--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the week: Dornier Do-17
By: ben_wh Date: November 2, 2020, 5:31 pm
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Thank you, von, for another great write-up.
1) Your comment about 'rocket-powered parachute' prompted me to
look up this device, and found quite an interesting read about
Do-17 attack on Kenley on August 18, 1940.
HTML http://spitfiresite.com/2010/08/battle-of-britain-1940-kenley-raid-parachute-cable.html
Not only was Do-17 downed by a Parachute and Cable (PAC)
operator, another one circled the sky with a dead pilot at the
control (reminded me of scenes in IL-2 sim).
[img]
HTML https://il2freemodding.createaforum.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fspitfiresite.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2010%2F08%2Fdorniers-beachy-head-640x320.jpg&hash=9780178999bd0c4fc98bc0b74bf2af65c85e303d[/img]
2) The Do-17 also led to development of the relatively
successful Do-217 series. As von mentioned, the Dornier tends
to be overshadowed by Ju-88 and He-111 in terms of coverage of
Luftwaffe bombers, but I think the series has its merits and
performed well in its roles.
Thank you again,
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