The Do 17 was a respected bomber design to come out of Germany and was later turned into a successful line of nightfighters in the Do 217. By Staff Writer
The Dornier Do 17 (sometimes referred to as "the Pencil" due to its fundamental shape) was a respect medium bomber class utilized by the German Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain and throughout the Second World War.
Initially, the Do 17 was a high-speed mail plane development which was furthered into a wartime machine by the addition of an internal bomb bay and machine gun positions for self-defense. Appearing in 1934, the Do 17 became the primary bomber of the German High Command, able to traverse a good deal of airspace and drop a respectable bombload onto a target with good success.
The twin-engine medium bomber featured armament consisting of 8 7.9mm guns, allocated throughout the aircraft in the nose, dorsal and ventral turrets and in two waist gunner positions, providing the aircraft with a formidable array of defense.
The base Do 17 spurned on further developments of the fuselage that included a reconnaissance variant and a utilitarian glider tug model. The most notable branch of the Do 17 tree would have to be the series of Do 17 nightfighters produced with an extensive array of antennae and radar equipment.
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Aircraft Quick Profile
1934
Designation:Dornier Do 17 Classification Type:Medium Bomber Contractor:Dornier - Germany Country of Origin: Nazi Germany Production Total: 1,994
Operators: Nazi Germany and Yugoslavia.
Variants
Do 17 - Base Model Series Designation
Do 17Z-3 - Airframe utilized in the Do 17 nightfighter variants.
Do 172-6 Kauz - Nightfighter Derrivative
Do 17Z-10 Kauz II - Nightfighter Derrivative; featuring redesigned nose assembly, 4 x 7.9mm machine gun array, 4 x 20mm cannons and an infra-red detector.
Do 215 - Yugoslavian Export Model; improved performance.
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