Dornier Do 215 and Do 217: books - history and deployment

Dornier Do 215: Luftwaffe and Other Operators 1938-1945

This new book describes the Do 215's operations with the Luftwaffe's secretive Aufklärungsgruppe Ob.d.L., both in wartime operations in the West and in civil disguise in preparation for Operation Barbarossa in 1941 and during the invasion itself.
It describes its lineage from the dedicated reconnaissance aircraft Do 17R, as well as the development of the Do 17 Z-7/Z-10 which preceded the Do 215 B-5 nightfighter, one of the first aircraft to employ radar and infrared sighting equipment. The Do 215 was also the chosen aircraft of several leading Luftwaffe commanders, including Josef Kammhuber, Albert Kesselring and Erhard Milch.

Following many years of extensive research the author describes the covert reconnaissance, night-fighter and staff transport service of the Do 215 and how the type was affected by the protracted development of the Dornier's DB 600 and DB 601 powerplants.
He also uncovers details of the export efforts made by Nazi Germany with Yugoslavia, Romania, Sweden, The Netherlands, the Soviet Union and other nations, as well as the late war Hungarian operation of the Do 215.

With hundreds of rare photographs, specially commissioned colour artwork, technical and performance data, details on camouflage and markings, production and loss lists, Mikael Olrog presents a fascinating and revealing account of the often overlooked and misunderstood Dornier Do 215.

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Dornier Do 217 - From Bomber to Night-Fighter: Rare Wartime Photographs

NEW

This book presents the development and service history of the Dornier Do 217, introduced in early 1941 as an improved version of the Do 17 bomber. The first Do 217E-1 flew in October 1940, shortly after Do 17 production ended.
The aircraft was first used for bombing and anti-shipping missions around the United Kingdom, including the Baedeker attacks in 1942. It remained Germany's main bomber in this area until late 1943, when newer types such as the Me 410 and Ju 188 replaced it. Improved versions, the Do 217K and M, followed, mainly differing in their engines.

The Do 217 served in all Luftwaffe campaigns, though on the Eastern Front it was used mostly for night reconnaissance. It became the first aircraft to use precision-guided weapons in combat, when KG 100 units attacked Allied ships in Sicily in July 1943 with Fritz X bombs, followed by further attacks with Hs 293 weapons in August 1943.

To counter growing Allied night raids, a night-fighter version, the Do 217J-1, was created with extra forward-firing guns and radar. Later aircraft also carried upward-firing cannon. Although versatile and widely deployed, production ended in October 1943, and the type became obsolete soon after.

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Dornier Do 217 1941-1945: A Combat and Photographic Record in Luftwaffe Service 1941-1945

The Dornier Do 217 represented the refinement of German twin-engined bomber design, a progression from the earlier Do 17. From 1941, the Do 217 became the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's bomber arm in the West, equipping four Gruppen for operations over Britain.
It carried out day and night attacks on British shipping, coastal targets, towns and industrial centres, both in formation and in lone attacks known to the German crews as 'Pirate' operations. These missions, though achieving some success, were undertaken at considerable cost to the crews of the Do 217s, a measure of the strength of opposition it encountered in the RAF's nightfighter squadrons, improved radar and anti-aircraft defences.

As the demand from Germany's battlefronts grew from early 1942, the Do 217, albeit in very limited numbers, was developed into a radar-equipped nightfighter. In the Mediterranean it was used as an effective maritime strike aircraft, launching highly developed stand-off bombs and remotely-controlled glide-bomb weapons in the form of the 'Fritz X' and Hs 293 which accounted for the destruction or damage of several notable warships.
It was also used as a night reconnaissance aircraft on the Eastern Front and over Britain in the Luftwaffe's 1942 'Baedeker Blitz'.

Following extensive research, including interviews and correspondence with former aircrew and their families, renowned Luftwaffe historian, Chris Goss, has documented the operational history of the Do 217 and offers the most comprehensive account so far published in the English language.
The story is complemented by hundreds of rare photographs, many never before published, as well specially commissioned colour artwork.

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Dornier Do 217 Units of World War 2 (Osprey)

The Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had considerably greater range than the Do 17, which it replaced in frontline service from mid to late 1941. Although initially used simply as a bomber, later variants were developed to allow the Do 217 to undertake the precision maritime strike role.
In order to perform the latter mission, the Do 217 was modified to launch glide bombs - units employing these pioneering weapons enjoyed some success in the Mediterranean from the autumn of 1943.

During the course of these operations the Do 217 became the first aircraft in military aviation history to deploy a precision-guided bomb in combat in the form of the 'Fritz X' radio-guided, free-fall weapon, which sank the Italian battleship Roma shortly after Italy capitulated in September 1943.
The Do 217 served on all fronts, and was often used on anti-shipping strikes during the Battle of the Atlantic and against the Allied invasion fleet at Normandy. This versatile aircraft was also converted into a nightfighter, seeing action in the Defense of the Reich through to war's end.

This highly illustrated study explores the design and development of the Do 217 and chronicles its use in the frontline as a strategic bomber, launch platform for first generation precision weapons, reconnaissance aircraft and nightfighter, among others.

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