Dornier Do 17, Do 217 y Do 335 Pfeil: libros - historia, técnica y despliegue

Dornier Do 17 in the Battle of Britain - The 'Flying Pencil' in the Spitfire Summer

Durante la desesperada lucha de Gran Bretaña por la supervivencia en el verano de 1940, el Dornier Do 17 desempeñó un papel destacado en los bombardeos diseñados para neutralizar la capacidad de resistencia de la RAF y la voluntad del pueblo británico de contraatacar.
Construido para superar en velocidad a los cazas contemporáneos cuando se introdujo en la Luftwaffe en 1937, se convirtió en el principal bombardero ligero de la Luftwaffe, y para el ataque contra Gran Bretaña, tres escuadrones de bombarderos, KG 2, KG3 y KG77, fueron equipados con el Do 17.
Pero en 1940, el Do 17 estaba cerca de la obsolescencia y, con su débil armamento defensivo, cayó presa de los Hurricanes y Spitfires del Mando de Caza.

Su vulnerabilidad quedó claramente de manifiesto el 18 de agosto de 1940, cuando ocho Dorniers fueron derribados y nueve resultaron dañados en ataques contra la base aérea de RAF Kenley, y el 15 de septiembre, día de la Batalla de Inglaterra, cuando veinte fueron derribados y otros trece resultaron dañados.
Ese día, el sargento Ray Holmes estrelló su Hurricane contra un Do 17 que, según los informes, se dirigía al Palacio de Buckingham. Parte de los restos del bombardero cayeron a tierra cerca de la estación Victoria.

En este exhaustivo registro gráfico del Do 17, el papel del bombardero a lo largo del período de la Batalla de Inglaterra se muestra en la singular colección de fotografías británicas y alemanas del autor.
Estas fotografías, junto con los relatos de primera mano de quienes volaron y de quienes lucharon contra el Do 17, reviven aquellos días desesperados y noches oscuras de una manera que solo las imágenes y los testimonios contemporáneos pueden lograr.

Detalle del libro

Dornier Do 17 the Luftwaffe's 'Flying Pencil' : Rare Luftwaffe Photographs from Wartime Collections (Air War Archive)

For the first three years of the Second World War, the Dornier Do 17 was the Luftwaffe's principal light bomber. Designed to be fast enough to outrun contemporary fighter aircraft, the Dornier helped to spearhead Germany's Blitzkrieg as Hitler's armies raced through Poland and then France and the Low Countries.

Until its withdrawal to secondary duties in 1941, the Dornier Do 17 served in every theatre of war involving German forces. This included the invasion of the Balkans and Greece as well as the battle to capture Crete. After suffering heavy losses at the hands of Fighter Command in the Battle of Britain, the Do 17 was employed in Operation Barbarossa, the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941.

The Do 17 was withdrawn from frontline service later in 1941 but continued to be used by the German Air Force in various roles until the end of the war, including seeing service as a glider tug and in the defence of the Reich in 1944 as a night fighter.

In this compilation of unrivalled images collected over many years, and now part of Frontline's new War in the Air series, the widespread deployment of the Dornier Do 17 is portrayed and brought to life.

Detalle del libro

Dornier Do 17 Units of World War 2 (Osprey)

Initially designed as a high-speed mail aeroplane and airliner, the Do 17 first made an appearance as a military aircraft in the Spanish Civil War, both as a bomber and in reconnaissance roles.
In the early stages of World War II, it, together with the Heinkel He 111, formed the backbone of the German bomber arm over Poland, France, Belgium and the Low Countries, and saw action in almost every major campaign in this period.

However, by the start of the Battle of Britain, the Do 17's limited range and small bomb load meant that it was ripe for replacement by the Ju 88. Though it performed well at lower altitudes, the model suffered heavy losses during raids, particularly during the Blitz and were increasingly phased out.

This fully illustrated study uses detailed full-colour artwork and authoritative text from an expert author to tell the full operation story of one of Germany's best light bombers from the early years of World War II.

Detalle del libro

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

NUEVO

Este libro ilustrado presenta la historia y el uso del Dornier Do 217, introducido a principios de 1941 como una versión mejorada del Do 17. El primer Do 217E-1 voló en octubre de 1940, poco después de terminar la producción del Do 17.
El avión se empleó primero en misiones de bombardeo y ataque marítimo alrededor del Reino Unido, incluidos los ataques Baedeker de 1942. Siguió siendo el principal bombardero alemán en esta zona hasta finales de 1943, cuando fue reemplazado por el Me 410 y el Ju 188. Las versiones mejoradas, Do 217K y M, diferían sobre todo en sus motores.

El Do 217 operó en todas las campañas de la Luftwaffe, aunque en el Frente Oriental se usó sobre todo para reconocimiento nocturno. Fue el primer avión en usar armas guiadas, cuando unidades del KG 100 atacaron barcos aliados en Sicilia en julio de 1943 con Fritz X, seguido de ataques con Hs 293 en agosto.

Para responder a los crecientes ataques nocturnos aliados se creó el cazador nocturno Do 217J-1 con armamento adicional y radar. Más tarde se añadieron cañones hacia arriba. La producción terminó en octubre de 1943 y el modelo quedó obsoleto poco después.

Detalle del libro

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.

Detalle del libro

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.

Detalle del libro

Dornier Do 335 (Osprey)

El Dornier Do 335 fue concebido como un caza de alta velocidad para todo tipo de clima, y representó la cúspide del diseño de aeronaves con motor de pistón.
El Do 335 era un avión grande, que pesaba poco más de 10.000 kg cargado con combustible, equipo y piloto, pero propulsado por dos motores Daimler-Benz DB 603, era capaz de alcanzar una velocidad máxima de 750 km/h a 6400 metros, lo que lo convirtió en el avión con motor de pistón más rápido producido en Alemania durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Entre finales de 1943 y el final de la guerra se construyeron unos cuarenta aviones, con la intención de utilizarlos como cazas diurnos, bombarderos, cazas nocturnos, interceptores en condiciones meteorológicas adversas y aviones de reconocimiento. Todos ellos debían incorporar el armamento, las miras de bombardeo, los equipos de comunicaciones y radar más modernos, así como un asiento eyectable.

Con fotografías de archivo e ilustraciones encargadas especialmente, esta es la historia completa del avión con el que la Luftwaffe esperaba cambiar el rumbo de la guerra.

Detalle del libro

Dornier Do 335 : An Illustrated History

The Do 335 was developed by Dornier as a heavy fighter in 1943. One of the last high-performance piston-engined aircraft designed, the Do 335 was powered by tandem fore-aft engines, a concept proven in numerous Dornier flying boats. As a result of this configuration, drag was reduced to little more than that of a single-engined aircraft, enabling the Do 335 to achieve very high speeds.
The Do 335 represented the apex of propeller-driven aircraft in the Second World War.

This is the first comprehensive, well-illustrated documentation on the Do 335, one of the milestones in German aviation history.

Detalle del libro

Dornier Do 335 'Pfeil' - The Last and Best Piston-engine Fighter of the Luftwaffe

Un libro dedicado al Dornier Do 335 Pfeil. Este avión de finales de la Segunda Guerra Mundial fue el caza con motor de pistón más rápido de la guerra.

Detalle del libro