Dornier Do 215
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| Dornier Do 215 | |
|---|---|
 Do 215B, powered by DB 601Ba engines. |
|
| Type | Bomber |
| Manufacturer | Dornier Werke GmbH |
| Maiden flight | 1938 |
| Introduced | 1939 |
| Retired | 1944, Luftwaffe |
| Primary user | WWII Luftwaffe |
| Produced | December 1939 - January 1941 |
| Number built | 101 |
| Developed from | Dornier Do 17 |
The Dornier Do 215 was a light bomber, reconnaissance aircraft and later a night fighter aircraft produced by Dornier Werke GmbH originally produced for export, but in the event all except two served in the Luftwaffe. The successor of the Do 215 was the Dornier Do 217.
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[edit] Design and development
The Dornier Do 17 fast bomber elicited renewed interest from foreign air forces (after the initial Do-17K series production). In July 1937, Dornier therefore prepared a pre-series Do 17 Z-0 as a demonstrator for export customers. It was given the civil registration D-AAIV. While this aircraft was essentially identical to the production Do 17Z, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium assigned the designation Do 215 to the export version. The V1 prototype retained the 9-cylinder Bramo 323 Fafnir radial of the Do 17Z.
The second prototype (Do 215 V2) was equipped with Gnome-Rhône 14-NO radial engines. It safely completed testing, but did not attract export orders because it did not offer a notable performance increase over the Do 17Z. Dornier therefore equipped the V3 prototype with the 1,175 PS (1,159 hp) Daimler-Benz DB 601Ba inline engines (note: it is not the first time DB engines where used in a Do-17 series). The V3, which first flew in the spring of 1939, showed a noticeable improvement in flight performance compared to the earlier prototypes.
Series production of the Do 215 A-1 began in 1939. The order, intended for the Swedish Air Force, was stopped in August 1939 due to the political situation. The 18 extant aircraft were embargoed and pressed into Luftwaffe service upon the outbreak of World War II.
Some modifications were made and the resulting aircraft were redesignated Do 215B. This was the standard production version. Between 92 and 105 (depending on sources) were produced between 1939 and 1941.
[edit] Operational history
The Luftwaffe initially operated the Do 215 as a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft equipped with the Rb 20/30 and Rb 50/30 cameras were used for long-range reconnaissance missions, primarily at the Ob.d.L (Oberkommando der Luftwaffe). Later aircraft operated as night fighters. The last of the Do 215s were retired in late 1944.
[edit] Variants
- Do 215 V1
- Dornier Do 17 Z-0 used as first prototype of Do 215 and crashed during trials.
- Do 215 V2
- Dornier Do 17 Z-0 (D-AIIB) equipped with Gnome-Rhône 14-cylinder radial engines and used as second prototype of Do 215.
- Do 215 V3
- Third prototype of Do 215, equipped with Daimler-Benz DB 601Ba inline engines.
- Do 215 A-1
- Designation of original 18 aircraft built for Swedish Air Force order.
- Do 215 B-0
- 3 aircraft of A-1 version reequipped for Luftwaffe with FuG 10 and operated for bomber/reconnaissance duties.
- Do 215 B-1
- Renamed remaining 15 aircraft of A-1 version operated by Luftwaffe.
- Do 215 B-2
- Rebuilt with sliding cover under bomb bay and equipped with three Rb 50/30 cameras in bomb bay used for reconnaissance missions.
- Do 215 B-3
- Two aircraft similar to B-1 sold to Soviet Union.
- Do 215 B-4
- Improved reconnaissance version developed from B-2 version and equipped with Rb 20/30 & Rb 50/30 cameras.
- Do 215 B-5
- Night fighter version called Kauz III. 20 aircraft converted from B-1 and B-4 versions with Do 17 Z-10 "Kauz II" nose equipped with IR searchlight for the Spanner infrared detection system. Do 215 B-5s were armed with four 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns grouped above the IR light and two 20 mm MG FF in the lower nose. The Spanner system proved to be useless and the Lichtenstein 202 B/C radar was installed on some aircraft starting from the middle of 1942.
Of the versions of the Do 215 that existed, the A-1 bomber with DB 601 motors, and the B-0 and B-1 export machines both reequiped with FuG 10 navigation device for the Luftwaffe. The Do 215 B-5 was the first night fighter to be equipped with the FuG 202 "Lichtenstein BC" navigation device. These aircraft saw action from January 1941 to May 1944 with I.IV./NJG 1 and II./NJG 2[1].
[edit] Survivors
Up until recently none of the Dornier twin-engined bomber variants were thought to have survived. In September 2007 a Dornier Do 215 B was found largely intact in the shallow waters off Waddenzee, The Netherlands. This aircraft was flown by a Luftwaffe fighter ace Helmut Woltersdorf. On the night of 6/7 July 1941 Woltersdorf shot down a Vickers Wellington but his Dornier was damaged by return fire and crash landed off the Dutch Coast[2]. The area where the Dornier came down was named as a seal sanctuary and thus it escaped the attentions of scrap merchants and souvenir hunters. At low tide the aircraft becomes visible. The Aircraft Recovery Group from the Airwar Museum at Fort Veldhuis in Heemskerk received permission to partially recover the Do 215. The only missing part of the aircraft is the Tail section which lies 70ft to the rear of the main wreckage. The Daimler-Benz DB 601 engines were recovered along with the starboard portion of the cockpit. It remains debatable whether the Dutch authorities will allow its recovery. However, given that the Dornier is otherwise extinct, there is a good chance this rare aircraft may well be recovered[3].
[edit] Operators
- Wartime operators
Germany
- Soviet Air Force received 2 aircraft only.
- Hungarian Air Force [4] At least 1 is known to have been operated in Hungary, possibly 4 total
- Planned operators
Sweden
- Swedish Air Force ordered 18 Do 215 A-1s but the planes were embargoed and transferred to the Luftwaffe.
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- Yugoslav Royal Air Force ordered Do 215s, but due to the start of World War II the order was never completed.
[edit] Specifications
[edit] Dornier Do 215 B-1
Data from German Aircraft of the Second World War [5]
General characteristics
- Crew: 4 (pilot, bomb aimer/gunner, two gunners)
- Length: 15.79 m (51 ft 9⅔ in)
- Wingspan: 18 m (59 ft 0⅔ in)
- Height: 4.56 m (14 ft 11½ in)
- Wing area: 55 m² (592 ft²)
- Empty weight: 5,780 kg (12,727 lb)
- Loaded weight: 8,800 kg (19,404 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Daimler-Benz DB 601 Ba V-12-cylinder inline engines, 1,175 PS (1,159 hp, 864 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 470 km/h (254 knots, 292 mph) at 4000 m (13,124 ft)
- Range: 2,450km (1,323 nm, 1,522 mi) normal
- Service ceiling 9,000 m (29,500 ft)
- Wing loading: 105.1 kg/m² (32.78 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.184 kW/kg (0.113 hp/lb)
Armament
- Four 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns, later upgraded to 6
- 1000 kg (2,200 lb) bombs
[edit] Dornier Do 215B-4
General characteristics
- Crew: 4 (pilot, navigator, two gunners)
- Length: 15.79 m (52 ft)
- Wingspan: 18 m (60 ft)
- Height: 4.56 m (15 ft)
- Wing area: 55 m² (590 ft²)
- Empty weight: 5,800 kg ()
- Powerplant: 2× Daimler-Benz DB 601Ba V-12-cylinder inline engines, (1,175 hp) each
Performance
Armament
Four 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns, later upgraded to 6
[edit] References
- ^ The Flying Pencil-Dornier Do17 and Do 215; Heinz J.Nowrra; Schiffer Military History, Vol 25,ISBN 0-88740-236-4
- ^ Flypast, No.315, October 2007, p62
- ^ Flypast, No.315, October 2007, p63
- ^ Green 1967, p.10
- ^ Smith, J.R; Kay, Antony L (1972). German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam. ISBN 85177 836 4.
- Green, William (1967). Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Nine, Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft,. London: Macdonald, p.7-11.
[edit] External links
[edit] See also
Related development
Comparable aircraft
Related lists
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