German Luftwaffe Warplanes, 1939-1945: Dornier
German Warplanes flown by the Luftwaffe 1939-1945: Dornier
During and after the end of the Second War a number of German Warplanes were captured and evaluated by the Allied forces. Most of these aircraft were later scrapped and therefore only a handful have survived. This is a partial list of aircraft that were known to have been flown by the Luftwaffe.
Während und nach dem Ende des Zweiten Weltkriegs wurden eine Reihe deutscher Kampfflugzeuge von den Alliierten erbeutet und ausgewertet. Die meisten dieser Flugzeuge wurden später verschrottet und daher haben nur eine Handvoll überlebt. Dies ist eine unvollständige Liste von Flugzeugen, von denen bekannt war, dass sie von der Luftwaffe geflogen wurden.
German Luftwaffe Warplanes, 1939/1945: Dornier
Dornier Do 10 (Do C1) 1931 biplane fighter (prototype). (Luftwaffe Photo)
Dornier Do 11, (Do F) 1931 medium bomber. Second photo is of a Do 11 in service with the Bulgarian AF. (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 12 Libelle seaplane. (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 13, 1933 medium bomber (prototype). (Luftwaffe Photo)
Dornier Do 14, seaplane (prototype). (Luftwaffe Photos)
(Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen Photo)
Dornier Do 16 Wal, reconnaissance flying-boat. Replica of the Dornier Wal N25 at the Dornier Museum Friedrichshafen.
Dornier Do 17, Fliegender Bleistift, mail-plane/bomber/reconnaissance/night-fighter. (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 17Z, (Wk. Nr. 1160), coded 5K+AR, from III./KG3, has been recovered from the sea off the English coast. On 26 August 1940, 5K+AR was taking part in a raid by KG2 and KG 3, targeting the RAF stations. While flying over clouds, the aircraft became separated from the bomber formation and lost its bearings; it was then attacked by Boulton-Paul Defiant fighters of RAF No. 264 Squadron. One of the Dornier's engines was disabled and the other damaged, so the wounded pilot, Feldwebel (Flight Sergeant) Willi Effmert, elected to make a crash landing on the Goodwin Sands. He and another crew member survived and were taken prisoner. The other two crew were killed. The aircraft was raised on 10 June 2013, and taken to RAF Cosford where it is being restored. (Luftwaffe Photo)
Dornier Do 18, 1935 bomber/reconnaissance flying-boat. (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 19, Ural Bomber design competitor (prototype). (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 22, torpedo bomber/maritime reconnaissance, Do 22K at Helsinki-Malmi airport, Finland. (Sot.virk. Niilo Helander Photo)
Dornier Do 22Kj, (Wk. No. 306). A Do 22Kj (Wk. Nr. 309) of the Yugoslav Naval Air Service defected to the Allies. Designated RAF AX712, it flew on anti-submarine patrols. (Australian War Memorial Collection Photo MED0321)
Dornier Do 23, medium bomber. (Luftwaffe Photo)
Dornier Do 24
Dornier Do 24T-3 seaplane on the water. (Luftwaffe Photo)
The Dornier Do 24 was a Luftwaffe air-sea rescue and transport flying boat powered by three BMW-Bramo 323R-2 Fafnir nine-cylinder radial engines. With 1,000 hp each for takeoff. It had a maximum speed of 206-mph, a service ceiling of 24,605’, and a range of 2,920 miles. It weighed 20,723 lbs empty and could be loaded to 40,565 lbs. Its wingspan is 88’7”, its length is 72’4” and its height is 18’10”. It was armed with one 7.9-mm MG 15 machinegun in the bow and in the stern turrets and one 20-mm Hispano Suiza 404 cannon in a dorsal turret.
Dornier Do 24, reconnaissance bomber flying boat in Luftwaffe service. (Luftwaffe Photos)
(Stahlkocher Photo)
A fuselage of a Dornier Do 24T-3 at the “Technik Museum Speyer”, Speyer, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It was salvaged from Lake Müritz, Germany, in 1991.
(Happy Days Photo)
Dornier Do 24T-3, (Wk. Nr. No. 5342), coded X-24, formerly EC-DAF, is on loan to the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum in the Netherlands from the RAF Museum, Hendon, UK.
Dornier Do 24 (Wk. Nr. unknown) in Soviet Air Force markings. (Soviet Air Force Photo)
Dornier Do 26, long-range seaplane in Luftwaffe service. (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 214, transport flying-boat (project). (Luftwaffe diagram)
(Hadhuey Photo)
Dornier Do 214, transport flying-boat (project), model.
Dornier Do 215, bomber/night-fighter. (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 215B II.NJG2 (R4+DC) Leeuwarden 1942. (Luftwaffe Photo)
Dornier Do 215J (H4+SN). (Luftwaffe Photo)
Dornier Do 215, Soviet markings. (Soviet Air Force Photo)
Dornier Do 216, transport flying-boat (project). (Luftwaffe diagram)
Dornier Do 217M
Dornier Do 217M-1, Luftwaffe. (Luftwaffe Photo)
The Do 217M was a Luftwaffe twin-engine four-seat night-interceptor and intruder-fighter bomber. The aircraft was powered by two Daimler Benz DB 603A 1`2-cylinder liquid-cooled engines each rated at 1,750 hp for take-off and 1,850 hp at 6,889’. It had a maximum speed of 264-mph and a maximum cruising speed of 289-mph at 17,716’. Its service ceiling was 27,559’ and its normal range was 1,090 miles. The aircraft weighed 30, 200 lbs empty and 43,607 lbs fully equipped. Its wing span is 52’4”, its length is 62’ and its height is 16’5”. The Do 217N-2/R22 night fighter variant was armed with four MG 17 machineguns in the fuselage nose, four 20-mm MG 151 cannon in the lower nose and four 20-mm MG 151 cannon firing upwards from the central fuselage, tilted forward 70°.
The Do 217M was developed from the Do 217K-1 bomber which introduced by Dornier in the autumn of 1942. The Do 217K-1 had a new glazed nose incorporating an unstepped revised cockpit and defensive dispositions. The Do 217M-1 was essentially a Daimler-Benz DB 603A-powered version of the Do 217K-1, and the similar Do 217M-5 was equipped with an under fuselage rack for an Hs 293 missile. The Do 217M-3 was a DB 603A-engined equivalent of the Do 217K-3, and the Do 217M-11 was an extended-span missile-carrying equivalent of the Do 217K-2.
Production of all versions of the Do 217 totalled 1,730, and these aircraft were last used in large scale bombing operations against the UK in early 1944. By the middle of the year the majority remaining in service were missile carriers, and these continued to operate with limited success until the end of the war.
Dornier Do 217N-1 night-fighter coded SO+QY, captured by the USAAF in May 1945. (USAAF Photo)
Dornier Do 217M-9, (Wk. Nr. 0040), KF+JN, captured at Flensberg. Designated RAF AM7, this aircraft was modified with vertical tail fins and rudders later used in the Do 317. It was scrapped at Flensberg in 1945. (RAF Photo)
Dornier Do 317, Bomber B design competitor (prototype).
Dornier Do 335A Pfeil
Dornier Do 335V-1 (Wk. Nr. 230001), first prototype, bearing the Stammkennzeichen (factory radio code) of CP+UA, first flew on 26 October 1943. (Luftwaffe Photos)
The Dornier Do 335 was a Luftwaffe tandem twin-engine ground attack/close support fighter-bomber manufactured by Dornier-Werk GmbH. Models: A-1 (Single-seat fighter) & A-6 (Night fighter). It was armed with one 30 mm MK103 cannon with 70 rounds, firing through the front propeller hub, and two 15 mm MG151/15 cannon with 200 r.p.g. above the nose, plus one 1,102 lb (500 kg) bomb or two 551 lb (250 kg) bombs internally and 551 lb (250 kg) bombs on underwing racks. The Do 335 was powered by a pair of Daimler-Benz DB 603G 12-cylinder inverted-vee, liquid cooled engine with 1,900 hp each. It was equipped with two different propellers, type VDM, with a diameter of 3.50m (front), and 3.30m (rear). Fuel for the Do 335 is stored in two separate tanks behind the pilot’s seat (port tank for forward engine and starboard tank for rear engine). It had a wing span of 45’4”, a length of 13.8m (45’6”) and a height of 5m (16’4”). The A-1 version weighed 16,314 lbs empty and 16,975 lbs loaded. The A-6 version weighs 25,800 lbs loaded. It has a maximum Speed of 664 kmh (413-mph) and a sustained speed of 768 kmh (477-mph) with emergency boost. Its range with maximum fuel is 2,060 km (1,280 miles), and with drop tanks 3,750 (2,330 miles).
Dornier Do 335V-2, (Wk. Nr. 230002), Stammkennzeichen CP+UB, with its engines being run up. This aircraft's rear engine caught fire and it was written off on 15 April 1944. (Luftwaffe Photo)
At least 16 prototype Do 335s were known to have flown, including V1–V12, (Wk. Nrs. 230001-230012) and Muster-series prototypes M13–M17, (Wk. Nrs. 230013-230017), on a number of DB603 engine subtypes including the DB 603A, A-2, G-0, E and E-1. The first preproduction Do 335 (A-0s) starting with (Wk. Nr. 240101), Stammkennzeichen VG+PG, were delivered in July 1944. Approximately 22 preproduction aircraft were thought to have been completed and flown before the end of the war, including approximately 11 A-0s converted to A-11s for training purposes.
Dornier Do 335A-11. (Luftwaffe Photos)
Dornier Do 335A-12, 121 in the factory, unfinished, one of 11 aircraft built at Oberpfaffenhofen, plus 9 aircraft partially assembled, November – April 1945) and captured by American forces at Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, May 1945. 20 Do 335A-1 aircraft included (Wk. Nrs. 240113, 240161-240170), intact, and (Wk. Nrs. 240301-240309), partially assembled. Four partially assembled Do335A-4 (of 10 aircraft scheduled for January – February 1945) were also captured at Oberpfaffenhofen, (Wk. Nrs. 240310-240313). One Do 335A-10, (Wk. Nr. 240111), which had flown in late Nov 1944 was captured. (USAAF Photo)
Dornier Do 335A, 107, overhead view of a factory fresh Pfeil on the tarmac. (Luftwaffe Photo)
The A-1 version had a service ceiling of 37,400’ and the A-6 version had a service ceiling of 33,400’. The Do 335A-1 was armed with two 15-mm MG 151/15 machine guns above the nose and one 30-mm Mk 103 cannon firing through the propeller hub. The Do 335A-6 was armed with two 20-mm MG 151/20 machine guns above the nose and one 30-mm Mk 103 cannon firing through the propeller hub. The Do 335B-2 was armed with two 20-mm MG 151/20 machine guns above the nose, two 30-mm Mk 103 cannon mounted in the wings and one 30-mm Mk 103 cannon firing through the propeller hub. Avionics for the Do 335B-2 included a FuG 125a blind landing receiver and FuG 25a IFF.
As far as is known, the Pfeil never entered into combat, although US pilots reported seeing the strange aircraft in the sky during sorties over Germany, and the Erprobungskommando was forced to send aircraft into a sky which could not be guaranteed as being free of hostile aircraft. In its single-seat version it was one of the fastest piston-engined fighters ever built, with a claimed top speed of around 475-mph (765 km/h). Despite this high performance, it was the much slower two-seat night-fighter version which would probably have proved the most effective if the war had continued. Equipped with excellent radar and powerful weapons, and blessed with good visibility, combat persistence and performance, the night-fighter would have wreaked havoc against the RAF bomber streams.
Flying the Pfeil was an experience, thanks to its high performance and unusual configuration. While the performance provided an exhilarating ride for the pilot, the configuration prompted some doubts. His main concern was the ejection seat, the Do 335 being only the second production type to feature this (after the Saab J21). Before firing the seat, explosive bolts which held the upper vertical tail surface and rear propeller were fired to clear a way for the egressing pilot. Despite the ejection seat, he had to jettison the canopy manually. As another safety feature, the lower vertical tail surface was jettisonable in case a wheels-up landing was attempted. The upper tailfin and the rear propeller were equipped with explosive bolts to separate them from the fuselage to avoid impacting the pilot in the case of ejection.
When the US Army overran the Oberpfaffenhofen factory in late April 1945, only eleven Do 335A-1 single seat fighter-bombers and two Do 335A-12 conversion trainers had been completed. In his book The Big Show, French ace Pierre Clostermann claims the first Allied combat encounter with a Pfeil in April 1945. Leading a flight of four Hawker Tempests from No. 3 Sqn, RAF, over northern Germany, he intercepted by chance a lone Do 335 flying at maximum speed at treetop level. Detecting the British aircraft, the Luftwaffe pilot reversed course to evade. In spite of the Tempest’s considerable speed (equal to a North American P-51D Mustang's), the RAF fighters were not able to catch up or even get into firing position.
After being checked out, the Do 335 was flown from a grass runway at Oberweisenfeld, near Munich, to Cherbourg, France. During this flight, the Do 335 easily out-climbed and outdistanced two escorting North American P-51D Mustangs, beating them to Cherbourg by 45 minutes.
(USN Photo)
Messerschmitt Me 262, Dornier Do 335, Junkers Ju 338 and other aircraft preserved on the deck of HMS Reaper.
All the aircraft were cocooned against the salt air and weather, loaded onto HMS Reaper, and brought to the US where they were studied by the Air Intelligence groups of both the USAAF and US Navy.
Under the US Army Air Force’s “Project Sea Horse,” two Do 335s were shipped to the United States aboard the Royal Navy ship HMS Reaper together with other captured Luftwaffe aircraft, for detailed evaluation. This aircraft was assigned to the U.S. Navy, which tested it at the Test and Evaluation Center, Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland. The other aircraft, Dornier Do 335A, (Wk. Nr. 240161), with registration FE-1012 (later T2-1012), went to the USAAF at Freeman Field, Indiana, where it was tested in early 1946. Its subsequent fate is unknown, and VG+PH is the only Do 335 known to exist.
Following Navy flight tests in 1945-48, the aircraft was donated to the Smithsonian’s National Air Museum in 1961 but was stored at NAS Norfolk until 1974. It was then returned to Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany, where the Dornier Company restored it to original condition in 1975. The return trip to Germany required an exemption under U.S. laws concerning the export of munitions. The Dornier craftsmen doing the restoration, many of whom had worked on the original aircraft, were astonished to find that the explosive charges fitted to blow off the tail fin and rear propeller in an emergency were still in the aircraft and active, 30 years after their original installation! The Do 335 was put on static display at the 1-9 May 1976, Hannover Air show, and then loaned to the Deutsches Museum in Munich, where it was on prominent display until returned to Silver Hill, Maryland, in 1986.
Dornier Do 435, (project).
Dornier Do 635, (project).
German Warplane Survivors of the Second World War from Fieseler to Focke-Wulf may be viewed on the next page on this website.
Axis Warplane Survivors
A guidebook to the preserved Military Aircraft of the Second World War Tripartite Pact of Germany, Italy, and Japan, joined by Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, Bulgaria, and Yugoslavia; the co-belligerent states of Thailand, Finland, San Marino and Iraq; and the occupied states of Albania, Belarus, Croatia, Vichy France, Greece, Ljubljana, Macedonia, Monaco, Montenegro, Norway, Cambodia, China, India, Laos, Manchukuo, Mengjiang, the Philippines and Vietnam.
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