DORNIER Do 217J/N 67
I
t might seem odd to class the Dornier
Do 217 as anything other than a heavy
bomber, but in a later reincarnation
it was converted into an effective night
fighter that saw considerable action in the
Defence of the Third Reich.
The Dornier Do 217, itself a development
of the original Do 17 ‘Flying Pencil’ twin-
engine bomber of Battle of Britain fame, was
a heavy bomber that performed well, with the
Luftwaffe. Despite its undoubted qualities, it
took a big stretch of imagination to envisage
its use as a fighter, but this is indeed what
happened. When Germany came under
increased night-time attack by the bombers
of RAF Bomber Command in 1941, there was
a shortage of Messerschmitt Bf 110s and the
preferred Junkers Ju 88C night fighters to
combat them. Consequently, it was proposed
that the Do 217 heavy bomber be adapted
into an interim night fighter, despite its size
and weight. Deliveries of the newly converted
Do 217J-1 night fighters began in March 1942.
The aircraft were fitted with a new ‘solid’ nose,
similar to that used by Dornier in night fighter
versions of the Do 17 and Do 215, with fourDornier Do 217J/N
forward firing 20mm MG FF cannon and four
7.92mm machine guns. By July 1942, a new
variant, the Do 217N-1, appeared in the skies
equipped with the latest powerful on-board
radar equipment, higher velocity 20mm MG
151s, and, significantly, two upward firing
‘Schrage Musik’ 20mm MG151 cannons in the
rear fuselage. The big Dornier appeared to be
a very effective night fighter with significant
hitting power. However it attracted strongDornier Do 217J-2
Type: Twin-engined, heavy
night fighter
Crew: Three
Dimensions:
Length: 58ft 8in (18.2m)
Wingspan: 62ft 4in (19m)
Height: 16ft 5in (5m)
Weights:
Empty: 20,615lb (9,350kg)
Max T/O: 29,059lb (13,180kg)
Performance:
Max Speed: 303mph (487km/h)
Range: 1,274 miles (2,050km)
Powerplant: 2 × BMW801A
14-cylinder radial
engines of 1,539hp each
Armament: 4 × 20mm MGFF
cannons, 4 × 7.92mm
MG17 machine guns,
2 x 13mm MG131
machine gunsBelow: A rare view of the Dornier Do 217J night
fighter in flight. Note the nose radar aerials of the
FuG202 Lichtenstein radar.criticism from the Luftwaffe. Its crews
inevitably complained it was too heavy and
had poor manoeuvrability in aerial combat.
Nevertheless, the Do 217N-2 night fighters
were used over a wide area during the course
of 1943. Perhaps inevitably though, owing to
its ‘stop-gap’ nature, during the early months
of 1944 the Do 217 night fighters began to
disappear from the night skies. Production of
all versions of the Do 217 night fighter had
totalled 364 and the type has the distinction
of being the largest and heaviest ‘fighter’ of
World War 2.Left: The ‘J’ version of the Dornier Do 217 was
powered by BMW801 engines, though its
performance was berated by its crews.