Dornier Do 17z/Do 2015

The Dornier Do 17 was one of three Luftwaffe’s main bomber types early in the war. Designed as a passenger and mail plane, it ultimately proved true in the military version. Its last version, powered by Bramo 323 radial engines was the Do 17 Z. Based directly on Do 17 M airframe it had revised front fuselage section to improve the crew’s working conditions in the form of so-called Waffenkopf (armed head). A total of approximately 910 examples in several sub-variants, from Z-0 to Z-10 were built from early 1939 till mid-1940. These aircraft saw combat in Polish and French campaigns, Battle of Britain, Balkan operations, Russian campaign till 1942 and sporadically in the African campaign. The crews considered the Do 17 one of the most reliable aircraft and despite poor armor in their opinion it had good flight characteristics.