Broadly similar in design and layout to the Do 18, the Do 24 had three radial engines mounted separately on the wing leading-edge, and twin fins and rudders. At the prompting of the Netherland’s Marine Luchtvaartdienst, in 1935 Claudlus Dornier set about developing a replacement for the WAL seaplanes which was already thirteen years old and totally obsolete.
Working to Dutch specifications Dornier installed, Wright R-1820 Cyclones in the Do 24 V3 and V4, temporarily shelving the Jumo 205-powered V1 and V2. D-ADLP, the V4, was used for open sea trials at Bodensee and proved to be a. typically tough Dornier airplane. Plans were made to build 60 Do 24Ks under license in the Netherlands, but following diversion of part of the funding to buy additional Martin 139s (export versions of the B-10 medium bomber) this order was cut to 48 planes. When Germany invaded Holland in 1940, 25 Do 24Ks were captured in various stages of completion and were used for air-sea rescue work in the North Sea and English Channel. The seaplane was evaluated at Erporoblingsstelle-See Travemunde and was judged to be so suitable for this mission that production was resumed in Holland, BMW-Bramo Fafnir radials replacing the American Wrights with the result that the machine was redesignated Do 24T, additional aircraft being built in occupied France as well.
The first of three prototypes to fly, on July 3, 1937, was the Do 24 V3 (D-AYWI), pow-ered by 875-hp Wright Cyclone R-1820-F52 engines. This aircraft, plus the V4 and ten similarly-powered Do 24K-1s were delivered to the Dutch navy, and apart from the Jumo 205C-engined V1 and V2 were the only German-built examples.
Production continued with 28 Dutch-built Do 24K-2s, powered by 1000-hp R-1820-G 102 engines, and carrying revised armament and up to 1250-kg (110-lb) bombs. Twenty-five of these were delivered to the Dutch East Indies. The other three, and eight partially-built K-2s, were captured in 1940 and completed to Luftwaffe standards as Do 24N-1 air/sea rescue aircraft. From this the major ASR/transport version, the Do 24T-1, was developed with 1000-hp Bramo 323R-2 engines. Armament consisted of a 20-mm (0.79-in) Hispano cannon in a dorsal turret and single 7.9-mm (0.311-in) machine-guns in the bow and stern positions. One hundred and eighty of these were built (110 in Holland and 70 by CAMS in France).
Of the 294 Do 24s built (including prototypes) only 37 saw service with the Dutch East Indies navy, for whom it was originally designed in 1935.
By contrast, some 222 were employed by the Luftwaffe.
Do-24T-3
Forty-nine Dutch-built Do 24T-2s were sold to Spain, and in 1944 Spain also purchased 12 generally similar Dutch-built Do 24T-3s, powered by three 1,000 hp BMW engines. These were used to provide an air-sea rescue service in the Mediterannean, the Spanish machines picking up downed crews of any nationality. Only 48 of the French-built T-Is reached the Luftwaffe, the remainder being ‘liberated’ and used as transports by Flottille 917 Tr of the French Aetonavale starting in December 1944 with the first two.
The Dutch East Indies Dorniers operated for some time against Japanese shipping in the southwest Pacific; those of the Luftwaffe saw action in the Baltic, English Channel, Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Engines: 3 x BMW Bramo 323, 735kW Max take-off weight: 18400 kg / 40565 lb Empty weight: 10600 kg / 23369 lb Wingspan: 27.0 m / 88 ft 7 in Length: 21.9 m / 71 ft 10 in Height: 5.8 m / 19 ft 0 in Wing area: 108.0 sq.m / 1162.50 sq ft Max. speed: 340 km/h / 211 mph Cruise speed: 255 km/h / 158 mph Ceiling: 5900 m / 19350 ft Range w/max.fuel: 4800 km / 2983 miles Range w/max.payload: 2400 km / 1491 miles Armament: 4 machine-guns, 1 x 30mm cannon, 600kg of bombs Crew: 6
Do 24T-1 Span: 27 m (88 ft 7 in) Length: 22.05 m (72 ft 4 in) Gross weight: 16 200 kg (35715 lb) Maximum speed: 332 km/h (206 mph)
Do 24T-3 Engines: 3 x BMW-Bramo, 1000hp. Wing span: 88 ft 7 in (27 m). Length: 72 ft 2.5 in (22 m). Height: 18 ft 10.5 in (5.75 m). Max TO wt: 39,249 lb (17,800 kg). Max level speed: 211 mph ( 340 kph).
The Do 13 was first flown on February 13, 1933, with the same powerplant as its predecessor. Substitution of Junkers type ‘double wing’ trailing edge flaps, similar to those of the Ju 52/3m, gave it improved landing characteristics, and when the Sh 22 engines were replaced by a pair of 750 hp 12-cylinder liquid cooled BMW VIUs, driving four blade propellers, the bomber was redesignated Do 13C. After further attempts to overcome deficiencies in the wing structure, it was ordered into series production by the Luftwaffe as the Do 23. Two hundred and twenty-two Do 11s were reordered as Do 13Cs, but after about a dozen of these had been delivered, they were found to be even less satisfactory than the Do 11 C and D, and production was halted while the airframe was restressed and modified. Production was resumed after the first flight, on September 1, 1934, of the Do 13e prototype for the production Do 23F, with BMW VId powerplant. This was quickly followed by the Do 23G, which became the principal service version and returned to the BMW VIU engine. All unfulfilled orders for the Do 11 and 13 were transferred to the Do 23 contract, deliveries of which began in spring 1935, and had totalled just over 200 when production ended in late 1935. The Do 23 was not destined for a long service life. From mid 1936 it began to be replaced by the Do 17, Ju 88 and He 111. It was then relegated to second line duties, including training. Although obsolete by the outbreak of the Second World War, a small number did continue in service with Minensuchstaffeln during the early war years, equipped with a large degaussing ring for clearing British mines from around the German coast.
Developed in 1934 at the Altenrhein factory, the Do 22 all metal, fabric covered, except for the metal-skinned forward fuselage, parasol monoplane first appeared as a twin float seaplane. Two prototypes were built. The Do 22 was powered by a 775¬hp Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engine driving a three-bladed propeller. The Do 22 carried a crew of three, the rear cockpit providing accommodation for a gunner, and a radio operator whose position in the front half of the cockpit was protected by a glazed canopy. Four 7.92mm MG 15 machine-guns were fitted, one in the forward fuselage above the engine, one in a ventral position and two in the rear cockpit. There were racks on the underside of the fuselage for a single 800 kg (1764 lb) torpedo or four 50 kg (110 lb) bombs. Approximately 30 were built at Friedrichshafen in Germany and the first production aircraft was flown on 15 July 1938. Orders were not received from the Luftwaffe, but some were produced at Friedrichshafen for export to Latvia (Do 22 Kl), Greece (12 Do 22Kg) and Yugoslavia (12 Do 22Kj). The Do 22L (a landplane model registered D OXWD) flew on March 10, 1939. The Do 22 fought on both sides during the Second World War. Of the 12 delivered to the Yugoslavian navy, eight escaped to Egypt in April 1941 and served under No 230 Squadron RAF in the Mediterranean; and four Do 22K1 from the Latvian order were sold to the Finnish air force in 1941.
Engine: 1 x Hispano-Suiza 12 Y 21, 670kW Wingspan: 16.2 m / 53 ft 2 in Length: 13.1 m / 42 ft 12 in Height: 4.8 m / 15 ft 9 in Wing area: 41.3 sq.m / 444.55 sq ft Empty weight: 2850 kg / 6283 lb Max take-off weight: 3700-4000 kg / 8157 – 8819 lb Max. speed: 350 km/h / 217 mph Cruise speed: 310 km/h / 193 mph Ceiling: 8500 m / 27900 ft Range w/max.fuel: 1600 km / 994 miles Range w/max.payload: 800 km / 497 miles Crew: 3 Armament: 2-3 machine-guns
The 1935 Do 18 was originally produced as a transatlantic mail-carrying flying-boat and used on the South Atlantic service of Deutsche Luft-Hansa. Evolved as a civil and military successor to the Dornier Wal, the first of five Do 18 prototypes (registered D AHIS) flew on March 15, 1935, powered by two 540 hp Junkers Jumo 5 engines. These five prototypes were delivered to Deutsche Luft¬hansa. It was available in two forms as the Do 18E and Do 18F, with an AUW of 10,000kg and 11,000kg and with larger wings. A total of about 160 was eventually built during 1936 40, the major Luftwaffe versions being the Do 18D (about 75 built) and Do 18G and H (71 built).
The Do 18D 1, D 2 and D 3 differed in equipment only and were delivered from mid¬-1936. By the autumn of 1939 they equipped single Staffeln of five Kustenfliegergruppen (coastal aviation groups). Powered by 600 hp Jumo 205C engines, they were only lightly armed with single bow and dorsal 7.9 mm (0.311 in) MG 15 machine guns, and could carry two 50 kg (110 lb) bombs beneath the starboard wing. Do 18Ds took part in many early wartime campaigns, among them Poland, Norway and the Battle of Britain.
On 27 March 1938 a Do.18 catapulted from the ship Westfalen, anchored off the English coast, and flew 5245 miles / 8440 km non-stop to Caravelas, Brazil, to set a new endurance record for seaplanes.
The Do 18G-1, which entered service from mid 1939, had 880 hp Jumo 205D engines, a 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 in the bow, a 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151 in a power operated dorsal turret, and provision for rocket assisted takeoff.
On Sunday 8 October 1939: During a patrol flight over the North Sea, a Lockheed Hudson coastal reconnaissance plane of 224 Sqn became the first English aircraft to shoot down a German plane, a Dornier Do.18 flying boat.
The Do 18H 1 was a six seat unarmed trainer version. Both the Do 18D and the Do 18G had been withdrawn from first line service by autumn 1941, but some G 1s were converted to Do 18N 1s for air/sea rescue duties. One Do 18 was redesignated Do 18L when its two 447kW Junkers Jumo 205 were replaced by 671kW BMW 132N. Do 18 were also operated as reconnaissance and search-and-rescue aircraft by the Luftwaffe, more than 70 being built for this purpose, plus a number of Do 18H trainers.
Do-18E Engines: 2 x Jumo 205, 440kW Max take-off weight: 10000 kg / 22046 lb Empty weight: 6260 kg / 13801 lb Wingspan: 23.7 m / 77 ft 9 in Length: 19.3 m / 63 ft 4 in Height: 5.4 m / 17 ft 9 in Wing area: 98.0 sq.m / 1054.86 sq ft Max. Speed: 260 km/h / 162 mph Cruise speed: 240 km/h / 149 mph Ceiling: 4200 m / 13800 ft Range w/max.fuel: 5100 km / 3169 miles Range w/max.payload: 2600 km / 1616 miles Crew: 4
Do 18G-1 Span: 23.70 m (77 ft 9 in) Length 19.25 m (63 ft 2 in) Gross weight: 10759 kg (23719 lb) Maximum speed: 267 km/h (166mph)
Designed originally from an outline specification drawn up in July 1932 which referred to a “high-speed passenger transport and mailplane” as a six-passenger plane for Deutsche Luft Hansa’s European route network. From the outset the Do 17 was in fact a dedicated medium bomber and reconnaissance aircraft.
The first prototype, the Do 17c, shortly afterwards to be re-designated Do 17V1, was flown on 23 November 1934, powered by a pair of 660 hp BMW VI 12 cylinder liquid cooled V type engines, this having a single fin-and-rudder tail assembly whereas the second prototype, the Do 17 V2 (formerly Do 17a), was fitted with a twin fin-and-rudder assembly for comparison. The V2 flying on 18 May 1935.
Three prototypes were completed for DLH, each of them having a single fin and rudder; but their slimness was also their commercial undoing, the very narrow fuselage making it extremely difficult for passengers to reach their seats. Following its rejection by DLH, the Do 17 design languished for a time, until the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, or German aviation ministry), seeking a new medium bomber for the Luftwaffe, was persuaded to evaluate the Dornier aircraft for this role.
The RLM ordered further prototypes, beginning with the Do 17 V4, which flew in the late summer of 1935. These were generally similar to the first three prototypes, except for having twin fins and rudders (to make the aircraft a more stable bombing platform) and a decrease of 0.55 m (1 ft 9A in) in overall length. They carried a crew of three, and had an all metal fuselage, metal and fabric covered wings, and fully retractable mainwheels and tailwheel. All were broadly similar, except for the installation of 775 hp Hispano Suiza 12 Ybrs liquid cooled V type engines in the Do 17 V5 and a defensive armament of a single hand operated 7.9 mm (0.311 in) MG 15 machine gun in the cockpit of the Do 17 V7.
The Do 17 was a highly advanced design for the early 1930s, grouping all crew members in the forward fuselage and it was faster than virturally any single-seat fighter then existant. Preparations for the large-scale production of the Do 17 at Dornier’s Manzell, Allmansweiller and Löwenthal factories were underway by early 1938, when plans were also being fprmulated for additional productiom by Henschel at Berlin-Schönefeld, Siebel at Halle and by the Hamburger Flugzeugbau.
The first version to go into production, towards the end of 1936, was the Do 17E-1 bomber, based on the Do 17 V9, which had a further reduction of 0.90 m (2 ft 111 in) in the length of the nose. The Do 17E-1, powered by two 750 hp BMW VI 7.3 engines, carried a short range internal bombload of 750 kg (1653 lb) and had a defensive armament of two MG 15 machine guns, one above the fuselage and one below.
Do 17
In parallel production was the Do 17F 1, a photographic reconnaissance counterpart to the E 1 with two cameras and an extra fuel tank installed in the bomb bay. Both versions were in squadron service with Luftwaffe units by the summer of 1937, the Do 17E-1 initially equipping the I. Gruppen of KG 153 and KG 155 while the F 1 went to the long-¬range reconnaissance group Fernatifklarungsgruppe 122. During 1937 38 the Do 17E and F were included among the types of Luftwaffe aircraft selected to equip units of the Condor Legion sent by Germany to fight on the Nationalist side in the Spanish Civil War. Here their performance made them virtually immune from interception by their opponents’ fighters.
The principal shortcomings of the Do 17 revealed over Spain were its limited warload and its poor defence against attack from below and to the rear, and the Do 17M did little to remedy these defects.
General re-equipment of the Do 17E-mounted Kampfgruppen was held in abeyance pending availability of the much improved second generation Do 17Z which was following the Do 17M by less than a year and utilised most of the gigs and tooling employed by the earlier model.
The Do 17P reconnaissance equivalent production was launched in 1938 by Henschel, Hamburger Flugzeubau and Siebel, a total of 330 being built for the Aufklärungsgruppen.
In July 1937, at about the time these first production models were reaching their first squadrons, an international military aircraft competition was staged at Dijbendorf, near Zilrich in Switzerland. One of the competitors was the French Dewoitine D 510, generally considered at that time to be the best single seat fighter in service anywhere in Europe. This fast and manoeuvrable little fighter was totally out-classed by an example of the Do 17, a twin engined bomber even though this was not revealed at the time. The Do 17 concerned was a specially stripped down prototype, the Do 17 V8, fitted with DB 600A engines specially boosted to give 1000 hp each. The Do 17 V8’s performance had many side effects, not least on fighter design thinking in countries both inside and outside Europe. A more direct result was an expression of interest in the Do 17 itself from the Yugoslav government, which eventually placed an order for 20 of the German bombers. These export examples were designated Do 17K, and at the request of the customers were powered by Yugoslav built 980 hp French Gnome Rhone 14 N radial engines. The ‘pure’ bombers were designated Do 17Kb 1; reconnaissance models were designated Do 17Ka 2 and Ka 3, the latter doubling also in the bombing and attack roles. In addition to those supplied from German production, manufacture of the Do 17K was also undertaken under licence, in 1939 40, by the Drzavria Fabrika Aviona (state aircraft factory) at Kraljevo, near Belgrade. The additional available power gave the Do 17K a useful increase in both speed and range, notwithstanding an improved internal bombload (in the Kb 1) of 1000 kg (2205 lb) and an armament increased to three 0.312 in (7.92mm) FN Browning machine guns and one 20mm (0.79 in) Hispano cannon. Seventy Do 17Ks were still in service with the Yugoslav air force when the country was invaded by Germany in early April 1941. Later that month two of them escaped to Greece with a consignment of gold bullion. Losses during the fighting in Yugoslavia were fairly heavy, but those Do 17Ks that survived were passed on in early 1942, after the occupation, to the newly created Croatian air force. The improvements in weapon capacity and performance exhibited by the Do 17K had, in fact, been evolved for two generally similar versions for the Luftwaffe, the Do 17M bomber and Do 17P reconnaissance bomber, the increased power being derived respectively from a pair of 900 hp supercharged Bramo 323AA or 865 hp BMW 132M radial engines. In 1938 these began gradually to replace the Do 17Es and Do 17Fs in service, and by September 1938 combined production of the Do 17E, F, M and P series totalled 580. Three experimental models to be evolved during 1937 38 were the Do 17L, Do 17R and Do 17S. The Do 17L (two prototypes only) was a four seat pathfinder version with 900hp Bramo 323AA engines. The two Do 17R prototypes were testbeds, one powered by 950 hp Daimler Benz DB 600G engines and the other by 1100 hp DB 601As. The Do 17S (three built, first flight early 1938) was a high-speed reconnaissance version with DB 600G engines and a crew of four. None of these went into production, but between them the R and S series led to the Do 17U, of which 15 were produced in 1938 and distributed among nine Karripfgruppen (bomber groups) for pathfinder duties. The Do 17U carried a crew of five and was powered by 950 hp DB 600A engines.
Dornier Do.17Z
The final version in the Do 17 production series, and the one produced in the greatest quantity, was the Do 17Z. The Do 17Z, the design of which begun early 1938, featured an entirely new forward fuselage, A progressive development of the Do 17S/Do 17U, it appeared in late 1938 and broke away from the Do 17’s earlier ‘Flying Pencil’ image by adopting as standard the deeper, more angular and more extensively glazed nose section first seen on the Do 17S.
Do 17Z
This permitted a heavier defensive armament (which the Do 17 now needed) of up to six MG 15 guns, five of them aimed manually. The Do 17Z series carried a crew of four or five, and were powered at first by Bramo 323A 1 and (from the Z 2) by 1000 hp Bramo 323P series engines.
The downward-firing MG 15 machine gun which was poked through a hatch in the floor of proceeding Do 17 versions had too limited a field of fire to provide protection from below and to the rear. Crew accommodation had always been cramped thus, for the Do 17Z, the cockpit roof raised and fully glazed. The nose containing the bombardier’s station was extensively glazed with a series of small, flat panels, and the lower part was bulged and extended aft to a point just forward of the wing leading edge, terminating in a position for an aft-firing MG 15 machine gun.
Do 17Z bombardier station
Approximately 525 examples of the Do 17Z were built, of which the Do 17ZA (delivered from January 1939) and the Do 17Z 2 (the most numerous sub type) were bombers, the Do IV 3 (22 built) a recon-naissance model, the Do 17ZA a dual control training version of the Z 2, and the Do IV 5 a version of the Z 2 for rescue duties.
The pre-series Do 17Z-0, which appeared late in 2938, was a four-seat bomber, defensive armament comprising three 7,0mm MG 15 guns – one on a pillar-type mounting at the rear of the flight deck, a second protruding through the starboard panels of the windscreen and the third on a hemispherical mounting firing below the fuselage. This armament was augmented on the production Do 17Z-1 by a fourth MG 15 protruding through the nose cone. Appearing before the end of 1938, the Do 17Z-1 was under-powered by its two 900 hp BMW-Bramo 323A-1 radial engines when carrying a full 2205 lb / 1000 kg bombload. Bombload wasreduced to 1100 lb / 500 kg, but was restored to the full load early in 1939 with the appearance of the Do 17Z-2 with 1000 hp Bramo 323P engine with two-speed superchargers. Restoration of the full bombload dictated some reduction in fuel load reducing penetration with maximum load to 205 mi / 330 km.
Do 17Z-2
Lacking the load carrying capability of the He 111 and the speed of the Ju 88, production was tapering off by the end of 1939 and terminated during early summer of 1940 after about 500 were delivered.
The Do 17Z-2 was to perform the first operational sortie of WW II when aircraft of III/KG 2 took-off from Heiligenbeil, East Prussia, 45 minutes after the official outbreak of war, to bomb approaches to the rail bridge at Dirschau, a major link across the Polish Corridor.
Equipping nine Kampfgruppen of KG 2, KG 3, KG 76 and KG 77, the Do 17Z-2 was in the forefront when the first attacks on channel convoys took place in July 1940, and the Kommodore of KG 2, Oberst Fink, was assigned the title of Kanalkampfführer with the task of clearing the channel of British shipping, his Do 17Z-2s providing the principle component of the battle group entrusted with this mission. On Adler Tag the Do 17Z-2s of KG 2 bombed Eastchurch as the sole Kampfgeschwader failing to receive Goering’s postponement order, losing four aircraft in the process.
The Do 17Z-2s of KG 3 bombed Eastchurch and Rochester two days later, and on the 16th those of KG 76 attavked West Malling, following up this mission with attacks on Biggin Hill and Kenley on the 18th. The incursions over Britain of the Do 17Z rapidly revealed the deficiencies of its defensive armament, fotward maintenance units first adding two MG 15 machine guns which could be fired laterally from the radio operator’s position and then another pair to provide a total of eight defensive machine guns.
The Dornier bomber possessed good manoeuvrability and its structural integrity enabled it to undertake shallow diving attacks at speeds in excess of 270 mph / 590 kph, but it carried no armour protection for its crew. Attrition remained high and by mid-September the numerical importance of the Do 17 began to dwindle.
Dornier Do17/Z testbed for Lorin ramjet
Luftwaffe strength returns showed a total of 493 Do 17s on charge on December 2, 1939. Of these, 352 were Do I7s (mostly Z¬2s), 12 were Do 17Rs, 41 were Do 17Ms, and 83 were Do 17Ps. The P and Z models were thus the principal versions encountered during the early attacks on Poland, France, the Low Countries and Britain in 1939 40. They performed reliably and effectively and, despite a fairly high rate of attrition, were popular with their crews. The Do 17 “Flying Pencil” was the first type of German aircraft shot down by an RAF single-seat fighter during the war (a Hurricane of No 1 Squadron on 30 October 1939). Dornier 17 production ended in July 1940 after approximately 1200 of all models had been built. Only one Geschwader (wing), KG2, used the 17Z for more than a year after the invasion of the Soviet Union.
When it became necessary to find improvized night fighters to counter RAF raids on German held targets, a small number of Do 17Zs were converted to this role. After trials in 1939 with a Do 17Z 6 K= I (screech owl) prototype, nine more Z 3s were converted in 1940 to three seat Do 17Z 10 Kauz II night fighters, with a battery of two 20 mm (0.79in) MF FF cannon and four 7.9 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns in a ‘solid’ nose. Operating with Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 in Holland, the Do 17ZA0 scored its first ‘kill’ on the night of October 18/19, 1940.
In 1938, in the hope of attracting further foreign orders for the bomber, Dornier took two of the pre production Do 17Z Os and used them as export demonstration aircraft under the new RLM type number Do 215. Redesignated Do 215 V1 (with Bramo 323 engines) and Do 215 V2 (with 980 hp Gnome-Rhone 14 N radials), the latter was demonstrated to Yugoslavia, but without securing any orders. The only order forthcoming was from Sweden, which was shown the Do 215 V3, another former Do 17Z 0 refitted with 1075 hp DB 601A inverted V engines. Eighteen of these were ordered for the Swedish air force in mid 1939 as Do 215A 1s, but were not completed before the war. Only three Do 215B 1s had been completed by the end of 1939, but production continued in parallel with the radial engined Do 17Z, and ninety two Do 215B-1s and B 4s were delivered to the Luftwaffe in 1940, production being completed in 1941 with a further six machines.
Do.215B-1
The first of the batch was flown in December 1939, and all were taken over by the Luftwaffe, with minor modifications, as Do 215B 0s or B 1s. Delivered in early 1940, they were followed into production by two generally similar Do 215B 3s for the Soviet Union (the B 2 was not built); and then by the principal Luftwaffe model, the Do 215B 4 (similar to the B 1, and also with 1100 hp DB 601Aa engines, but fitted with different cameras); and the Do 215B 5. This final Do 215B version, some 20 of which were converted on the line from Do 215B 4s, was produced in the latter half of 1940 as a night fighter/intruder aircraft, and had a ‘solid’ nose similar to that of the Do 17Z 10 in which were installed four MG 17 machine guns and two 20 mm (0.79 in) MG FF cannon. The Do 215B 4 differed from the B-1 solely in the type of cameras installed, an RB 50/30 camera being mounted beneath the ventral gun position, and an RB 20/30 camera being mounted on the crew entry hatch. In addition to the cameras, twenty 110 1b (50 kg) bombs could be carried. Two slightly modified machines designated Do 215B 3 were exported to the Soviet Union during the winter of 1939 40.
Do.215
Several Do 215B-1 airframes were converted to Do 215B 5 night fighter configuration and delivered to NJG.2 during late 1940 for operation from Gilze Rijen in the Netherlands, these undertaking intruder sorties against RAF bomber bases. In July 1941 Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 in Holland was the first operational Luftwaffe aircraft to carry the early Telefunken FuG 202 Lichtenstein BC airborne interception radar. Oberleutnant Ludwig Becker of NJG 1, later to become one of the Luftwaffe’s leading night fighter pilots, made the first ‘kill’ using this equipment on August 9, 1941. The Do 215B 5 was fitted with a solid nose housing one 20 mm MG FF cannon and four 7.9 mm. MG 17 machine guns.
Hauptmann Becker in his Do 17Z-6
In all, 101 Do 215Bs were built before production ended in January 1941. By this time mainstream development of the Do 17/215 bomber concept was well under way in the more advanced form of the Dornier Do 217, the first examples of which had entered service towards the end of the previous year. After 1942, virtually no Do 215s remained in service with first line units, those which survived being reallocated mostly to test and development work. The Do 17, however, following its replacement by the Do 217 in 1942, found a new career as a glider tug and continued in the role to the end of the war.
Do-17 Engine: 2 x BMW Bramo 323P, 770kW Max take-off weight: 8890 kg / 19599 lb Empty weight: 5230 kg / 11530 lb Wingspan: 18.0 m / 59 ft 1 in Length: 15.8 m / 51 ft 10 in Height: 4.6 m / 15 ft 1 in Wing area: 55.0 sq.m / 592.01 sq ft Max. Speed: 410 km/h / 255 mph Cruise speed: 376 km/h / 234 mph Ceiling: 9000 m / 29550 ft Range w/max.fuel: 2000 km / 1243 miles Armament: 4 x 7.9mm machine-guns, 1000kg of bombs Crew: 4
Do.17E Engines: 2 x BMW VI, 750 hp.
Do 17E-1 Span: 18 m (59 ft 1 in) Length: 16.25 m (53 ft 3.75 in) Gross weight: 7040 kg (15,520 lb) Maximum speed: 355 km/h (220 mph)
Do 17Z Engines: 2 x Bramo Fafnir, 1000 hp Top speed: 255 mph Cruise: 216 mph Range: 750-1000 mi Wingspan: 59 ft 0 in Length: 53 ft 0 in
Do 17M-1 Span: 18 m (59 ft 1 in) Length: 16.10 m (52 ft 9.75 in) Gross weight 8000 kg (17,637 lb) Maximum speed: 410 km/h (255 mph)
Do 17Z 2 Span: 18 m (59 ft 1 in) Length: 15.79 m (51 ft 9.75 in) Gross weight: 8590 kg (18,938 lb) Maximum speed: 360 km/h (224 mph) Armament: 2 x 7.92mm MG 15 mg
Do.215 Engines 2 x 1,075 hp Daimler Benz DB 601 A. Length: 51.75 ft (15.75 m). Wing span: 59.1 ft (18m). Weight empty: 12,730 lb (5,770 kg). Max bomb load: 2,200 lb (1,000 kg) Max speed: 300 mph (480 kph). Ceiling: 29,000 ft. (8,800m) fully loaded. Range: 1,860 miles (3,000 km). Range: 900 sm with 2200 lb bombs. Crew: 4. Armament: 4 x mg.
Do 215A-1 Engines: 2 x 1,075 hp Daimler Benz DB 601A. Max speed: 289 mph (465 kph) with a 2,200 lb (1000 kg) bomb load. Max cruise: 257 mph (413.5 kph). Normal range: 965 mls (1553 km). Service ceiling: 31,170 ft (9500 m).
Do 215B-1 Engines: 2 x 1,075 hp Daimler Benz DB 601Aa. Max speed: 239 mph (385 kph) at sea level, 289 mph (465 kph) at 13,123 ft (4 000 m). Tactical radius with max bomb load: 236 mls (380 km). Max ferry range: 1,522 mls (22450 km). Wing span: 59 ft 0in (18.00 m). Length: 52 ft 0 in (15.80 m) Height: 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m). Wing area, 592 sq.ft (55.0 sq.m). Crew: 4. Armament: four 7.9 mm MG 15 mg. MTOW: 19,400 lb (8 800 kg)
Do 215B-3
Do-215B-4 Engines: 2 V-12 Daimler-Benz DB 601Aa with 1100hp/820kW Max speed: 239 mph (385 kph) at sea level, 289 mph (465 kph) at 13,123 ft (4 000 m). Climbing Rate: 1000m in 2min, 18sec Operational Altitude: 9000m Weight empty: 5775kg MTOW: 19,400 lb (8 800 kg) Wing span: 59 ft 0in (18.00 m). Length: 52 ft 0 in (15.80 m) Height: 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m). Wing area, 592 sq.ft (55.0 sq.m). Tactical radius with max bomb load: 236 mls (380 km). Max ferry range: 1,522 mls (22450 km). Armament: One or two 7,92mm Machine Guns in the Nose, two 7,92mm MG in the front glass, two 7,92mm MG in each of the side windows, one 7,92mm MG on the back of the cockpit, one 7,92mm MG in the belly. Max Bomb load: 1000kg Crew: 4.
Do 215B-5 Engines: 2 x 1,075 hp Daimler Benz DB 601Aa. Wing span: 59 ft 0in (18.00 m). Length: 52 ft 0 in (15.80 m) Height: 15 ft 1 in (4.60 m). Wing area, 592 sq.ft (55.0 sq.m). MTOW: 19,400 lb (8 800 kg).
The Dorand AR.1 was a World War I French two-seat observation biplane aircraft used by the French Air Force, the American Expeditionary Force and, in small numbers, by Serbian Aviation.
Designed by Captain Georges Lepère of the STAé to replace the obsolescent Farman F.40 pusher aircraft, Dorand AR-series were two-seater reconnaissance biplanes that were named after the STAé director, Lt. Col. Dorand. They were characterized by backward-staggered two-bay wings and angular all-moving tail surfaces. The pilot sat beneath the leading edge of the upper wing, with the observer’s cockpit being under the trailing edge, and there were cut-outs in both wings to improve the latter’s field of view. Rather unusually for a single-engine tractor biplane of the era, the lower wing was not directly attached to the fuselage, instead being somewhat below it, supported by struts.
Dorand AR.1
Production of these aircraft began in a state-owned French Army Aircraft Establishment (or S.T.Aé.) factory at Chalais-Meudon, near Paris, after flight testing had been completed in the autumn 1916.
The first of the thirteen squadrons which flew Dorands on the Western Front received their aircraft in the spring 1917. Five other French squadrons used the type on the Italian Front. These aircraft were withdrawn from the combat units in early 1918.
In 1917 the American Expeditionary Force ordered the Renault-engined varieties of the Dorand, the first of 22 AR.1s being delivered in December 1917 and the first of 120 AR.2s in following February. The Americans operated these types on the Western Front for the first half 1918, until replacing them with the Salmson 2. After being retired from fighting duties, the surviving examples were used as trainers.
A small number of Dorand AR.1s were also supplied to Kingdom of Serbia, which operated these aircraft in four squadrons from April 1918 onwards.
Dorand AR.2’s of the first Serbian squadron
While the Dorand AR-types didn’t have a particularly distinguished career in either French or American service, having a rather mediocre performance for a late-war daytime reconnaissance aircraft and suffering from having low priority for engine supplies, it is a testimony to the general soundness of the design that after the war, many AR.1s and AR.2s appeared in the French civil register, being used as 2/3-passenger transports by companies like Compagnie Aérienne Française and Réseau Aérien Transafricain. Private users found the aircraft useful for training and joy-flights as well.
All these types had “A.2” added to their names in French service, indicating that they were two-seater reconnaissance aircraft.
1917
Variants:
AR.1 A2 160 Early production version, frontal radiators Engine: 120 kW (160 hp) Renault 8Gd Wing span: 13.27 m (43.5 ft)
AR.1 A2 200 Mid production version, frontal radiators Engine: 150 kW (200 hp) Renault 8Gdy Propeller: 2-bladed wooden fixed pitch Wing span: 13.27 m (43.5 ft) Wing area: 50.36 m2 (542.1 sq ft) Length: 8.225 m (27 ft 0 in) Empty weight: 890 kg (1,962 lb) Gross weight: 1,330 kg (2,932 lb) Wing loading: 26.4 kg/m2 (5.4 lb/sq ft) Power/mass: 0.143 kW/kg (0.087 hp/lb) Fuel capacity: 170 L (37 imp gal) Maximum speed: 148 km/h (92 mph, 80 kn) at 2,000 m (6,600 ft) Endurance: 3 hours Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft) Crew: 2 (pilot and observer) Armament: 1 × fixed forward-firing 7.7 mm (.303 in) Vickers mg / 1 or 2 × 7.7 mm (.303 in) Lewis gun(s) for observer
AR.1 A2 190 Late production version, frontal radiators Engine: 140 kW (190 hp) Renault 8Gd Wing span: 13.27 m (43.5 ft)
German assault glider. The major contribution of the Deutsches Forschungsinstitut for Segelflug (German Research Institute for Gliding) to Germany’s Second World War armoury was the DFS 230 assault glider of 1937. With a rectangular section fabric covered steel tube fuselage, and a long tapering wing covered in plywood and fabric and braced by metal struts to the fuselage, the glider could carry some 272 kg (600 lb) of freight in addition to the pilot plus nine troops and their equipment. Three prototypes were built and tested by the DFS, and further DFS 230s were produced by Gothaer Waggonfabrik, a series of A 0 pre production models being followed by production A 1s and dual control A 2s. Deliveries began in October 1939. Some modifications were incorporated in the B 1 and B 2 production series, notably a parachute pack for braking, a stronger landing skid and a mounting for a single MG 15 machine gun. The DFS 230 made its operational debut in the attack on Fort Eben Ernael and Albert Canal bridges in Belgium and Holland in May 1940. It went on to take part in attacks on the Corinth Canal, and in the airborne invasion of Crete in May 1941. However, such heavy losses were suffered during the later operation that thereafter DFS 230s were largely confined to transport duties in the Mediterranean and on the Eastern Front. One other spectacular operation involved DFS 230s, however, when DFS 230c 1s B 1s fitted with forward firing braking rockets in a special nose cone were used to land German commandos on the Matto Grosso as part of the rescue of Italian leader Benito Mussolini. A total between reported figures of 1022 and 1500 DFS 230s were produced, and the glider soldiered on in the supply role almost until the end of the war.
DFS230 glider with Argus AS014 pulsejets
DFS 230A-1 Wingspan: 68 ft 5.5 in / 20.87 m Length; 36 ft 10.5 in / 11.24m Height; 9 ft / 2.74 m Wing area; 444.55 sq.ft / 41.3 sq.m Empty weight; 1896 lb / 860 kg MAUW: 4630 lb / 2100 kg Max towed speed: 130 mph / 210 kph
DFS 230B 1 Span: 21.98 m (72 ft 11 in) Length: 11.24 m (36 ft 10.5 in) Gross weight: 2100 kg (4630 lb) Maximum speed: 290 km/h (180 mph)
The Dewoitine company was nationalized in 1936, becoming part of the SNCAM (Societe Nationale de Constructions Aeronautiques du Midi), and on the outbreak of the Second World War the D 520, designed by Robert Castello, was the French air forces’s most advanced fighter. Designed a new fighter to meet the French Air Ministry Programme A23, which in its revised form called for a maximum speed of 520km/h, was the was inspiration to give it the designation D.520.
Three prototypes were ordered by the French government in April 1938, the first (D 520 01), powered by an 664-kW (890-hp) Hispano Suiza 12Y 21 engine, flying on October 2 of that year with Marcel Doret at the controls. With this powerplant the aircraft did not achieve its required speed of 520 km/h (323 mph), but with an uprated 12Y 29 engine with jet exhaust manifold, the design speed was reached. Even before the first flight of the third prototype in May 1939 the company had received orders for 200 of the new and potentially decisive fighter, the figure rising to 710 within two months. The second prototype (D 520 02) with a redesigned tail, wing radiators replaced with a ventral unit, introduced a sliding cockpit hood, and other aerodynamic improvements flew for the first time on January 28, 1939. It was fitted with a provi¬sional armament of one HS 404 20 mm (0.79¬in) Hispano cannon firing through the propel¬ler hub and two 7.5 mm (0. 295 in) MAC 1934-¬M39 machine guns in underwing fairings. It was powered by a 12Y 29 (later 12Y 31) and reached a speed of 550 km/h (342 mph). The D 520 03 third prototype was similar to the second, and first flew on March 15, 1939. It had a steerable tail wheel instead of the tailskid of the other two aircraft. Powered by a supercharged 678kW Hispano-Suiza 12Y45 engine, the D.520 was armed with an engine-mounted HS-404 20mm cannon and four wing-mounted 7.5mm MAC machine-guns. The wing was a single-spar structure with duralumin skinning. Ailerons were fabric-covered and flaps pneumatically operated. The fuselage was an all-metal monocoque structure and the wide-track undercarriage legs retracted inwards into the wing profile. Main production lines were at the SNCAM Toulouse factories. For the first time in France women joined the workforce and sub-contractors previously outside the aircraft industry were employed. Each aircraft required only half the man-hours needed to build the main French fighter at that time, the MS 406. The first production example, from an initial order for 200 placed in April 1939, flew on November 2, 1939, powered by a 930 hp Hispano Suiza 12Y 45 engine. Many modifications were required and by the time the German Blitzkrieg was launched only 50 D.520s were with front-line units. Orders up to April 1940 required 2200 for the Armee de l’Air and 120 for the Aeronavale, but many were cancelled due to difficulties in maintaining the production rate. Fewer than 300 had been delivered by the time of Germany’s invasion of France in May 1940, rising to 403 by the time of the Armistice. The fuselage of the production machines was lengthened by 51 cm (20 in), the engine cowling was modified, two additional fuel tanks were fitted within the wing leading edges and armour protection was provided for the pilot. The armament was increased by a further two 7.5 mm (0.295 in) M39 guns enclosed in the wings. Deliveries began in January 1940, but when the German armed forces made their attack against France on May 10, 1940, only 36 D 520s, equipping GC 1/3, were in service. They flew their first operational sorties three days later and proved extremely effective under fire, establishing a 2/1 ‘kill ratio’ over Luft¬waffe opponents. As deliveries increased, D 520s served with five Groupes de Chasse during May and June, and by June 25, 1940, a total of 437 had been completed. By the time of the fall of France the D.520 had claimed 114 victories and 38 probables.
After the armistice with France, Germany permitted her a limited air arm (Armistice air force), but there were no D 520 units in the occupied country. Over 300 aircraft, how¬ever, remained in unoccupied France and North Africa and were used by the Vichy French air force. The German authorities ordered a further 550 D 520s to replace all other single engined fighters in French service, and, although they saw considerable action against many British aircraft, their losses were few. In November 1942 the Germans entered the hitherto ‘Free’ French areas and commandeered 246 D 520s plus a further 169 in various stages of production. The SNCA de Sud Est received a contract from the Germans to complete 150 of these machines, and by the summer of 1944 they had been delivered, bringing total D 520 production to 905 machines. A few of these were used as by the Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwadern in the USSR, and D 520s also equipped JG 105 at Chartres, JG 103 in Austria and JG 101 in Pau Long. Sixty D 520s were allocated to the Regia Aeronautica as trainers and second line fighters; 120 formed the basic strength of the Bulgarian air arm, and a few saw service with the Romanian air force. As the Germans retreated in the autumn of 1944, the liberated French recaptured about 75 D 520s. These helped reform the French air force on December 1, 1944, and they flew with the Forces Francaises de l’Interieur during the closing months of the war. In late 1945, one of the 17 Dewoitines still in use as trainers at Tours was converted to two seat configuration and designated D 520 DC; 12 were thus modified. Some D 520s were phased out of service through lack of spares in mid 1948 and the last unit was disbanded in September 1953. This aircraft had been originally designed to accept a 1300 hp engine, in order to reach a speed of 595 km/h (370 mph), but no reliable engine of this power was ever available for trial or production aircraft. Variants were mooted and trialled with different engines.
D.520 Engine: l x Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45, 687 kW / 935 hp. Span: 10.2m (33 ft 5.5 in). Length: 8.6m (28 ft 2.5 in). Height: 2.57 m / 8 ft 5 in Wing area: 15.97 sq.m / 171.90 sq ft Max T/O weight: 2677 kg (5,902 lb). Empty weight: 2123 kg / 4680 lb Max speed: 332 mph at 18,045 ft / 342 mph at 13,120 ft. Service ceiling: 36,090 ft / 11,000m Climb to 13,125 ft / 4000 m: 5 min 49 sec Max range: 1540 km / 957 miles Operational range: 553 mi / 900 km Crew: 1 Armament: 1×20-mm Hispano-Suiza cannon and 4 x 7.5-mm / 0.295-in MAC machine-guns.
The D 500 was designed by Emile Dewoitine to a 1930 requirement for the Aviation Militaire. It was of all metal monoplane construction, with neat cantilever low wings, a fixed, spatted landing gear, and open cockpit. Intended to meet the demands of the 1930 C1 programme and eventually selected as winning contender, the D 500 was powered by a 12-cylinder Vee Hispano-Suiza 12Xbrs (HS 72) engine rated at 660hp for take-off and 690hp at 4000m. Armament comprised two 7.7mm Vickers guns in the fuselage, these later being supplanted by 7.5mm Darne guns with provision for two similar wing-mounted weapons.
The prototype was first flown on June 18, 1932, and at the end of November 1933, orders were placed for 60 D 500s of which 45 were to be built by Liore-et-Olivier and 15 by SAF-Avions Dewoitine. Of the former, 40 were to be powered by the HS 12Xbrs engine and the remaining five by the HS 12Xcrs (HS 76) with provision for a 20mm Hispano-Suiza S7 (Oerlikon) cannon mounted between the cylinder banks. With this installation and twin wing-mounted machine guns the fighter was designated D 501.
The SAF-Avions Dewoitine order was eventually to comprise eight D 500s, five D 501s and two D 510s. The first production D 500 was flown on 29 November 1934, contracts having meanwhile been placed for a further 50 D 500s and 80 D 501s to be built by Liore-et-Olivier and 60 D 501s by Ateliers et Chantiers de la Loire, deliveries to the Armee de l’Air commencing May-June 1935. Three D 500s were ordered by Venezuela at the beginning of 1934 and delivered in July 1935, and in the following year 14 D 501s were supplied to Lithuania. The Armee de l’Air received 100 D 500s and 133 D 501s, 30 of the latter type also being supplied to shore-based elements of France’s Aeronautique Navale. Small numbers of D 500s and D 501s equipped Escadrilles Regionale de Chasse in the early months of World War II, but had been relegated to tuitional tasks by 1940.
D.510
A further improved model, the D 510, first flew on August 14, 1934. It had a larger area rudder and a revised engine mounting to accommodate the 860 hp HS 12 Ycrs power¬plant. Two of the 15 D 500 series aircraft (the second and tenth) comprising the initial production contract for the new low-wing fighter monoplane placed with SAF-Avions Dewoitine were fitted with the Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs (HS 77) engine as prototypes for the D 510. Heavier and longer than the HS 12Xcrs (HS 76) of the standard D 501 fighter, the HS 12Ycrs similarly catered for a 20mm cannon between its cylinder banks, and was rated at 775hp at sea level and 860hp at 4000m. The first of the D 510 prototypes flew (without the cannon fitted) on 14 August 1934, the second (with cannon) following on 10 December. Apart from engine, the D 510 was fundamentally similar to the D 501, the cannon being complemented by a pair of 7.5mm wing guns. In May 1935, the Ministere de l’Air placed an initial contract for 35 (later reduced to 25) D 510s, these being delivered from 9 October 1936. Seven more D 510s were then built for the Armee de l’Air as agreed replacements for a similar number of D 501s taken from the service’s deliveries as part of the Lithuanian order. Follow-on contracts then called for a total of 80 more aircraft from which a contract for 24 D 510s from the Chinese Central Government was to be fulfilled. Other export D 510s were single examples to the UK and the Soviet Union, and two to Japan for evaluation purposes, and two, unofficially, to Republican Spain. These last had been the first two of a cancelled contract for Turkey and were ostensibly sold to the Hedjaz (Saudi Arabia). When it was revealed that the two D 510s had arrived in Spain, the French government insisted that their engines be returned to France. Eventually, both aircraft were fitted with M-100 (licence-built HS 12Ybrs) engines from a Tupolev SB bomber and allegedly saw some combat. Three Groupes de Chasse were still flying with the D 510 at the beginning of World War II, but re-equipped during the first months of the conflict. Two Escadrilles Regionale de Chasse in North Africa converted to D 510s in September-October 1939, flying them until mid-1940, and two escadrilles of the Aeronautique Navale formed on D 510s in December 1939 and May 1940.
One hundred and twenty were built, 90 going to the Armee de l’Air, for whom the D 510 was the first fighter capable of a level speed exceeding 400 km/h (248 mph). Before the Second World War, most D 510s served in metropolitan France or Tunisia but on the outbreak of war, Groupes de Chasse GC 1/ 1, 11/ 1 and 118 were equipped with this model, and some D 501s were still in service in France with ERC (Escadrilles Regionales de Chasse) 561 and 562. Some D 501s were also still in service in North Africa when France capitulated in May 1940. Prior to the outbreak of war, Dewoitine had export orders from China (24 D 510C), the Hejaz (two D 510), Japan (two D 510J), Lithuania (14 D 510L), Britain (one D 510A), the USSR (one D 510R) and Venezuela (three D 500V). There is some doubt whether those destined for Venezuela were ever received, and it is probable that some or all of the Lithuanian batch and the two for the Hejaz went instead to the Republican forces in Spain during the Civil War.
D 501 Take-off weight: 1787 kg / 3940 lb Empty weight: 1287 kg / 2837 lb Wingspan: 12.09 m / 39 ft 8 in Length: 7.56 m / 24 ft 10 in Height: 2.70 m / 8 ft 10 in Wing area: 16.50 sq.m / 177.60 sq ft Max. speed: 367 km/h / 228 mph Range: 870 km / 541 miles
D.510 Engine: Hispano-Suiza 12Ycrs (HS 77), 775hp at sea level, 860hp at 4000m Take-off weight: 1929 kg / 4253 lb Empty weight: 1496 kg / 3298 lb Span: 12.092 m (39 ft 8 in) Length: 7.94 m / 26 ft 1 in Height: 2.42 m / 7 ft 11 in Wing area: 16.50 sq.m / 177.60 sq ft Maximum speed: 393 km/h (244 mph) Range: 700 km / 435 miles Armament: 1 x 20mm cannon, 2 x 7.5mm wing guns
Transferred by the SAF-Avions Dewoitine to the Liore-et-Olivier (LeO) concern owing to the workload imposed on the parent company by the D 50bis (future D 500), the D 37 (later D 370) was a private venture contender in the 1930 C1 programme. Evolved in 1931 in parallel with the D 500, the D 37 was devel¬oped via the D 53 (strengthened D 27) and first flown on 1 October 1932 with a 700 hp Gnome Rhone 14 Kbrs Mistral Major 14-cylinder two-row radial engine driving a four blade propeller. The prototype was built at Argenteuil by Liore et Olivier and was entered for the 1932 French fighter competi¬tion by the Societe Aeronautique Frangaise, a new company formed by Emile Dewoitine following his return from Switzerland. It was subsequently subjected to an extensive series of modifications: a G-R 14Kbs engine gave place, in turn, to a G-R 14Kds affording 800hp for take-off and 740hp at 4500m; the engine cowling was changed; the undercarriage was redesigned, and the wing introduced dihedral and reduced chord. Yet more redesign was embodied by a second prototype, the D 371, which appeared late February 1934. Twenty-eight D 371s were ordered for the Armee de l’Air with the G-R 14Kf s engine of 930hp for take-off and 880hp at 3250m, and an armament of four underwing 7.5mm MAC 34 machine guns. Fourteen were ordered by Lithuania, and these, having two synchronised 7.7mm Browning guns in the fuselage and two Darne guns of similar calibre in the wings, were designated D 372s. Republican forces in Spain received the 14 D 372s (930 hp Gnome Rhone 14 Kfs) ordered by Lithuania. The Lithuanian government relinquished its D 372s in favour of D 501s, the former being sold to the Spanish Republican government and ferried to Spain during August 1936, where they were later joined by 10 of the 28 Armee de l’Air D 371s. In March 1036, Escadrilles 7C 1 and 7C2 of the Aeronavale at Hyeres began to replace their Wibault 74s with 20 examples of the D 373, similar to the 372 except for wing flaps and deck landing gear. These had flotation gear, a 30cm reduction in wing span and an armament of four Darne guns within the wing. These were followed by 25 D 376s with wing folding. The last D 371 left the factory at the end of December 1935, the Armee de l’Air fighters following the Navy’s D 373s. The remaining D 371s equipped an escadrille at Bizerte, Tunis, until 1939, but were little flown owing to constant problems with their engines. Standard armament of the D 37 was four underwing 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 or Darne machine guns, but the D 371 prototype was a testbed for two long barrelled 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon S cannon mounted in the wing centre section, and some D 373/376s were fitted with 13.2 mm (0.520 in) Hotchkiss machine guns. Performance of the D 371 included a climb to 4500 m (14 764 ft) in 5.18 minutes and to 10000 m (32810 ft) in 21.85 minutes.
The French Government declared on 25 July 1936 that it would not send arms to Spain, but its Air Minister, Pierre Cot, secretly permitted a consignment of aircraft to be dispatched. At the end of July, about 70 aircraft were sent across the border to Barcelona, including Potez 54 bombers and Dewoitine 371 fighters. This version’s service effectiveness was limited, due to extensive grounding brought about by frequent engine troubles, and those still serving with ERC 574 in Tunisia were replaced by Morane Saulnier 406s in November 1940. The D 373/376s, 27 of which constituted the entire Aeronavale fighter strength upon the outbreak of war, were similarly replaced by Potez 63 fighters in January 1940.
D 31 Engine: 800¬hp Gnome Rhone 14 Kd
D.37 Armament: 4 x 7.5 mm (0.295 in) MAC 1934 or Darne machine guns
D.371 Span: 11.80 m (38 ft 8.5in) Length: 7.44 m (24 ft 5 in) Height: 3.40 m / 11 ft 2 in Wing area: 17.45 sq.m / 187.83 sq ft Take-off weight: 1884 kg / 4154 lb Empty weight: 1320 kg / 2910 lb Maximum speed: 380 km/h (236 mph) Armament: 2 x 20 mm (0.79 in) Oerlikon S cannon Climb to 4500 m (14 764 ft): 5.18 minutes Climb to 10000 m (32810 ft): 21.85 minutes Range: 900 km / 559 miles
All Aero 