BLITZ AIRCRAFT

DORNIER DO 17

THE DO 17 EXCELLED IN LOW-LEVEL BOMBING, BUT THAT ADVANTAGE WAS TAKEN AWAY WITH A LUFTWAFFE STRATEGIC SWITCH

Nicknamed the ‘Flying Pencil’ due to its tapered fuselage, the Dornier Do 17 medium bomber entered Luftwaffe mass production early. With a crew of four or five, its maximum bomb load was 998kg (2,200 pounds). Correcting design flaws that were revealed during the Spanish Civil War, the Do 17U variant was deployed throughout the Battle of Britain.

The Do 17 performed well at low altitude during