Editing Dornier Do 215

{{Short description|Light bomber aircraft in Germany}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
  |name= Do 215
  |image= Dornier Do 215 in flight c1941.jpg
  |image_caption= Dornier Do 215 in flight
  |aircraft_type=[[Light bomber]]/[[Night fighter]]
  |manufacturer=[[Dornier Flugzeugwerke]]
  |national_origin=Germany
  |designer=[[Claude Dornier]]
  |first_flight=1938
  |introduction=1939
  |retired=1944
  |primary_user=''[[Luftwaffe]]''
  |more_users=
  |produced=1939–1941
  |number_built=102{{Sfn | Olrog | 2017 | p =  112}}
  |developed_from=[[Dornier Do 17]]
  |variants=
}}

The '''Dornier Do 215''' was a [[light bomber]], [[aerial reconnaissance]] aircraft and later a [[night fighter]], produced by Dornier originally for export, but in the event most served in the ''[[Luftwaffe]]''. Like its predecessor, the [[Dornier Do 17]], it inherited the title "The Flying Pencil" because of its slim [[fuselage]]. The successor of the Do 215 was the [[Do 217]].

==Design and development==
The [[Do 17]] fast [[bomber]] elicited renewed interest from foreign air forces (after the initial Do 17K series production). It was the interest shown by Yugoslavia in the Do 17Z which gave rise to the designation Dornier Do 215, allotted for no apparent reason to the Do 17Z sent to Yugoslavia for demonstration purposes in July 1937.{{Sfn | Munson | 1960 | p =  16}}

[[Dornier Flugzeugwerke|Dornier]] therefore prepared a pre-series Do 17 Z-0 as a demonstrator for export customers. It was given the civil registration D-AAIV. While this aircraft was essentially identical to the production Do 17Z, the {{lang|de|[[Reichsluftfahrtministerium]]}} assigned the designation '''Do 215''' to the export version. However, in spite of the Do 215 being designated as an export version, many Do 215s were used by the Luftwaffe.

The first [[prototype]], Do 215 V1, retained the nine-cylinder [[Bramo 323|Bramo 323 ''Fafnir'']] [[radial engine]] of the Do 17Z. It crashed during testing. The second prototype, Do 215 V2, was equipped with the [[Gnome-Rhône 14N|Gnome-Rhône 14-NO]] radial engine. It safely completed testing, but did not attract export orders because it did not offer a notable performance increase over the Do 17Z. The third prototype, Do 215 V3, used a 1,175 PS (1,159&nbsp;hp) [[Daimler-Benz DB 601|Daimler-Benz DB 601 Ba]] inline engine. In 1937, Dornier had used the earlier [[Daimler-Benz DB 600]] powerplants in the [[Dornier Do 17#Early Daimler-Benz-powered variants|Do 17L and Do 17M subtypes]]. The Do 215 V3, which first flew in the spring of 1939, demonstrated a noticeable improvement in flight performance compared to the earlier prototypes.

Series production of the '''Do 215 A-1''' began in 1939. The order, intended for the [[Swedish Air Force]], was stopped in August 1939, due to the political situation. The 18 extant aircraft were embargoed and pressed into ''Luftwaffe'' service upon the outbreak of [[World War II]].

Some modifications were made and the resulting aircraft were redesignated as '''Do 215 B-0''' through '''Do 215 B-5'''. This was the standard production version. According to official figures, 105 Do 215s were produced between 1939 and 1941 by Dornier in its factory at [[Oberpfaffenhofen]].<ref name="Griehl 2005, p. 11.">[[#MG91|Griehl (2005)]], p. 11.</ref>

==Operational history==
The Do 215 was employed by the ''[[Aufklärungsgruppe]] des Oberbefelshabers der Luftwaffe'' (Aufk.Gr.Ob,d,L.) which was a special, strategic reconnaissance unit within the ''Luftwaffe'', operating a very rare mix of aircraft types, often prototypes or aircraft built to their special requirements in very limited numbers. They flew on clandestine missions in civil markings over countries with whom Germany was not yet at war, or on challenging long-range strategic missions far behind enemy lines. This unit would also participate in developing technology and procedures for operational high-altitude missions.{{Sfn | Olrog | 2017 | p =  8}}
The ''Luftwaffe'' initially operated the Do 215 as a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. Aircraft equipped with Rb 20/30 and Rb 50/30 cameras were used for long-range reconnaissance missions, primarily at the Ob.d.L ({{lang|de|[[Oberkommando der Luftwaffe]]}}). Later aircraft operated as night fighters. The last of the Do 215s were retired in late 1944.

==Variants==
[[File:Twee bemanningsleden in de cockpit van een Dornier Do 215 (2157-112-029).jpg|thumb|Aircraft cockpit]]
;Do 215 V1: Dornier Do 17 Z-0 used as first prototype of Do 215 and crashed during trials.
;Do 215 V2: Dornier Do 17 Z-0 (D-AIIB) equipped with [[Gnome-Rhône]] 14-cylinder radial engines and used as second prototype of Do 215.
;Do 215 V3: Third prototype of Do 215, equipped with [[Daimler-Benz]] [[Daimler-Benz DB 601|DB 601Ba]] inline engines.
;Do 215 A-1: Designation of original 18 aircraft built for [[Swedish Air Force]] order.
;Do 215 B-0: Three aircraft of '''A-1''' version re-equipped for ''Luftwaffe'' with FuG 10 and operated for bomber/reconnaissance duties.
;Do 215 B-1: Renamed remaining 15 aircraft of '''A-1''' version operated by ''Luftwaffe''.
;Do 215 B-2: Rebuilt with sliding cover under [[bomb bay]] and equipped with three Rb 50/30 cameras in bomb bay used for reconnaissance missions.
;Do 215 B-3: Two aircraft similar to B-1 sold to [[Soviet Union]].
;Do 215 B-4: Improved reconnaissance version developed from B-2 version and equipped with Rb 20/30 & Rb 50/30 cameras.
;Do 215 B-5: Night fighter version called '''Kauz III'''. 20 aircraft converted from B-1 and B-4 versions with [[Dornier Do 17|Do 17 Z-10 "Kauz II"]] nose-equipped with IR searchlight for the Spanner infrared detection system. Do 215 B-5s were armed with four 7.92&nbsp;mm (.312&nbsp;in) [[MG 17 machine gun]]s grouped above the IR light and two 20&nbsp;mm [[MG FF cannon]] in the lower nose. The Spanner system proved to be useless and the Lichtenstein 202 B/C radar was installed on some aircraft starting from the middle of 1942.

Of the versions of the Do 215 that existed, the A-1 bomber with DB 601 engines, and the B-0 and B-1 export machines were both re-equipped with FuG 10 navigation devices for the ''Luftwaffe''. The Do 215 B-5 was the first night fighter to be equipped with the [[Lichtenstein radar#FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C|FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C]] navigation device. These aircraft saw action from January 1941 to May 1944 with I. and IV./NJG 1 and II./NJG 2.<ref>{{cite journal | title = The Flying Pencil: Dornier Do 17 and Do 215 | first = Heinz J. | last = Nowarra | journal = Schiffer Military History | year = 1990 | volume = 25 | isbn = 0-88740-236-4 }}</ref>

==Operators==
[[File:Aanzicht linksvoor van een Dornier Do 215 bommenwerper van de Luftwaffe (2157-112-023).jpg|thumb|Dornier Do 215]]
;Wartime operators:
;{{flag|Germany|Nazi}}
* ''[[Luftwaffe]]''
;{{flag|Hungary|1920}}
* [[Royal Hungarian Air Force]]<ref name="green v9p10">Green 1967, p.10</ref> operated at least 11 aircraft.
;{{USSR}}
* [[Soviet Air Force]] bought two aircraft from Germany.<ref>Nowarra 1990, p. 37.</ref>

;Planned operators:
;{{SWE}}
* [[Swedish Air Force]] ordered 18 Do 215 A-1s but the aircraft were embargoed and transferred to the Luftwaffe.
;{{flag|Kingdom of Yugoslavia}}
* [[Yugoslav Royal Air Force]] ordered Do 215s, but due to the start of [[World War II]] the order was never completed.
;{{flag|Netherlands}}
* In summer 1939 the [[Luchtvaartafdeeling]] (Netherlands Army Air Force) planned to buy 24 to replace the [[Fokker T.V]] which suffered reliability problems with its engines and propellers.

==Surviving aircraft==
Until recently, none of the Dornier twin-engined bomber variants were thought to have survived. In September 2007, a Dornier Do 215 B was found largely intact in the shallow waters of the [[Waddenzee]], the [[Netherlands]]. This aircraft was flown by a Luftwaffe fighter ace [[Helmut Woltersdorf]]. On the night of 6/7 July 1941, Woltersdorf shot down a [[Vickers Wellington]], but his Dornier was damaged by return fire and crash-landed off the Dutch Coast.<ref>''Flypast'', No. 315, October 2007, p. 62</ref> The area where the Dornier came down was named as a seal sanctuary and thus it escaped the attentions of scrap merchants and souvenir hunters. At low tide the aircraft becomes visible.

The Aircraft Recovery Group from the Airwar Museum at Fort Veldhuis in [[Heemskerk]] received permission to partially recover the Do 215. The only missing part of the aircraft is the tail section which lies {{convert|70|ft|m|abbr=on}} to the rear of the main wreckage. The [[Daimler-Benz DB 601]] engines were recovered along with the starboard portion of the cockpit.<ref>''Flypast'', No.315, October 2007, p. 63.</ref>

==Specifications (Dornier Do 215 B-1)==
[[File:Dornier Do.215 3-view L'Aerophile August 1939.jpg|thumb|3-view drawing from ''L'Aerophile'', August 1939]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=''Profile Publications 164, The Dornier Do 17 & 215 and German Aircraft of the Second World War''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=J. Richard |title=The Dornier Do 17 & 215 |date= |publisher=Profile Publications |location=Leatherhead, Surrey |isbn= |pages=16}}</ref><ref name="German Aircraft">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=J.R. |author2=Kay, Antony L. |title=German Aircraft of the Second World War |year=1972 |publisher=Putnam |location=London |isbn=978-0-85177-836-5 |pages=126–127}}</ref>
|prime units?=met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=4
|length m=15.8
|span m=18
|height m=4.56
|wing area sqm=55
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 2218]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 2209]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight kg=4739
|gross weight kg=9200
|max takeoff weight kg=
|fuel capacity={{cvt|1550|L|USgal impgal}} in two wing tanks + optional {{cvt|875|L|USgal impgal}} auxiliary tank in the bomb bay
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=[[Daimler-Benz DB 601Aa]]
|eng1 type=V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines
|eng1 kw=820

|prop blade number=3
|prop name=constant-speed propellers
|prop dia m=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia ft=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia in=<!-- propeller aircraft -->
|prop dia note=
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh=470
|max speed note=at {{cvt|5000|m}}
|cruise speed kmh=410
|cruise speed note= 
|stall speed kmh=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|range km=1553
|combat range km=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|ceiling m=9500
|climb rate ms=6.0
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=167
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass={{cvt|0.178|kW/kg}}

|more performance=
<!--
        Armament
-->
|guns= 4 × {{cvt|7.92|mm|3}} [[MG 15 machine gun]]s, (later upgraded to 6)
|bombs= {{cvt|1000|kg}} bombs carried internally
|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|related=*[[Dornier Do 17]]
* [[Dornier Do 217]]
|similar aircraft=*[[Bristol Blenheim]]
* [[PZL.37 Łoś]]
* [[Tupolev SB]]
|sequence=
|lists=*[[List of bomber aircraft]]
* [[List of military aircraft of Germany]]
}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{cite book |last1=Dressel |first1=Joachim |last2=Griehl |first2=Manfred |title=Bombers of the Luftwaffe |date=1994 |publisher=Arms and Armour |location=London |isbn=1-85409-140-9}}
* {{cite book |last=Griehl |first=Manfred | ref=MG91 | title=Dornier Do 17 E-Z, Do 215 B: The Flying Pencil in Luftwaffe Service |date= 2005 | orig-year = 1991 |publisher=AirDOC |location=Erlangen, Germany |isbn=3-935687-42-7}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kulikov|first1=Victor|title=Des occasions en or pour Staline, ou les avions allemands en URSS|journal=Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire |date=March 2000 |issue=84 |pages=16–23 |trans-title= Golden Opportunities for Stalin, or German Aircraft in the USSR |language=fr |issn=1243-8650}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Kulikov|first1=Victor|title=Des occasions en or pour Staline, ou les avions allemands en URSS|journal=Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire |date=April 2000 |issue=85 |pages=44–49 |language=fr |issn=1243-8650}}
* {{cite book |last = Munson |first = Kenneth |title = Enemy Aircraft (German and Italian) of World War II |location = London, UK |publisher = Ian Allan Ltd |year = 1960 }}
* {{cite book|last=Olrog|first=Mikael|title=Dornier Do 215: From Reconnaissance Aircraft to Nightfighter|date=2017|publisher=Crecy Publishing|location=Manchester, UK|isbn=978-1-90653-752-4}}
* {{cite book|last=Green |first=William|title=Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Nine, Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft|year=1967|publisher=Macdonald|location=London |isbn=978-0-356-01491-3}}

==External links==
{{commons category-inline|Dornier Do 215}}

{{Dornier aircraft}}
{{RLM aircraft designations}}
{{Swedish military aircraft designations}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Dornier aircraft|Do 215]]
[[Category:1930s German bomber aircraft]]
[[Category:High-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1938]]
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[[Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear]]