title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: Saint Etienne are an English band from London, formed in 1990. The band consists of Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs. They became associated with the UK's indie dance scene in the 1990s, beginning with the release of their debut album "Foxbase Alpha" in 1991. Their work has been described as uniting 1990s club culture with 1960s pop and other disparate influences. The name of the band comes from the French football club of AS Saint-Étienne.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were childhood friends and former music journalists, who once had a fanzine called "Caff" which had developed into a record label by 1989. They originally planned that Saint Etienne would use a variety of different lead singers, and their 1991 debut album, "Foxbase Alpha" – influenced by sources such as club culture, 1960s pop, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark's "Dazzle Ships" – features several vocalists, including Moira Lambert and Donna Savage. However, after working with Sarah Cracknell on "Nothing Can Stop Us", they decided to make her the permanent vocalist, and Cracknell has written or co-written many of the band's songs.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: Saint Etienne were associated with the "indie dance" genre in the early 1990s. Their typical approach was to combine sonic elements (such as samples and digitally synthesized sounds) of the dance-pop that emerged in the wake of the so-called Second Summer of Love with an emphasis on songwriting involving romantic and introspective themes more commonly associated with traditional British pop and rock music. Early work demonstrated the influence of 1960s soul, 1970s dub and rock as well as 1980s dance music, giving them a broad palette of sounds and a reputation for eclecticism. Years later, "The Times" wrote that they "deftly fused the grooviness of Swinging Sixties London with a post-acid house backbeat". Their first two albums, "Foxbase Alpha" and "So Tough", feature sounds chiefly associated with house music, such as standard TR-909 drum patterns and Italo house piano riffs mixed with original sounds, notable by the use of found dialogue, sampled from 1960s British realist cinema.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In 1991, the band also released two singles, "7 Ways to Love" and "He Is Cola", under the name Cola Boy with different singers (one of them being future radio personality Janey Lee Grace, who recorded and appeared in the video for the former); their explanation for publishing under a pen name is that the tracks were "too cheesy for Saint Etienne. We'd have been finished overnight". The band would later produce an updated electro-house version of "7 Ways to Love" for Japanese singer Nokko for her 1993 album "I Will Catch U" (also known as "Call Me Nightlife" for the United States, Canada and Europe), in which she added lyrics to the song in both Japanese and English.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: During the early 1990s the group enjoyed extensive coverage in UK music weekly papers "NME" and "Melody Maker" and gained a reputation as purveyors of "pure pop" in the period immediately prior to the Brit-Pop explosion. "So Tough" reached No. 7 in the UK Albums Chart. Their most popular singles of this period were "You're in a Bad Way" and "Join Our Club" (which reached No. 12 and No. 21 in the UK Singles Chart).


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: "Tiger Bay" (1994) represented a change of direction: the entire album was inspired by folk music, combined with modern electronica. Although the album reached No. 8 in the UK Albums Chart, the singles performed disappointingly, with "Pale Movie", "Like a Motorway" and "Hug My Soul" reaching No. 28, No. 47 and No. 32 in the UK Singles Chart. In a 2009 interview, Bob Stanley said that in retrospect the band "got ahead of ourselves a bit" by releasing such an uncommercial album, which "definitely could have done with a couple more obvious songs".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In 1995, they released their most successful single, "He's on the Phone", a reworking of Étienne Daho's "Week-end à Rome" that they had created for a collaborative EP with Daho entitled "Reserection". It reached No. 11 on the UK chart.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: Stanley has said that with hindsight it was "a bit stupid" that the band "didn't release another single for two and a half years". Instead, they released a compilation album, "Too Young to Die" (1996), contributed a song to the Gary Numan tribute album "Random" the following year, and then returned in 1998 with "Good Humor", which de-emphasized the contemporary dance music influence on their previous work, replacing it with a more traditional sound. Also in 1998 they covered "La, la, la" on "A Song for Eurotrash", a compilation of re-imagined past hits from the Eurovision Song Contest. (The song can be found on Fairfax High.)


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In 2000, they shifted toward a more atmospheric type of electronica with the release of "Sound of Water".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: "Finisterre" was released in 2002. A follow-up DVD by photographer and film maker Paul Kelly was released in . In November 2004, they released their first US compilation of greatest hits, called "Travel Edition 1990-2005". 13 June 2005 saw the release of the band's album "Tales from Turnpike House". It was preceded by a single for the track "Side Streets". A second single, "A Good Thing", was released in the United Kingdom on 31 October 2005. Early editions of the album were accompanied by a six-track sampler CD for a planned album of children's songs entitled "Up the Wooden Hills".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: After years floating around various record labels, the band returned to its original label Heavenly for their 2009 career retrospective, "". The album contained two singles, a reworked "Burnt Out Car" and a new track, the Richard X-produced "Method of Modern Love". The album also contained as a third "new" track, a remix by Richard X of the previously vinyl-only "This is Tomorrow".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In May 2012, following the January release of the single "Tonight", the band released their eighth studio album, "Words and Music by Saint Etienne". Saint Etienne's ninth studio album, "Home Counties", was released on 2 June 2017.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: Their tenth album, "I've Been Trying to Tell You", was released on 10 September 2021. According to Pete Wiggs, the album was a lockdown project for the trio during the COVID-19 pandemic, prior to which they were working on a different set of tracks. In September 2021, he confirmed the group planned to revisit the material for a possible 2022 release.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: 1993's non-album single "Who Do You Think You Are" is a cover of a song by Candlewick Green. Saint Etienne recorded it as a duet with Debsey Wykes, former singer of Dolly Mixture. The song was also remixed by Aphex Twin.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In 1993, the band collaborated with Kylie Minogue for two songs: a cover of "Nothing Can Stop Us" (intended at the time to be her first single release for her new label) and "When Are You Coming Home" (unreleased).


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: The band also wrote and produced the 1993 single "One Goodbye in Ten" for Shara Nelson. The same year, the "Xmas 93" EP featured Tim Burgess from The Charlatans on the lead track "I Was Born on Christmas Day".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In 1995, the band co-recorded the "Reserection" EP with French pop singer Étienne Daho; later, they also worked on his album "Eden" and single "Le Premier Jour".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: For the band's first greatest hits compilation, "Too Young to Die – The Singles" (1995), Eurodance producer Steve Rodway reworked the track "Accident" from the "Reserection" EP, producing the renamed single "He's on the Phone." The single, co-credited to Daho, gained the singer additional exposure to English-speaking audiences.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In 2000, the band crossed genres by working with trance producer and DJ Paul van Dyk, resulting in the single "Tell Me Why (The Riddle)", with vocals by Cracknell.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: The 2005 album "Tales from Turnpike House" features David Essex as a guest vocalist. Several tracks on the album were co-written and co-produced by Brian Higgins' songwriting production team, Xenomania.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: Sarah Cracknell has collaborated with Marc Almond on his single "I Close My Eyes and Count to Ten" for his album "Stardom Road".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In addition to the Richard X collaboration on the "This is Tomorrow"/"Method of Modern Love" single, 2009 also saw the limited release of "Foxbase Beta", the producer's reworking of the band's debut album "Foxbase Alpha".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: The 1998 album "The Misadventures of Saint Etienne" is the soundtrack to the independent film "The Misadventures of Margaret", starring Parker Posey. After the soundtrack was completed, the film's producers opted to replace it with a more "conventional" soundtrack, but a number of tracks can still be heard in the background of the film's final version, and Saint Etienne received top "original music" credit on the film. The band also recorded a duet by Cracknell and Posey titled "Secret Love" for the soundtrack, but due to legal entanglements it has never been released.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: The band recorded the theme song and incidental music for "Maryoku Yummy", a 2010 children's television show that aired on Tiny Pop and The Hub.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: The band has also been involved directly in film production, notably collaborating with filmmaker Paul Kelly on several short films documenting the landscape and history of London. The first of these was "Finisterre" (2002), set to songs from the album of the same name, inspired by the 1967 film "The London Nobody Knows" and Patrick Keiller's 1994 film "London". A series of three-minute films entitled "Today's Special" (2004) documented "London's disappearing cafés", while "What Have You Done Today, Mervyn Day?" (2005) looked at the landscape of the Lower Lea Valley, which was about to be transformed by the 2012 London Olympics. The band then revisited the area in 2012 for a short entitled "Seven Summers".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: In 2007, the band produced "This Is Tomorrow" in their capacity as artists-in-residence at the newly refurbished Royal Festival Hall, telling the story of the Hall's first 50 years. "This Is Tomorrow" premiered on 29 June 2007 as part of the Hall's opening season with the band performing the film soundtrack live. Most recently, in 2014, Saint Etienne and Kelly collaborated on "How We Used To Live", a view of London from 1945 to 1980, making extensive use of archive film.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: The band's most recent film is "I've Been Trying to Tell You" (2021), directed by Alasdair McLellan and set to the music of the album of the same name. Unlike their previous films, it was filmed all around England; its premise was memories of teenage years and the late 1990s.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: "Like a Motorway" appears on the soundtrack of the 1994 film "Speed", although the single is never heard in the actual film itself.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: Their song "Hobart Paving", with slightly altered lyrics (replacing the title lyric with the line "Hold on princess...") and an altered title ("Catch Me"), was covered for the soundtrack of the 1997 film "Bandits", and was an integral part of the soundtrack album (one of two promotional videos released for the soundtrack was for the song), which became the best-selling soundtrack album to a European film soon after release. Actor/musician Jasmin Tabatabai still performs that version in concert.


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: "We're in the City" from the "Places to Visit" EP is featured in Jamie Babbit's 1999 film "But I'm a Cheerleader". Also in 1999, "Wood Cabin" from the "Good Humor" album appeared in "I Dream of Jeannie Cusamano", the first season finale of "The Sopranos".


title: Saint Etienne (band)

text: "A Good Thing", co-written by Cracknell, Mark Waterfield and Lawrence Oakley, is featured in Pedro Almodóvar's 2006 film "Volver" and in the "Grey's Anatomy" season 2 episode "Tell Me Sweet Little Lies".


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The Super Hero Squad Show is an American superhero animated series produced by Marvel Animation. It is based on the Marvel Super Hero Squad action figure line from Hasbro, which portray the Avengers, the X-Men, and various other characters of the Marvel Universe in a cartoonish super-deformed style.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The show is also a self-aware parody of the Marvel characters, with influences taken from on the comedic "Mini Marvels" series of parody comic books, in that the heroes tend to find themselves in comedic situations, and have cartoonish bents in comparison to their usually serious personalities (such as The Incredible Hulk being jovial and good-natured but with "major anger issues"), and is an overall comedic take on the Avengers. The series was produced by Film Roman and Marvel Animation.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: Prior to the beginning of the series, the villainous Doctor Doom attempts to acquire the limitless reality-bending power of the "Infinity Sword" in pursuit of world domination. Iron Man foils his plan, but the sword is shattered in the process, creating numerous "fractals" that rain down on Super Hero City.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: Doctor Doom has since forged alliances with various supervillains, forming his Lethal Legion in order to hunt down the scattered fractals. Doom's forces, including his two primary henchmen MODOK and Abomination, dwell in Villainville, which is separated from Super Hero City by a giant wall. Opposing Doom's evil plan is Iron Man, now leading the elite team known as the Super Hero Squad, consisting of himself, Falcon, Hulk, Silver Surfer, Thor, and Wolverine. Marvel initially intended to put Spider-Man in at least one episode of the show, but Sony Pictures Entertainment (who owned Spider-Man's television rights at the time) appears to have chosen not to allow it. However, Spider-Man appeared in games based on the show and other tie-ins.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The Super Hero Squad is headquartered in the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, and are frequently aided in their defense of Super Hero City by their boss Captain America, S.H.I.E.L.D. leader Ms. Marvel, rookie "Squaddie" and Wolverine's apprentice Reptil, and many more of their superhero friends.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: By the end of the first season, the Infinity Sword is reforged when the supersized giant Galactus arrives to devour the Earth. It is later revealed that the Infinity Sword can be wielded only by someone who wields The Infinity Gauntlet. Silver Surfer rejoins Galactus as his Herald and leaves the team with the Infinity Sword in his possession. As of the aftermath of the battle, Villainville is destroyed, and his henchmen are arrested, except for Doom, who flees. A video game called Marvel Super Hero Squad was made although Josh Keaton who plays Moon-Boy in the series, now played as Spider-Man. It included other people with the same voices as well. This video game was made by Blue Tongue Entertainment, Mass Media and Halfbrick Studios.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: A second season focuses on traveling to different parts of the Marvel Universe, the galaxy, different dimensions, and through time. Thanos becomes the main antagonist for the first half of the season, seeking the six Infinity Gems to prove his superiority to Nebula and gain supremacy over the universe. He eventually gains all six Infinity Gems.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The squad's roster was changed in the season, due to Silver Surfer leaving the cast to once again become a herald of Galactus. Scarlet Witch replaces Surfer, with original squad members Iron Man, Hulk, Falcon, Wolverine and Thor returning. Thor receives his "chain armor" as a gift from his father Odin in the episode "Support your Local Sky-Father".


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: In the second half of Season Two, the Silver Surfer, who was corrupted by the Infinity Sword steals the Infinity Gauntlet from Thanos, takes over the universe, and transforms into the Dark Surfer, replacing Thanos as the main antagonist of the season. In the series finale, the Dark Surfer is defeated, the Infinity Stones and Infinity Sword are destroyed, and everything goes back to normal, though Silver Surfer has to pay his debt for what he did as Dark Surfer.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The second season premiered in the United States on October 23, 2010, on Cartoon Network to coincide with the release of its video game follow-up, "".


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: During the first season in the opening sequence of the show, there is a running sight gag similar to "The Simpsons" and "The Fairly OddParents" where the Hulk picks up an Infinity Fractal and is transformed by its power into something different every episode, such as the classic grey-colored Hulk, a toddler Hulk, a disco Hulk parodying John Travolta, a Hulked-out Wolverine, Bruce Banner, and a Hulk similar to Homer Simpson. This feature was removed in the second season. Additionally, each episode's title card is a homage to a classic comic book cover as are some of the episode titles.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The show's executive producers included Alan Fine, Simon Philips, and Eric Rollman, with Joe Quesada and Stan Lee as co-executive producers. Cort Lane was supervising producer. Mitch Schauer, creator of the Nickelodeon series "The Angry Beavers", was the show's supervising director and character designer. Matt Wayne was the show's story-editor and head writer. Other writers include Michael Ryan, Nicole Dubuc, Atul N. Rao, Eugene Son, James Krieg, and Mark Hoffmeier. Novelty songwriter, Parry Gripp composed the theme song.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: Head of Marvel Television and comic book writer Jeph Loeb explained the series as something everyone would like, stating "Marvel Super Heroes have always entertained fans of all ages in our comics, and we're proud to offer an animated series that families can enjoy together. With the most exciting super-powered adventures, The Hub can now offer the greatest fun of all—experiencing Marvel for the very first time. So whether you want to fly with Thor, suit up with Iron Man or smash with Hulk, this series has everything your family wants to see from our heroes."


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The show's first season was to debut on Cartoon Network in the United States on September 19, 2009, but aired five days earlier on September 14, 2009. The second season of the series, based on "The Infinity Gauntlet", premiered on October 23, 2010, at 6:30am (ET) and stopped being shown on Cartoon Network on February 19, 2011, with episode 40 ("Fate of Destiny!"). Afterward, new episodes aired only on Teletoon and were available to purchase on iTunes. On July 23, 2011, the series returned on Cartoon Network, at a new timeslot of 12:00pm (ET). Although in the next following weeks no new episodes aired. In September 2011, Cartoon Network announced that "The Super Hero Squad Show" would be airing new episodes on weekday mornings at 7:00am (ET) starting Monday, October 3, 2011. The series ended on October 14, 2011. A total of 52 episodes were produced for the show. Hub Network began airing the series on January 30, 2012 as part of their daily weekday line-up and aired on Discovery Family until January 30, 2015. As a result of Cartoon Network losing the rights to the show, all "Super Hero Squad" content has been removed from the network's website except for video clips on YouTube. On January 3, 2020, both seasons of the show were added to Disney+.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: The series first premiered on Teletoon in Canada on Sunday, September 13, 2009, at 8:30am (ET) as part of the network's Action Force block. The show returned on Teletoon on Sunday, February 6, 2011, at 7:00am (ET) for the debut of the second season. All 52 episodes aired in Canada, ending on July 10, 2011.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: A massively multiplayer online game, entitled "Marvel Super Hero Squad Online" was released to the public in April 2011. The game was heavily based on the "Super Hero Squad" franchise, with "The Super Hero Squad Show"'s character designs returning. The game was shut down in 2017.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: Five volumes have been released on DVD so far. "Hero Up" contains episodes 1–6, "Hulk Smash" contains episodes 7–11, "Don't Call Me Wolvie" contains episodes 12–16, "Tales of Evil" contains episodes 17–21, and "Mother of Doom" contains episodes 22–26. Home video releases of Season 2 have yet to be announced.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: Magna Home Entertainment released "The Super Hero Squad Show: The Infinity Fractal War" (Vol 1) and "Titanic Team-Ups" (Vol 2) on June 2, 2010, and "The Lethal Legion Strikes" (Vol 3) on September 8, 2010. Each DVD includes 6–7 episodes of the show, as well as character profiles. (Australian release). The final volume of Season 1, entitled "Quest for the Infinity Sword" (Vol 4) was released on November 3, 2010, containing the final six episodes of Season 1. Season 2 "The Infinity Gauntlet" (Vol 1) is currently available. "Infinite Thanos" (Vol 2) was also released on November 2, 2011.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: Vivendi Entertainment under the named Vivendi Entertainment Canada released two volumes under the names of "The Super Hero Squad: Hero Up, Squaddies" (Vol 1) and "The Super Hero Show: Titantic Team Ups" (Vol 2), both released on May 4, 2010. A Vol 3 was announced to release on June 29, 2010. But to a conclusion the Vol 3 DVD never hit markets. Since this happened, Vivendi didn't release a Vol 4 DVD either. On September 28, 2010, Vivendi released a "The Super Hero Squad Show: The Complete Season 1" DVD set containing an unnamed Vol 3 and Vol 4. It is unknown if there will be any Season 2 DVD releases.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: A four-part comic book series based on the show called "Marvel Super Hero Squad" was released in the fall of 2009. The series was a success and Marvel renewed the series in January 2010 as an ongoing series, now entitled: "Super Hero Squad". The comic does not feature only characters from the show, but also characters outside the show. As of December 8, 2010, "Super Hero Squad" had a total of 12 issues released. No new issues have been released since, seemingly indicating that the comic book franchise has been cancelled. Trying to bring back the franchise, Marvel released a "Super Hero Squad Spectacular" where the Beyonder sends them to another planet with their Lethal Legion foes.


title: The Super Hero Squad Show

text: "Marvel Super Hero Squad" was released on October 20, 2009. Its sequel "" was released on November 16, 2010.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The Pokémon World Championships is an invite-only esports event organized by The Pokémon Company. It is held annually in August and features games from the "Pokémon" series such as the "Pokémon" video games, "Pokémon Trading Card Game", "Pokémon Go, Pokémon Unite" and "Pokkén Tournament" (until its 2022 edition). Players earn invitations to the World Championships based on their performance in qualifiers and other tournaments held throughout the season and compete for scholarship money, prizes and the title of World Champion. With the exception of Asia, invitations to the World Championships are administered by the Play! Pokémon program.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The Pokémon World Championships first began with the Pokémon Trading Card Game (TCG) in 2004, which was around the time that the franchise was regaining its popularity. In 2009, Play! Pokémon began to organize competitive tournaments for the "Pokémon" video game series alongside the TCG, which is collectively known as the Video Game Championships (VGC). Like the TCG Championships, players compete with other players in their own age divisions (i.e. Junior, Senior and Masters) in different Premier Tournaments, and the season culminates with the best players earning an invitation to play the Pokémon World Championships in August. The tournaments in VGC are played with a different game each year, mainly, the latest "Pokémon" game from its main series.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In 2016, Play! Pokémon announced that "Pokkén Tournament" would have its own championship series and would be played at the Pokémon World Championships. From 2018 onward, "Pokkén Tournament DX" was used to support its qualifiers and competitions.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In 2019, it was announced that the 2020 Pokémon World Championships would take place in London, United Kingdom, the first time in which the World Championships would be held in a location outside of North America. This is likely due to the setting of "Pokémon Sword and Shield", which takes place in a region inspired by the United Kingdom known as Galar, and it is the set of games that would be played by the video game division of the World Championships.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: On March 31, 2020, Play! Pokémon cancelled the 2020 Pokémon World Championships and suspended its 2020 season due to health concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. This came after earlier announcements in March which saw the cancellation of the 2020 European International Championships and part of its season between March and June 2020. On February 9, 2021, it was announced that the 2021 Pokémon World Championships would postponed till 2022 for the same reasons.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In early January 2022, it was confirmed that "Pokémon Unite" would be played at the World Championships, making it the newest MOBA game to have an official esports tournament, after "League of Legends".


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In May 2022, after six seasons, Play! Pokémon announced the end of the "Pokkén Tournament" Championship Series after the 2022 season.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: At the 2022 edition of the event, it was announced that the 2023 World Championships will take place in Yokohama, Japan (the basis of Vermilion City in the Kanto region). When the 2023 event takes place, it will be the first time that the World Championships visits the franchise's country of origin, as well as the first World Championships to take place in Asia.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The qualifying process for the Pokémon World Championships varies each year and is dependent on a player's age division and the country in which they are located in. Players may also qualify to play on different days of the World Championships based on their performance in their respective qualifying programs; the best performing players will immediately advance to the second day of the World Championships playoffs (i.e. "Day 2") instead of playing through the first day (i.e. "Day 1").


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Players located in a country with a Play! Pokémon program (i.e. in North America, Europe, Latin America and Oceania) compete in a regular schedule of tournaments for Championship Points and receive invitations when they meet a predetermined threshold of points at the end of the season.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In 2015, the Play! Pokémon program expanded to include countries from the continents of Latin America and Asia (except Japan and South Korea). However, on June 10, 2020, it was announced that Asia would no longer be part of the Play! Pokémon program and will have its own qualifying system towards the Pokémon World Championships.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Pokémon announced in October 2021 that Pokémon GO would be added during the 2022 World Championships, along with it a qualification system through the Pokémon GO Championship Series, where the top two head to the World Championships. Any trainer who reached Legend rank during Season 9 of the Pokémon GO Battle League would qualify for the GO Championship Series.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In January 2022, "Pokémon Unite" producer Masaaki Hoshino confirmed that the game would be part of the roster of games to be played at the World Championships in London. For the first season of the Pokémon Unite Championship Series, there will be eleven supported Regional Zones: North America, Central America, South America-East, South America-West Europe, Oceania, Japan, South Korea, India, and the Asia-Pacific region. These events will only be open to players aged 16 or 18, depending on the region or country they are from.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In each month, a series of tournaments in each Regional Zone will be held. Like other games in the World Championships, players will earn Championship Points based on their finishing position in that month's tournament. The CP can be retained by players to allow for team changes as the season carries on. The team with the most points qualifies for the Regional Championships, and the top teams from the Regional Championships qualify for a chance to compete at the Pokémon World Championships.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Tournaments in Japan and South Korea are organised independently from Play! Pokémon, and as such, players from these countries have a different system of qualification.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In Japan, players compete for an invite to the "Japan National Championships" by playing in major qualifier or online tournaments held throughout the season. The best performing players of the "Japan National Championships" will then be selected to represent Japan in the Pokémon World Championships.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: In South Korea, the style of qualification for the World Championships changes frequently. For example, in 2015, players would compete in the "Korean National Championships" and earn a World Championships invitation based on their standing in the tournament. However, in 2019, players would compete in tournaments organized by the "Korean League" and earn an invite based on the number of points they had accumulated by the end of the season.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: There are other less common methods of qualifying for the World Championships which include finishing at least top 4 or better in the prior year's World Championships or by participating in a single-elimination tournament known as the Last Chance Qualifier at the location of the World Championships itself.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The 2014 Pokémon World Championships was the sixth annual edition of the championships. The event took place in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Washington D.C. alongside the 2014 Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championship who were in their eleventh edition.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The tournament was streamed via Twitch for the first time in the tournament history and reached a viewership of more than 800,000.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The defending Video Game champions were Arash Ommati from Italy (Masters Division), Hayden McTavish from the United States (Senior Division), and Brendan Zheng from the United States (Junior Division). The opening ceremony of the event was attended by Junichi Masuda, the video game designer for the "Pokémon" franchise and a member of the board of directors of Game Freak.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The finals match of the Masters division is best known and remembered within the Pokémon community for Se Jun Park's victory with the inclusion and use of a Pachirisu on his team.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The qualification process for the 2014 Pokémon World Championships was primarily based on Championship Points accumulated by players from official Play! Pokémon tournaments such as Premier Challenges, Regional Championships and National Championships. In addition, the top 4 players of the 2013 Pokémon World Championships in each division, and the top 4 players of a tournament known as the 'Last Chance Qualifier' will also receive an invitation to play in the World Championships.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Most of the invitations didn't include a fully paid trip to the tournament, and as a result several players could not attend the tournament.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Six rounds of Swiss was played by 60 players in the tournament, and each round was played with a set of best-of-three matches. The top 8 players after the Swiss rounds advances to the best-of-three Single Elimination matches.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The defending World Champion Arash Ommati and former three-time World Champion Ray Rizzo did not advance to the single elimination rounds.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The 2015 Pokémon World Championships was the seventh annual edition of the championships. The event was held alongside the Pokémon Trading Card Game World Championships at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston, Massachusetts.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The tournament was transmitted with live streaming from the official Pokémon Twitch channel. The defending Video Game champions for the year were Se Jun Park from South Korea (Masters Division), Nikolai Zielinsky from the United States (Senior Division) and Kota Yamamoto from Japan (Junior Division).


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Players could only gain an invitation to play in the Video Game World Championships by either being the 2014 Pokémon World Champions, or by obtaining enough Championship Points in their respective geographic zone designated by Play! Pokémon. However, the only exception to this rule are for players from Japan and South Korea, as their tournaments are not overseen by Play! Pokémon and their invites are governed through a different system of qualification.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Since 2014, players were able to earn Championship Points from various tournaments within their geographical region. The tournaments vary in scale, ranging from local Premier Challenges to state-level Regional Championships and finally the large-scale National Championships. The number of points awarded varies with scale, and players who earn these points are ranked and divided into zones such as North America, Europe and South Africa. This year, two new zones (Latin America and Asia-Pacific) were introduced.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The 2015 Pokémon Video Game World Championship was intended to be played under 2 Swiss tournaments and 1 single-elimination tournament which would then determine the 2015 World Champions. As such, there are two types of invites:


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The Video Game Championships consisted of 2 Swiss tournaments and 1 single elimination tournament played across three days.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: On Friday (Day 1), all players who earned an invitation without a Day 1 bye were entered into a Swiss tournament, where players with two or fewer losses would advance onto the next round. The second Swiss tournament was then played on Saturday (Day 2), where players who advanced from Day 1 were joined by players who received an invitation with a Day 1 bye.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: At the end of the Day 2 Swiss tournament, the top eight players played in single elimination rounds until the last two remain. The finals took place on Sunday (Day 3).


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The 2016 Pokémon World Championships was the eighth annual edition of the championships. The event was held at the San Francisco Marriott Marquis in San Francisco, California from August 19 to August 21.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: For the first time in the tournament history, the "Pokkén Tournament" invitational was featured alongside the Video Game Championships (VGC) and Trading Card Game (TCG) tournaments. Side events and an official store with event merchandise occurred alongside the event.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The defending Video Game champions were Shoma Honami from Japan (Masters Division), Mark McQuillan from the United Kingdom (Senior Division) and Kotone Yasue from Japan (Junior Division). The defending Trading Card Game champions were Jacob Van Wagner from the United States (Masters Division), Patrick Martinez from the United States (Senior Division), and Rowan Stavenow from Canada.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Both the Pokémon VGC and TCG were divided into three age divisions: the "Junior Division" (born 2005 or later), the "Senior Division" (born between 2001 and 2004), and the "Masters Division" (born 2000 or earlier). For the "Pokkén Tournament" invitational, players were grouped into either the "Senior Division" (born 2001 or later) or "Masters Division" (born 2000 or earlier).


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The process of obtaining an invitation is primarily based on Championship Points. Players could earn Championship Points by performing in select online and live tournaments held throughout the 2016 season (between September 2015 and July 2016). Players from Japan and South Korea were excluded from this rule as these countries had their own method of qualification not based on Championship Points.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Play! Pokémon divided players into five different rating zones: US and Canada, Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and South Africa. Different zones had different Championship Points requirements due to the distribution of events around the world.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The following table shows the Championship Points requirement for an invitation to the 2016 World Championships:


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: Players in Japan and South Korea were awarded invitations based on each country's organized play system.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: For the Masters Division, the following table lists the Championship Points requirement for an invitation to the 2016 World Championships:


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: The Video Game Championships consisted of two Swiss tournaments and one single elimination tournament played across three days.


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: At the end of the Day 2 Swiss tournament, players with two or fewer losses advanced to play in single elimination rounds until the last two remain. The finals took place on Sunday (Day 3).


title: Pokémon World Championships

text: During the 2015 World Championships, two Trading Card Game competitors from Iowa (Kevin Norton, 18, and James Stumbo, 27) brought weapons in their vehicle, which were recovered by the police. The two posted status updates and images of their weaponry on social media, which were noticed by various "Pokémon" fans who treated them as supposed threats against the tournament. The updates were reported to the Boston Regional Intelligence Center (BRIC), who promptly seized their automobile and then stopped them at the door and barred them from entering the Hynes Convention Center on Thursday evening. Police executed a search warrant on Friday and Norton and Stumbo were arrested at their Red Roof Inn room in Saugus just after midnight on Saturday, August 22, 2015. The two were arrested on charges of unlicensed possession of firearms and ammunition, and were initially held without bail. The weapons recovered were a recently purchased Remington shotgun, an AR-15, a hunting knife and several hundred rounds of ammunition. They plead not guilty at their arraignment on November 10, 2015, and their bail was set at $150,000. On December 2, 2015, their trial was set for May 9, 2016, however, in early April 2016, their trial was postponed to November 2016. Following the release of "Pokémon Go" in July 2016, Stumbo's attorney indicated that the case would be resolved soon. Norton and Stumbo were later sentenced to two years in prison with an additional two years probation once their prison term ends.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Dornier Do 217 was a bomber used by the German "Luftwaffe" during World War II as a more powerful development of the Dornier Do 17, known as the "Fliegender Bleistift" (German: "flying pencil"). Designed in 1937 and 1938 as a heavy bomber but not meant to be capable of the longer-range missions envisioned for the larger Heinkel He 177, the Do 217's design was refined during 1939 and production began in late 1940. It entered service in early 1941 and by the beginning of 1942 was available in significant numbers.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Dornier Do 217 had a much larger bomb load capacity and had much greater range than the Do 17. In later variants, dive bombing and maritime strike capabilities using glide bombs were experimented with considerable success being achieved. Early Do 217 variants were more powerful than the contemporary Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88, having a greater speed, range and bomb load. Owing to this it was called a heavy bomber rather than a medium bomber. The Do 217 served on all fronts in all roles. On the Eastern Front and Western Front it operated as a strategic bomber, torpedo bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. It also performed tactical operations, either direct ground assault or anti-shipping strikes during the Battle of the Atlantic and Battle of Normandy. The Do 217 was also converted to become a night fighter and saw considerable action in the Defence of the Reich campaign until late in the war.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The type also served in anti-shipping units in the Mediterranean, attacking Allied convoys and naval units during the Battle of the Mediterranean. In 1943, the Do 217 was the first aircraft to deploy precision-guided munition in combat, when Fritz X radio-guided bombs sank the Italian battleship "Roma" in the Mediterranean. After the end of the war, at least one Dornier Do 217 continued in military operational service with the Swiss Air Force until 1946.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: At the beginning of 1938, Dornier issued manufacturing specification No. 1323, recognising the need for a twin-engine bomber or long-range reconnaissance aircraft powered by Daimler-Benz DB 601B engines. In February 1938 the "Reichsluftfahrtministerium" (RLM – Air Ministry) authorized a testing program.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Dornier worked on a version of the Do 17M with the all round vision cockpit of the Do 17Z and a fuselage having a large bomb bay capable of holding a maximum of two and ten bombs. For reconnaissance an Rb 50/30 movie camera was fitted ahead of the front spar of the wing, and an Rb 20/30 was mounted in the second bomb bay. Jettisonable fuel tanks were carried in the forward bomb bay. For smoke-laying, the aircraft could be fitted with two Type S200 smoke generators. Dornier also envisaged the Do 217 as a naval dive bomber, in which case it was to be fitted with twin floats. In April and May 1938, the Do 217 WV1 and WV2 prototypes were produced.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The wing span was to be slightly larger than the Dornier Do 17 by one metre. Its overall span was now . Under the wing a retractable diving air brake was to be installed. To power the aircraft the Dornier office at Manzell had favoured two DB 601B engines which could generate 1175 PS (1159 hp, 864 kW) for take off. The Jumo 211, Bramo 329 and BMW 139 (forerunner to the BMW 801) were also considered. Whichever of the power plants was selected, the RLM expected the aircraft to achieve a maximum speed of and have a weight of fully loaded.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: On 5 June 1938 Dornier's overview of its design submitted to the Technical Bureau ("Technisches Amt") highlighted some structural differences with the Do 17. In particular, the proposed increase in the bomb load to had to have been a vital factor in the design's acceptance. The fuselage was to be not only bigger but also structurally stronger.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The RLM also had other requirements for Dornier to fill. Since 1933 Nazi Germany's "Kriegsmarine" had pressed for the formation of a Naval Air Arm. In January 1938 the Naval Air Arm Inspectorate of the Luftwaffe presented its requirements for a multi-role twin-engined all-metal aircraft that could also conduct maritime operations. On 5 February 1938 it was agreed with the General Staff. The ineffectiveness of horizontal bombing of ship targets had already been noted. At the "Erprobungsstelle Travemünde" military aviation test centre at Greifswald, training units together with a few naval air units practiced bombing the ship "Zähringen" with concrete bombs. The results were a two percent hit rate. Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers repeated the assault with a 40% hit rate. The superior accuracy of dive bombing was clearly demonstrated. The Luftwaffe also wanted a machine that could operate as a fighter aircraft to combat enemy aircraft. Essentially they wanted a "sea "Stuka"" (Junkers Ju 87). The aircraft was to have floats and a range of and a maximum speed of .


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Dornier set about designing a Dornier floatplane. For hitting targets in the air and sea surface, four automatic weapons would be fitted in the nose. The armament would consist of two MG 17 machine guns (500 rounds of ammunition each) and two MG 204 (aka Lb 204) 20mm autocannon (200 rounds of ammunition) as part of the Dornier Do P.85 project (in German sources these were all classified as "machine guns", since the Luftwaffe considered anything 20mm or lower a "machine gun", rather than a cannon like Western nations, hence the "MG" designation). Heavy weapons consisted of one 500 kg or two 250 kg bombs for assaulting enemy warships. Dornier faced competition from Heinkel and Junkers who were developing the Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 115.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Instead of MG 204s, MG 151 or MG FF was installed instead. Defensive armament was to consist of MG 15s to cover the aft approach. In addition the pay load could be modified to one and eight bombs or even two SC 500 bombs. The floats had a volume of and were broken into compartments for safety reasons. Each float was to contain a fuel tank with a capacity of . The tail was to consist of the same twin stabilizer configuration as the Do 217, although a single fin was planned.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: For dive bombing capability a dive brake was installed underneath the wing, like the Ju 88. The power plants were to reflect the speed requirements. It was envisaged as having two DB 601G engines, generating , or two Jumo 211s. The fuel tanks to supply the power plant were located in the wing and fuselage which had a capacity for of aviation fuel and of oil. At full weight the Dornier would reach and its effective range was to be expected to be . Its optimum range at an average cruising speed of at an altitude of , was . The specifications were dated 8 March 1938.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Do 217 lost out in the naval aircraft race to the Ju 88 and Blohm & Voss Ha 140, as the "Luftwaffe" favoured these designs owing to the Do 217 failing to live up to the specifications given.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Although specifically ordered to cease development of the naval version of the Do 217, Dornier unofficially pursued the project and produced the Do 217W V1 and W V2 prototypes.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: By the summer, 1940 the Luftwaffe had been using the Dornier Do 18, Heinkel He 115, Heinkel He 59, Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 in maritime operations in the Baltic. At this point, the Ju 88 and He 111 equipped units were ordered to cease providing maritime support en masse. Instead, the Luftwaffe returned to the idea of the Do 217 and its floatplane version as a specialized naval attack aircraft. At the same time more plans were in place to produce extremely long-range aircraft (probably for operations deep in the Soviet Union). It is possible that the data sheet which Dornier gave the designation Do 217G was a part of that project. Unlike the "Sea Stuka", a floatplane, the G was to carry an MG 151 mounted in the nose and three MG 15s fitted for defence. The G was expected to reach . It was still designed for a crew of four and equipped with sprung floats which would allow the aircraft to land in rough open seas. The G could also carry the entire variation of the E-1 bomb load it could carry a load twice that of the Do P.85 aircraft. However, the Do 217 E-1s performance was favoured. Nevertheless, the Gs design features figured and influenced the E-4 which went into production as the aircraft that was envisaged to be the backbone of the Luftwaffe's bomber fleet in the Battle of the Atlantic.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: At the end of August 1938 arguments against the floatplane version arose in favour of a land based aircraft to serve as a torpedo bomber in the Battle of the Atlantic, with its more numerous potential applications, were accepted. At the beginning of January 1939 the RLM stopped all work on the marine dive bomber version, as its estimated performance was not adequate.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: On 8 July 1939 Dornier issued a manufacturing specification for a glide bomb-deploying version for full maritime use. It was to be equipped with unitized BMW 801 engines. In contrast to the earlier description of the design, the Do 217 E had a new nose and the nose, cockpit rear, and ventral positions carried one MG 15 each. The design was to carry a maximum bomb load of two SC 500 and two SC 250 bombs. It was also possible to carry an aerial mine or torpedo, for which the bomb bay had been substantially extended rearwards in the ventral area of the rear fuselage, nearly 70% longer in proportion than what the earlier Do 17Z had possessed.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: A "clamshell"-like dive brake was fitted aft of the tail, with rear-hinged single dorsal and ventral "petals" to deploy using a jackscrew during anticipated dive bombing missions. These features increased the design's weight to . Dornier had intended the speed to be in the region of .


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Superficially a bigger Dornier Do 215, and initially powered by the same engines, the Do 217 was actually considerably larger and totally different in both structural and aerodynamic design. The first prototype (the Do 217 V1) flew on 4 October 1938, but crashed seven days later during a single-engine flying test. The aircraft had been piloted by Rolf Koeppe, a flight commander at the central "Erprobungsstelle" facility at Rechlin. A Dornier mechanic, Eugen Bausenhart was also on board. It was found to be underpowered and was not manoeuvrable when compared with contemporary bombers. Instability was a problem at first, but modifications such as fixed Handley-Page leading edge slots along the leading edges of the vertical stabilizers helped to improve flight stability.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The second prototype flew on 5 November 1938. After arriving at Friedrichshafen in June 1939, further evaluations were scheduled to take place. Plans were made to install unitized Daimler-Benz DB 603 engines to enable the aircraft for high-altitude reconnaissance. This meant the fitting of a pressurized cabin. When Daimler-Benz failed to supply the engines, development came to a standstill. On 29 October the RLM ordered the aircraft to be scrapped, or a new use found for it.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: A third prototype flew on 25 February 1939 with Jumo 211A engines in place of the DB 601s. On 15 August 1939 and 23 January 1940, the aircraft was flown to Rechlin, where it was tested in night flying trials. A number of the flights were to assess the performance of the new Siemens navigation aids under development. At the same time, Dornier also carried out fuel jettisoning and drop tank trials using the standardized 900 L capacity, vertical-finned drop tanks pioneered by the Bf 110D extended-range heavy fighter. As with the Do 17, the test team tried several tail configurations with the Do 217 V3. single, double and triangular-planform assemblies were tried. These designs were used in the Do 217 M-3, M-9 and Dornier Do 317.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The same units were used on the fourth prototype V4 which flew in April 1939 at Friedrichshafen and Rechlin. The Jumo proved to be superior, and the designers deemed them to be essential if the desired performance was to be achieved. In February 1941, the V4 began trials with the dive brake which was installed in the tail. This was to satisfy a demand for the Do 217 to conduct dive bombing missions. It also was fitted with a brake parachute to test the ability of the Dornier to conduct short landings. The parachute brake was also considered in use as a dive brake. The V5 prototype was fitted with them and flew in June 1939. Later it was retested with DB 601s and was the third of six aircraft given the official designation Do 217 A-0. The Jumo 211 B-1 was used in the V5 prototype. But in September 1939 the water pump and entire cooling system failed. On 28 April 1940 the DB 601 A-1s were fitted.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The V6 prototype was powered by Jumo 211B engines, but was also tested with DB 601s. The V7 was tested with BMW 139 engines, but as these had been abandoned for use in the Fw 190 fighter as early as 1939, use of the unpopular BMW 139 powerplants was never taken beyond the prototype stage. The V8 was given BMW 801 engines, which became the fixture for the entire E series. The Do 217A and C series were only built in small numbers. Owing to this the following D and F types never advanced beyond the design stage.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: There was a desire for the Do 217 to be capable of performing dive bombing, so it was therefore fitted with the aforementioned, tail-mounted dive brakes, with dorsal and ventral panels that were hinged, "clamshell"-fashion, at the extreme rear of the tail extension they emerged from. This could not be made to function adequately in the early models however, and was omitted until the Do 217 E-2 entered service. When this mark reached service, use of the dive brake was found to sometimes overstrain the rear fuselage, so it was often removed.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The production specifications were ratified on 8 July 1939, with the ultimate goal of the Do 217 having the capability of flying maritime and land operations armed with glide bombs. The four-seat aircraft was adaptable to both land and maritime operations wherein the tactical emphasis was on bombing from a 50-degree dive angle, and it had a maximum speed of . In contrast with earlier specifications for a modified version of the Do 17M, the proposed Do 217E had a new nose section design in which the A-Stand position was armed with a MG 15 machine gun. Additional MG 15s were to be located in the B and C-Stand gun emplacements. The design teams configured the bomb bay to carry two SC 500 and 250 bombs or four SC 250 bomb loads. In addition a LMB II aerial mine, or an F5 Torpedo could be loaded. Instead of the dive brakes being installed under the wings as on the R variant, it was placed on the tail of the aircraft. The design was tested in the E-1 and became the blueprint for all subsequent sub-variants. The E-1 carried strengthened wing and tail structures to deal with the upgraded armament, which increased the aircraft's weight.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Do 217 was a shoulder-wing cantilever monoplane. Its two-spar wing was built in three sections: the centre section, incorporating part of the fuselage, and two outer wing sections with very little taper on the leading and trailing edges, leading out to a pair of broad, semi-circular wing tips. The stress bearing skin was riveted to spars and ribs. Owing to its future use as a dive-bomber, stressed skin construction was employed with the use of Z-section frames and stringers. Slotted ailerons were fitted to the outer wing sections. The inner split flaps were electrically operated and had a maximum flap angle of 55°. The ailerons were linked to the flap system to permit partial operation as flaperons, meaning if the flaps were lowered the ailerons drooped down.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The design of the rear and front spar attachments revealed the flanges of the spar were flushed with the wing surface making the most efficient structure. The outer wing leading edges were double-skinned. In the wing space, a hot air feed was fitted, using heat pumped through lagged pipes from the engines to warm up and de-ice the wings. The ducts were located just forward of the front spar flanges and in between the main spars where they could escape into the wing. The hot air could escape through the apertures at the aileron hinges. A diversion pipe was also installed in the engine nacelle, which could shut down the hot air flow to the ducts and divert the air out through bottom end of the nacelle if de-icing was not required.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The fuel and oil tanks were located in the wing and centre section. The two outer fuel tanks were located next to the outer side of the engine nacelle. The outermost fuel tank contained a fuel capacity, while the tank closest to the engine could accommodate of oil. Both were sandwiched in between the main and rear main spar. Between the fuselage and inner side of the engine nacelle, the main tanks were located. In the centre section a fuel tank was installed forward of the bomb bay.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The fuselage was an all-metal structure built in three main sections. These consisted of the nose section, which accommodated the crew; the section built integrally with the wing centre section; and the rear fuselage. The main structure was built out of the standard stringer and former skeleton design, to which stressed skin was riveted.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The centre and rear sections were divided in the horizontal plane to within a couple of metres of the tail. The lower half of the fuselage contained the bomb cells, while the remainder and upper parts contained the bracing frames which supported and kept the bomb load secure.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In the lower half of the fuselage the bomb bay stretched past the trailing edge wing roots to nearly a quarter of the way down the rear fuselage. Extra doors were added for torpedo operations against Naval targets. The extreme rear of the fuselage contained stowage space for anti-shipping weapons.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In the upper fuselage, directly above the forward bomb cells in the centre section, just aft of the cockpit, the 242 gallon fuel tank was located. Attached to this was a fuel jettisoning pipe which was fitted to the roof of the fuselage and ran along it to the tail of the aircraft. It declined and exited the fuselage behind the tail wheel to allow fuel dumping in an emergency.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Above the two rear bomb cells in the centre section, a dinghy stowage place was created. To protect its very vulnerable structure against enemy fire, it was placed in a heavily armoured case. Either side of the dinghy, aft of the fuel tank, and directly above the rear bomb bay, were the oxygen bottles.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In the extreme tail unit, the tail wheel was retractable and had its own folding doors. The tip or end of the fuselage could be removed to allow quick access for mechanics to enter the tail section and repair the jack mechanism which controlled the tail plane incidence and pivot. The tail incidence was automatically changed when the landing flaps were lowered, or it could be adjusted manually.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: This tip would be replaced by dive brakes in the event the Dornier was required to attack precision targets.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The horizontal stabilizer surfaces were conventional, as part of a twin tail empennage with "endplate" vertical fin/rudder units, as on the previous production Do 17 airframes. The rudder contained a balance tab while the elevators contained an elevator balance tab and an automatic dive pull-out tab, in the event of a dive-bombing mission. The stabilisers were fitted with fixed slats, with the trailing edges of the slats positioned inside of the fins. The rudders had very narrow horn balances (the amount of rudder or active control surface forward of the rudder-stabilizer hinge) which allowed for better balance, and the trimming tabs extended the full length of the stabilizers trailing edges. The stabilizers also had the Handley-Page leading edge slots installed on the inboard side.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: All the Do 217E variants were fitted with unitized, BMW 801A air-cooled 14-cylinder radial aircraft engine built by BMW. The early E-series variants were meant to be fitted with a BMW 801B engine design for portside use to employ counter-rotating propellers as a few other multi-engined Luftwaffe aircraft were designed to have (as with the He 177A) but this was never accomplished. The BMW 801 radials were mounted on welded steel tube mountings at the extremities of the wing centre section. The oil coolers were integral to the front lower section of the BMW-designed cowlings, as used in all twin and multi-engined aircraft that used BMW 801 radials for power. The machine had two oil and five fuel tanks to "feed" the engines, and they were protected with rubber and self-sealing coverings. In an emergency, CO could be released into the tanks to extinguish fires. The engines had three-blade, light alloy VDM propeller units installed. Flame dampers were also fitted in the form of "fish tail" exhaust pipes. Such a configuration gave a speed of (282 mph) at sea level and (318 mph) at . It enabled a service ceiling of when fully loaded and when lightly loaded. The Do 217's range was a much more impressive , (compared with the other German bomber types).


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The engines and their supporting struts were positioned well forward of the leading edge allowing plenty of room for the undercarriage and other components. In the upper forward part of the nacelle the de-icing tank was located. The undercarriage was the main structure in this part of the aircraft. Each main unit comprised two oleo legs and a single wheel. It was retracted electrically via the crew in the cockpit.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The adoption by the Luftwaffe midway through the war, of a general system of unitized powerplant installations for twin and multi-engined combat aircraft incorporating as many of the engine's auxiliary components (radiator and oil cooler, and all fluid and mechanical connections) into a single, easily interchangeable unitized "bolt-on" package, known as the "Kraftei" (power-egg) concept, was being widely adopted by the time of the Do 217's initial frontline appearance. The Junkers Jumo 211 was one of the first engines to be unitized as seen on the Ju 88A, with the BMW 801 radial and Daimler-Benz DB 603 following not long afterwards, as both the BMW radial and the DB 603 inline engines were to be used in such a "unitized" format to power the frontline models of the Do 217.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Do 217 usually carried a crew of four. Included were a pilot, an observer/bomb aimer/forward gunner, dorsal gunner/radio operator and a flight engineer/ventral gunner. As with the Dornier Do 17, the crew were positioned in the cockpit cabin forward of the engines and leading edge. The pilot sat on the port side, with a spectacle-type control column mounted on a swinging arm centred in the instrument panel. The entire arm could be swung 180 degrees to starboard, placing the yoke in front of the bombardier, in case of emergencies. In the later Do 217K and M with stepless windscreen, the centre pivot was mounted on a rocking control arm or pedestal, rather than a sliding piston, since the instrument panel itself was eliminated (replaced with smaller panels holding the gauges, hung from the edge of the fuselage wall and from the glazing frames above the yoke, respectively.) The bomb aimer sat on his immediate right, slightly below and behind. In combat he could move forward into the nose and operate the bomb release gear or aim the forward machine gun (or 20 mm cannon). On the right side of the nose, the bomb aimer's window penetrates the cockpit and is visible as a bulge on the exterior. Back-to-back with the bombardiers seat, the flight engineer/ventral gunner sat on the port side, his seat facing to the rear. The seat of the ventral gunner/flight engineer was next to the radio operator facing forward, behind the bomb aimer. During operations the ventral gunner/engineer would lie on his stomach facing aft, his post as a gunner taking immediate and first priority.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The radio-operator/dorsal gunner sat in a pivoting seat in the extreme rear, above the ventral gun position. His head was inside the B-Stand gun position, and the instruments mounted in a semi-circle around his torso level. The pilot had a curved shield of Armour plating, 8.5 mm thick, placed behind his seat. His seat had a further 5mm ( in) of armour and another 5mm ( in) plate above his head, installed in the top of the cockpit roof. The dorsal gunner was also protected by armour plating.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The "Funkgerät" or FuG radio communication device compartments were located in the extreme rear of the cockpit, near the leading edge. The automatic pilot panel was located next to the FuG boxes. In the right-rear of the cockpit the piping that was also attached to the de-icing ducts in the wings also entered the cockpit, as part of a single heating system to emit warm air to heat the cabin if needed.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The FuG X, 16, navigational direction finder "PeilG V" direction finder (PeilG – "Peilgerät") and the FuG 25 IFF and FuBI 2 blind landing devices were used in the E-2.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The defensive armament consisted of an A-Stand (forward firing machine gun position) in the nose with a MG 15 machine gun. In the C-Stand (lower rear gun emplacement) at the rear end of the undernose "Bola" gondola – a standard feature on many German twin-engined bombers – and a B-Stand position (rear-upper gun post) at the rear of the cockpit glazing, the crew were provided with MG 15 (E-1) or MG 131 machine guns (E-2). In the side of the cockpit, two MG 15s were mounted (one on each side) on bearings. As well as the manual machine gun positions, the E-2 was equipped with a "Drehlafette" DL 131 rotating turret armed with a 13 mm machine gun. In some instances, a moveable 20 mm cannon was fitted in the nose and a fixed 15 mm weapon was installed in the floor of the nose. The weapons could be controlled by the pilot, via a firing button located on the yoke. To assist in acquiring his target, a Revi C12/C was installed in the cockpit.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The maximum permissible bomb load of the E-series without sacrificing fuel load was of bombs of which a maximum of 3,000 kg could be carried internally. To have the maximum load of 4,000 kg, part of the fuselage fuel tank had to be sacrificed. If long-distance operations had to be flown, drop tanks could be fitted under the wings, which affected speed. Beside the bomb load a LT F5 Torpedo could be carried in its long bomb bay, as well as three aerial mines (the E-1 did not carry the mine load of the E-2).


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The E series was the initial major production variant, based on V9 prototype, and powered by two BMW 801 radial engines. Deepened fuselage with larger bomb-bay, entered production in 1940.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The V9 had been planned as the prototype for the E-1 variant. The V9 had a fixed MG 151 with 250 rounds of ammunition while the MG 204 was to be installed in the nose. The type was fitted with a dummy run of Lofte 7 and BZA 1 bombing systems. The main armament was to be a single torpedo of either SD 1000 or SC 1700 standard. When the mock up had been given the green light for technical development construction began in the spring, 1940. During September 1940 engine vibration problems were experienced but fixed quickly. During flight tests it was discovered the air brake caused a speed loss of . The V9 underwent heavy tests and was withdrawn to Rechlin, where it acted as a prototype until at least October 1943. During this time it also had trials with BMW 801A and BMW 801G engines.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The E-0 was a pre-production bomber/reconnaissance version of Do 217E. It was powered by BMW 801A engines and armed with one forward firing 15 mm MG 151 cannon and five 7.92 mm MG 15 machine guns on gimbal mounts. It entered production and service in late 1940. Continued development led to the Do 217 E-1. The Do 217 E-1 first flew on 1 October 1940. Full production level bomber/reconnaissance variant, similar to the E-0, and followed it into production and service in late 1940, 94 were built. Additional armament consisted of a 20 mm cannon fitted in the nose. Its power plants were BMW 801s of 1,560 PS (). The aircraft could carry an internal bombload of 2,000 kg. Alternatively, it could carry a load of two LMW aerial mines or one torpedo. The E-2 could carry three mines.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In late 1940, testing under operational conditions began. By March 1941, 37 217s had been built and test flown. Many of the E-1 variants, now being built in increasing numbers, were selected for conversion to the new improved fighter variants; the planned 217H, P and R series. A large number of these "fighter/bomber" aircraft were put through severe testing runs between July and September 1941. Dornier was able to gain valuable knowledge for the future improvement of the armament and bomb jettisoning systems. Of the first six prototypes, two (the third and sixth) were delivered to operational units. The third, Wrk Nr. 1003 was lost on 22 May 1941 (at Rechlin) and 1006, the sixth prototype, was severely damaged on 11 April 1941 whilst with "Kampfgeschwader 40".


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The E-2 was designated as a level and dive bomber, which could be fitted with a clamshell design dive brake, mounted aft of the elevator's rear edge on the fuselage, with rear-end-hinged dorsal and ventral "petals" opened and closed with a jackscrew. It was powered by BMW 801L engines and armed with forward firing 15 mm MG 151, single MG 131 machine gun in dorsal turret, an MG 131 gun flexibly mounted at the rear of its ventral "Bola" gondola and three MG-15 machine guns. The E-2 entered production slightly later than the E-3 level bomber, and was produced in parallel, a total of 185 being built and entering service from summer 1941.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The "Luftwaffe" continued to develop the E series. Not satisfied with the E-1, it perfected a modified version it designated the E-2. Testing was not complete until March 1942. The prototype was Do 217 D-ABWC, which had arrived as an E-1 at Rechlin in mid-July 1939 for performance and tactical evaluations. Between that time and completion in March 1942, 34 reports were written in minute detail about all aspects of the Dornier's performance and systems. Improvements were added to existing E-1s, which were already being produced by late 1940, and to the prototypes V2 and V4 which would serve as the prototypes for the E-2. The V2 was given the DB 601 engines and a third aircraft, designated V4, was tested with Jumo 211s. Studies of the aircraft began on 15 August 1939, running concurrently with the development of the E-1s. Level, dive and torpedo carrying roles were all examined. Emphasis was also placed on developing a reliable reconnaissance type. These developments were significant as the trials undertaken by the E-1 prototype had "not" shown any negative characteristics. Level bombing tests were very positive. Only glide-bombing attacks using interception control, and with dive-brakes open, did not quite match the stringent specifications set some four years earlier. According to the test pilots, the aircraft performed well with either the DB 601A, Jumo 211A/B, or even the BMW 801A-1 engines. Pleasing the designers, the test pilots also noted that with all auxiliary bomb racks removed test flights showed at an altitude of 6,000 metres, the Do 217 was quite capable of making an operational range of 2,400 km. With the addition of two 900-litre tanks, it increased to 3,700 km.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The BMW 801 was the powerplant of choice, and although tested by the summer, 1942, the lack of replacements, low production on the usage of them in the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 series, prevented large-scale operational testing under combat conditions. In September 1941 Flame dampeners were fitted and testing completed. These fittings proved useful for all night operations regardless of the role the Do 217 was asked to perform. Further innovations were made regarding the installment of reconnaissance equipment, namely the standard Rb 20/30 cameras. During this final phase, plans to construct and designate an E-1b with MG 131 turret was explored, but later shelved. Modifications were also made on the already operational E-1s before the E-2 entered service. One such modification was the installation of MG FF 20 mm cannons, the installation of a hand-held MG 131 in the forward-facing glazing of the cockpit and a MG 131 turret facing aft in the B position (rear cockpit covering the rear). De-icing systems were also installed in the cabin and tailplane for high altitude operations.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Production of the E-2 began in March 1942. Some twelve of the 280 produced at Friedrichshafen were used as testbeds to keep pace with the constantly changing series specifications. Two, Wrk. Nr. 1221 and 1228 functioned as testbeds for the BMW 801 L-2 engines as well as flights to assess the installation of auxiliary 300-, 900- and 1,200-litre fuel tanks. During this time, an E-2 equipped with lattice-type airbrakes appeared. It had been designed in June 1940. Its weaponry consisted of a fixed MG 151 in its nose and a MG 15 and the A position. Three rotating positions were put in the B and C stand positions. The machine resembled the Junkers Ju 188. Later it was installed with "Kutonase" (cable cutting equipment). The Do 217 E-1 and E-2 could reach 535 km/h at 5,300 m and none had a problem with maintaining altitude with BMW 801s, even with weapons, dive-brakes and dampers added, provided it had an all-up-weight of less than twelve tonnes. Machines over thirteen tonnes were difficult to handle and needed experienced pilots at the controls.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The failure of the Heinkel He 111, Dornier Do 17, and Junkers Ju 88 during the Battle of Britain and The Blitz led the OKL to see the Do 217 as the only heavy bomber in the "Luftwaffe" which had the range, bombload and fighter defences for long-range bombing attacks. The E-2 had incorporated all the new design features such as the "Drehlafette" DL 131 turret and a modified bomb bay which allowed to hold 3,000 kg of bombs. The E-1s originally were given the FuG X, 16, 25 and PeilG V and FuBI 1 radio sets and navigation aids. The E-2 was given the FuBI2. In the next two variants, the E-3 and E-4, the Siemens FuG 101 electric altimeter was also added enabling the pilot to conduct more accurate and safer low-level attacks. The E-1 had "Rüstsätz" /R1 racks for 1,800 kg or bombs, the /R2 wing rack and /R3s for 50 kg of bombs. Dornier wanted to increase the strength of the racks to increase the size of external loads. A specialist company which had often collaborated with Dornier, Technischer Aussendienst, developed the /R20 rack which enabled heavier loads to be carried. The /R20 enabled fixed MG 81Zs to be installed in the tail cone. The previous lattice air brake was removed; the drag was too much and it bent the fuselage out of shape, making the aircraft unsafe and hastening metal fatigue.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In the E-3, additional armour was fitted to protect crew. Armed with forward firing 20 mm MG FF cannon and seven MG 15 machine guns. (Despite the large number of machine guns, the defensive weight of fire was light, with five of the gimbal mounted machine guns to be operated by the radio-operator, who could only use one at a time).


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The E-4 was similar to the E-2, which it replaced in production, but with the dive brakes removed. It was fitted with "Kuto-Nase" barrage-balloon cable cutters in the leading edge of the wings. 258 E-3 and E-4 were built. The E-4 was identical to the E-2, with the exception of the heavy MG FF in the nose. Five of the six positions were flexible, with only one fixed gun; the MG FF installed along the floor, just off centre. The cannon in the nose could be moved. Both were powered by BMW 801L engines.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The E-5 was a modified version of E-4 for anti-shipping operations. It was fitted with a bomb carrier for a Henschel Hs 293 glide bomb or a drop tank under each of the outer wings, and carried the appropriate "Kehl" series radio guidance and control transmitter system for the missile. It was usually operated with a missile under the starboard wing and a drop tank under the port wing. Sixty-seven were new-built with additional 34 converted from E-4 airframes.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Testing with glide bombs was halted as the electrics were too sensitive to moisture, rockets prone to icing and the radio valves in the control units (in the aircraft) were disrupted by vibrations. By May 1942, hit rates were just 50 percent. In April 1942, the first E-5 reached the test centres at Peenemünde. Various test were made with aircraft with anywhere from 15.4 and 16.5 tonnes in all up weight. Often these tests were made to assess flight characteristics when carrying glide bombs such as the Hs 293. The E-5 was given heating units to keep the cold from the heat-sensitive glide bombs' electrics. With external ETCs, but without Glide bombs and auxiliary fuel tanks, the E-5 could attain of a speed of 480 km/h at 5,000 m. With two external stores, its speed was reduced to 445 km/h and its weight, including 4,300 litres of fuel, was 16.85 tonnes. The Do 217 E-2/U1 was used as an E-5 prototype. Whether an E series Do 217 ever launched a Hs 294 glide bomb is unclear. The only known fact is that a Do 217 flew a Hs 294 to Berlin-Schonefeld in May 1943. The first launch of the missile was done from a Messerschmitt Bf 110, and thereafter was taken over by the Heinkel He 177 equipped with the FuG 203 "Kehl" transmitter to control the missile. Only the Do 217, He 177 and Focke-Wulf Fw 200 could carry a Hs 293/4 or Fritz X missile.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: To replace the Do 217, the RLM planned for the He 177 A-3 and A-5 to be the long-range carrier aircraft for missiles, owing to the lack of BMW engines to power the Dornier but problems with the engine reliability of the He 177A led to the failure of the plan. The Battle of Stalingrad used up more and more aircrew which prevented them retraining on the Do 217 for glide bomb operations. Owing to the problems with the He 177A, Air Inspector General Erhard Milch returned his attention to the Do 217 and demanded a greater number of improved variants for Precision-guided munition (PGM) operations.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In early 1942, tests on a new and improved, completely glazed cockpit for the Do 217 series had been underway at the "Hamburger Schiffbauanstalt" (Hamburg Shipbuilding Institute). E-2s were fitted with a new streamlined "stepless cockpit" following its conceptual debut in January 1938 for the He 111P, as this design philosophy became the standard for almost all German bombers later in World War II, which eliminated the separate windscreen panels for the pilot of earlier versions of the Do 217. The lower nose of the K-version also retained the "Bola" inverted-casemate gondola for a rearwards-aimed ventral defensive armament emplacement, with its forward end fully incorporated with the new nose glazing design. The testing for this new well-framed cockpit glazing format for the later models of the Do 217, was carried out at the Shipbuilding Institute in Hamburg. The design of the cockpit was put to the test using water pressure to simulate a speed of 700 km/h. Only a few of the glass panels failed, caused by inadequate mounting. The cabin design passed the tests easily. Initial flights took place on 31 March 1942 after teething problems had been resolved. The Do 217 K V1 flew with BMW 801A-1s from Löwenthal and "Erprobungsstelle" Rechlin. This was followed by the ten-airframe pre-production batch, Do 217 K-01 to K-010. Mass production of the Do 217 K-1 began at the Dornier factory at Wismar.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The first prototype, a modified E-2 flew on 31 March 1942, with the aircraft showing higher maximum speed owing to reduced drag. The Do 217 K entered production from September 1942. BMW believed that the type could reach an operational ceiling of 7,000 m, notwithstanding an A.U.W of 16.8 tonnes. Tests at Peenemünde in June and July 1943 showed that while the Do 217K could carry and deploy a Fritz-X PGM, it was still controllable.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Do 217 K-1 was a night bomber version with the 1560 PS BMW 801L engine. It carried the same crew of four in the "stepless cockpit" crew compartment with a revised defensive armament of a twin-barreled 7.92 mm MG 81Z machine gun in the nose, two single MG 81s or twin-barrelled MG 81Z in beam positions, a MG 131 in the B stand position dorsal turret, the DL 131/1C, and another in a ventral position inserted in a "Walzenlafette" WL 131/1 cylindrical carriage at the rear of its "Bola" gondola. 220 were built. It had an average flying weight of 12,700 kg, this aircraft achieved speeds of 520 km/h at 5,200 m.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The K-1 was equipped with GM 1 nitrous oxide boost, which increased the K-1s maximum speed by 84 km/h at 8,000 m at a rate of 100 g/s. With 50 g/s the aircraft's operational ceiling could be extended from 8,400 to 9,800 metres. Failure rates of the GM 1 were very high and attention was shifting to other Do 217 variants and the use of GM 1 soon stopped. Serious shortages of the BMW 801 led to the cancellation of the K series but tests with BMW 801ML "Motoranlage" unitized-mount format radial engines, added a supplementary command unit to the usual 801 "Kommandogerät" engine control unit for each radial, which could engage the booster switch, ignition timing and the weak-rich mixture control automatically, which made the 801L powerplants easy to operate. Oil pressures also triggered operation of the VDM propellers, which on the K-1 subtype were 3.9 m in diameter. A smaller, 3.8 meter diameter wood-bladed propeller could be used as an alternative, though with a slight loss of speed. The standard 2,165-litre fuel tank could be supplemented by two fuselage tanks with 700-litre capacity or with either the standardized Luftwaffe 300-litre drop tank used on many German front-line military aircraft or fin-stabilized 900-litre drop tank as the Bf 110D used. An all-up-weight of 15 to 16.5 tonnes could be expected. The K-1 would need some 850 to 1,110 m to get airborne. Taking off from a grass strip, an altitude of 20 m was reached after 1,500 m and from a concrete runway it was 1,300. With two auxiliary tanks its speed dropped by 4.5 percent, and with bombs, by 6 percent. Flame-damper equipment also caused serious speed reductions; 7 percent in level flight and 9 percent when at operational ceiling.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The next variant, the Do 217 K-2, was a specialised anti-shipping version based on the K-1, the Do 217 K-2 was intended to carry the Fritz X guided bomb, being fitted with pylon-faired hardpoints to allow carriage of two Fritz Xs inboard of the engines and the appropriate FuG 203 "Kehl" guidance system transmitter emplacement. It had longer-span wings (24.8 m (81 ft  in) compared with 19 m (62 ft 4 in) for the K-1) to give better high-altitude performance when carrying the heavy Fritz-X bombs. 50 were converted from K-1 airframes. The wing area was expanded by a total of 67 m, but most of the K-2s internal equipment was the same as the K-1. The increase in area was to increase high-altitude performance. Some of the K-2s had a rigid tail MG 81Z which was not especially effective. It was loaded with 350 rounds and controlled by the use of a rear-facing telescope mounted in the forward section of the canopy left of the pilot. Either the gunners or pilot could fire the weapon, which could be jettisoned in case of an emergency to reduce weight.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The next variant was the Do 217 K-3. A revised anti-shipping version, the Do 217 K-3 was similar to the K-2 but fitted with improved FuG 203-series "Kehl" missile guidance equipment for Fritz-X glide-bombs or Hs 293 missiles. 40 were converted from M-1 airframes. It was given the K-2s larger wings. When fitted with external ETC weapons racks it was named the K-3/U1. It had improved armament, a MG 81Z and MG 81 J in the nose. The K-3 did not roll off the production lines until the beginning of 1944. The Dornier Do 217 M-11, its intended successor as the standard missile platform, was only produced in small numbers owing to lack of production capacity.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: As the BMW 801 radial engine used by the Do 217K was in great demand for the Fw 190 fighter, the Do 217M, a version powered by "Kraftei"-unitized installation versions of the largest displacement inverted V12 then in service, the 44.5-litre displacement Daimler-Benz DB 603 liquid-cooled inverted V12 engine, was developed in parallel with the 217K. It shared the new forward fuselage of the 217K, with the first prototype flying on 16 June 1942.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: According to RLM plans, production of the M model, which was powered by DB 603 A-1s was due to commence with two aircraft in May 1942 and 10 M-1s in the summer. By March 1943 a production target of 42 aircraft per month was to be achieved. The DB 603 A-3 was chosen as the increased performance handed the aircraft improved characteristics. However, it had not been fully tested and a number of technical problems arose. A Do 217H (a glider-bomber for land operations with E-2 airframe) would be used for endurance testing. This would provide useful testing evaluations for the M-1.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The M V1 was to be the first prototype. It was an E-2 conversion with altered cockpit and DB 603 engines and operated from the central Luftwaffe "Erprobungstelle" aircraft test centre at Rechlin from September 1942. During the winter, the prototype performed long-range and high-altitude flights. On 16 November it was forced landed for unstated reasons. Different engine-cooling systems were tried and flame retarders added, although the addition of the dampers caused a reduction in speed of 15 to 25 km/h depending on altitude. The first production prototype series M-0 aircraft (M-01) crashed in Lake Müritz, just north of the Rechlin test base, on 9 September 1942, while on an engine test. The M-02 was given wing reduction to 59 m, which became the predecessor of the M-3. The M-03 refined the design with DB 603 A-1 engines but crashed after a mid-air collision with a Dornier Do 215 on 14 May 1943. Six 0-series aircraft (Wrk Nr. 1241 to 1245) were manufactured. Rechlin log books included frequent references to a M-04 from December 1942 to May 1943. This aircraft was apparently used for de-icing and cabin heating tests as well as high-altitude testing with DB603s. Some M-0s were used to evaluate performance with glide bombs (Wrk Nr. 1244 and 1245). These aircraft were named M-0/U1. Each had an ETC 2000 XII, under the fuselage.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The M-1 night bomber version, equivalent to Do 217 K-1 but with DB603A engines, carried similar armament and bomb load to K-1. Daimler-Benz DB 601s were also used on some variants to keep the airframes in service (the shortage of powerplants made this difficult). Mostly though, DB603A-1 engines were used on the M-1, its only major difference from the K series. The M-1/"Umrüst-Bausätze" 1 (abbreviated "/U1") incorporated the M defensive armament and the lattice air brake of the E-2. The MG 81Z and 131 were to be replaced by the MG 151 in the A-stand position. Problems with the air brakes prevented serial conversions. By November 1943 the M-1/U1 had matured into a night bomber with anti-glare protection in the cabin. The machine was equipped with a MG 131 in the nose, two MG 81Js in the cabin windows and two MG 131s in the B and C stand. Some M-1/U2s were fitted for deployment of German PGM guided ordnance with the required FuG 203d "Kehl IV" guidance transmitter, and rear-looking FuG 216 "Neptun R" radar equipment. 438 M-1 were built by Dornier in Munich and Wismar.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Torpedo-bomber version of Do 217M. Only a single prototype was built, the Junkers Ju 88 being chosen as a torpedo-bomber instead. The M-5 series was a modified version of M-1 fitted with Hs 293 missile recessed under fuselage. Only one prototype was built. The last in the M series was the M-11. It was a revised anti-shipping version of M-1, with extended wings of K-2 and provision for one Fritz-X or Hs-293 under fuselage. 37 M-11 were converted from M-1 airframes.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In 1941, with Germany under increased night-time attack by RAF Bomber Command and with shortages of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and the preferred Junkers Ju 88C night fighters, it was decided to supplement the night-fighter force with a version of the Do 217E, despite its much greater size and 15-ton weight. This aircraft, the Do 217J, was fitted with a new "solid" nose, similar to that used by Dornier in night fighter versions of the Do 17 and Do 215, with four forward firing 2 cm MG FF cannon and four 7.92 mm machine guns. By October 1940, the production of heavy night fighters and night fighters such as the Do 217 and Ju 88, had been discussed comprehensively and by 5 November 1941 these discussions had been concluded. On 23 November the "Technische Amt" (T.A.) had ordered the Dornier bomber fleet to be withdrawn in accordance with a decision made earlier that year on 23 May. Dornier designated the subject of their new project the "Do 217Z", later renamed the Do 217J.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Japanese Imperial Navy and Japanese Army Air Force had also taken an interest in license building the type in the summer 1942, demonstrating the type's potential. The "Luftwaffe", however, had no intention of delivering the Do 217 to Japan, and none were ever exported. Dornier encountered many problems in procuring the BMW 801 engines required for the night fighter versions. Junkers had also struggled with BMW deliveries, its Ju 88C variants were to be powered by the BMW as the initial Jumo 211B/F engine plan had been abandoned. The Do 217s competitor, the Ju 88C, had only four fixed guns, whereas the Dornier could hold eight. In most cases, the Ju 88C carried only one 2 cm MG FF and three 7.92 mm MG 17s.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: In January 1941 Junkers concentrated on the C variant designs. It planned on producing 60 C-4s and 374 C-6s powered by Jumo 211s. It later transpired to Dornier that Junkers also wanted the BMW 801 to power the C-6. The power plants would also be supplemented with GM-1 nitrous oxide injection engine performance boosters for greater performance or alternatively, using the new, more powerful Jumo 213. The Ju 88s weaponry was improved by the addition of one or two MG FFs in the fuselage. Both the Do 217 and Ju 88 used the FuG 202 Lichtenstein B/C sets, but later Ju 88s were given FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1s and later FuG 220s. The equipment of the Dornier did not change. Against this competition Dornier needed to improve the types abilities as a night fighter.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The first problem Dornier attempted to overcome was long and short range capabilities. A modified E-1, (Wrk Nr. 42) was used to test the equipment for the forthcoming Do 217J. During testing the characteristics of the various types fire extinguisher hardware were carried out. Performance trials were carried out in January 1942 using an E-2, Wrk Nr. 1122 which was put through its paces at the Löwenthal testing facility.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Dornier intended the prototype to ready by February 1942. The machine, Wrk Nr. 1134, was a modified E-2 and equipped with FuG 202 and a "Spanner-Anlage" Infrared gun sight. These systems enabled the Dornier to detect the heat signature of enemy aircraft. Heat seeking detection at limited range making the Dornier a good proposition for the Defence of the Reich campaign. Testing was set back as the prototype crashed owing to engine failure. The continuing slow development of the IR equipment precluded its use in the J-1. Work on the IR program was sped up until late 1943. Modified IR equipment appeared in 1945 and was installed in the Ju 88 G-6.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Delays of BMW 801 engine deliveries forced the project to be temporarily abandoned. In November 1941 the directive for the design team had been a J-1 with a Spanner IR system, and a J-2 with Lichtenstein radar. In 1942 the directive changed slightly, and the J-2 was to be fitted with AI radar. Specifically, the Dornier was to be armed with four MG FF fuselage mounted cannon and machine guns for bomber assault, and one MG 131 each in the B-Stand and C-Stand positions for defence from RAF night fighters. Curiously, the night fighter version was ordered to be able to carry eight 50 kg bombs so the type could act as a night fighter and intruder over enemy territory.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The electronic equipment to be installed was listed as the FuG X, 16, 25 Peil G V air-to-ground communications and blind landing devices. The FuB1.1 was also listed as a potential piece, and if possible a FuG 101 radio equipment was to be fitted as standard. It was intended to equip J-1 with the Lichtenstein FuG 202, which had an effective range of 4,000-metre, with three tubes. The weight of the equipment would reduce the performance of the J-1 by 30 – 40 km/h so in January 1942, Dornier opted to install the IR spanner equipment instead of the Lichtensten. A rear braking system had also been in the original plan, but it was deemed unnecessary. The design was declared ready on 5 January 1942 and first flew later that month. The prototype was delivered to the Tarnewitz test facility where gunnery trials took place with MG FF and MG 17 weapons. Satisfied with the performance, series production began in March 1942.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The operational Dornier night fighter, redesignated J-1, before entering operations was powered by BMW 801L engines. It was fitted with a revised crew compartment housing a crew of three, with a solid nose housing four fixed 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, with four 20 mm MG FF/M cannon in the forward part of the ventral gondola. It retained the MG 131s in a dorsal turret and ventral position of the bomber, and could carry eight bombs in the rear bomb-bay, with a fuel tank in the forward bomb-bay.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Production had commenced in March 1942, during which eight J-1s were built. In April, 13 followed and 55 were built in May. Despite this start production declined in June and this trend continued until November 1942, when only four were built. Dornier had been ordered to withdraw Dornier airframes for unspecified reasons. Owing to this, by 31 December 1942, only 130 J-1s had been completed.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: Dornier kept a production run of 19 aircraft for evaluating equipment. These were to be used when Josef Kammhuber, General of the Night fighters demanded the J-1 to have a modified fuselages made available for upward firing cannon installed within the dorsal areas of the fuselage, above the wing roots. This armament configuration was called "Schräge Musik" ("slanted" or "oblique" Music). A prototype was given four MG 151s in place of its MG FFs and named J-1/U1. The prototype was modified in September 1942 and sent to the Tarnwitz Experimental Establishment on 14 October for tests on gunnery performance. The guns delivered 125,000 rounds during tests without problems. The concept was available for adoption, although Dornier had some reservations about the slow firing pattern of the MG 151/20.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The Dornier appeared to be a very effective night fighter with significant hitting power. However it attracted strong criticism from the "Luftwaffe". After the first J-1 was delivered to 4./"Nachtjagdgeschwader 1", in March 1942, the crew complained it was too heavy, and criticised its takeoff and landing characteristics. The pilot complained it had "too little performance reserve". The aircraft's high service loading and its poor manoeuvrability in aerial combat did not enhance its performance reputation. Part of the types performance issues lay with the fact the MG 131 defensive guns and bomb release mechanisms had remained, and been built into the J-1 to allow for its use as a bomber. With eight machine guns mounted in the fuselage and the supporting ammunition, the weight was increased and outweighed the Do 217E by 750 kg.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: The J-2 night-fighter version of Do-217J was fitted with FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar in nose, and had the rear bomb-bay plated over. The MG FF/M of the J-1 were replaced by 20 mm MG 151 cannons. The J-1 was withdrawn from intruder duty following an order stopping night intruder raids against England, while the J-2 proved disappointing as a night fighter, showing poor performance and manoeuvrability, although they were used for early trials of the "Schräge Musik" arrangement of upward firing cannon, three Js being used for tests in July 1942. The J-2 was only converted from J-1s.


title: Dornier Do 217

text: There was little difference in design between the J-1 and J-2, save for the FuG 202 Lichtenstein C1 radar fitted to the later. The first C-1 had been used in the Dornier Do 17 Z-10. Production of the C-1 began in full only after the Do 217J production had ceased. FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar continued to be used in Dorniers, although historian Manfred Griehl points out this was only according to the manuals.