referred flying pencil world war german light bomber produced company designed fast bomber light bomber theory fast defending fighter aircraft designed engines mounted shoulder wing structure possessed twin tail fin configuration type popular crews handling especially low altitude harder hit german bombers designed early 1930s main luftwaffe bomber types years war combat debut spanish civil war operating legion roles main bomber type german air arm early war saw action significant numbers major campaign theatre line aircraft end effectiveness usage curtailed bomb load range limited production ended favour newer powerful successor powerful started appear strength continued service luftwaffe roles end war research trainer aircraft considerable number surviving examples sent axis nations countries like finland survived war scrapped finland september announced discovery built buried sands coast june salvage team raised airframe development issued specification construction freight aircraft german state railways high speed mail plane factory began work design august nazis took power aviation employee deputy soon forming designated new aircraft march months taking office gave ahead building prototypes end issued order high speed aircraft double tail freight aircraft special equipment words bomber original design configuration sported single vertical continued developing model demonstrated mock form april special equipment fitted later disguise offensive role april works began project definition month defensive armament designed bomb release mechanism details production prototypes began november single fin powered motors took flight testing delayed series accidents damaged landing accidents february april twin tailed powered low compression engines flew evaluated june tests single fin proved marginally stable resulting modified twin tail aircraft destroyed crash engine failure december fitted twin tail originally planned powered engines unavailable fitted engines like flew september prototype remained built machine single claimed unlike series military use planned start contracted fast passenger mail plane compete smaller suggested rejected cramped cabin uncomfortable passenger use operating costs high mail plane according story prototypes remained unused factory months flight captain came receiving permission fly machines proceeded stunt flying routine landing said machine fighter lateral stability high speed bomber comments prompted redesign tail unit revived interest type ordered produce prototype sources state differed passenger removed single fin replaced smaller ones photographic evidence demonstrates twin start construction tests twin tailed prototypes positive prototypes like emerged forerunner long range reconnaissance version tested high speed machine flying design cockpit forward fuselage conventional stepped cockpit nose fully early variants labelled flying pencil owing continuous stick like lines result lessons learned spanish civil war cockpit roof raised lower half crew compartment typical nose abbreviated inverted design ventral defensive armament position common feature german medium bombers extended leading edge wings lower rear gunners position upper rear gunner position level contemporary german bombers crew concentrated single compartment cockpit layout consisted pilot seat gunner forward cockpit pilot sat left close gunners sat right seat set provide room machine gun traversed use usually carried crew pilot gunners bomb manned nose housed rear lower position gunners operated forward firing installed located windows firing weapon cockpit offered bright view high altitude standard ammunition load rounds ammunition double drum magazines wings broad area span straight leading edge curved near perfect trailing edge positions wing roots offset leading edge wing root merged fuselage cockpit wing extended backwards roughly thirds declined downwards sharp angle trailing edge wing root ended nearly halfway fuselage increasing angle design feature future bomber designs trailing edge round fuselage shape engine flaps extreme rear hollow allowed attached vertical slot fit cavity deployed fuselage long thin narrow presented enemy difficult target hit fuselage twin vertical increase lateral stability power plant owing shortages priority allocation fighter production allocated power plants reach mph limited performance ensured reach mph level flight fully loaded range ground level nmi increased gave average attack range nmi introduction increased performance slightly areas self sealing fuel tanks protect fuel stored wings fuselage reduced loss fuel risk fire hit action enabled aircraft return oxygen bottles provided crew use long flights communications usually consisted later navigational direction direction blind landing devices crew communicated primitive device installed maintain bearing rudder control surfaces bomb bay accommodated bomb racks bombs etc racks carry heavier loads issued optical lens system aircraft bomb bay allowed options carry bombs load reduced aircraft range half maximum load bombs additional fuel tanks placed forward bomb bay increase range bomb deploy bomb load depending variant bomb sight left nose compartment directly forward pilot fully loaded weighed variants early powered variants initial production variants bomber tested reconnaissance aircraft powered like early prototypes engines entered production late luftwaffe units converted early equipped engines crew numbered radio operator manned machine guns stand pod rear cockpit rounds ammunition bomb bay divided compartments bomb racks individual capacity single etc bomb rack mounted externally underneath aircraft carry bomb designation tested unusual configuration bombs mounted fuselage showed notable performance reduction increase weight drag configuration operationally continued carry low bomb loads second world war performance enabled reach speed mph conducting shallow dive light frame reach mph maximum ceiling rebuilt aerial photography ltd secret military reconnaissance role prior war long range reconnaissance aircraft based field modified prototype test configuration defensive armament consisted stand stand upper rear firing position stand lower gun fuselage cameras tubes service replaced built designated factory aircraft conversion series aircraft radial engines led aircraft served flight testing machines evaluate usage aircraft meaning works factory number prototypes trials began late similar conversion radial engines led designation renamed prototypes evaluate fur usage test satisfactory future production models equipped engine seeing air races bought license rights production factory equipped powerful radial engine french exaggerated performance designs delivered naval aviation heavy bombers familiar designs november yugoslav pilots test flew prototype decided select service despite expensive aircraft german willingness deliver quickly limitations numbers developed parallel replacements earlier reconnaissance version designed powerful engines delivering versions built prototypes nose prototype revised version powered demonstrated impressive performance including maximum speed mph switzerland proved leader class faster fastest foreign fighter french won prizes demonstrating prowess german aviation design radial variants despite success owing shortages supply engine production fitted engine corresponding reconnaissance aircraft powered better range supply remained extremely limited production soon switched fuel injected reserved fighters production versions basic model airframe fitted new engines gave reasonable performance raised bomb load resulting produced small numbers operated prototypes series tested bomb loads medium bomber prototype evaluated fast bomber fitted engines respectively favoured widespread use demand fighter aircraft lack production forced use started service medium bomber able carry bombs equipped air cooled defensive armament consisted later machine guns operated stand pod operated navigator position allocated rounds ammunition firing stand operated radio operator allocated rounds rear position lower fuselage allocated rounds stand pod carry bomb load bombs single bomb speed superior variant reach mph altitudes achieve maximum service ceiling range nautical miles reconnaissance aircraft based surfaces wing covered wider engine axis longer engine demand reconnaissance aircraft based led development variant version able enter production owing use engine fuel left models short range reconnaissance use selected instead lower fuel consumption better range prototypes engines produced enter production reconnaissance missions armed stands machine gun located rear cockpit lower rear mount facing forward nose earlier variants gun position upper rear cockpit open elements provided enclosed shaped mount protecting radio operator weather variant similar features added blind flying camera equipment reconnaissance work powered radial engines maximum performance machine fitted radio variations radio direction radio blind landing device crew communicated equipped cameras fitted filters protection cameras cameras controlled remotely crew cockpit shortage night fighters assigned role smooth metal sheet installed place glass nose armed cannons machine operated identical additional installation etc bomb rack fuselage aircraft designed night reconnaissance assumed converted models existing production aircraft unlike series production experiences spanish civil war proved unarmed aircraft easy prey fighter aircraft fast long range reconnaissance aircraft additional fuel cells inside fuselage aft bomb bay variants suggested variant single cameras variant fuel cell replace rear aircraft gross weight crew usually numbered fourth added depending missions flown achieve high performance increased altitudes power plants tested prototype registered second registered received powerful engines power plant exist known lessons spanish civil war led designers incorporate defensive machine guns battles soviet built fighter aircraft demonstrated fast thought cope completely new pod like cockpit designed crew room better visibility roof extended upward line fuselage sloping meet wing dorsal gun moved rear pod considerably better field fire likewise floor dropped fuselage style defensive armament ventral gun moved allowing fire directly rear changes roof floor aircraft larger rest airframe remained new cockpit design nicknamed german battle head variant prototypes engines tested designation flown inverted engines constructed reconnaissance version production additional models built similar adding taking total operate extra radio equipment models fly ahead bombers night missions radio equipment locate target drop personally requested experimental models role maximum speed mph combat ceiling cruising speed mph maximum height owing low performance engines prototypes production aircraft built main variant series recognised mass produced variant saw combat service types type modified result combat experience spanish civil war forward fuselage redesigned cockpit area dropped extended enable rear firing gunner position installed canopy extended aft nearly parallel leading edge wing root test design produced powered power plants series engines reserved fighters led variants fitted radial engines bomb load increased fourth crew member added proved engines fitted built updates bomb load combat radius later variants fitted cameras dual trainer controls aids maritime operations respectively solve problems range bomb load batch built testing proving hard obtain quickly replaced model added gun additional weight nose guns meant bomb load reduced luftwaffe satisfied test outcome series immediately ordered performance design studies increase overall performance bomber resulted optimistic speeds altitudes future variants especially aircraft planned performance altitudes maximum speed mph aircraft weight planned unfortunately production aircraft reached optimistic performances service career heavy engines self sealing fuel cells fuselage wings crew consumed approximately bottles oxygen long flights speed mph performance permit reach mph level flight fully loaded range ground level nmi increased nmi gave average range nmi introduction increased subsequent performance following sub variants addressed major production model mounted new version specifically tuned performance needs decreasing power lower altitudes improving low level performance increase takeoff power allowed bomb load increased combat range bomb load short armament upgraded adding pair guns firing sides upper pod guns fired single gunner fired time flew upgrades overall weight increased heavy losses decided replace cannon powerful losses mounted spite increase machine guns standard machine guns retained features present variant formed bomber versions series reconnaissance aircraft staff flight particular unit engines general equipment identical standard cameras incorporated crew entry hatch handheld camera issued crew success bombing missions equipment added later identical visually distinguished altered crew hatch owing problems added camera equipment ammunition supply reduced magazines power plant upgraded remained engine remaining series variants designed trainer nearly identical featured equipment changes blind flying training seat aircraft single control column dual steering achieved protruding right rudder seats defensive armament bomb racks reduced cases omitted reduce weight similar weight designed anti shipping aircraft fitted cells fuselage engine case forced water usually devices took form bags stored rear engine nose later variants model developed reconnaissance aircraft built prototype war converted existing combat variants type selected weather check flights identical variants offensive armament omitted extra fuel cells fitted increased fuel load flights required higher altitude oxygen supply increased bottles long range flights water larger updated emergency escape equipment mandatory operations night fighter operations converted nose installed equipped machine guns cannons nose proved unsatisfactory redesigned tip new nose infrared spotlight soon redundant introduction radar fitted produced intended ground attack aircraft reached planning phase given lack performance protective armour allocation anti aircraft artillery increase armour meant decrease speed exposed aircraft enemy fire fitted special bomb release equipment delayed release gear low level attack missions purpose suppress enemy air defences designed fly anti aircraft positions drop early form cluster bomb munitions air superiority airframe equipment identical version bomb bay altered accommodate bomb systems maximum weight design reach serial production bomber production ended model modified solid nose fitted cannon machine guns night fighters prototypes converted existing series owl configuration standard fitted radial engines crew airmen comparison standard bomber version fuel load arrangement altered cells cells wings capacity litres imperial gallons cell placed bomb bay main fuselage having capacity litres imperial gallons oxygen supply man crew reduced bottles high altitudes anticipated add armour form heavy steel plates nose bulkhead protect crew frontal fire originally planned completely armour crew compartment idea given increased weight reduced flight performance slow aircraft ammunition loads amounted rounds rounds ammunition cannon bombers carried single ground attack missions later design modified solid nose containing red infrared detection system infrared lamp nose target display unit reflection visible target armed machine guns grouped light lower nose crew cannons drum magazines internally contained infrared detection system single equipped tested radar designs converted existing series system proved essentially useless left detection system coded flying test bed help developing early low band version radar system late stripped non night fighter equipment maximum weight armament fit similar added additional rounds ammunition nose section defensive gun positions included stand equipped single production german official figures state built german assembly lines factory built variants production figures stand built sold production spread different factory lines built factory berlin constructed plant hamburg built produced contributed construction hamburg plant built examples later built september luftwaffe received variants bombers reconnaissance aircraft night fighters built updated variant built period yugoslav governments interested june yugoslav government ordered variants germany negotiations licence completed june cost march yugoslavia ordered complete cost received april machines complete devoid german equipment including engines found french manufacturer supply instead supplier chosen engine french inflated performance data engine claiming speed mph constant speed propellers poor delivered late led trials propellers delivered fitted complete german equipment rest equipped belgian machine guns czech camera equipment eventually radio sets altogether produced yugoslav factories operators operational history bulgaria received yugoslav aircraft delivered remained service croatia received yugoslav squadron received aircraft january germany luftwaffe hungary received italy regia operated tested september received worn november spanish republic spanish republican air_force received legion remained service end spanish civil war operated single interned landing airport april kingdom yugoslavia pressed service yugoslav built escaped yugoslavia carrying king peter gold aircraft given aircraft destroyed air attack airfield august operated taken united_states war tested survivors twin engined bomber variants thought survived intact large relics held public museums private collectors september variant found largely intact shallow waters netherlands september announced discovered water coast england aircraft discovered september sands large kilometres coast kent discovery kept closely guarded secret built license combat wing aircraft code operated august taking raid targeting raf stations flying clouds aircraft separated bomber formation lost attacked fighters squadron raf engines disabled damaged wounded pilot elected crash landing sands crew member survived taken prisoner crew killed buried war cemetery netherlands identity defiant shot certain squadron aircraft shot soon battle fighter escorts june diving operations carried survey report indicated aircraft largely complete lay inverted indicating ground looped landing port rudder starboard forward nose doors engine missing discovery small debris field associated wreck indicates parts present site items including machine guns missing believed stolen unauthorized divers aircraft discovery taken site london significant role post recovery conservation aircraft norway july crashed outside oslo norway heading airport crashed german board killed buried german war cemetery wreck preserved remains clearly visible years accident specifications data aircraft april general characteristics crew length wingspan height weight equipped max takeoff weight fuel capacity standard fuel imp gal tank forward bomb bay imp gal powerplant air cooled radial engines propellers bladed variable pitch propellers performance maximum speed mph sea level mph cruising speed mph combat range nmi imp gal fuel bombs imp gal fuel bombs service ceiling wing loading power mass armament guns machine guns rear upper rear lower cockpit positions bombs bombs carried internally bombs bombs
Dornier Do 17