The Pencil - Dornier Do 17 (with a Flamethrower on back)

The Dornier Do 17 was a medium-class bomber first used by the German Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War. During the early phases of World War 2, it was heavily deployed in bomber and reconnaissance configurations.

The Do 17 spearheaded the Blitzkrieg campaigns of Poland, France, Belgium, and Holland, demonstrating its combat reliability. Nonetheless, as the war raged on, it began to be overshadowed by more powerful aircraft used by both the Allies and the Luftwaffe itself, such as the Junkers Ju 88.

During campaigns where the enemy had little air support and few anti-air defenses, the Do 17 could carry on its missions with ease. Such was the case with the invasions of the Balkans, Greece, and Crete.

But when the Third Reich faced the British Royal Air Force during the London raids and the rising power of the Soviet Union, the Do 17 lagged behind for its light armor and limited bomb load capacity.

The aircraft was nicknamed the Fliegender Bleistift, or Flying Pencil, for its thin form. Some 2,140 Dornier Do 17 bombers were produced during the war - with many farmed out to Germany's Axis partners.

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