From Schnellbomber To Heavy Bomber: Dornier Do 217

In this video, we talk about the Dornier Do 217, a medium/heavy bomber developed from the Dornier Do 17, a Schnellbomber (fast bomber) also known as the "Flying Pencil". We talk about the effectiveness of the Do 17 early in World War 2 and why the Luftwaffe needed an upgrade to it after the Battle of Britain. We then discuss the origins of the Do 217 and the early attempts to make it into a floatplane dive bomber.

We discuss the evolution from these early attempts to the Do 217's eventual roles as a bomber, a reconnaissance plane, and a night fighter. We talk about why the Do 217 succeeded in an anti-shipping role, with weapons like the Fritz X and Hs 293, and why it was rather mediocre as a bomber and poor as a night fighter. We then end with the Do 217's eventual phasing out in favor of planes like the Junkers Ju 188, Heinkel He 177, and the Messerschmitt Me 410.