Author Topic: Dornier Do 200 (Read 881 times)

Apeking Man · « **on:** October 18, 2006, 01:16:28 PM »

Perhaps this has been mentioned before, but I believe it is a terrible shame that Aces High does not model the Dornier Do 200. It would be nice to complement the Ju88 and Ar234 with a rare four-engined German bomber. Whereas the Ju88 is armed with five 7.92mm machineguns, the Do200 had three or four multi-gun turrets with 12.7mm machineguns, and there was a pair of dorsal gunners as well and in some versions the radio operator had a gun. And I imagine that the crewmen were all armed with 11.43mm pistols. The weight of defensive fire must have been awesome to behold.

Range was good and the airframe was stronger than the Fw 200. I believe the bomb load was almost ten tonnes, if the external bomb racks were used (in practice they were not). Top speed was not exceptional but then again the airframe was quite old. I believe development started in the mid 1930s, and so it must have been a typical Luftwaffe procurement failure, given that the aircraft arrived late in the war and too few in numbers to make a difference.

From what I have read the Do 200's biggest problem was shoddy manufacturing and delivery. The majority of Do 200s were in poor condition on delivery and had to be repaired extensively before they could even take off, let alone carry bombs etc. I have seen wildly varying production figures. Some sources state that no more than 60 or 70 were produced, whereas other sources state that there were over 12,000! Obviously, the internet is a poor research tool. The few pictures I have found are obviously mislabelled or erroneous.

Ball · « **Reply #1 on:** October 18, 2006, 01:50:08 PM »

Do 200?

Wasn't that a B-17?

i smell a troll...

Krusty · « **Reply #2 on:** October 18, 2006, 02:11:32 PM »

it's a troll.

They didn't re-issue the same numbers for bombers. There's already a Fw200 condor. There could be a fighter with a 200, but not another bomber.

Apeking Man · « **Reply #3 on:** October 18, 2006, 06:07:24 PM »

"They didn't re-issue the same numbers for bombers. There's already a Fw200 condor. There could be a fighter with a 200, but not another bomber."

As the second bloke pointed out, the Do 200 was a cover name for captured and reserviced B-17s. I'm surprised you didn't know that. I assume they were a mixture of B-17F and B-17G models, and so it would be slightly harder to mock up a Do 200 than just painting a custom Luftwaffe skin.

frank3 · « **Reply #4 on:** October 20, 2006, 11:18:42 AM »

It's the B-17:

Im not exactly sure why they were called 'Dornier', did Dornier actually build them, or were they just captured aircraft?

Krusty · « **Reply #5 on:** October 20, 2006, 11:44:18 AM »

Frank: Just captured them.

As for the code names, well they would make those up, so they didn't have to follow conventions. I don't know the code names much, but I seem to recall they called the He100D the He113 or something?

Iceman24 · « **Reply #6 on:** October 20, 2006, 03:50:11 PM »

thats pretty cool, i had no idea they re-used our bombers, that's actually pretty slick of them if you ask me

I learn something new everyday... looking at that B17 with the swaztika on it is pretty cool looking, we need a german skin for ours

Krusty · « **Reply #7 on:** October 20, 2006, 06:44:54 PM »

Iceman: they were used for education for fighter pilots only.

frank3 · « **Reply #8 on:** October 22, 2006, 07:34:35 AM »

As a target or to actually fly them?

If it would be a training aircraft, why didn't they remove its armament?

EDIT: I found some information here: http://www.geocities.com/Pentagon/2833/luftwaffe/transport/do200/do200.html

Eventually the Luftwaffe captured enough of these American bombers that they formed a special unit, the I/KG200, which flew captured Fortresses in German markings to drop secret agents by parachute and keep them supplied while they performed tasks like the construction of a chain of clandestine airstrips and fuel dumps in the Western Desert. As part of the cloak and dagger act, these aircraft were known as Dornier Do 200.

and this:

This is not exactly a Do 200, but it is a Flying Fortress captured by the Germans and was photographed at Orly Airport, Paris. This B-17 was placed into the hands of the ZS-1, Zerstörer Schule I (Destroyer School I) to be used to train German figher pilots in how to attack the B-17. Fortresses without swastikas or other German markings were also used to join bomber formations and radio information to attacking German fighters.

Ball · « **Reply #9 on:** October 22, 2006, 08:03:47 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Krusty
Iceman: they were used for education for fighter pilots only.

They were also used, as frank has said, to attack bombers.

I have also read in 'Combat Crew' by John Comer that they used them to keep ground controllers update on the location of the bomber stream.

It was in formation with them for the entire mission, they only realised it was a German B-17 as they were heading back to England, it broke off and headed back to France.

I also seem to recall from the book that a German B17 was shot down by escort fighters in the bomber stream after it opened fire on some stragglers.

Why do you just make these statements without researching it?

frank3 · « **Reply #10 on:** October 22, 2006, 02:22:24 PM »

The Germans could've better captured an YB-17 for that job!