Dornier Do 17: The 'Flying Pencil' in the Luftwaffe Service

by Chris Goss

Designed both as a military and civil aircraft, the Dornier Do 17 'Flying Pencil', so called because of its slender fuselage, was one of three twin-engine medium bombers in service with the Luftwaffe at the start of WWII. Its service with the Legion Condor during the Spanish Civil War, mainly in the reconnaissance role, so impressed the Luftwaffe that high priority was allocated to the aircraft as both a bomber and reconnaissance aircraft. The Do 17 was loved by its crews. It served over Poland, France and the Low Countries, Britain, the Balkans, Greece and the Soviet Union, often without escort and against increasing and improved fighter opposition. Despite a comparatively light bomb-load and limited range, the ultimate version, Do 17Z, possessed good maneuverability and during the Luftwaffe's campaign against England in 1940, it was preferred for low-level attacks on British airfields and installations, though its lack of protection made it vulnerable.

Though production ceased in October 1940, the sleek Do 17 could be found on the strength of Luftwaffe units to the end of the war operating as a glider tug, night reconnaissance platform, research aircraft and trainer.

In this book Luftwaffe historian, Chris Goss, recounts the operational history of the Do 17, perhaps the least understood and often forgotten of the Luftwaffe's medium bombers.

336 pages, Hardcover

Published February 28, 2020

About the author

Christopher Goss was born in 1961 and has had an interest in military aviation since his school-days. He is married with three daughters and is a serving officer with the Royal Air Force (RAF).

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

All books in the so-called "Classic" series are never less than good, and are often great: As pricey as they are they had better be! That said, this work is more on the good side of the spectrum, as you're promised a combat history of the type in German service, and that's what you get. What I would have liked to have seen is a little more development history, to get a sense of how Dornier went from producing corrugated metal boxes that just happened to fly, to this elegant machine.

Apart from that, Goss does have something of a higher theme which conditions his narrative. That is, as highly touted as the Do 17 was in its prime, that prime was very short, and in the peak of the air war in 1940 it was found very wanting. This is comparable to the fate of aircraft such as the Bristol Blenheim and the Potez 63; other nominally modern machines that simply didn't pack enough punch.