Dornier Do 217-317-417

With more than 200 photographs as well as reproductions of the original drawing office blueprints, Dornier DO 217-317-417 is the most comprehensive account ever written of these important aircraft.Destined to play a vital role in the German air offensive in all major theatres of World War II, the Dornier 217 first appeared on the drawing board in 1933 'disguised' both as a 'freight aircraft for the German state railway' and as a 'high speed mail 'plane for Lufthansa'.The author provides a fascinating account of the technical and operational development of the Dornier 217 and its many prototype and operational variants. He describes the close liaison between the Dornier drawing office and Germany's leading aero engine manufacturers.Details are given of the early raids over Britain and the cost in both men and machines for the German Luftwaffe. The book includes a detailed chronological list of all Dorniers developed and manufactured throughout the course of the war and the reader can follow individual aircraft from the drawing board, through testing and final implementation.Altogether some 2,000 machines were manufactured to meet Germany's need for an all-round strike and reconnaissance aircraft. None have survived and this book is a fitting tribute to one of the most famous aircraft of the Second World War.