The Dornier Do 217 represented the refinement of German twin-engine
bomber design, a progression from the earlier Do 17. From 1941, the Do
217 became the mainstay of the Luftwaffe's bomber arm in the West,
equipping four Gruppen for operations over Britain. It carried out day
and night attacks on British shipping, coastal targets, towns and
industrial centers, both in formation and in lone attacks known to the
German crews as 'Pirate' operations. These missions, though achieving
some success, were undertaken at considerable cost to the crews of the
Do 217s, a measure of the strength of opposition it encountered in the
RAF's nightfighter squadrons, improved radar and anti-aircraft defenses.
As the demand from Germany's battlefronts grew from early 1942, the Do
217, albeit in very limited numbers, was developed into a radar-equipped
nightfighter. In the Mediterranean it was used as an effective maritime
strike aircraft, launching highly developed stand-off bombs and
remote-controlled glide-bomb weapons in the form of the 'Fritz X' and Hs
293 which accounted for the destruction or damage of several notable
warships. It was also used as a night reconnaissance aircraft on the
Eastern Front and over Britain in the Luftwaffe's 1942 'Baedeker Blitz'.
Following extensive research, including interviews and correspondence
with former aircrew and their families, renowned Luftwaffe historian,
Chris Goss, has documented the operational history of the Do 217 and
offers the most comprehensive account so far published in the English
language. The story is complemented by hundreds of rare photographs,
many never published, as well specially commissioned color artwork.
