The Dornier Do 335 was conceived as a high-speed, all-weather fighter,
and represented the pinnacle of piston-engined aircraft design. The Do
335 was a big aircraft, weighing just over 10,000kg when laden with
fuel, equipment, and pilot, yet powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 603
engines, it was capable of reaching a maximum speed of 750km/h at 6400
meters, making it the fastest piston engine aircraft produced in Germany
during World War II.
Some forty aircraft were built between late 1943 and the end of the war,
and it was intended to deploy the type as a day fighter, bomber, night
fighter, bad weather interceptor, and reconnaissance aircraft, all of
which were intended to incorporate the latest armament, bomb sights,
communications, and radar equipment, as well as an ejector seat.
Featuring archive photography and specially commissioned artwork, this
is the full story of the aircraft that the Luftwaffe hoped would turn
the tide of the war.