Do 17 E-1

This page is about the German bomber Do 17 E-1. For other versions, see Do 17 (Family).

Do 17 E-1

Do 17 E-1

Description

The Do-17 was a light bomber developed by Dornier for the Luftwaffe. It was originally designed very early in the 1930s and saw combat during the Spanish Civil War and, subsequently, World War II. It was developed as a "Schnellbomber" (fast bomber), and it can be clearly seen in its design. Its almost pencil-like airframe earned the Do 17 the nickname "flying pencil". Its fuselage made it a relatively hard target to hit from directly behind and helped it reach a respectable top speed of 338 km/h (210 mph). The E-1 was fitted with two BMW VI V12 engines, which produced around 739 hp each. The thin fuselage, which helped with performance, unfortunately came with the drawback of a relatively low bomb load. The E-1 comes armed with an offensive 7.92 mm machine gun and is defended by two turrets also utilizing 7.92 mm machine guns.

Introduced in Update 1.51 "Cold Steel", the Do 17 E-1 is a decently fast bomber. At its battle rating, many enemy fighters will struggle to catch up to the Do 17 in a dive thanks to its structural speed limit of 640 km/h (397 mph). This is also the Do 17's best defense against enemy fighters since it has very weak defensive armament. There is a single 7.92 mm machine gun turret mounted on top of the fuselage and another 7.92 mm machine gun turret mounted on the bottom. These have limited firing angles, and it will be difficult to quickly take down enemy opponents that get close. Since the Do 17 was optimized for speed, it also has a relatively weak bomb load and can only carry up to 500 kg of bombs.

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 0 m - sea level)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	336	324		35.3	38.0	0.9	0.9	350
Upgraded	379	357		31.2	33.0	9.9	4.8

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
		498	469	320	~7	~3

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 290	< 300	< 300	> 280

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
3,050 m	585 hp	749 hp

Survivability and armour

The Do 17 E-1 does not have any armour. There are 2 fuel tanks, with 1 close to each wingroot.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Do 17 E-1 is armed with:

• 1 x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun, nose-mounted (375 rpg)

Suspended armament

The Do 17 E-1 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (500 kg total)
• 2 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (500 kg total)
• 2 x Flam C 250 incendiary bombs

Defensive armament

The Do 17 E-1 is defended by:

• 1 x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun, dorsal turret (750 rpg)
• 1 x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun, ventral turret (375 rpg)

Usage in battles

The Do 17 E-1 can be used in two distinct methods. The pilot can dive to low altitude to reach higher speeds and use the 10 x 50 kg bombs to eliminate ground targets or it can be used as a support bomber flying behind other heavy bombers and finishing bases. This approach is dangerous and less rewarding because you are slow as you climb and fighters can easily pick you off.

Bombers capable of attacking with machine guns or cannon pods (e.g. B-25s or Ju 87s) can constitute early threats and any climbing fighters will easily out turn you and pick off your engines or control surfaces.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Does not frequently meet fighters armed with cannons or HMGs
• Decent payload for its rank
• Has a very short takeoff run
• Is one of the few German bombers with a machine gun armament
• Has great manoeuvrability, compared to other bombers of its rank
• Has both a dorsal and ventral gunner

Cons:

• Slow compared to other bombers, formations are difficult to maintain
• Big target
• Like most German bombers of its rank, lacks defence against any fighter
• Cannot fly with only one engine, it will be able to maintain speed and altitude only for a short time
• Light defensive armament can only protect from 4 to 8 o'clock high and vertically below

History

The Dornier 17 was a bomber operated by the German Luftwaffe and produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke. Designed as a twin-engine fast bomber (Schnellbomber) as soon as 1933, its role was to perform bombing runs and then evade opposing aircraft by relying on its speed. The opposition at the time was mostly biplanes and early monoplane fighters. The initial variant of the bomber, the Do 17 E-1 variant entered production at the end of 1936. The E-1 had a low bomb load due to its small internal bomb bay and to the parasitic drag created by externally-mounted bombs. 328 Do 17 E were produced, they were operated by the Luftwaffe and the Yugoslav Air Force which had purchased 36 planes. When WW2 broke out, the Do 17 was along the He 111 one of the main bombers used by the Luftwaffe. It was used as a frontline bomber to support advancing troops, bomb enemy positions and airfields and as a reconnaissance aircraft to spot enemy columns and movements.

The Do 17 E-1 was the first Do 17 to see combat in the Spanish Civil War in 1937, in the ranks of the Condor Legion. The E-1 saw further action during the Anschluss, the Sudeten crisis and the Invasion of Poland in the ranks of the Luftwaffe. The E-1 was then converted to or replaced by more modern variants before the Invasion of France and the Low Countries.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Do 17 E-1 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.

Dornier Aircraft Corporation (Dornier Flugzeugwerke)
Fighters	Do 17 Z-7
	Do 217 J-1 · Do 217 J-2 · Do 217 N-1 · Do 217 N-2
	Do 335 A-0 · Do 335 A-1 · Do 335 B-2
Bombers	Do 17 E-1 · Do 17 Z-2
	Do 217 E-2 · Do 217 E-4 · Do 217 K-1 · Do 217 M-1
Jet Aircraft	Alpha Jet A**
Helicopters	◄UH-1D*
	*Licensed
	**Jointly manufactured with Dassault Aviation