Do 217 E-2

This page is about the German bomber Do 217 E-2. For other versions, see Do 217 (Family).

Do 217 E-2

Me 264

Do 217 E-4

Do 217 E-2

Me 264

Do 217 E-4

Germany

III Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.3	4.0

Class:

Bomber

Frontline bomber

Research:26 000

Purchase:76 000

Show in game

Description

The Do 217 E-2 is a rank III German bomber with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB), 4.3 (RB), and 4.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.29.

The Dornier Do 217 E-2 is a versatile twin-engined heavy bomber, capable of undertaking level bombing or dive bombing missions, or even strafing or attacking other aircraft with its fixed forward-firing 20 mm cannon.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 5 100 m482 km/h

Turn time31 s

Max altitude7 500 m

Engine2 х BMW 801 ML

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight17 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 5,100 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	464	449	7500	32.2	33.4	6.1	6.0	850
Upgraded	500	482		29.9	31.0	10.2	8.0

Details

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

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
0	300	N/A	380	270	~6	~4

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 290	< 360	< 360	> 315

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
1,000 m	1,460 hp	1,523 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,200 m	1,300 hp	1,356 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew5 people

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear300 km/h

• 8.5 mm steel - pilot's seat
• 8.5 mm steel - around the dorsal gunner
• 8.5 mm steel - aft of ventral gunner
• 5 mm steel - below ventral gunner

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB1 112 → 1 428

RB2 803 → 3 601

SB4 416 → 5 674

Total cost of modifications24 450

44 400

Talisman cost1 100

Crew training22 000

Experts76 000

Aces500

Research Aces320 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

80 / 180 / 290 %

142 / 142 / 142 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 990 Cost: 1 800 125 Radiator Research: 990 Cost: 1 800 125 Compressor Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 000 140 Wings repair Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 200 155 Engine Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 200 155 Engine injection Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 600 260	Airframe Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 000 140 Cover Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 600 260	mg_turret_belt_pack Research: 990 Cost: 1 800 125 mg131_turret_belt_pack Research: 990 Cost: 1 800 125 Flamm C 250 Research: 990 Cost: 1 800 125 mg15_turret_new_gun Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 000 140 ITC PVC I Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 000 140 Flamm C 500 Research: 1 100 Cost: 2 000 140 mg15120_belt_pack Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 200 155 mg131_turret_new_gun Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 200 155 ITC PVC II Research: 1 200 Cost: 2 200 155 mg15120_new_gun Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 600 260 SC 2000 Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 600 260

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 120 mm MG 151 cannon

Ammunition225 rounds

Fire rate700 shots/min

The Do 217 E-2 is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm MG 151 cannon, chin-mounted (250 rpg)

Suspended armament

List of setups (12)

Setup 14 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb

Setup 228 x 50 kg SC50JA bomb

Setup 38 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb

Setup 42 x 500 kg SC500K bomb
2 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb

Setup 54 x 500 kg SC500K bomb

Setup 62 x 1000 kg SC1000L2 bomb

Setup 74 x 1000 kg SC1000L2 bomb

Setup 84 x Flam C 250 incendiary bomb

Setup 94 x Flam C 500 incendiary bomb

Setup 108 x Flam C 250 incendiary bomb

Setup 114 x 500 kg PC500 armor-piercing bomb

Setup 124 x 1000 kg PC1000 armor-piercing bomb

The Do 217 E-2 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (1,000 kg total)
• 26 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1,300 kg total)
• 8 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (2,000 kg total)
• 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs + 2 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (1,500 kg total)
• 4 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (2,000 kg total)
• 2 x 1,000 kg SC1000L2 bombs (2,000 kg total)
• 4 x 1,000 kg SC1000L2 bombs (4,000 kg total)

Defensive armament

2 х Turret13 mm MG 131 machine gun

Ammunition1000 rounds

Fire rate900 shots/min

Turret7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun

Ammunition375 rounds

Fire rate1000 shots/min

Turret7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun

Ammunition525 rounds

Fire rate1000 shots/min

Turret7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun

Ammunition600 rounds

Fire rate1000 shots/min

The Do 217 E-2 is defended by:

• 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, dorsal turret (500 rpg)
• 1 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, ventral turret (1,000 rpg)
• 1 x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun, nose turret (500 rpg)
• 1 x 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun, 2 x dorsal beam turret (500 rpg)

Usage in battles

The Do 217 E-2 is capable of reaching over 700 km/h in a dive, making it extremely difficult to intercept when dive bombing from altitude. It has a good climb rate as well, allowing it to reach safer altitudes more easily than other lumbering heavy bombers. Unfortunately, the Do 217 has a rather poor roll rate, which makes it difficult to manoeuvre, especially when fully loaded.

It is capable of carrying four of the excellent German 1,000 kg bombs, which are more powerful than the equivalent bombs of other nations. While other nations may be able to carry more bombs, they usually carry a larger number of smaller bombs, which is less efficient against bases and airfields. As an added bonus, the Do 217 E-2 is also armed with a fixed forward-firing MG 151/20 cannon. This allows it to surprise fighters attempting to head-on the bomber or even to act as a makeshift bomber interceptor since it spawns at the same altitude as other bombers in modes with air spawns.

The defensive armament is the only true letdown of the Do 217. The dorsal MG 131 turret is well-placed to cover the top of the bomber from most attacks, although it is not as effective as the American .50 cal. There are a lot of blind spots not covered by the defensive machine guns, most of which are the relatively ineffective 7.92 mm MG 15 anyway.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Combined	Not controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• High speed, especially in a dive
• Frame can withstand high speeds
• Excellent bomb load (4 x 1,000 kg)
• Horizontal and dive bombing sights
• 20 mm offensive cannon
• Tail-dragging landing gear (good for high-speed landings)

Cons:

• Low manoeuvrability (especially roll rate at high speeds)
• Very weak stock bomb load
• Poor defensive armament
• Low cruising speed flying level or climbing

History

The Do 217 was designed to meet the requirement of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Air Ministry) for a heavy night bomber or a float-equipped anti-shipping dive bomber. Dornier experimented with the Do 17 with an enlarged fuselage, more powerful engine and almost twice the bomb load of the original Do 17. Dive brakes were fitted under the wings with Daimler-Benz DB601B engines. This design proved underpowered and manoeuvrable. Instability was a problem, this was soon fixed by installing Handley Page Leading edge slats. The final version used Jumo 211A engines instead of the DB601 and the proposed DB603. Different tail sections were tested out on this version of the Do 217. The final design entered service as the Do 217 E-2. With BMW 801A 14 cylinder radial air-cooled engines. This version of the Do 217 did not have tail mounted dive-brakes. The engine unit was interchangeable with Jumo 211 engines as part of the "Power Egg" concept. The Do 217 normally carries a crew of four: bomb-aimer/observer/forward gunner, dorsal gunner/radio operator, ventral gunner/flight engineer, and a pilot. The dive brake in the original version was removed.

In-game description

Dornier Do 217 E-2 medium twin-engine bomber

An all-metal cantilever monoplane with a twin-fin tail and a retractable landing gear system with a tail wheel. The bomber was created in the design bureau of the Dornier Flugzeugwerke company under the direction of Claude Dornier.

In 1937, the German Ministry of Aviation (Reichsluftfahrtministerium) put forward an initiative to create a new, improved variant of the Do 17Z bomber. The new machine would have an increased bomb capacity and a larger fuel supply and would be able to drop bombs when diving.

The aircraft was at first developed as an upgrade of the Do 17Z design, but such novel ideas were introduced during the redesign that the result was a fundamentally new design with practically nothing in common with its predecessor. The Do 217 V1 prototype was test-flown in August 1938. Full-scale production of the Do 217 E-1, the first production version, was launched in late 1940.

The power unit of the Do 217 E-2 aircraft consisted of two BMW 801 ML fourteen-cylinder, radial air-cooled engines with a takeoff power of 1,580 hp.

In comparison with the Do 17Z, the Do 217 E-2's defensive armament was significantly improved. The planes were equipped with an upper DL 131 electric turret containing a 13 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 131 belt-fed machine gun with 500 rounds. The turret had 360-degree horizontal rotation, with its vertical guidance angle ranging from 0 to 85 degrees.

In addition to the DL 131 turret, the aircraft's defensive armament included one 15 mm (or 20 mm) Mauser MG 151/15 cannon with 250 rounds in a nose-mounted fixed turret (designed for firing at surface targets) and one 7.92 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 15 machine gun (with 750 rounds) in a nose-mounted mobile turret. A large-calibre 13 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 131 machine gun was installed in a lower lens turret, and each of the two cockpit side blisters had one 7.92 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 15 machine gun.

The Do 217 E-2 could be fitted with an R23 field modification kit, consisting of two fixed twin 7.92 mm Mauser MG 81Z machine guns, with 350 rounds each, in the tail section of the fuselage. The pilot fired from them using a RF2C periscope and a PV1B sight, but the fire from this turret had more of a psychological than a real effect.

The aircraft could carry up to 4,000 kg of bombs, with 2,517 kg suspended in the internal bomb bay. The standard bomb capacity included four 500 kg or eight 250 kg bombs. Other combat load variations were also possible; for example, two LMA aerial non-contact sea mines or one LTF5b torpedo.

A combined total of 185 Do 217 E-2s were built.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance
• [Wikipedia] Dornier Do 217 series

Dornier Aircraft Corporation (Dornier Flugzeugwerke)
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