Dornier Do 17

The Dornier Do 17 was a twin-engined German light bomber designed and produced by Dornier Flugzeugwerke and flown in large numbers by the Luftwaffe throughout the Second World War. Designed in the early 1930s as a Schnellbomber, or fast bomber, meant to outrun opposing fighters, it was lightly built, with a twin tail, a shoulder wing and typically a pair of Bramo 323P radial engines. The first prototype made its maiden flight on 23 November 1934 and the type entered regular service three years later. Nicknamed the flying pencil for its slim fuselage, it made its combat debut with the Condor Legion in the Spanish Civil War in 1937 and fought in every major early campaign, including the Battle of Britain. Production ended in mid-1940 in favour of the Junkers Ju 88, but the Do 17 kept serving in secondary roles such as glider tug and trainer, and examples passed to other Axis-aligned air forces. Its successor was the Dornier Do 217.