Dornier Do 335

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil, meaning arrow, was a heavy fighter built by Dornier for Germany during the Second World War. Its unusual push-pull layout put two engines in line along the fuselage, which cut aerodynamic drag, and it is regarded as one of the fastest piston-engined aircraft ever built and Germany's fastest of the war. Originally designed as a fast bomber, it could reach speeds around 800 kilometres per hour in level flight and outrun most other military aircraft then in service, with only first-generation jet fighters faster. The layout traces back to the tandem engines of Claude Dornier's earlier flying boats such as the Wal and the Do X. The first prototype, the V1, flew on 26 October 1943. The Luftwaffe was eager to field the type, but delays in engine deliveries meant only a handful were delivered before the war ended and it never saw combat.