Kagero Publications No. 39
Dornier Do 17 / 215

Reviewed by Mick Evans

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This publication is in soft cover and is a full colour glossy publication in standard A4 format.  The publication covers the Dornier 17/Dornier 215 series aircraft and comprises 128 pages written in English text. 

There are 92 pages of text giving a comprehensive overview of the development, production and service life of the dedicated night fighter aircraft.  The development starts with the D0 17V1 prototype aircraft then describing the aircraft right through to the Do 215.  The early versions were a very slim and attractive aircraft relying on speed for defence, but as technology caught up with the design and fighter aircraft became faster and faster the Do 17 Z had to become more practical in defence with more defensive armament and therefore more crew to man the defensive weapons.  This required more crew space meaning the cockpit area became larger requiring a larger canopy and gondola area.  In some respects the Do 17z lost its sleek streamlined look but in my mind it became more purposeful looking.  Included around the text are approximately 160 black and white period photographs.  These detail the development and service life of the aircraft including some very nice shots of detail of the aircraft probably taken of the aircraft on the production line including a shot of the very sleek V1 fuselage with no wings and this really highlights the slim lines of the fuselage.

24 pages including 2 foldouts of very detailed 1/72 and 1/48 scale drawings of the different variants are also included.  The drawings are shaded to portray the differences between variants with a brief description of the change.  The drawings include excellent sectional profiles.  Also included are eleven colour plates depicting colour schemes flown on five of the aircraft.  The colour plates include Do 17P-1 code 5D+HL of 3.(F)/Aufklarungsgruppe 31 based at Frankfurt/Main in 1940, Do 17E-1 code 9K+LA of Geschwaderstab KG 51 “Edelweib” based at Landsberg/Lech in 1939, Do 17Z-3 code 5K+HL of Geschwaderstab KG3 “Blitz” based at Le Culot France in August 1940, Do 17Z-1 code 3U+FU of 10./ZG “Horst Wessel” Western Desert Libya in autumn 1941, Do 17Z-2 code 5K+FD of Stab der III./KG3 “Blitz” based at Heiligenbeil Eastern Prussia in September 1939, Do 17Z-2 code 9K+AM of 4./KG 3 “Blitz” in May 1940, Do 17Z-2 code F1+HH of 1./KG 76 France in September 1940, Do 17Z-7 code R4+HK of 1./NJG 2 based in the Netherlands in March 1941, Do 17Z-2 code 5K+HR of 7./KG 3 based on the Eastern Front in November 1941, Do 215B-5 code R4+DC of Stab der II./NJG 2 based at Leeuwarden the Netherlands in spring 1942, Do 17Z-2 code U5+BH of 1./KG 2”Holzhammer” based at Tatoi Greece in May 1941.

Included in the publication are a complete set of excellent laser cut 1/72 and 1/48 scale masking foils for the canopy and wheel hubs.

Overall this is quite a comprehensive and well illustrated publication and will be a welcome addition to the collection of any person or modeller wanting good reference detail for the Dornier 17 and 215 variants.

Thanks to Casemate UK for the samples.