|
|
The Dornier Do 22 was a three seat reconnaissance and light attack floatplane that was sold to Greece, Latvia and Yugoslavia, and ended up being used in small numbers by Yugoslav exiles for the Allies and the Finnish Air Force.
The Do 22 was designed in 1934 as the Dornier Do C3, at Altenrhein in Switzerland, where two prototypes were built. It had a parasol wing (although carried with a tiny gap between the wing and fuselage), with slightly swept back wings. It carried a crew of three, in two cockpits. The pilot had an open cockpit just behind the centre section of the wing. The gunner and radio/ camera operator shared the rear cockpit, with the gunner in the open but the radio operator protected by a bubble windscreen. It had single step twin floats that were braced to the fuselage and the wings. It could carry a single torpedo or a small bomb load between the floats and could be armed with up to four 7.9mm machine guns – two for the rear gunner, one forward firing gun above the engine and one rear firing gun mounted at the rear of a shallow step in the underside of the fuselage. It was powered by a 860hp Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs twelve cylinder V liquid cooled engine.
Although the RLM gave the aircraft the German designation Dornier Do 22, the Luftwaffe didn’t order it. Dornier was allowed to sell the type on the export market, and sold it to Greece (Do 22Kg), Latvia (Do 22Kl) and Yugoslavia (Do 22Kj). One landplane, the Do 22L, was produced, with a fixed undercarriage and spatted main wheels, but this type didn’t enter production. Production took place at the Dornier factory at Friedrichshafen in Germany, and the first production aircraft made its maiden flight on 15 July 1938. About thirty were built.
When the Germans invaded Yugoslavia four of that country’s twelve Do 22Kjs were flew to Egypt, from where they were operated by their Yugoslav crews for the Allies. Another four were captured by the Germans (either in Yugoslavia or Greece) and passed onto the Finnish Air Force.
Engine: Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs twelve cylinder V liquid cooled engine
Power: 860hp
Crew: 3
Span: 53ft 1.75in
Length: 43ft 0.5in
Height:
Empty weight: 5,734lb
Loaded weight: 8,820lb
Max speed: 217mph at 9,840ft
Climb Rate: 13min to 16,400ft
Service ceiling: 29,520ft
Endurance: 1,428 miles
Armament: Four , one torpedo or light bombload under fuselage
Bomb load: