|
|
The Dornier Do 23 was the last in a series of bombers that started with the Dornier Do P, and was produced in significant numbers, equipping Luftwaffe bomber units in the mid 1920s.
The Do P had made its maiden flight in 1930. It was powered by four engines carried in twin nacelles above the wing, each carrying one pusher and one tractor engine. It was followed by the Dornier Do 11, which was powered by two engines carried in wing mounted nacelles. Although it had some technical problems it was used by the early Luftwaffe. It was followed by the Dornier Do 13, meant to be a simplified version of the Do 11. However it was unsuccessful and only four were built.
The Do 23 kept the basic layout of the Do 11 and Do 13, with a high mounted wing and two engines in wing mounted nacelles. It carried a crew of four, with the bomb aimer in the glazed nose (with an open gun position above), pilot and co-pilot in side-by-side seating in front of the wing and a second gunner just behind the wing (with a dorsal and ventral gun). However the fuselage was made stronger and the wing span reduced, solving most of the technical problems.
The prototype made its maiden flight on 1 September 1934. Four prototypes were built, before production began with the Do 23G. A total of 272 aircraft were built in 1934-36, mostly by the Dornier works at Manzell and Wizmar but also by Henschel at Berlin-Johannisthal and Blohm und Voss at Hamburg-Finkenwerder.
The Do 23G was used by the early Kampfgruppen of the Luftwaffe. The first Do 23 reached Giebelstadt late in 1935 where it replaced the Ju 52/3m bombers of I/ KG 155. It was also used by KG 143, KG 252 and KG 153. The Do 23 was often used to fly over Nazi political rallies. However by the late 1930s it was becoming obsolete, and most moved to training units .
Dornier Do 23G
Engine: Two BMW VI U engines
Power:
Crew: 4
Span: 91ft 10in
Length: 61ft 8.2in
Height: 17ft 8.6in
Empty weight: 14,110lb
Maximum take-off weight: 20,283lb
Max speed: 162mph
Climb Rate:
Service ceiling: 13,779ft
Endurance:
Range: 839 miles
Armament: Three machine guns
Bomb load: 30 50kg bombs or 120 10kg bombs
Aircraft of the Luftwaffe 1935-1945, Jean-Denis G.G. Lepage.
Combines a good background history of the Luftwaffe with a comprehensive examination of its aircraft, from the biplanes of the mid 1930s to the main wartime aircraft and on to the seemingly unending range of experimental designs that wasted so much effort towards the end of the war. A useful general guide that provides an impressively wide range of information on almost every element of the Luftwaffe
(Read Full Review)
