Dornier Do 22

Do 22

Manufacturer: Dornier Flugzeugwerke
First flight: 1935
Produced: 1938-1939
Number built: ~30

The Dornier Do 22 was a German seaplane developed in the 1930s. Despite good performance, it was built only in small numbers and entirely for the export market. They were operated in the Second World War by Greece, Yugoslavia and Finland.

Development and design

In 1934, Dornier's Swiss subsidiary, based at its at factory at Altenrhein designed a three seat, single engined military floatplane, the Do C3, with two prototypes being built, with the first flown in 1935.

It was a parasol wing monoplane of fabric covered all-metal construction. Its slightly swept-back wing was attached to the fuselage by bracing struts, while its two floats were braced to both the wing and fuselage. It was powered by a Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs engine driving a three-bladed propeller, and could carry a single torpedo or bombs under the fuselage, while defensive armament was one fixed forward firing machine gun, two in the rear cockpit and one in a ventral tunnel.

The first production model, known as Do 22/See when fitted with floats, did not fly until 15 July 1938 from Dornier's factory at Friedrichshafen, Germany, although it did incorporate parts made in Switzerland. While the Luftwaffe was not interested in the aircraft, examples were sold to Yugoslavia, Greece and Latvia. In March 1939, a prototype with conventional landing gear (Do 22L) was completed and test flown, but did not enter production.

Operational history

During the German invasion of the Balkans of 1941, the Greek Do 22s were destroyed, but the crews of eight of the Yugoslav machines successfully evaded capture or destruction by fleeing to Egypt. There they flew under the control of the British Royal Air Force until the lack of spare parts made them unusable.

The four Latvian aircraft had not been delivered when the Soviet Union occupied Latvia in 1940 and were retained by Germany. In 1942 they were transferred to Finland, being used on floats or skis until the end of the war.

Variants

Do 22Kg
Export version for Greece.
Do 22Kj
Export version for Yugoslavia.
Do 22Kl
Export version for Latvia. Not delivered, but eventually transferred to Finland.
Do 22L
Land-based aircraft, fitted with a conventional landing gear. One prototype only.

Operators

Finland Finnish Air Force - four Do 22KI Greece Latvia Yugoslavia - 12

Specifications (Do 22)

Data from German Aircraft of the Second World War

General characteristics

Crew: 3, pilot, gunner and radio operator
Length: 13.12 m (43 ft 0½ in)
Wingspan: 16.20 m (53 ft 1¾ in)
Height: 4.85 m (15 ft 11 in)
Wing area: 45.0 m² (482.2 ft²)
Empty weight: 2,600 kg (5,733 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,000 kg (8,820 lb)
Powerplant: 1x— Hispano-Suiza 12Ybrs V-12 liquid cooled inline piston engine, 641 kW (860 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 350 km/h (189 knots, 217 mph) at 3,000 m (9,840 ft)
Cruise speed: 310 km/h (168 knots, 193 mph)
Range: 2,300 km (1,428 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,500 ft)
Climb to 5,000 m (16,400 ft): 13 min

Armament

Guns: 4 x— 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine guns in nose, ventral and rear cockpit positions
Bombs: 1 x— 800 kg (1,764 lb) torpedo or 4 x— 50 kg (110 lb) bombs

Donald, David (ed.) The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Leicester,UK:Blitz Editions. ISBN 1-85605-375-X.
Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume Six Floatplanes. London:Macdonald, 1962.
March, Daniel J. British Warplanes of World War II. London:Aerospace Publishing, 1998. ISBN 1 874023 92 1.
Smith, J.R. and Kay, Antony L. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London:Putnam, 1972. ISBN 85177 836 4.

Dornier Do 22 Pictures

More aircraft.

Source: WikiPedia