Dornier Do 217 at night and at sea part 3
The new planes did not arouse enthusiasm, the pilots criticized the difficult takeoff and landing of overloaded fighters. Too little power reserve made it impossible to perform sharp maneuvers in the air and limited the rate of climb and acceleration. The high load on the bearing surface reduced the necessary maneuverability in air combat.
In the summer of 1942, up to 217 J also began service in I., II. and IV./NJG 3, where they provided equipment for individual squadrons. These machines were also sent to the combat training unit NJG 101, which operated from the territory of Hungary.
Because the Do 217 J, due to its size, was a good base for mounting four or even six 151 mm MG 20/20 cannons in the battery fuselage, like the Schräge Musik, i.e. guns firing upwards at an angle of 65-70° in the direction of flight, in September 1942 the first prototype Do 217 J-1, W.Nr. 1364 with such weapons. The machine was successfully tested until the beginning of 1943 in III./NJG 3. Production aircraft equipped with Schräge Musik weapons were designated Do 217 J-1/U2. These aircraft scored their first air victory over Berlin in May 1943. Initially, the vehicles went to equip 3./NJG 3, and then to Stab IV./NJG 2, 6./NJG 4 and NJG 100 and 101.
In the middle of 1943, new modifications of the Do 217 H-1 and H-2 night fighters arrived at the front. These aircraft were powered by inline DB 603 engines. The aircraft were delivered to NJG 2, NJG 3, NJG 100 and NJG 101. On August 17, 1943, up to 217 J/N participated in daily operations against American four-engine bombers attacking a rolling bearing plant. in Schweinfurt and the Messerschmitt aircraft factory in Regensburg. Crews of NJG 101 shot down three B-17s during frontal attacks, and Fw. Becker of I./NJG 6 shot down a fourth bomber of the same type.
Aircraft from NJG 100 and 101 also operated over the Eastern Front against Soviet R-5 and Po-2 night bombers. On April 23, 1944, 4./NJG 100 aircraft shot down six Il-4 long-range bombers.
In September and October 1942, four Do 217 J-1s were purchased by Italy and entered service with the 235th CN Squadron of the 60th CN Group stationed at Lonate Pozzolo Airport. In February 1943, two Do 217 J equipped with radar instruments were delivered to Italy, and five more in the next three months.
The only air victory was won by Italian Do 217s on the night of 16/17 July 1943, when British bombers attacked the Chislado hydroelectric plant. Lid. Aramis Ammannato accurately fired at the Lancaster, which crashed near the village of Vigevano. On July 31, 1943, the Italians had 11 Do 217 Js, five of which were ready for combat. In total, Italian aviation used 12 machines of this type.
In the spring of 1943, II./KG 100, which had been operating from the Kalamaki airfield in Athens for almost a year, was withdrawn from combat activity, and its personnel were transferred to the Harz base on the island of Usedom, where the squadron was to be relocated. re-equip with Do 217 E-5 aircraft. At the same time, at the Schwäbisch Hall airport, on the basis of the KGR personnel. 21 was re-formed as III./KG 100, which was to be equipped with the Do 217 K-2.
Both squadrons were to be trained and become the first in the Luftwaffe to be armed with the latest PC 1400 X and Hs 293 guided bombs. cylindrical plumage weighing 1400 kg. Inside there are two heading gyroscopes (each rotates at a speed of 1400 rpm) and control devices. A dodecahedral tail was attached to the cylinder. The length of the balloon with plumage was 120 m. Additional stabilizers were attached to the body of the bomb in the form of four trapezoidal wings with a span of 29 m.
In the tail section, inside the plumage, there were five tracers that served as a visual aid when aiming a bomb at a target. The color of the tracers could be chosen so that several bombs in the air could be distinguished when a bomber formation was attacking at the same time.
The PC 1400 X bomb was dropped from a height of 4000–7000 m. At the first stage of the flight, the bomb fell along a ballistic trajectory. At the same time, the aircraft slowed down and began to climb, reducing errors caused by parallax. Approximately 15 seconds after the bomb was released, the observer began to control its flight, trying to bring the bomb's visible tracer to the target. The operator controlled the bomb using radio waves through the control lever.
The radio equipment, operating in a frequency range close to 50 MHz on 18 different channels, included a FuG 203 Kehl transmitter located on the aircraft and a FuG 230 Straßburg receiver located inside the tail section of the bomb. The control system made it possible to adjust the bomb release by +/- 800 m in the direction of flight and +/- 400 m in both directions. The first landing attempts were made at Peenemünde using a Heinkel He 111, and subsequent ones, in the spring of 1942, at the Foggia base in Italy. The tests were successful, reaching a 50% probability of hitting a 5 x 5 m target when dropped from a height of 4000 to 7000 m. The bombing speed was about 1000 km / h. The RLM placed an order for 1000 Fritz Xs. Due to delays caused by changes to the bomb control system, series production did not begin until April 1943.
prof. Dr. In the late 30s, Herbert Wegner, who worked at the Henschel factory in Berlin-Schönefeld, became interested in the possibility of designing a guided anti-ship missile that could be dropped from a bomber beyond the reach of the attacked anti-aircraft guns. ships. The design was based on a 500-kg bomb SC 500, including 325 kg of explosive, the body of which was located in front of the rocket, and in its rear part there were radio equipment, a gyrocompass and tail unit. Trapezoidal wings with a span of 3,14 m were attached to the central part of the fuselage.
A Walter HWK 109-507 liquid-propellant rocket engine was mounted under the fuselage, which accelerated the rocket to a speed of 950 km / h in 10 s. The maximum engine operation time was up to 12 s, after its operation the rocket was transformed into a hovering bomb controlled by radio commands.
The first flight tests of the hover bomb, designated Henschel Hs 293, were carried out in February 1940 at Karlshagen. The Hs 293 had a much lower lethal force than the Fritz X, but after being dropped from a height of 8000 m, it could fly up to 16 km. The control equipment included a FuG 203 b Kehl III radio transmitter and a FuG 230 b Straßburg receiver. The control was carried out using a lever in the cockpit. Aiming at the target was facilitated by tracers placed in the tail of the bomb or by a flashlight used at night.
During the three-month training, the crews had to master new equipment, such as Do 217 aircraft, and prepare for combat operations using guided bombs. The course mainly covered long-haul flights, as well as takeoffs and landings with a full load, i.e. a guided bomb under one wing and an additional 900 l tank under the other wing. Each crew made several night and groundless flights. Observers were further trained in the use of instruments used to control the bomb's flight path, first in ground simulators and then in the air using unloaded practice bombs.
The crews also took a crash course in celestial navigation, Kriegsmarine officers introduced the pilots to naval tactics and learned to recognize different types of ships and ships from the air. The pilots also visited several Kriegsmarine ships to learn about life on board and see for themselves potential design flaws. An additional training item was a course of behavior when landing on water and survival techniques in difficult conditions. The landing and descent of one- and four-seater pontoons in full aviation equipment was worked out to disgust. Sailing and working with a transmitter were practiced.
Intensive training was not without loss of life, the first two aircraft and their crews were lost on May 10, 1943. Degler crashed 1700 m from the Harz airfield due to the failure of the right engine Do 217 E-5, W.Nr. 5611 crew died, and Lt. Hable crashed a Do 217 E-5, W.Nr. 5650, 6N + LP, near Kutsov, 5 km from Harz airport. Also in this case, all crew members died in the burning wreckage. By the end of training, three more aircraft had crashed, killing two full crews and the pilot of a third bomber.
The Do 217 E-5 bombers, which are part of the II./KG 100 equipment, received ETC 2000 ejectors under each wing, on the outside of the engine nacelles, designed to install Hs 293 bombs or one Hs 293 bomb and one additional fuel tank with a capacity of 900 l . Aircraft armed in this way could attack the enemy from a distance of up to 800 km or 1100 km. If the target was not detected, the aircraft could land with Hs 293 bombs attached.
Since Fritz X bombs had to be dropped from a higher altitude, they were equipped with Do 217 K-2 aircraft belonging to III./KG 100. The bombers received two ETC 2000 ejectors installed under the wings between the fuselage and the engine nacelle. In the case of hanging one Fritz X bomb, the attack range was 1100 km, with two Fritz X bombs it was reduced to 800 km.
Combat operations with both types of hover bombs could be conducted using hard-surfaced airfields and a runway of a minimum length of 1400 m. The preparation for a sortie itself took more time than in the case of arming an aircraft with traditional bombs. Hovering bombs could not be stored outdoors, so they were suspended just before the launch itself. Then the operation of the radio and controls had to be checked, which usually took at least 20 minutes. The total time for preparing a squadron for takeoff was about three hours, in the case of the entire squadron, six hours.
The insufficient number of bombs forced the crews to limit the use of Fritz X bombs to attack the most heavily armored enemy ships, as well as aircraft carriers and the largest merchant ships. Hs 293 was supposed to be used against all secondary targets, including light cruisers.
The use of PC 1400 X bombs depended on weather conditions, because the bomb had to be visible to the observer throughout the flight. The most optimal conditions are visibility over 20 km. Clouds above 3/10 and cloud base below 4500 m did not allow the use of Fritz X bombs. In the case of Hs 293, atmospheric conditions played a less important role. Cloud base must be above 500 m and the target must be in sight.
The smallest tactical unit to carry out raids with PC 1400 X bombs was to be a group of three aircraft, in the case of the Hs 293 this could be a pair or a single bomber.
On July 10, 1943, the Allies launched Operation Husky, that is, a landing in Sicily. The huge grouping of ships around the island became the main goal of the Luftwaffe. On the evening of 21 July 1943, three Do 217 K-2s from III./KG 100 dropped one PC 1400 X bomb on the port of Augusta in Sicily. Two days later, on July 23, key Do 217 K-2s attacked ships off the port of Syracuse. Like Fv. Stumptner III./KG 100:
The chief commander was some kind of lieutenant, I don’t remember his last name, number two was fv. Stumptner, number three Uffz. Meyer. Already approaching the Strait of Messina, we noticed two cruisers moored at a height of 8000 m. Unfortunately, the commander of our key did not notice them. At that moment, neither hunting cover nor anti-aircraft artillery fire was visible. Nobody bothered us. In the meantime, we had to turn around and start a second attempt. In the meantime, we have been noticed. Heavy anti-aircraft artillery answered, and we did not start the raid again, because our commander apparently did not see the cruisers this time.
In the meantime, numerous fragments were banging against the skin of our car.
