Do 17z-2 - quick question

[BikingLampy]

Hi,

 

I've just started building a 1/72 ICM Dornier Do 17z-2. Planning on doing F1+BL of KG76, France, 1940. (to go with the Airfix HE-111 P2 already built and the Revell BoB Ju88 still hiding under my desk)

 

The kit comes with options of a full bomb load or an extra fuel tank that occupies half the bomb bay. Which would have been most appropriate for this 'plane? I'm guessing all the bombs, as it's not that big a journey across the channel, although I understand loiter time over London was still minimal?

 

Thank y'all!

 

BL

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello

I understand extra fuel tank was installed mostly in reconnaissance machines. Do 17 Z-2 had a maximum bomb load of 1000 kg, but that limited aircraft's operational range to mere 320 km. To allow full fuel tanks, up to 500 kg of bombs had been carried usually. I am not familiar with ICM kit and bombs that it includes, but two SC250 in a bomb bay sound like safe option to me. Cheers

Jure

[BikingLampy]

Thanks - the kit comes with what appears to be 20x 50kg bombs, which would make the 1000kg payload

[Jure Miljevic]

Hello BL

I dug a bit deeper and found information that confirm your original assumption. According to Alfred Price, during the battle of Britain Dorniers carried full bomb load on missions over southern England. I./KG 76 raided this area frequently. In Chris Goss' book Dornier Do 17 units of WW II (Osprey) it is mentioned, that on 5-6 August night mission Leutnant Erwin Moll from 3./KG 76 took off to bomb fuel storage at Port Victoria on Isle of Grain. He was unable to locate the primary target, so he dropped twenty 50-kg bombs on nearby searchlights. Who knows, perhaps Leutnant Moll had even been flying F1+BL on that night. Cheers

Jure

Edited May 2, 2021 by Jure Miljevic
spelling

[BikingLampy]

Oh - that's top info @Jure Miljevic. Thanks very much. 20x 50kgs it is then!

[Paws4thot]

It's not even like every Luftwaffe mission over England went as far as London; some attacked targets in the Channel Coast counties (mostly Kent and Sussex) as portrayed in the film Battle of Britain. (The reason the Spanish AF's Hispanoschmitts and CASA 111s played the Luftwaffe was being a source of a useful number of both fighter and bomber types that look more or less right. Similarly, the lack of any Do-17s, Ju-88s and Boulton Paul Defiants was partly lack of flying aircraft (original or replica)).