Do17Ms with Stabstaffel of StG77 during the Polish Campaign

[Larry Hickey]

Hello,

As discussed in an earlier post, work is going forward for the profile packages for Vol I of the EOE Project: the Polish Campaign. According to Balke's "Luftkrieg in Europa, Vol I," as of 1.9.39, the Stab of StG77 had three Ju87Bs assigned, but there was no Stabstaffel with a compliment of Do17M/P recon a/c assigned. However, by the time of the 1940 Blitzkrieg (Western Campaign) a/o May 10, 1940, there was a Stabstaffel of Do17Ms assigned (6 authorized, 5 assigned). In the EOE DB we have a photo of a Do17M with the code S2+LM in markings appropriate for the PC, and certainly taken before mid-Oct., 1939. This suggests that this Stabstaffel component existed at the time of the PC and that this was probably one of the a/c assigned.

As a second part of this question, this a/c appears to have the W.Nr. 432, but it also could be 4112 (a Do17P-1?). Can anyone tell me if W.Nr. 432 is a valid one for the Do17M, and if there are any records of its use or fate?

Regards,

[INM@RLM]

There was only ever a single Do 17M block comprising 200 examples assigned W.Nr 2149 > 2348. These were assembled by the Dornier-Werke GmbH Friedrichshafen at their München-Neuaubing (DWM) plant (final assembly at Oberpfaffenhofen).

From around late-1939 the only foolproof way of distinguishing a Do 17M from a Do 17P is the existence on the Do 17M of the bulge on the nose underside covering the bomb sight. The reason is that from around that time at least some Do 17Ps were re-engined with the same Bramo 323 powerplants as the Do17M. [There is an example illustrated in Lw im Focus Edition 6/2004 page 19, Foto 23 (aircraft with 1.(F)/122 during the winter of 1939/40)]. A side-by-side photographic comparison of the BMW 132 N (factory-fitted to the Do 17P) and the Bramo 323 A (Do 17M) engines appears page 10 of Chris Goss: Dornier 17 in Focus.
W.Nr. 4112 would indeed have been a valid Do 17P Werk-Nummer. [One of 149 Do 17 P-1 assembled by Abteilung Flugzeugbau der Schiffswerft Blohm und Voss at (I believe) Hamburg-Wenzendorf, assigned W.Nr. 4030 > 4178. Delivered Jan-38 to Sep-39 (per Vajda + Dancey, 1998)]