Do 17 related questions

[Boris Ciglic]

As my work on the book "Dornier Do 17 The Yugoslav Story" nears its end I have some questions and hope someone has the answers:

1. In 1938 pilots Schmidt-Coste and Tarnowski and mechanic Schöllkopf ferried Do 17Ka's to Yugoslavia. Does anyone know their full names. Could this Schmidt-Coste be Hptm. Walter Schmidt-Coste which later flew in ZG 76?

2. On 27 August 1941 Luftwaffe aircraft attacked Ismailia airfield in Egypt and destroyed two ex-Yugoslav Do 17Ka, then in RAF service. Any details about this attack?

3. According to GQM records (RL 2 III 1192/130/nr.8, on 11 August 1943 Do 17Z W.Nr.255320 of NASt. Kroatien suffered an accident at Butmir. Such W.Nr. seems a bit strange to me. Any opinion about it?

4. According to some documents, an Croat Do 17E had a W.Nr.4206. Did any Do 17E had such a high W.Nr.?

5. At the beginning of 1943 Germans launched "Unternehmen Weiss" against partisans in Croatia and Bosnia. All air units were subrogated to Fliegerführer Weiss, Major Bucholz. What was his full name?

6. In April 1941 Hungarian AF acquired an Yugoslav Do 17Ka and used it till 1944. In which units did it operate and what was its final destiny?

7. In early morning of 8 April 1941 Bf 110 of II./ZG 26 shot down an Yugoslav Do 17ka near Lipljan, close to Priština - Uroševac road. Any clue who the successful pilot was?
Cheers,
Boris

[Dénes Bernád]

Originally Posted by Boris Ciglic

4. According to some documents, an Croat Do 17E had a W.Nr.4206. Did any Do 17E had such a high W.Nr.?

I have the highest W.Nr. for a Do 17E as '3113'.

As for '4206', I have the following info:

Do 17Z, W.Nr. 4206, Ofw. Erich Ler, 2./Nachtaufkl.St., K7+KK, 05-Mar-43, MIA with crew due to Notlandung after becoming lost and fuel shortage. Rußland, 100% Bruch.

6. In April 1941 Hungarian AF acquired an Yugoslav Do 17Ka and used it till 1944. In which units did it operate and what was its final destiny?

That must be the fugitive airplane, which force landed in Eastern Hungary (Northern Transylvania). While I don't have the unit that particular Do 17Ka was assigned to, it entered active service in Febr. 1942 in a reconnaissance unit.

[Pawel Burchard]

Originally Posted by Boris Ciglic

According to GQM records (RL 2 III 1192/130/nr.8, on 11 August 1943 Do 17Z W.Nr.255320 of NASt. Kroatien suffered an accident at Butmir. Such W.Nr. seems a bit strange to me. Any opinion about it?

2553 would fit into 17Z range

Regards,
Pawel

[Mirek Wawrzynski]

Hi Boris

Do 17 Ka-3 which emergency - force-landed (or by error) on Hungarian territory in Transylvania on 10 IV 1941 was examined by Air Force Experimental Institute, the RHAF out it into service assigning it the code J.101, he served in Long-Range Reccon Squadron in 1942 during Hungary East campaigne towards Stalingrad (on the Don bend).
So far I have seen 2 photos of it, one after emergency landing on the nose, second after reciving the new Hungarian markings (white crosses). It was destroyed by American carpet bombing in 1944 (I do not know exactly when, probably summer 1944-?).

Regards,
Mirek Wawrzyński

[Boris Ciglic]

Thanks Friends,


Mirek, I am not sure that J101 was lost to carpet bombing, I know this happened with ex-Yugoslav Blenheim in Hungarian service, are you positive about it?

Cheers,
Boris

[Mirek Wawrzynski]

Hi Boris
I am not sure I suppose that Do 17 had been lost in one of American attack, I do not exactly rember where I had found this tip. the Blenheim (also ex-VVKJ) also could be smashed by the bomb.
There are about 4 phots of Do 17 in RHAF hands (of course there are more I suppose), so I have seen so far 4.

mw

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Boris,

Do you know of any good 3- or 4-view line drawings of the Yugoslav Do17s? I am trying to establish how they differed externally from German Do17s.

Is your book available yet?

Cheers,

Sid.

[pstrany]

Yes, I am definitely looking forward to seeing this book myself!Paul

[Boris Ciglic]

The best drawings to my knowledge were published in AVIONS more than ten years ago. As our book got bigger and bigger, at an early stage I decided with my coauthor to drop the technical drawings (the same almost happened to the profiles). The main difference between Do 17M and Do 17Ka was in engines and nose section. You'll surely find it easy to recognize all the details when you get the book as there will be plenty of photos and explanations. The book is finished and is currently prepared for print. I estimate that it will be certainly published in two to three months. There are about 200 photos, 32 profiles, more than 160 pages A4.
I will be regulary informing about the progress of it.

[Sid Guttridge]

Hi Boris,

A very belated thankyou for your reply.

What is news on your book?

Cheers,

Sid.