| Do 22 | |
|---|---|
| Dornier Do 22 K in Finnish Air Force | |
| Role | Torpedo bomber and reconnaissance seaplane |
| 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.
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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,[1] 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.[1][2]
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.[2] 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.[3]
During the German invasion of the Balkans of 1941, the Greek Do 22s were destroyed,[4] 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.[5]
The four Latvian aircraft had not been delivered when the Soviet Union occupied Latvia in 1940 and were retained by Germany.[6] In 1942 they were transferred to Finland, being used on floats or skis until the end of the war.[2]
Data from German Aircraft of the Second World War [8]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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