Dornier Do 217

Warpaint No. 24
By Jerry Scutts
Hall Park Books, 2000
ISSN 1361-0369
34 Pages
£8.50

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

The Dornier Do 217 was an extension of the Do 17 "Flying Pencil" that has the distinction of being Dornier's last wartime bomber. The sound airframe quickly led the Do 217 into other roles, though, such as night fighter and torpedo bomber. This book does an excellent job of following the path of the Do 217, from its beginnings over England to the end over Germany.

While generally speaking Luftwaffe bombers weren't as colorful as the fighters, the Do 217 carried some interesting schemes, especially the night fighters. In addition to the well-written text there are ample photographs spread throughout the book, including some I've never seen before. Coupled with these photographs are the usual Warpaint profiles in full color. For many of these planes the color option wasn't really needed as many Do 217s were painted black (including the ones flown by the only foreign country to fly the Do 217; Italy). Regardless of that fact the drawings are nicely done and do a good job of showing marking placement. The final addition is a nice set of 1/72 plans in a center section pullout.

With the upcoming release of Revell-Monogram's 1/48 Do 217 this book is definitely a timely one and if you're planning on building that kit, or if you have a bunch of Italeri 1/72 Do 217s in the wings, this is one book that will be a nice addition to your library.