Dornier Do 22

Dornier · Germany · first flew 1938 · light aircraft

The Dornier Do 22 was a German single-engine reconnaissance and torpedo aircraft designed primarily for export, produced as both a floatplane and a wheeled landplane. It was sold to Yugoslavia, Greece, Latvia, and Finland.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage13.2 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

A clean mid-wing monoplane of all-metal construction with a single inline engine, twin floats, and a glazed observer/gunner position; the Dornier wavy wing fillet and general lines are recognisable as Germanic design of the late 1930s.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Designed in the late 1930s as an export product, the Do 22 attracted orders from several smaller European navies seeking a modern reconnaissance type. Yugoslavia's Do 22 floatplanes served in the brief April War of 1941 against German invasion forces. Greek aircraft also saw action during the Axis invasion of Greece. The type found itself on the wrong side of history given its German origin and the customers' subsequent fate.

Variants

Produced as the Do 22Kj (Yugoslav floatplane), Do 22Kg (Greek floatplane), Do 22Kl (Latvian wheeled version), and Do 22Kf (Finnish floatplane).

Where you'll see it

Operated by the Yugoslav, Greek, Latvian, and Finnish air forces and navies; saw combat briefly during the Axis invasions of Yugoslavia and Greece in 1941.

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