Dornier Do 335

The Dornier Do 335, known as the “Pfeil” (Arrow), was a German twin‑engine, push‑pull fighter‑bomber developed by Claudius Dornier’s company during the final years of World War II. First flown in June 1943, the aircraft combined a streamlined fuselage with a single propeller at the nose and a second propeller at the rear of the same engine line, eliminating the drag of a conventional twin‑engine layout while retaining the power of two Daimler‑Benz DB 603 liquid‑cooled engines. This arrangement gave the Do 335 a top speed of roughly 770 km/h (480 mph), making it the fastest piston‑engined combat aircraft of its time and allowing it to outrun most Allied fighters. Armament options included a 30 mm MK 108 cannon, 20 mm MG 151/20 guns, and up to 2 000 kg of bombs or a single 1 000 kg glide bomb, enabling both high‑speed interception and precision ground attack. Though only about 300 were produced before the war ended, the Do 335 demonstrated the potential of the push‑pull concept and influenced post‑war designs that sought to maximize speed without sacrificing range. Its innovative configuration and performance cement its place as a milestone in aviation history, illustrating the extremes of late‑war German engineering.

Claudius Dornier

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