Dornier Do 23

The Dornier Do 23 was a three‑engine German bomber developed in the early 1930s by the Dornier Flugzeugwerke. Conceived as a successor to the Do 17, it first flew on 23 May 1934 and entered limited service with the Luftwaffe in 1935. Built in three main variants – the Do 23A, Do 23B and the final Do 23C – the aircraft featured a low‑wing monoplane layout, a fixed, wide‑track undercarriage and a fully enclosed crew compartment for a pilot, co‑pilot, navigator/bomb‑ardner and radio operator. Power came from three Argus As 10 air‑cooled inverted V‑8 engines mounted in the wing centre section, delivering about 240 hp each, which gave the Do 23 a top speed of roughly 300 km/h and a range of 1,200 km with a typical bomb load of 500 kg. Although its performance was quickly outclassed by later twin‑engine designs such as the He 111, the Do 23 proved valuable as a night‑time trainer, transport and maritime patrol platform during the early years of World War II. Its straightforward construction and reliable engines helped Dornier refine the all‑metal stressed‑skin techniques that later defined the company’s most celebrated aircraft, including the Do 217 and the famed Do 335 aircraft.

Dornier

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