Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Dornier Do 18

Dornier Do 18

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Dornier Do 18, 1935 bomber/reconnaissance flying-boat.

The Dornier Do 18 was a development of the Do 16 flying boat. It was developed for the Luftwaffe, but Deutsche Luft Hansa received five aircraft and used these for tests between the Azores and the North American continent in 1936 and on their mail route over the South Atlantic from 1937 to 1939. On 27–29 March 1938, a "Do 18 W" established a seaplane record, flying non-stop a straight distance of 8,391 km (5,214 mi) from Start Point, Devon to Caravelas in Brazil. (Wikipedia)

In Luftwaffe service, it was obsolete by the outbreak of the Second World War, but, as the only military flying boat, 62 (58 serviceable) Do 18s equipped a Staffel in each of five Kürstenfliegergruppen (Coastal aviation groups)[8] mainly on North Sea reconnaissance missions. In 1940 some squadrons changed their base to Norway. The vulnerable and underpowered flying boat was soon relegated to training and the air/sea rescue role. In the middle of 1941, only one squadron was still operational on Do 18. The Blohm & Voss BV 138 had superseded the Dornier.

A Do 18 was the first German aircraft to be shot down by British aircraft during the war, when one of a formation of three was caught over the North Sea by nine Fleet Air Arm Blackburn Skua fighter-bombers of 803 Naval Air Squadron flying from HMS Ark Royal on 26 September 1939. The flying boat was able to make an emergency landing but was sunk by the destroyer HMS Somali. (Wikipedia)

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Dornier Do 18.

Only six civil flying boats were completed, the majority of the approximately 148 production boats going to the military for service from 1938. The primary military variants were the Do 18D (three sub-variants to a total of about 75 machines) with 447.5kW (600hp) Junkers Jumo 205D Diesel engines, the Do 18G improved Do 18D with revised armament and provision for RATO units, and the Do 18H six-seat trainer. Do 18G and Do-18H production was 71 flying boats, and many Do 18G machines were converted to Do 18N standard as air-sea rescue flying boats.