Dornier Do 19

{{Infobox aircraft

|name =Do 19

|image = File:Dornier Do 19 in flight c1938.JPG

|caption =Dornier Do 19

|type = Heavy bomber

|manufacturer = Dornier-Werke GmbH

|designer =

|first_flight = 28 October 1936

|introduction =

|retired =

|status =Cancelled

|primary_user =Luftwaffe

|more_users =

|produced =

|number_built =3

|unit cost =

|variants =

}}

The Dornier Do 19 was a German four-engine heavy bomber that first flew on 28 October 1936. Only one prototype flew, and it was converted to a transport in 1938. The other two were scrapped.

The Luftwaffe lacked an efficient heavy bomber fleet. Generalleutnant Walther Wever, the Luftwaffe{{'}}s first Chief of Staff, was the most persistent advocate of a German long-range strategic bomber fleet. The Dornier Do 19 was built for the Luftwaffe{{'}}s Ural bomber program under General Wever, competing against the Junkers Ju 89. The RLM Technisches Amt issued a specification for a four-engine heavy bomber. But after Wever's death in an airplane crash in June 1936, Wever's successor, Albert Kesselring, canceled Germany's long-range bomber projects to concentrate on tactical bombers.

Both Dornier and Junkers were competitors for the contract, and each received an order for three prototypes in late 1935. The Dornier design was given the project number Do 19, while the Junkers prototype became the Ju 89.

Design and development

The Dornier Do 19 was a mid-wing cantilever design, and was mostly metal in construction. It had a rectangular-section fuselage and the tail had braced twin fins and rudders, mounted on the upper surface of the tailplane, itself set low on the rear fuselage. This was quite similar to the tail of the contemporary British Armstrong Whitworth Whitley medium bomber. It also had retractable landing gear, including the tailwheel. The powerplant, according to some sources, was supposed to be four Bramo 322H-2 radial engines that were mounted in nacelles at the leading edges of the wings.

Its crew of ten would have consisted of a pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, radio operator, and five gunners.

From late 1935, the poor promised performance of the Do 19 and competing Junkers Ju 89 resulted in the "Ural Bomber" programme being reduced to a technology demonstrator status, with Weaver losing confidence in the designs, with the Bomber A programme for a more advanced heavy bomber with much greater performance launched on 17 April 1936.{{sfn|Hooton|1994|pp=108–109}} The Bomber A project led to the development of the Heinkel He 177.{{sfn|Hooton|1994|pp=156–157}}

The V1 prototype flew on 28 October 1936. After Generalleutnant Wever died in an airplane crash on 3 June 1936, the heavy bomber program lost its momentum, and never recovered. According to the military historian {{ill|Richard Suchenwirth|de}}, one of the reasons for the failure of the Luftwaffe in the air offensive against Britain, as well as for the lack of air support for the operations of the U-boat forces, was the absence of a good, reliable strategic bomber.{{cite book |title=Command and Leadership in the German Air Force |first=Richard |last=Suchenwirth |editor-first=Harry |editor-last=Fletcher |date=1969 |series=USAF Historical Studies No. 174 |publisher=Aerospace Studies Institute: Air University |page=35 |url=

http://www.afhra.af.mil/studies/numberedusafhistoricalstudies151-200.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527230716/http://www.afhra.af.mil/studies/numberedusafhistoricalstudies151-200.asp |archive-date=2013-05-27 }}{{cite book |title=Historical Turning Points in the German Air Force War Effort |first=Richard |last=Suchenwirth |editor-first=Edward P. |editor-last=Kennedy |date=1959 |pages=40–45 |series=USAF Historical Studies No. 189 |publisher=Aerospace Studies Institute: Air University |url=http://www.afhra.af.mil/studies/numberedusafhistoricalstudies151-200.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130527230716/http://www.afhra.af.mil/studies/numberedusafhistoricalstudies151-200.asp |archive-date=2013-05-27 }} By then, however, it was too late to develop the bombers required.

Albert Kesselring, Wever's successor, believed that what Germany required were more fighters and tactical bombers such as the Junkers Ju-88

Also Kesselring and Hans Jeschonnek had suggested to Göring that it would be better to drop heavy bomber projects due to material shortages. Around 2.5 tactical bombers could be built with the same material as one heavy bomber. In May 1937, the projects were cancelled. Erhard Milch recalled Göring saying, "The Fuehrer does not ask me what kind of bombers I have. He simply wants to know how many!"Irving, D. (1973) [https://archive.org/details/IrvingDavidTheRiseAndFallOfTheLuftwaffeTheLifeOfFieldMarshalErhardMilchEN481P. The Rise and Fall of the Luftwaffe], p. 54. London: Cox and Wyman ISBN 0 297 76532 9{{citation |title=Command and Leadership in the German Air Force |first=Richard |last=Suchenwirth |editor-first=Harry |editor-last=Fletcher |date=1969 |series=USAF Historical Studies No. 174 |publisher=Aerospace Studies Institute: Air University |page=36 |quote=The Fuehrer does not ask me what kind of bombers I have. He simply wants to know how many! }}

Therefore, the V2 and V3 prototypes were scrapped. The original V1 became a transport in 1938. The Dornier Do 19 had a disappointing performance: it was slow, carried only a {{convert|1,600|kg}} bombload, and had only medium range. In fact, the whole Ural bomber concept had already been abandoned, not only because the required range was impossible, but also because of inadequate navigation{{Citation needed|date=February 2024|reason=German navigators were incapable of getting this plane to its target and back?}} and bombsights.

Specifications (Do 19 V2)

File:Dornier DO-19 V1 Tech Diagram.jpg

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Aircraft of the Third Reich Volume one.{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=William |title=Aircraft of the Third Reich Volume one |date=2010 |publisher=Crecy |location=London |isbn=9781900732062 |pages=235–237}}

|prime units?=met

|crew=10, pilot, co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, radio operator and five gunners

|capacity=

|length m=25.45

|span m=35

|upper span m=

|mid span m=

|lower span m=

|width m=

|height m=5.76

|wing area sqm=160.2

|aspect ratio=

|airfoil=

|empty weight kg=11865

|gross weight kg=

|max takeoff weight kg=18500

|fuel capacity=

|more general=

|eng1 number=4

|eng1 name=Bramo 322H-2

|eng1 type=9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines

|eng1 kw=533

|eng1 note=for take-off

:::{{cvt|447|kW}} maximum continuous power

|prop blade number=3

|prop name=variable-pitch propellers

|prop dia m=

|prop dia ft=

|prop dia in=

|prop dia note=

|max speed kmh=315

|max speed note=at sea level at {{cvt|18000|kg}}

|cruise speed kmh=250

|cruise speed note= at {{cvt|2000|m}}

|stall speed kmh=

|never exceed speed kmh=

|minimum control speed kmh=

|range km=1600

|combat range km=

|ferry range km=

|endurance=

|ceiling m=5600

|g limits=

|roll rate=

|climb rate ms=

|time to altitude={{cvt|2000|m}} in 30 minutes 30 seconds

|wing loading kg/m2=114

|fuel consumption kg/km=

|power/mass={{cvt|0.13|kW/kg}}

|thrust/weight=

|more performance=

|armament=

1 × {{cvt|7.92|mm|3}} MG 15 machine gun in nose
1 × {{cvt|7.92|mm|3}} MG 15 machine gun in tail
1 × {{cvt|20|mm|3}} cannon in dorsal turret
1 × {{cvt|20|mm|3}} cannon in ventral turret
16 × {{cvt|100|kg}} bombs

|avionics=

}}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book |last=Hooton |first=E. R. |title=Phoenix Triumphant: The Rise and Rise of the Luftwaffe |year=1994 |location=London |publisher=Arms & Armour Press |isbn=1-85409-181-6}}
{{cite book |last = Zuerl |first = Walter |title = Deutsche Flugzeug Konstrukteure |location = München, Germany |publisher = Curt Pechstein Verlag |year = 1941 }}