Corgi AA38801Dornier Do17Z – 1 Staffel, 1 Gruppe, KG76, Beauvais-Tille Nth, France, Sept 1940

The prototype Do17 was built in 1934 in response to a Lufthansa requirement for a 6-passenger mailplane. However the design was rejected partly due to the slim fuselage which would later give the aircraft its nickname of ‘The Flying Pencil’. However military interest was shown in the design and it was developed as a medium bomber and long range reconnaissance aircraft. In 1937 Do17Es were sent to Spain and saw action in the civil war. Combat experience gained during this conflict shaped the further development of the aircraft and in particular the defensive armament was increased and a new nose added. The new variant was the Do17Z and this aircraft saw considerable action during the Battle of Britain in 1940. This aircraft features temporary white bar identification markings to denote an aircraft of 1 Staffel. Based at Beauvais-Tille in Northern France, the aircraft was used for daylight bombing raids over the British Isles in September 1940.