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First version of Henschel HS-293 missiles hung underneath Do-217 wings, being wireless radio controlled, large protruding rear antenna attached to its rear (this part scratch-built from electrical leads and paint brush bristles). Allies soon found its operating frequency and jammed its communication. Hence, Germans reverted to wire-guided missile control (simi liar to today's anti-tank TOW missiles). Originally, control wire was spooled from the bomber, but missile's rapid movements and wind shear created whip-lash on bomber flight characteristics. Thus, remainder Hs-293 variants had wire spooled from both wing edges for symmetrical effect. Hs-293 cruise missile series - www.russianspaceweb.com/hs293.html
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BTW, although meticulous in painting Do-217 arctic camouflage, a family member walked by - saw the model - and humorously remarked "nice plane with that Amy Ice Cream pattern". Amy Ice Cream is an avant-garde Austin-Texas ice cream shop cantering to niche young professional and university student clientele. Their brand icon is a black-white patched dairy cow. Comment is quite localized for Texas crowd, no different if one proclaimed supremacy of Carvel Ice Cream (New York / New England region), such comments would be lost to Texas audiences. Amy Ice Creams - www.amysicecreams.com
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Rollover : Do-217 frontal view, radar antenna in nose cone is compact version Funkgerat 202 Lichenstein B/C (aka FuG 202) airborne radar system. Defense guns in top canopy replicated with metal pins since it was more sturdy than original plastic parts given model scale. Missile bombers usually vectored to Allied arctic convoy location by either land-based radar stations in Norway, long-rang patrol planes, or U-Boot submarines. Flares would usually be dropped over convoys by patrol planes as bombers approached. However, if illumination was not possible, then bomber crew could rely on FuG 202 for localized close-in night-time attack runs. BTW, Funkgerat (FuG) in German means Radio Equipment referring to airborne radars. Sondergerat (SG) means Separate or Special Equipment in German, usually referring to airborne fighter or bomber weapons systems (ex. anti-tank cannons, auto-firing guns). Lichtenstein radar - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lichtenstein_radar
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Do-217 model landing gears reinforced by gluing metal pins to plastic landing struts. Since canopy had neither external frame nor internal cockpit detail, decided to paint canopy dark grey, then use black decal lines to recreate frame panel lines. These black decals came from decal sheet separator lines.
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WW2 American arctic convoys bound for Murmansk arranged on US Lead-Lease agreement with Soviet Union. Intention was for US to supply war equipment to Soviets in return for military cooperation and future repayment of war material. During US initial WW2 entry, debate ensued over whether Pacific theater should take precedence over European theater in war effort. Lend-Lease - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend_Lease
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By Summer 1942, Pacific region had over 70,000 US POWs under Imperial Japan control, Japan was about to threaten Hawaiian Islands via invasion of Midway Island, Japan was also about to cut US-Australia sealanes with landings on Guadalcanal. Nevertheless, General Eisenhower in European theater argued that Germany must be priority target since it was region where American and European powers can coordinate offensives in western Europe / North Africa regions. US deliveries to USSR - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend_Lease#US_deliveries_to_USSR
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Crucial to this military strategy was Soviet Union regardless of her collusion instigating WW2,  for she was needed to tied down German forces in eastern Europe. As Eisenhower stated "If Russia is knocked out of the war, we all better learn to speak German". (Russia is largest state in Soviet Union, thus often used interchangeably in such remarks). As a matter of history, Germans suffered 75% of her causalities in eastern Europe fighting the Soviets from 1941-1945.
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Thus, there is constant squabble between Americans and Russians over who really won WW2, be it American 6 June 1944 D-Day landings in Normandy-France, or Soviet 20 June 1944 Bagration Offensive which shattered entire German Army Group. Operation Bagration 1944 - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Bagration
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Inset 1 : Final Do-217 evolved into Nachtjadger role (night fighter / night interceptor). Photo depicts Do-217 J-2 with BMW 801 radial engines, still painted in daylight camouflage of green-brown-tan striped upper surface and medium grey lower surface. Derived from Do-217E version with bombardier canopy replaced with solid nose cone packing offensive armaments 4@7.9mm MG17 machine guns and 4@20mm MG151 cannons. Dorsal turret and ventral defensive gun ports with 2@MG131 13mm heavy machine guns. A. L. BENTLEY DRAWINGS MG151 Cannon - http://www.albentley-drawings.com/guns.htm
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Nachtjadger KD+MZ squadron code seems to be a weapons research squadron since it did not up in standard Luftwaffe order of battle listing. Identification codes of units of the Luftwaffe 1939 - 1945 - www.rlm.at/download/codes1e.pdf
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Inset 2 : Do-217J-2 Nachtjadger with streamlined Daimler Benz DB 603A liquid-cooled engines, along with close-up view of FuG 212 FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1 radar and nose armaments. J-2 was first Do-217 version to mount this aerial radar for night-time interception British Royal Air Force night-time bombings of German industrial and urban centers, which commenced with bombing of German city Cologne in May 1942 thru to end of WW2. The Attack on Cologne 31 May 1942 - www.calvin.edu/academic/cas/gpa/cologne.htm
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Final Do-217N version would eliminate  dorsal and ventral defensive gun mounts, reduce crew to 3, and install additional 4@20mm MG151 in upper mid-fuselage section in "Schrage Musik" (upward oblique 70-degree angle) configuration to stealthily attack enemy bombers from underneath during aerial night-time ambushes. Nevertheless, German crews did not like Do-217 night fighter given its sluggish maneuverability (being converted from bomber design and heavily laden with offensive radar/weapons), thus only 360 night fighters of all versions were built from total Do-217 batch of 1,940. Schräge Musik - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schrage_Musik
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Side note, postwar controversy erupted with British night-time bombings of German urban centers, intention was break German civilian morale to sue for peace with Allies, and in-part retaliate for German night-time and V-1/V-2 rocket bombings of British cities. Leading proponent of strategy was British RAF Strategic Bombing Chief Arthur Harris (nicknamed Bomber Harris). However, with WW2 ending, massive civilian casualties inflicted on Germany (ex. 60,000 dead 1943 Hamburg raid, 70,000 killed 1945 Dresden raid) made any recommendation of war medal for Bomber Harris to be un-civilized, un-chivalrous, and un-British. Thus he was lamented in RAF circles as "Butcher Harris". Arthur Harris (RAF officer) - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bomber_Harris
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This is ironic given that WW2 US Pacific Strategic Bombing commander General Curtis LeMay followed similar strategy firebombing and Atomic bombing Japan cities killing civilians in hundreds of thousands (ex. March 1945 Tokyo Raid killed 130,000 people). Yet in postwar years, LeMay established US Strategic Air Command during 1950s Cold War and hailed in American history as major architect to US global military prowess. Such is the cultural difference in WW2 interpretation, but then again old axiom holds true that "British and Americans are one people separated by a common language". Curtis LeMay - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtis_Lemay
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