Dornier catapult-launched bomber

[Wurger]

Meet the Dornier P153-02, taken from "Les Avions Dornier", by Pierre Gaillard.
Most probably from 1939, it is an impressive concept of, to my guess, a bomber meant to long atlantic action, according to the size, armament (mind the torpedo complement, I bet 2 Lt5) and especially the more uncommon "katapulthaken"(catapult hook). Was it intended to be launched by one of the Luftwaffe`s catapult ships? Recovery would be a nasty job !

 

[Jemiba]

I would rather think, that it was intended for a land-based catapult system, similar the British
one, which AFAIK was tested using the Avro Manchester. The aim was, to increase the MTOW,
so landing would have been always conventional.

 

[Grey Havoc]

I would rather think, that it was intended for a land-based catapult system, similar the British
one, which AFAIK was tested using the Avro Manchester. The aim was, to increase the MTOW,
so landing would have been always conventional.

Quite possible, although additionally, it may have been also intended to be capable of operation from some of the Luftwaffe's seaplane tenders, the Ostmark for example, with recovery normally at land bases.

 

[Grey Havoc]

Ostmark Launching a seaplane [IMAGE CREDIT: Hazegray.org]​

http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/germany.htm#stin​

 

[toura]

A lot of projects..: Do 144 149 150 151 153 155
all with pressurised cockpit
Some are catapult launched
Bomber...sea rescue ....

 

[Wurger]

That would make sense, a land-based catapult like the ones developed by Ernst Heinkel. I recall seeing one photo.

 

[fightingirish]

I would rather think, that it was intended for a land-based catapult system, similar the British
one, which AFAIK was tested using the Avro Manchester. The aim was, to increase the MTOW,
so landing would have been always conventional.

Here I am again !
Dornier projects:
P144
P149
P150
P151
P152
P155
All of this projects stem from the company`s experiments with pressure cabins using the Do217 airframe. [...]

 

[Jemiba]

Quite possible, although additionally, it may have been also intended to be capable of operation from some of the Luftwaffe's seaplane tenders, the Ostmark for example, with recovery normally at land bases.

Could, of course been a concept for attacking targets too far away for a conventional launch from an airfield.
But those catapult ships could have held two, at best three such aircraft on their way to the launching point.
Hardly enough for a worthwhile attack, I think. And catapult ships were in short supply !

 

[VictorXL188]

As well as the catapult at Farnborough, there was also one built at RAF Harwell, parts of which were only finally buried a few years ago

 

[Luftwaffles]

I would assume this project was developed in anticipation of the "Landflugzeugschleuder" (literally: land-based aircraft catapult) under development at the Forschungsanstalt Graf Zeppelin (FGZ) in Stuttgart Ruit. Unfortunately details on the developments undertaken there are not that plentyful.

I found a document on sale

BESCHEINIGUNG : LUFTWAFFE - KAMPF- UND STURZKAMPFFLIEGER : Deutsches Reich 1871 - 1945 - CA-Collecting and more..., Christiane Arnal e.K.

by the "Ausbildungskommando für Landflugzeugschleuder" dated June 1942 which states that some Oberleutnant Bading (2. KG 4) is licensed to do catapult starts with He 111.

There is also an entry titled " Die FIST-Landflugzeugschleuder Kl 12.- Filmbericht Nr. 6" dated 1944, located in the archives in Freiburg (BArch RL 39/965) but unfortunately it is not digitized as far as I can see.