World War II AircraftThe Dornier Do 217 N-2 was the ultimate Do 217 night-fighter variant; its weight reduced by elimination of all bombing gear and armed with both forward-firing guns and cannon; plus a pair of cannon inclined upwards and forwards in the arrangement nicknamed 'Schraege Musik' ('Jazz Music'). The type had been adapted from the bomber version that itself was a more powerful development of the Do 17 that had become obsolescent by the time of the Battle of Britain; the prototype N-2 was a converted E-1 bomber. The 217 bomber entered production in 1940 and its success led to its adaptation in 1942 as a night-fighter against the RAF's increasingly effective bombing campaign; initially as the 217 J with BMW radial engines and then the 217 N with liquid-cooled Jumos. The N-2 was more popular with its crews than the earlier J and N-1 variants; being much lighter; better armoured; more powerful and with armament made more effective by replacing the MG-FF cannon with the MG151. Its service ceiling of 9.500 metres (31;250 feet) was sufficient to reach heavy bombers encountered at night and its top speed of about 300 mph was adequate to catch them. Its manoeuvrability was adequate but not outstanding; and the type was first supplemented and then succeeded by faster and more effective types such as the Junkers Ju88 G.Illustration (Tim Brown); 2019.