Rare USAF footage of a captured Dornier Do 335 Pfeil with its unique push-pull propulsion system being put through its paces.

The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil ("Arrow") was a World War II heavy fighter built by the Dornier company. The two-seater trainer version was also called Ameisenbaer ("anteater"). The Pfeil's performance was much better than other twin-engine designs due to its unique "push-pull" layout and the much lower aerodynamic drag of the in-line alignment of the two engines. It was Germany's fastest piston-engined aircraft of World War II. The Luftwaffe was desperate to get the design into operational use, but delays in engine deliveries meant that only a handful were delivered before the war ended.

In total, only 37 were built and only one survivor remains, on static display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center at Washington D.C.'s Dulles Airport.

Photo Credits:

In museum : Ad Meskens, CC BY-SA 3.0
In museum #2 : Guinnog@wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
3-view : Kaboldy@wikimedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

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