The Nazi aircraft that was faster than the jet age

Wars & Conflicts · Published 16 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Imagine a piston-engined plane so aerodynamically advanced it could outrun almost everything in the sky, except for the first generation of jets. The Dornier Do 335 Pfeil achieved this through a radical 'push-pull' engine layout, solving age-old physics problems before the war even ended.

The Do 335 featured a distinctive push-pull configuration, with one engine in the nose and one in the rear. This design minimised aerodynamic drag, improved roll rates by keeping weight near the centerline, and eliminated asymmetric thrust and net torque, enhancing handling. Safety measures included a ventral fin-rudder to protect the rear propeller and an ejection seat system featuring explosive bolts to jettison the rear propeller and dorsal fin mounts. Despite reaching speeds of around 800 km/h, the Do 335 never saw combat due to engine delays and shifting RLM requirements. By April 1945, only 11 single-seat fighter-bombers and two trainers had been completed.

theme-key: hidden-mechanisms mood-key: awe difficulty-key: 2 topics-key: [aviation-history, world-war-ii, aerospace-engineering]

During horizontal flight, velocities of roughly 800 km/h were achievable.", "The push-pull configuration reduced drag due to a smaller frontal area and kept weight near the centerline.", "A single engine failure did not lead to asymmetric thrust. By the end of April 1945, production had yielded just 11 Do 335 A-1 single-seat fighter-bombers plus two Do 335 A-12 trainers."] canvas-type: "timeline"

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