The bringing of the Do 335 concept to fruition was not without hindrance and technical challenges. In the autumn of 1942, with detailed designs progressing, the RLM informed Dornier that with the advent of massive Allied bombing raids the Do 335 as currently envisaged was no longer required.

Instead, the aircraft design would be recalibrated as a multi-role fighter of similar performance, and capable of acting as a single-seat fighter-bomber, reconnaissance aircraft, heavy fighter, and a two-seat night and all-weather interceptor variant.

On 7 June 1943, with the growing seriousness of the war situation, Hitler himself intervened to expedite the Do 335 and the Me 262 programs with prototypes of the Dornier already in the process of construction.

On 23 May 1944, the Führer intervened once again as part of the developing Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program) directive. This took effect on 3 July and ordered maximum priority to be given to Do 335 production. As the war situation further deteriorated, development efforts switched from the A-series fighter-bomber to the more heavily armed B-series heavy fighter.

As a consequence, the B-series aircraft were to be represented only by two single prototype machines, the Do 335 V13 (RP+UA) and a Do 335 V14 (RP+UB). Both featured a revised larger nose undercarriage arrangement, a V-shaped armored windscreen, DB 603E engines, an EZ 42 gyroscopic gunsight, two additional 300 litre fuel tanks in the weapons bay, and the armament supplemented by two 30 mm Mk 103 cannon mounted on the inner wing leading edges.

When the US Army overran Dornier's Oberpfaffenhofen factory in late April 1945, only 11 Do 335s had been completed as well as two Do 335 A-12 twin-seat conversion trainers. Another nine aircraft were in various states of final assembly with components and parts ready for 70 more aircraft.

The M 14 aircraft was later handed over to the French. It was flown to Mengen, disassembled, and then shipped to France. On 8 August 1945, Colonel Badré of the Armée de l'Air took-off from Bretigny near Paris to test the aircraft's flight characteristics. After an engine fire the Dornier was repaired and extensively tested by the French Air Force until January of 1949.

This profie was published in my Profile book No 12 as profile No 101.