Design was initiated in 1938 by the German and Swiss branches, the latter being responsible for the actual construction of the prototype.
The Do 212 was an all-metal cantilever monoplane with fixed wingtip floats and a 343 kW (460 hp) Hirth HM 512-B-0 12-cylinder air-cooled engine which, mounted aft of the cabin, was buried in the fuselage and drove a four-blade airscrew aft of the tail by means of a shaft which could be tilted upward 12° to provide water clearance.
Initial water taxiing trials resulted in the enlarging of the wingtip floats.
A Do 24 was used to tow the Do 212 and it finally flew; however, instability forced the pilot to ditch just after takeoff.
Difficulties were also experienced with the extension shaft, and the cooling of the engine presented a problem.