CHAPTER VIII_Aircraft in war

GERMANY’S AËROPLANE EQUIPMENT

The history of Germany’s developments in aërial navigation on the

heavier-than-air principle during the last few years is the history

of preparation for war. France was, indeed, the first nation to

realise that though there was a war use for the aircraft on the

lighter-than-air principle there would, in time, be no comparison

between the advantages of aëroplanes over airships.

Directly aërodrome performances were replaced by cross-country flights

that gave opportunities for the attainment of those records in

distance, height, and speed which have made the aëroplane the marvel

of the twentieth century, France vigorously attacked the problem

of turning out machines specially adapted for military purposes.

In 1910, France held the position of being the only nation who

possessed military aëroplanes to any great extent, having no less than

thirty-five. It may be noted that in that year the British Government

only possessed seven. It was in October, 1911, that the magnificent

tests carried out at Rheims taught the world the importance of the

aëroplane as an arm of war. It was those tests which woke up this

country to the fact that it was ignoring the greatest military arm of

the future. It was those tests that made Germany, ever on the alert to

increase and intensify her war weapons, determined to leave nothing

undone to set herself in the van of progress! Germany, therefore, set

to study the aëroplane especially from the military point of view,

and determined to build aëroplanes which should embody simplicity,

strength, high speed, and weight-carrying capacity. Early in 1911

Germany could boast of the possession of nearly fifty military

aëroplanes, and from that time forth she has been rapidly increasing

the number. The number of aëroplanes in Germany now available is

variously estimated; it is stated she has 500 quite modern military

aëroplanes, a number of older ones, and about 100 privately owned;

others assert, however, that Germany now has as many as 1,500 in the

country.

In Sir John French’s report, mentioned in the introductory chapter, he

tells us that our own Flying Corps in the present war were exposed to

the shot of friend as well as of foe. As the German aëroplanes have

a more or less distinctive appearance, it seems probable that these

peculiar shapes were not well known to our troops at the beginning

of the war. Such a knowledge would protect the aëroplanes of the

Allies from being mistaken for those of the enemy. The shape of a bird

has been very generally adopted for the German flying machines. The

monoplanes are specially given the form of a bird flying with wings

stretched out and tail distended, the ends of the back portion of the

wings projecting beyond the central part.

The biplane frequently presents in front an arrow-like appearance, and

the upper plane is bird-shaped. It will certainly be incumbent upon

us to ascertain, for the future development of flying machines, how

far the adoption of this natural bird-shape influences speed, etc.

The tables on the opposite page will give some idea of the aëroplane

equipment the Germans possessed at the beginning of the war.

Regarding the various types of German aëroplanes, it must suffice to

enumerate a selection.

THE ETRICH MONOPLANE.

This was the forerunner of the German monoplanes, and very

representative of German type. These machines were first made in

Austria, and are excellent examples of strong, simple, efficient

military aircraft. The wing-shaped supporting planes have upturned

wing tips at the back, which are flexed up and down for the purpose of

lateral stability; the back portion of the tail plane is movable, and

can be flexed for elevating.

Regarding the other types of German machines, Germany appears to have

gone through three stages of construction: 1. The stage in which

the types evolved were chiefly copies of various well-known French

machines. 2. That in which a characteristic German type was produced,

the Taube (dove), a type which possessed many excellent qualities, but

also several defects.

SOME GERMAN BIPLANES.

--------------+-------+-------+--------+--------------------------+-----------

--------------+-------+-------+--------+--------------------------+-----------

L.V.G., 1913 |14·9 m.| 9 m. | 44 m. |Argus or Mercèdes 100 h.p.| 100 km.

Otto |14·9 m.|10·8 m.| -- | 100 h.p. | 100 km.

Albatross |14·4 m.| 9·2 m.| -- |Argus or Mercèdes 100 h.p.| 110 km.

Rumpler Taube | 13 m. | 8·5 m.| 38 m. | Mercèdes 100 h.p. | --

Aviatik | 16 m. |10·8 m.| 43 m. |Argus or Mercèdes 100 h.p.| 100 km.

--------------+-------+-------+--------+--------------------------+-----------

SOME GERMAN MONOPLANES.

--------------+-------+-------+--------+--------------------------+-----------

--------------+-------+-------+--------+--------------------------+-----------

1913–14 | 14 m. |10·2 m.| 35 m. | Mercèdes 100 h.p. | 120 km.

Kondor | 14 m. | 9·8 m.| -- | Mercèdes 100 h.p. | 120 km.

(Hirth Type)|14·6 m.| 10 m. | 35 m. | Mercèdes 100 h.p. | 105 km.

Etrich Taube |14·3 m.|9·85 m.| 38 m. |Argus or Mercèdes 100 h.p.| 105 km.

Gotha Taube |14·4 m.|10·2 m.| -- |Argus or Mercèdes 100 h.p.| 100 km.

--------------+-------+-------+--------+--------------------------+-----------

3. That in which the indifferent qualities of the characteristic type

were removed.

Of the first type may be mentioned the Euler, which is a modification

of the Voisin; the Otto, which embodies the H. Farman principles; the

D.F.W. (Deutsche Flüggen Werk); some of these are practically H. and M.

Farman biplanes. They also include a rapid type, called Mars biplanes,

in which the main surfaces are shaped like those of the famous Nieuport

machine.

Amongst the more distinctive machines are

THE AVIATIK BIPLANE.

This is one of the most noticeable of German machines. A special

feature is the space provided in the front part of the fuselage, which

gives the observer every opportunity of free movement for scouting,

writing, photographing, and throwing bombs. The vital parts and front

are well fortified with a metallic “capot,” and the rest of the

fuselage is also armoured. The rapid erection and dismantling of

this machine has been especially well planned. The supporting surface

consists of two planes of unequal dimensions, the upper one being

the larger. Each is divided into two sections fixed independently

on the fuselage. The planes are coated with a liquid to render them

incombustible. The longitudinal stability is assured by a fixed plane

prolonged by a rudder for controlling the vertical movements. Two large

“ailerons” at the back of the upper planes are provided for lateral

stability.

[Illustration:

[_Topical Press._

A RUMPLER MONOPLANE (A TAUBE),

showing the distinctive bird shape so affected by the German monoplane

makers.]

Steering is effected by a vertical rudder placed between the two

portions of the horizontal plane rudder. The dimensions of one type of

the Aviatik can be seen in the table of types of German aëroplanes.

THE RUMPLER MONOPLANE.

In this, as in all the Taube flying machines, the wings are in the

shape of a dove or pigeon. The end of the wings are flexible. The

stability of the apparatus is assured both by the shape of the wings

and their flexibility. It is at once a combination of the inherent

stability type and that depending on the warping of surfaces; the

advisability of blending the principles is one practice alone can

decide. In some of the Rumpler monoplanes, instead of the ends of the

wings being flexible, there are “ailerons” attached.

THE RUMPLER BIPLANE.

This biplane with the Aviatik is remarkable for the amount of space

provided for pilot and observer. The fuselage is protected in front

with aluminium. The upper plane is not made to join in the centre, as

in most German machines; instead, there is a short immovable central

plane, which is permanently attached to the fuselage by four tubes; to

the ends of this central plane, on either side, the other planes are

fixed.

THE ALBATROSS.

This is a successful and much used German type, made at Johannisthal,

near Berlin; about two hundred of these machines were made in 1913.

The German Government have a great number of Albatross biplanes and

monoplanes (Taube), and also several Albatross waterplanes. There

appear to be four improved Albatross types for this year, two of them

biplanes, one waterplane, and one monoplane (Taube), all with Mercèdes

100 h.p. motors, capable of attaining a maximum speed of 65 to 68

m.p.h. The biplane types are just over 26 feet in length, while the

waterplane and monoplane average 29¼ feet.

The Germans have not favoured rotary engines and have almost

exclusively adopted those with stationary cylinders, but an exception

has been made in the case of the Sommer arrow-shaped biplane.

Another feature of German machines is that they are all, with one

exception, double seated, the extra swiftly dashing scouting monoplane

does not seem to appeal to the German. We find, however, one exception

to the rule: the Argo type of monoplane is a one-seated machine. It

has a span of 9 metres, surface of 15 square metres, and speed of 130

kilometres per hour.

A feature of aviation in Germany during the last few years of peace has

been the night flights. For these, they have made special provision

in the shape of aërial lighthouses, scattered all over the country.

Some of these are electrically lighted, others by acetylene; some

are “Morse” fires; some are fixed, others revolve, and the nature of

the light has a distinct meaning, such as “near is a high tower to

be avoided,” and so on. Germany is alone amongst the nations in her

appreciation of the necessity of aërial lighthouses.

Round Berlin there are six such stations at, respectively: Nauen,

Döberitz, Tegel, Reinickendorf, Linderberg, and Johannisthal; and there

are also aërial lighthouses at the following places:--Königsberg,

Posen, Liegnitz, Dresden, Belgern, Eilvese, Gotha, Weimar,

Schleissheim, Strasbourg, Grosser-Feldberg, Berncastel-Cues, Metz, and

Bonn.

Besides building aircraft on the lighter-than-air principle, Germany

has not been idle in their use during the last few years of peace.

She has German military flying schools, seventeen in number. They are

as follows, arranged alphabetically:--Darmstadt, Döberitz, Freiburg,

Germersheim, Graudenz, Hannover, Güterbog, Köln (Cologne), Königsberg,

Metz, München-Oberschleissheim, München-Oberwiesenfeld, Posen,

Saarbrücken, Schneidemühl, Strasbourg, and Zeithain.

There are three naval flying schools, at Kiel, Danzig, and

Wilhelmshaven, and about three dozen seaplanes, mainly

biplanes--Rumpler, Albatross, Curtiss, etc.

There are also in Germany no less than eighty-eight civilian

aëronautical bodies, many of whom possess flying grounds, and there

must be at least between thirty and forty of these private flying

grounds, in addition to those of the military schools.

M. Raoul Volens, in his lucid articles, has pointed out how Germany,

who was in 1911 so much behind France, has been able to produce by

1914 an equipment that rivals hers. He points out that in the Imperial

manœuvres of 1911 it was with difficulty that Germany could produce

eight aëroplanes; in 1912 she produced eight squadrons; at the end of

that year 230 certificates had been granted to pilots by the German

Aëro Club; in 1913 the number was 600; in 1912 the number of flying

machine manufacturing firms was twenty; there were fifty in 1913. The

number of flights made in Germany in 1911 was 7,489; in 1912, 17,651;

in 1913 it was 36,817.

In 1911, the total duration of flights was 821 hours 41 minutes; in

1912, 1,966 hours 3 minutes; in 1913, 4,096 hours 48 minutes.

The progress made appears to have been largely due to the efforts of

the German National Aërial League, which collected 7,234,506 marks,

to be spent on aëronautical development in a few months’ time. The

Council of the League made a very practical plan for acquiring a large

number of pilots, and at the same time developing the most efficient

class of machine possible. They left the training of the pilots to the

manufacturers, giving them grants for each qualified pilot they had

trained.

They also adopted the plan of giving premiums to pilots who

accomplished certain practical flights of the nature of what would be

required in war. For instance, if a pilot flew for an hour without

a drop, he received 1,000 marks; if he made the flight outside an

aërodrome, and was accompanied by a passenger, he received an

additional prize of 500 marks; for a flight of over six hours, a

monthly sum of 2,000 marks was given to a pilot who flew the longest

distance without descending for as long as he held the record.

Regarding the development of aëronautics in Germany, it is interesting

to note that just before the present war broke out two world records,

those of height and duration of flight, were won by Germans; up to this

year they had been held by France. These were the last victories of

peace! On July 14th last Herr Oelerich rose from Leipzig-Lindenthal at

3.45 in the morning on a D.F.W. biplane, military type, furnished with

a Mercèdes motor of 100 h.p., and attained an altitude of 8,150 metres.

On July 10th last, Rheinold Boehm rose from the Johannisthal Aërodrome

at 5.54 a.m. on an Albatross biplane of military type, furnished with

a Mercèdes motor of 75 h.p. He flew round about Berlin. During the

night-time the aërial lighthouses indicated to him his whereabouts.

He did not touch the earth till 6.12 p.m., having been in the air

for twenty-four hours and twelve minutes. It is curious to note in

what regular progress the records of duration had been won this year.

On February 4th the German Langer flew continuously for 14 hours 7

minutes. On February 7th the German Langer had flown for 16 hours 20

minutes. On April 8th the Frenchman Poulet had flown for 16 hours 28

minutes. On June 22nd and 23rd the German Basser wrested the record

away from Poulet, and accomplished 18 hours 12 minutes. Then the German

Landmann on June 27th and 28th beat his countryman with the record of

21 hours 50 minutes. Then came the final exploit of Boehm, which has

been recorded above.