The German aircraft industry excelled in producing efficient aircraft for high altitude reconnaissance duties and pioneered the use of aircraft specifically designed for the ground attack role.
The Albatros C.XII was a German military reconnaissance aircraft which saw service during the late period of World War I. It differed markedly from previous Albatros C-type aircraft by adopting an elliptical-section fuselage similar to that of the Albatros D.V. The C.XII also featured a tailplane of reduced area, but it retained the wings of the earlier Albatros C.X.
The aircraft was powered by a single 260 hp (190 kW) Mercedes D.IVa, inline water-cooled engine. The aircraft's armament consisted of: a single 0.312 in (7.92 mm) "Spandau" LMG 08/15 machine gun, fixed downward, and a single trainable 0.312 in (7.92 mm) Parabellum MG14 machine gun in the observer's cockpit
The Albatros C.XII was a sleek aircraft with clean lines. Despite the aerodynamic advantages of the design, there was no significant increase in performance achieved over the C.X. Examples remained in service until the end of the War.
The Albatros C.XV was a German military reconnaissance aircraft developed during World War I. It was essentially a refinement of the C.XII put into production in 1918. The war ended before any examples became operational, however some found their way into civilian hands and flew as transport aircraft in peacetime under the factory designation L 47. Others saw service with the air forces of Russia, Turkey, and Latvia.
The Halberstadt CL.IV was one of the most effective ground attack aircraft of World War I, relying on its good maneuverability to avoid ground fire. It appeared on the Western Front towards the end of the German offensives in 1918. Karl Thies, chief designer of the Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke, G.m.b.H., designed the CL.IV as a replacement for the CL.II, which was very successful in harassing Allied troops. Purpose of an improved version was to create a superior ground attack aircraft.
The new CL.IV featured a shorter, strengthened fuselage and a horizontal stabilizer of greater span and higher aspect ratio than that of the CL.II. These changes, along with a one-piece, horn-balanced elevator, gave the CL.IV much greater maneuverability than the CL.II. After tests were completed of the prototype in April 1918, at least 450 were ordered from Halberstadt, and an additional 250 aircraft from a subcontractor, LFG (Roland).
As with the CL.II, the CL.IV was powered by a single 160 hp (120 kW), 6 cylinder in-line, watercooled Mercedes aircraft engine. The aircraft was armed with a fixed forward-firing 0.312 in (7.92 mm) LMG 08/15 “Spandau” synchronized machine gun, and a single trainable 0.312 in (7.92 mm) “Parabellum” MG14 machine gun, on a ring mount in the observer's cockpit.
The Halberstadt C.V was a German single-engined photo-reconnaissance biplane designed by Karl Theis. The C.V was built by Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke G.m.b.H. The first flight was in March of 1918, it proved very manoeuverable and superior to other type aircraft in its class. The C.V entered service in late 1918 where it saw limited service with the Luftstreitkräfte during the final months of the war.
The C.V was developed as a refinement of the Halberstadt C.III. The aircraft was fitted with a more powerful supercharged 160 kW (220 hp) Benz Bz.IV engine modified for high altitude flying by raising the compression in the cylinders. Armament consisted of a foreward firing 0.312 in (7.92 mm) LMG 08/15 machine gun operated by the pilot, and a trainable parabellum machine gun operated by the observer. It could also carry up to 110 pounds (50kgs) of bombs. Initially a 250mm camera was mounted in the observer's cockpit floor. An electrical generator driven by the engine powered heated flying suits worn by the crew, and radio equipment.
The design was not without a problematic safety issue. Take offs and especially landings could be dangerous due to the C.V's very short fuselage length and a lack of structural strength in the undercarriage struts. Because of the short fuselage, the aircraft had a tendency to bounce when landing damaging the undercarriage which could collapse and in some cases flip the aircraft over. In spite of this flaw the pilots who flew the aircraft, liked it very much. They were willing to trade off the risky landings for the C.V's excellent flight characteristics and the protection provided by the deep fuselage sides. The design provided a good visibility an field of fire for the observer mounted parabellum machine gun.
Late in the war one Halberstadt C.V was captured in Estonia. The aircraft was modified for use as a float plane and operated by the Estonian Air Force in 1919. A single C.V (S/No. 3471/18) survives at the Musée Royal de l'Armée et d'Histoire Militaire in Brussels, Belgium.
The Junkers CL.I was a ground-attack monoplaine aircraft developed in Germany during World War I. Its construction was undertaken by Junkers under the designation J 8. as proof of Hugo Junkers' belief in the monoplane, after his firm had been required by the Idflieg to submit a biplane (the J 4) as its entry in a competition to select a ground-attack aircraft.
The J 8 design took the J 7 fighter as its starting point, but had a longer fuselage to accommodate a tail gunner, and larger wings. The prototype flew in late 1917 and was followed over the next few months by three more development aircraft.
The Idflieg was sufficiently impressed to want to order the type, but had misgivings about Junkers' ability to manufacture the aircraft in quantity and considered asking Linke-Hoffmann to produce the type under licence. Finally, however, Junkers was allowed to undertake the manufacture as part of a joint venture with Fokker, producing a slightly modified version of the J 8 design as the J 10. Like the other Junkers designs of the period, the aircraft featured a metal framework that was skinned with corrugated duralumin sheets. 47 examples were delivered before the Armistice, including three built as floatplanes under the designation CLS.I (factory designation J 11). After the war, one or two CL.Is were converted for commercial service by enclosing the rear cockpit under a canopy.
LVG C.VI was a German two-seat reconnaissance and artillery spotting aircraft used during World War I.
The aircraft was designed by Willy Sabersky-Müssigbrodt and developed by Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (LVG) in 1917. The C.VI was a further development of the C.V, which Sabersky-Müssigbrodt had made for his former employer DFW. It was lighter, smaller and aerodynamically refined, although its fuselage seemed more bulky. It was a biplane of mixed, mostly wooden construction. It featured a semi-monocoque fuselage, plywood covered. Rectangular wings of wooden and metal construction, canvas covered. Upper wing of slightly greater span, shifted some 25 cm (10 in) towards front. Vertical fin plywood covered, rudder and elevators of metal frame canvas covered, stabilizers (tailplanes) of wooden frame canvas covered. Straight uncovered engine in the fuselage nose, with a chimney-like exhaust pipe. Two-blade Benz wooden propeller, 2.88 m (9.45 ft) diameter. Flat water radiator in central section of upper wing. Fixed conventional landing gear, with a straight common axle and a rear skid. Aircraft were equipped with a radio (morse send only); transmissions were by means of an antenna which could be lowered below the aircraft when needed. The crew had parachutes and heated flying suits. A total of 1,100 aircraft of the type were manufactured.
Most LVG C.VIs were used by the German military aviation in last operations of World War I, mostly on Western Front, for close reconnaissance and observation.
After the war, Deutsche Luft-Reederei (DLR) used several C.VIs to provide mail and passenger transport service. The Polish Air Force used several aircraft during Polish-Soviet war (the first was left by the Germans, another was completed from parts in 1920, and several were bought abroad). Suomen ilmailuliikenne Oy purchased two C.VIs from a Swedish airline in 1923. The company went bankrupt in 1922, but would be a predecessor to Aero O/Y, in turn a predecessor of Finnair. The Finnish Air Force purchased two aircraft. One was destroyed in a spin in Santahamina in 1923. The other was used until the end of 1924. Several (at least eight) were used by Lithuania, two last ones survived until 1940. Three were used in Czechoslovakia, two in Switzerland (1920-1929), several in the USSR.
Today, there are three surviving C.VIs. One is on display at the RAF Museum in Hendon, one at the Brussels Air Museum in Belgium and the one at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris