Anatra D

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Anatra D
Anatra DS Anasal
Type: Reconnaissance plane
Design country:

Russian Empire 1914Russian Empire Russia

Manufacturer:

Anatra

First flight:
  • Anatra D: December 15, 1915
  • Anatra DS: July 25, 1916
Commissioning:

1916

Production time:

1916–1917 (Anatra D)

Number of pieces:
  • Anatra D: 170
  • Anatra DS: 60-70

The Anatra D and its successor model Anatra DS were biplanes from Russian production used for reconnaissance . Further areas of responsibility were the fire control of the artillery as well as the support of the own ground troops. They were flown in the First World War and, after the October Revolution, also in the Russian Civil War .

technical description

The Anatra D / DS had a rectangular hull in box-wood construction. It had aluminum planking at the front and was otherwise covered with fabric, just like the supporting structure. The upper wing was connected to the lower wing and to the fuselage by I-stems. The entire structure and the normal tail unit were braced. The lower wing had no ailerons. The main landing gear was rigid and had a continuous axle; there was a grinding spur at the stern.

Anatra D were equipped with a permanently installed synchronized machine gun for the pilot and one or two pivoting Colt or Maxim machine guns for the observer. Some aircraft were also given double taxation as training aircraft.

Anatra D

The Anatra-Werke, founded in 1913 by the Italian banker A. A. Anatra in Odessa , specialized in the licensed production of French Farman , Nieuport , Voisin and Morane aircraft before and during the First World War , as the Russian aviation industry initially did not produce its own aircraft types. At the same time, the French employee Elysée Alfred Descamps began developing his own design, based on a captured German aviation industry . On December 15, 1915, the Anatra D (D for Descamps) took off for its maiden flight with a 74 kW Gnôme Monosoupape engine. Officially, she was also known as Anadé . However, this revealed static weaknesses that made a thorough revision necessary: ​​the pilot and observer seats were moved, wings moved backwards and partially shortened, and counterweights were attached. Another prototype was a stronger 81-kW Clerget - rotary engine and the name Dean or Anaclé ( Anaclér ). Factory pilot Jean Robinet had a fatal accident with this type due to the weak wing structure during a test flight.

Nonetheless, series production began with the delivery of the first copy on May 16, 1916. Production ran for a year until the 170th of a total of 700 machines ordered was completed.

From 1919 the remaining Anatra D gradually became part of the school units.

Anatra DS

The successor, known as Anatra DS or Anasal , had been reinforced in its structure and had a shortened upper wing and an elongated fuselage. It first flew on July 25, 1916 with a 118 kW Salmson engine and was quite popular. Sixty to 70 of this type were built and flown by the Russian and later the Soviet air forces until 1920 . 23 copies went to ČSA in 1919 and nine to Poland. Preserved aircraft are exhibited in museums in Prague and Kiev .

Anatras manufactured from February 1917 were given a more powerful Salmson engine and the designation Anatra DSS . Another version with two additional pressure screw engines on the lower wings was called Anatra DE . A copy with a 150 hp Hispano Suiza engine ( Anadis ) was also built.

commitment

In fact, the Anatra D was accompanied by a reputation for instability and top-heaviness. The crews feared that their machines could break apart in the air, especially under the tough conditions in the battle. The lack and wear and tear of aircraft and the insufficient supply of more reliable samples, however, forced the associations to keep the machines in use. In the hands of an experienced pilot, however, the Anatra was perfectly usable.

In April 1917 76 aircraft were in service at the front, the number fell to 40 in June 1917 and by the end of the year all had disappeared from the combat units.

Technical specifications

Parameter Anatra D Anatra DS
crew 2 2
length 7.70 m 8.10 m
span above 11.50 m
below 10.30 m		 11.42 m
height 2.90 m 3.20 m
Wing area 35.00 m² 37.00 m²
Empty mass 515 kg 814 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 865 kg 1164 kg
Wing loading 24.70 kg / m² 31.50 kg / m²
Power load 8.60 kg / hp 7.70 kg / hp
Engine a radial engine
Gnôme Monosoupape 		a radial engine
Salmson (Canton-Unné)
power 74 kW (101 hp) 118 kW (160 PS)
Top speed 132 km / h near the ground 144 km / h near the ground
Rise time 7 min at 1000 m
26 min at 2000 m		 5:30 min at 1000 m
24 min at 3000 m
Summit height 4000 m 4300 m
Range 350 km k. A.
Flight duration 3.5 h 3.6 h
Take-off run 60 m 75 m
Landing runway 90 m 70 m
Armament a movable 7.7 mm machine gun
100 kg bombs		 a rigid 7.7 mm machine gun
a movable 7.7 mm machine gun

photos

  • Artur Antonovič Anatra (1875-1943)

  • Anatra DS Anasal

  • Anatra in the museum, Kiev

  • Replica of an Anatra in Odessa

  • replica Anatra at a Ukrainian exhibition

See also

literature

  • Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi: The planes. From the beginning to the First World War . Falken-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-8068-0391-9 ( Falken manual in color ).
  • Kenneth Munson: Bomber 1914-1919 . 1st edition. Orell Füssli, Zurich 1968, p. 48, 124 ff .
  • Raymond Rimell: Red Star Anatra . In: Wind-Sock Vol. 1 . No. 4 . Berkhamstad, 1985, pp. 21st ff .
  • Raymond Rimell: Anatra DS Anasal . In: Wind-Sock, Vol. 2 . No. 4 . Berkhamstad, 1986, p. 19 .

Web links

Commons : Anatra DS  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Remarks

  1. ↑ According to Munson 1968, p. 125, a total of 205 Anatra D were delivered
  2. ↑ According to Munson 1968, p. 46, the span is 12.37 m