DFW B types
The DFW BI and B.II of the Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke were multipurpose aircraft of the German air forces and the Austro-Hungarian aviation troops in the First World War .
history
In mid-1914, the designer Heinrich Oelerich from the German aircraft works developed a two-seater double - decker under the factory name MD 14 , which with its curved, backward-curved wings was clearly reminiscent of the " Etrich Taube ", which the DFW had previously known as the "Stahltaube" had also produced. With the machine, Oelerich even set the last pre-war altitude record in July 1914 with 8,150 m. Like the Albatros BI, the MD 14, militarily referred to as DFW BI , had three-legged wings, a chassis with small runners and was powered by a 100 HP 6-cylinder in- line Mercedes DI engine. The muffler was mounted on the right side of the engine, the tank was mounted centrally on the upper wing, and the water was cooled by two H&Z side coolers attached to the fuselage. The observer sat in the front cockpit, with the pilot behind him.
The further development B.II (factory name MRD) showed no visual changes. The aircraft was partly equipped with the more powerful Mercedes D.II and was presumably manufactured from the outset with double controls purely for training purposes.
A total of around 100 of both types were built between 1914 and 1915.
commitment
The DFW BI was together with the Aviatik BI and the Albatros BI a typical representative of the unarmed B two-seater, which the German aviation departments and the kuk aviation companies used on all fronts in 1914 as reliable “workhorses” for reconnaissance and reconnaissance.
Although the BI was ironically called the Flying Banana by the airmen because of its curved wings , it was popular with the crews; it was stable, reliable and had good-natured flight characteristics, but was defenseless against the increasingly common enemy aircraft armed with machine guns. The unarmed DFW B.II was no longer used for front-line operations, but from the outset with double controls, like the remaining BI, it was mainly used as a training aircraft.
Further development
As an experiment, an MG was also mounted on the upper wing of the DFW BI. However, DFW developed the armed two-seater DFW CI on the basis of BI .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | DFW BI – II |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 8.38 m |
| span | 14.01 m |
| height | 2.99 m |
| Wing area | 40.00 m² |
| Empty weight | 650 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 1015 kg |
| Top speed | 120 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 3000 m |
| Flight duration | 4 h |
| Range | 600 km |
| Engine | a water-cooled 6-cylinder in-line engine Mercedes DI , 100 HP |
| Ascent time to 800 m | 10 min |
| Climbing time to 2000 m | |
| Armament | - |
| number of pieces | ~ 100 |
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 ).
- Karlheinz Kens, Hanns Müller: The aircraft of the First World War 1914–1918. Heyne, Munich 1973, ISBN 3-453-00404-3 .
- Günter Kroschel, Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1910–1918. Lohse-Eissing, Wilhelmshaven 1977, ISBN 3-920602-18-8 .
- Kenneth Munson: Bomber. Surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft. 1914-1919. Füssli, Zurich 1968, ( Airplanes of the World ).
- Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Airplanes 1914–1918. Lehmanns, Munich 1959.
- Karl R. Pawlas: German aircraft. 1914-1918. A documentation. Pawlas, Nuremberg 1976, ISBN 3-88088-209-6 , ( Aviation Documents 20).
Web links
swell
Individual references / comments
- ↑ MD = military double-decker
- ↑ cf. http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/aviation%20timeline/1914.htm
- ↑ The two kuk field pilots Rudolf Holeka and Heinrich Kostrba brought back such important intelligence reports with their DFW BI in August 1914 that they made a decisive contribution to a defensive success against the Russians. Both were awarded the Military Merit Cross 3rd Class for their dashing reconnaissance flights.
- ↑ B.II partly with 110 hp Mercedes D.II engine
- ↑ tentatively 1 MG mounted on the upper wing