Halberstadt CL.IV
| Halberstadt CL.IV | |
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| Type: | Ground attack aircraft and escort fighter |
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The Halberstadt CL.IV was a German ground attack aircraft and escort fighter in the First World War in 1918.
history
The CL.IV constructed by the Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke replaced the previous variant CL.II from 1917. The machine was first used as a ground attack aircraft in the great German spring offensive in 1918 . It was able to successfully attack Allied positions in front of the German positions. The bombs were still dropped by hand and the positions were attacked with machine gun fire.
However, the successful role ended very quickly because the aircraft could not reach the speed of modern Allied fighters. Nevertheless, it could hold its own relatively well in aerial combat. However, it was only relatively weakly armed and the Allied ground defense became more and more effective. The Germans decided to use the plane as a night bomber.
After the end of the war, many machines were converted into civil aircraft (for example, postal and passenger aircraft).
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 |
| length | 6.54 m |
| span | 10.74 m |
| height | 2.7 m |
| Wing area | 27 m² |
| Empty mass | 728 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 1092 kg |
| Top speed | 180 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 6400 m |
| Range | 500 km |
| Engines | 1 × water-cooled 6-cylinder in-line engine Mercedes D IIIa , 160 PS (118 kW) |
| Armament | 1-2 rigid 7.92 mm machine guns, 7.92 mm articulated Parabellum machine guns , 4-5 10 kg bombs |
Preserved copies
A Halberstadt CL.IV of the German Museum of Technology Berlin (DTMB) is located in the Military History Museum of the Bundeswehr - Airfield Berlin-Gatow in the exhibition in Hangar 3. Paul Strähle's plane flew until 1938 as a photo airplane for aerial photography.
The Berlin Museum of Technology also has a second CL.IV from the former Strähle airline . This aircraft with the registration D-71 flew from 1921 in the mail and passenger service around Stuttgart . It is in the permanent exhibition of the Museum of Technology and is the oldest surviving German airliner.
In 1984 a Halberstadt CL.IV was restored by the USAF Museum , the DTMB and the National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution . It belonged to Battle Squadron 21 and fought in the Château-Thierry campaign in July 1918 against the US Army's 94th and 95th Aero Squadron.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Peter W. Cohausz: German aircraft until 1945. History, technology and locations of 3100 preserved historical aircraft . 5th edition. Aviatic Verlag, Oberhaching 2015, ISBN 978-3-942645-12-6 , pp. 48 ff .