Pfalz A types

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The Pfalz AI and A.II were German reconnaissance aircraft in the First World War .

Development and use

The Pfalz AI was a French Morane-Saulnier L manufactured under license by the Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke in Speyer , a two-seater umbrella decker (" Parasol ") with an 80 HP Oberursel rotary engine. The machines were mainly used in the Bavarian field aviation departments and were very popular there.

An experience report by Feldfliegerabteilung 4b from October 26, 1914 emphasizes numerous advantages over other types of aircraft, such as the easy and quick assembly, the small space requirement in the aircraft tent with plenty of space for spare parts and tools, the high rate of climb and flight, stability and maneuverability as well as the good Possibility of communication between pilot and observer. However, the too narrow space for the observer and the " spitting " of the engine were criticized.

Some of the 60 machines delivered were converted into single-seaters with MG in 1915. A reinforced version Pfalz A II received the more powerful Oberursel UI with 100 HP. The Turkish air force also received 10 Parasols, four of which flew under the command of Captain von Auleck from Baghdad against the Allied expeditionary corps in Mesopotamia . On July 31, 1915, a Palatinate Parasol from Fliegerabteilung 9b bombed Italian positions in the Alps, although there was no official state of war between Italy and Germany.

From 1915 the majority of the machines were withdrawn from the front and used in flight schools.

Technical data Pfalz AI and A.II

Parameter Palatinate AI Palatinate A.II
Construction year 1914
Intended use spotter
crew 2
length 6.90 m 6.85 m
span 11.20 m
height 3.40 m
Wing area 18.00 m²
Empty mass 385 kg 445 kg
Takeoff mass 615 kg 965 kg
air-cooled rotary motor Oberursel U.0, 80 PS (approx. 60 kW) Oberursel UI, 100 PS (approx. 70 kW)
Top speed 135 km / h in NN 145 km / h in NN
Climbing time to 1000 m 3 min
Climbing time to 2000 m 25 min
Armament 1 MG

See also

literature

  • Günter Kroschel, Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1910-18 , Wilhelmshaven 1977
  • Karlheinz Kens, Hanns Müller: The aircraft of the First World War 1914-1918 , Munich 1966, ISBN 3-453-00404-3
  • Greg Van Wyngarden: Palatinate Scout. Aces of World War I, Iowa 2006
  • Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Aircraft 1914-18 , Munich 1959

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Peter Pletschacher: Die Königlich Bayerischen Fliegertruppen 1912-1919 Stuttgart 1978, ISBN 3-87943-576-6 , p. 112
  2. ↑ Pfalz Parasol A 2 - WW I Period TUAF Aircrafts 1 nci dunya savasi dönemi Turk HvKK UCAKLARI
  3. ^ The Mesopotamian Half Flight Diary ( Memento of July 14, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) In: australianflyingcorps.org
  4. ^ First World War (WWI) Planes - Great War Flying Museum. In: greatwarflyingmuseum.com. July 31, 1915, accessed January 1, 2015 .
  5. ^ Greg Van Wyngarden: Palatinate Scout Aces of World War 1. Osprey Publishing, 2006, ISBN 978-1-84176-998-1 , p. 7. limited preview in the Google book search