Hannover CL.III
| CL.III | |
|---|---|
| File:Hannover CL IIIa, Forest of Argonne, France, 1918 (restored).jpg A German Hannover CL.III shot down by American machine gunners in the First World War. | |
| General information | |
| Type | Ground attack aircraft |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Hannoversche Waggonfabrik |
| Designer | |
| Primary user | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Number built | 617 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1917 |
| Developed from | Hannover CL.II |
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The Hannover CL.III was a two-seat, single-bay biplane built by the Hannoversche Waggonfabrik during the First World War for the Imperial German Army's (Deutsches Heer) Imperial German Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte). It was a multi-role aircraft derived from the CL.II, used to escort reconnaissance aircraft and as a ground-attack machine. It entered service early in 1918.
Development
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The CL.III (factory designation Typ 3b) was derived from the CL.II; its airframe was lightened and strengthened to improve performance and it was designed to use the water-cooled 160-horsepower (120 kW) Mercedes D.III straight-six engine rather than the 180-horsepower (130 kW) Argus As.III engine even though most D.III engines were reserved for fighters. In the event most aircraft used the readily available As.III engines. The Argus-engined variant was designated CL.IIIa. The aircraft had redesigned ailerons with aerodynamic balances that overhung the wingtips, a modification that provided greater manoeuvrability, especially at the low levels that it was expected to be operating at in its new ground-attack role as the Schutzstaffeln (escort squadrons) were reassigned as Schlachtstaffeln (battle squadrons). Like the other Hannover "light-C-class", or "CL" designated aircraft designed by Hermann Dorner, it included an unusual tail structure, with two horizontal stabilizers which allowed a wider field of fire for the observer.[1][2][3]
The CL.IIIb was an experimental aircraft that that was used to evaluate the 190-horsepower (140 kW) NAG C.III engine. After the war, a single CL.III was developed into the HaWa F.3, a limousine aircraft with seats for two passengers in an enclosed cabin where the gunner's cockpit had been.[4]
Variants
[edit | edit source]- Hannover CL.III
- Powered by a Mercedes D.III engine.
- Hannover CL.IIIa
- CL III powered by an Argus As.III engine
- Hannover CL.IIIc
- Experimental model of the CL.III, with a two-bay wing.
- HaWa F.3
- A post-war limousine conversion of CL.III aircraft, with a 2-seat limousine cabin behind the pilot's cockpit.
Operators
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- File:Flag of Latvia.svg Latvia (Postwar)
- Latvian Air Force – 2 CL.IIIa[5]
- Polish Air Force – 1 CL.IIIa (1919-1920)[6]
Specifications (CL.IIIa)
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Data from Hannover CL.III;[7] Hannover Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes.[8]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 7.58 m (24 ft 10 in)
- Upper wingspan: 11.7 m (38 ft 5 in)
- Lower wingspan: 11.02 m (36 ft 2 in)
- Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
- Wing area: 32.7 m2 (352 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 760 kg (1,676 lb)
- Gross weight: 1,120 kg (2,469 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Argus As III water-cooled straight-six piston engine, 130 kW (180 hp) (CL.IIIa)
- or 1x 160 hp (120 kW) Mercedes D.III (CL.III)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 165 km/h (103 mph, 89 kn)
- Time to altitude: 3.2 minutes to 1,000 m (3,300 ft)
- 7.1 minutes to 2,000 m (6,600 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 2 × 7.92 mm (0.323 in); one synchronized LMG 08/15 machine gun firing forward, single ring-mounted Parabellum MG 14 in observer's cockpit
- Bombs: 4 × small bombs
See also
[edit | edit source]Related lists
References
[edit | edit source]Bibliography
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