Albatros C.III

Albatros C.III
Role	General purpose
Manufacturer	Albatros Flugzeugwerke
Primary users	Luftstreitkräfte Polish Air Force Finnish Air Force Bulgarian Air Force Lithuanian Air Force

The Albatros C.III was a German two-seat general-purpose biplane of World War I, built by Albatros Flugzeugwerke. The C.III was a refined version of the successful Albatros C.I and was eventually produced in greater numbers than any other C-type Albatros. It was used in a wide variety of roles including observation, photo-reconnaissance, light-bombing and bomber escort. 18 C.IIIs were delivered in August 1916 to Bulgaria. They were destroyed in 1920 in accordance with the clauses of the Peace Treaty.[1]

Like its predecessor, the C.III was a popular aircraft with rugged construction and viceless handling. The most prominent difference between the two was the revised tail, the C.III having a lower, rounded tail compared to the large, triangular tail of the C.I, granting the C.III greater agility. The power plant was either a 110 kW (150 hp) Benz Bz. III or a 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III inline engine and, like numerous other two-seaters of the war (such as the British Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8) the cylinder head and exhaust manifold protruded above the front fuselage, limiting the pilot's forward visibility.

The observer, who occupied the rear cockpit, was armed with 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun. Some C.III aircraft were fitted with interrupter gear and a single forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine gun. The C.III could also carry a bomb load of up to 90 kg (200 lb) in a small internal bomb bay.

Between 1926 and 1927, two Mercedes D.III engined copies were built from saved parts and components of the destroyed aircraft [1] by the Bulgarian state aircraft workshops as the DAR 2 for use as trainers.^[1]

Operators

 Bulgaria

• Bulgarian Air Force

 Finland

• Finnish Air Force

 German Empire

 Lithuania

• Lithuanian Air Force

 Poland

• Polish Air Force

Specifications (C.III)

Data from ^[2]

General characteristics

• Crew: two
• Length: 8.0 m (26 ft 3 in)
• Wingspan: 11.69 m (38 ft 4 in)
• Height: 3.10 m (10 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 36.91 m² (397 ft²)
• Empty weight: 851 kg (1,876 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 1,353 kg (2,983 lb)
• Powerplant: 1 × Benz Bz.III, 112 kW (150 hp) or Mercedes D.III liquid-cooled inline engine, 120 kW (160 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 140 km/h (76 kn, 87 mph)
• Service ceiling: 3,350 m (11,000 ft)
• Endurance: 4 hours

Armament

• Guns: 1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun in observer's cockpit and 1 × 7.92 mm MG 08 in the nose
• Bombs: up to 200 lbs of bombs

See also

Related development

• Albatros C.I
• Albatros C.V
  

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

• Royal Aircraft Factory R.E.8
• Aviatik C.I
• Rumpler C.I
  

Related lists

• List of military aircraft of Germany
  

References

1. ^ Bernád 2001, pp. 24–25.
2. ^ Sharpe, Michael. Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes, pg.28. London, England: Friedman/Fairfax Books , 2000. ISBN 1-58663-300-7.

[1] Y. MIlanov: The aviation in Bulgaria in the wars from 1912 to 1945, Vol.I. Sveti Gueorgui Pobedonosetz, Sofia, 1995 (in Bulgarian)

• Bernád, Dénes. "Balkan Birds: Thirty Five Years of Bulgarian Aircraft Production". Air Enthusiast (Stamford, Lincs, UK: Key Publishing) (94, July/August 2001): 18–30. ISSN 0143-5450. 

External links