The Friedrichshafen G.II (factory designation FF.38) was a heavy bomber aircraft that was designed and manufactured in Germany during World War I by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. The plane was used by the Luftstreitkräfte (German Imperial Air Service) for tactical and limited strategic bombing operations.
While the G.I had been a generally successful design it was clear it needed further improvement before it was fit for combat. The G.I was thus developed further into the G.II. The wings now only had two pairs of interplane struts on each side of the fuselage and the box shaped tail unit was replaced by a simple horizontal and vertical stabilizer assembly. Experience with the G.I had shown it to be underpowered and the G.II had more powerful six-cylinder 150 kW (200 hp) Benz Bz.IV engines installed which increased the bomb load. The increase in power also enabled the installation of a second defensive machine gun aft of the wings between the propellers which were still mounted in a pusher configuration. The crew still consisted of three men, a rear gunner, a pilot and a bomb aimer who doubled as a nose gunner.
While the Friedrichshafen G.I remained a prototype the G.II went into production with 35 aircraft being built by Friedrichshafen (18 built) and Daimler (17 built). The G.II saw active service from early 1916 with German bomber units on the Western Front and in Macedonia where it was mostly used for tactical bombing operations. At first these were conducted in daylight but later, as losses mounted, most attacks were conducted at night.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Friedrichshafen G.II.
^Kober, Theodor von; Borzutzki, Siegfried. Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH (in German) (1. Aufl ed.). Burbach. pp. 124–125. ISBN978-3927513600.
Bibliographyedit
Herris, Jack (2016). Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 21. Charleston, South Carolina: Aeronaut Books. ISBN978-1-935881-35-3.
Further readingedit
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 413.
World Aircraft Information Files. London: Bright Star Publishing. pp. File 894 Sheet 47.
January 01, 1970
friedrichshafen, factory, designation, heavy, bomber, aircraft, that, designed, manufactured, germany, during, world, flugzeugbau, friedrichshafen, plane, used, luftstreitkräfte, german, imperial, service, tactical, limited, strategic, bombing, operations, rol. The Friedrichshafen G II factory designation FF 38 was a heavy bomber aircraft that was designed and manufactured in Germany during World War I by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen The plane was used by the Luftstreitkrafte German Imperial Air Service for tactical and limited strategic bombing operations G II Role Bomber Manufacturer Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH Designer Karl Gehlen First flight July 1916 Primary user Luftstreitkrafte Produced 1916 Number built 18 by Friedrichshafen and 30 by Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft While the G I had been a generally successful design it was clear it needed further improvement before it was fit for combat The G I was thus developed further into the G II The wings now only had two pairs of interplane struts on each side of the fuselage and the box shaped tail unit was replaced by a simple horizontal and vertical stabilizer assembly Experience with the G I had shown it to be underpowered and the G II had more powerful six cylinder 150 kW 200 hp Benz Bz IV engines installed which increased the bomb load The increase in power also enabled the installation of a second defensive machine gun aft of the wings between the propellers which were still mounted in a pusher configuration The crew still consisted of three men a rear gunner a pilot and a bomb aimer who doubled as a nose gunner Contents 1 Operational history 2 Operators 3 Specifications FF 38 4 See also 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 Further readingOperational history editWhile the Friedrichshafen G I remained a prototype the G II went into production with 35 aircraft being built by Friedrichshafen 18 built and Daimler 17 built The G II saw active service from early 1916 with German bomber units on the Western Front and in Macedonia where it was mostly used for tactical bombing operations At first these were conducted in daylight but later as losses mounted most attacks were conducted at night Operators edit nbsp German Empire LuftstreitkrafteSpecifications FF 38 editData from 1 General characteristicsCrew 3 Length 11 41 m 37 ft 5 in Upper wingspan 19 7 m 64 ft 8 in Lower wingspan 18 85 m 61 ft 10 in Height 3 65 m 12 ft 0 in Wing area 75 m2 810 sq ft Empty weight 1 930 kg 4 255 lb Gross weight 3 171 kg 6 991 lb Powerplant 2 Benz Bz IV 6 cylinder water cooled in line piston engines 150 kW 200 hp each Propellers 2 bladed pusher propellers Performance Armament Guns 3 7 92 mm 0 312 in Parabellum MG14 machine guns Bombs 300 kg 660 lb of bombsSee also editIdflieg aircraft designation system Aircraft of comparable role configuration and era Gotha G I G II G III G IV G V AEG G I AEG G II AEG G III AEG G IV AEG G VReferences edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Friedrichshafen G II Kober Theodor von Borzutzki Siegfried Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH in German 1 Aufl ed Burbach pp 124 125 ISBN 978 3927513600 Bibliography editHerris Jack 2016 Friedrichshafen Aircraft of WWI A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes Great War Aviation Centennial Series Vol 21 Charleston South Carolina Aeronaut Books ISBN 978 1 935881 35 3 Further reading editTaylor Michael J H 1989 Jane s Encyclopedia of Aviation London Studio Editions p 413 World Aircraft Information Files London Bright Star Publishing pp File 894 Sheet 47 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Friedrichshafen G II amp oldid 1138403529, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
