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Albatros C.XII

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1917 German reconnaissance aircraft

Albatros C.XII

General information
Type	Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer	Albatros Flugzeugwerke
Primary user	Germany

TheAlbatros C.XII was a militaryreconnaissance aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturerAlbatros Flugzeugwerke.

It was developed as a successor to theAlbatros C.X. The C.XII differed markedly from previous Albatros C-type aircraft by adopting an elliptical-sectionfuselage similar to that of theAlbatros D.V. The C.XII also featured atailplane of reduced area, but it retained the wings of the earlier C.X. The C.X entered service with theLuftstreitkräfte during 1918 and saw active combat during the final months of theFirst World War. Despite the aerodynamic advantages, there was no significant performance increase achieved over the C.X. Examples remained in service until the end of the conflict.

Development

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The Albatross C.XII originated in the desire withinAlbatros to produce a superior aircraft to itsC.X.^[1] The company's design team opted to incorporate the latest advances from contemporary single-seatfighter aircraft, particularly in the practice ofstreamlining. As a result of this focus, the C.XII was a relatively elegant aircraft for a twin-seater of the era; however, despite its well-proportioned and aesthetically pleasing appearance, the refined fuselage did not contribute to any meaningful improvement in performance.^[1] The fuselage was an all-new aspect of the design, which had a natural flow from the airscrew through to the tail unit, which was met via Albatros' distinctive horizontal knife-edge design. The surface area of the fuselage's keel was intentionally minimised.^[1]

The structural elements of the C.XII's fuselage were largely reminiscent of the C.X, comprisinglongerons and formers, the latter having an elliptical cross-section and being composed ofplywood.^[1] A combination of pinning and screwing were used to connect the covering with the framework in compact rectangular sections which permitted it to follow thecontours of the fuselage. Access to the nose-mountedMercedes D.IVa engine, another feature carried over from the C.X, was easily achievable via metal access panels.^[1] The new fuselage design necessitated the redesigning of theundercarriage, the forwardstruts being elongated considerably. In spite of this change, the basic structural design of the undercarriage, which comprised V-section steel tubing and elasticshock absorbers, was akin to that of the C.X.^[2]

To ensure sufficient directional stability during flight, a small plywood-skinned under-fin was present in the vertical tail surfaces; it also supported the tailskid. The surface area of the fixed tailplane was smaller than that of the C.X to enhance fore and aft sensitivity.^[1] This tailplane was braced usingsteel struts to the vertical fin and had a plywood covering. Afabric covering and steel tube framing was used for both therudder and the horn-balancedelevator.^[1] The wings were largely unchanged from those of the C.X, both in shape and construction method. The aerofoilradiator arrangement was also retained.^[2]

Operational history

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The Albatros C.XII only became to theLuftstreitkräfte available in quantity during 1918, and thus was only used in actual combat for under a year prior to theArmistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the conflict.^[2]

Operators

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German Empire

Luftstreitkräfte

Poland

Polish Air Force (postwar)

Free City of Danzig

Police air squadron (postwar)

Specifications (C.XII)

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Albatros C.XIIBaubeschreibung drawing, as issued toIdFlieg

Data fromGerman Aircraft of the First World War^[3]

General characteristics

Crew: Two (pilot and observer)
Length: 8.84 m (29 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 14.37 m (47 ft 2 in) (OAW = 14.24)
Height: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 42.7 m² (459 sq ft)
Empty weight: 580 kg (1,280 lb)
Gross weight: 1,061 kg (2,340 lb)
Powerplant: 1 ×Mercedes D.IVa , 190 kW (260 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 178 km/h (110 mph, 96 kn)
Endurance: Four hours and 20 minutes
Service ceiling: 5,640 m (18,500 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.2 m/s (820 ft/min)

Armament

1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) SpandauLMG 08/15 machine gun
1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in)Parabellum MG14 machine gun for observer

References

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Citations

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^^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^gGrey and Thetford 1962, p. 36.
^^a ^b ^cGrey and Thetford 1962, p. 37.
^Grey and Thetford 1962, pp. 37-38.

Bibliography

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Grey, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1970).German Aircraft of the First World War (Second ed.). London, UK: Putnam.ISBN 0-370-00103-6.

Grosz, Peter M. (2007).Windsock Datafile 126 Albatros C.XII Vol.1. Berkhamsted, UK: Albatros Productions Ltd.
Grosz, Peter M. (2008).Windsock Datafile 129 Albatros C.XII Vol.2. Berkhamsted, UK: Albatros Productions Ltd.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989).Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London, UK: Studio Editions. p. 53.

Albatros aircraft

Early aircraft

MilitaryIdflieg
designations

B type unarmed reconnaissance biplanes	B.I B.II B.III
C type armed reconnaissance biplanes	C.I C.I (OAW) C.II C.II (OAW) C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIIII N C.IX C.X C.XI C.XII C.XIII C.XIV C.XV
D typeDoppeldecker fighters	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII D.XIII D.XIV D.XV
Dr typeDreidecker triplane fighters	Dr.I Dr.II
G typeGrossflugzeug bombers	G.I G.II G.III G.IV
J type close support	J.I J.II J.III

Company
designations

Landflugzeug (Landplanes)	LDD L.1 L.2 L.3 L.4 L.5 L.6 L.7 L.8 L.9 L.10 L.11 L.12 L.13 L.14 L.15 L.16 L.17 L.18 L.19 L.20 L.21 L.22 L.23 L.24 L.25 L.26 L.27 L.28 L.29 L.30 L.31 L.32 L.33 L.34 L.35 L.36 L.37 L.38 L.39 L.40 L.41 L.42 L.43 L.44 L.45 L.46 L.47 L.48 L.49 L.50 L.51 L.52 L.53 L.54 L.55 L.56 L.57 L.58 L.59 L.60 L.65 L.66 L.67 L.68 L.69 L.70 L.71 L.72 L.73 L.74 L.75 L.76 L.77 L.78 L.79 L.80 L.81 L.82 L.83 L.84 L.100 L.101 L.102 L.103
Wasserflugzeug (Seaplanes)	W.1 W.2 W.3 W.4 W.5 W.8 WMZ
Höhenflugzeug (High Altitude)	H.1

v t e World War I aircraft of the Central Powers
Fighters	AEG D.I AEG Dr.I Albatros D.I Albatros D.II Albatros D.III Albatros D.V Aviatik D.I Aviatik C.VI Daimler L.6 Euler D.I Euler D.II Fokker D.I Fokker D.II Fokker D.III Fokker D.IV Fokker D.V Fokker D.VI Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VIII Fokker Dr.I Fokker E.I Fokker E.II Fokker E.III Fokker E.IV Fokker E.V Halberstadt D.II Hannover CL.II Hannover CL.III Hannover CL.IV Hannover CL.V Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 Junkers D.I Kondor D.6 Kondor E.III Naglo D.II Pfalz D.III Pfalz D.XII Pfalz Dr.I Pfalz E.I Pfalz E.II Phönix D.I LFG Roland D.II LFG Roland D.VI Siemens-Schuckert D.I Siemens-Schuckert D.II Siemens-Schuckert D.III Siemens-Schuckert D.IV Zeppelin-Lindau D.I
Bombers and ground attack	AEG DJ.I AEG G.I AEG G.II AEG G.III AEG G.IV AEG G.V AEG J.I AEG J.II AEG R.I Friedrichshafen G.II Friedrichshafen G.III Gotha G.I Gotha G.II Gotha G.III Gotha G.IV Gotha G.V Gotha GL.VII Gotha G.IX Hannover CL.II Junkers CL.I Junkers J.I Rumpler G.I Rumpler G.II Rumpler G.III Siemens-Schuckert L.I Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.II Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.III Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.IV Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
Reconnaissance	AEG B.I AEG B.II AEG B.III AEG C.I AEG C.II AEG C.III AEG C.IV AEG C.V AEG C.VI AEG C.VII AEG C.VIII AGO C.I AGO C.II AGO C.III AGO C.IV AGO C.VII AGO C.VIII Albatros B.I Albatros B.II Albatros C.I Albatros C.III Albatros C.V Albatros C.VII Albatros C.IX Albatros C.X Albatros C.XII Aviatik B.I Aviatik B.II Aviatik C.I Aviatik C.VI DFW C.V LFG Roland C.II LVG B.I LVG C.II Rumpler C.I Rumpler C.IV Rumpler Taube
Trainers	Euler D.I
Prototypes	Albatros C.II Fokker V.1 Fokker V.2 Junkers J 1 Junkers J 2 Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.I

Idflieg C-, CL-, and CLS-class aircraft designations

C-

AEG	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII
AGO	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX
Albatros	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X C.XI C.XII C.XIII C.XIV C.XV
Aviatik	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX
Caspar	C.I
DFW	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI
Fokker	C.I C.II C.III
Friedrichshafen	C.I
Germania	C.I C.II C.III C.IV
Halberstadt	C.I C.II C.III C.V C.VII C.VIII C.IX
Hannover	C.I C.IV
LFG Roland	C.I C.II C.III C.V C.VIII
LVG	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX
OAW	C.I C.II
Otto	C.I C.II
Pfalz	C.I
Rumpler	C.I C.II C.III C.IV C.V C.VI C.VII C.VIII C.IX C.X
Sablatnig	C.I C.II C.III
Schütte-Lanz	C.I
Zeppelin	C.I C.II