| G.VIII, GL.VIII, and G.IX | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Bomber |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Gothaer Waggonfabrik |
| Primary users | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Number built | c. 90 (mainly G.IX) |
| History | |
| First flight | 1918 |
TheGotha G.VIII,GL.VIII, andG.IX were a family ofbomber aircraft produced inGermany during the final months ofWorld War I.[1] Based on theGotha G.VII, they were intended as high-speed tactical bombers featuring advanced streamlining for their day.[2]
The G.VIII designation was applied to a single machine developed from the G.VII, with a wingspan extended to 21.73 m (71 ft 3 in) and a revised fuselage. A wing cellule was extended by adding an extra half-bay into it. While no further production ensued, the fuselage modifications were retained on the definitiveG.IX. This latter design replaced the new half-bays in the wing cellule with full bays, now bringing the span to 25.26 m (82 ft 11 in). TheIdflieg ordered 170 G.IXs fromLuft Verkehrs Gesellschaft (LVG) to replace theGotha G.Vs still in front-line service withBoghol 3. Probably around half of this number were completed before the end of the war, with at least some of them reaching operational status by that time. Following the war, captured examples served for a short time with theBelgian Air Force.
The GL.VIII was a lightweight version of the G.VIII with a compound tail assembly and auxiliary struts supporting the upper mainplane wing-tips.[clarification needed]
General characteristics
