| G.VII | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| General information | |
| Type | Bomber |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Gotha |
| Primary users | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Number built | c. 20 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1918 |
TheGotha G.VII was abomber aircraft produced inGermany during the final months ofWorld War I. With thestrategic bombing campaign effectively over, it was intended to be a high-speed tactical bomber with a secondaryreconnaissance capability.
The G.VII was a conventional two-baybiplane design with tractor-mounted engines, and a conventionalempennage with twin fins andrudders. The bombardier's position in the nose of the aircraft that had featured on earlier Gotha designs was removed, and the nose of the aircraft severely truncated and fitted with a streamlined nose-cone. This allowed the engines to be located further inboard than on previous designs, bringing them closer to the aircraft's centreline and therefore minimising the effects of asymmetric thrust in the event of an engine failure. The engine nacelles also featured careful streamlining.
TheIdflieg ordered around 250 of these aircraft, 50 from Gotha and 50 fromLVG, and 150 fromAviatik. At least some of the LVG and Aviatik machines had been completed before the Armistice, with some reaching operational service. One G.VII survived the war to see brief service with the Ukrainian Air Force before being impounded by Czechoslovakia and used by the Czechoslovak Air Force for a short time.
Data from Gray & Thetford, “German Aircraft of the First World War”
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
