| W.33 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Reconnaissance floatplane |
| Manufacturer | Hansa und Brandenburgische Flugzeugwerke |
| Designer | |
| Primary users | Imperial Japanese Navy |
| Number built | 491 |
| History | |
| Manufactured | 1918-1919 & 1921-1929 |
| Introduction date | 1918 |
| First flight | 1918 |
| Retired | 1936 (Finland) |
| Developed from | Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 |
| Developed into | Hansa-Brandenburg W.34 |
Hansa-Brandenburg W.33 was a German two-seat, single-engined low-wing monoplanefloatplane, which had been developed byHansa und Brandenburgische Flugzeugwerke duringWorld War I as a higher powered enlargement of the similarHansa-Brandenburg W.29 and despite the increase in size the two types are very difficult to differentiate.[2] Although the W.33 was built in small numbers during the war many license built versions were built after World War I.
TheHansa-Brandenburg W.33 aircraft was designed in 1918 by Dr.Hanns Klemm and began entering German service in late 1918. The first examples were powered with a 190 kW (260 hp) 6 cylinder inlineMaybach Mb.IVa, but 8 cylinder inline 190 kW (260 hp)Mercedes D.IVa and 205–224 kW (275–300 hp) 6 cylinder inlineBasse und Selve BuS.IVa engines were also fitted.
26 aircraft were built by Hansa-Brandenburg, but only seven were completed before the armistice.[3]
Licence production was carried out in Norway byMarinens Flyvebaatfabrikk (Naval Aircraft Factory) who built 24 for the Navy from 1920 until 1929 as theMaake II (or Make II in some translations), andMaake III, as well as oneMaake III for the Army.[4] These had followed theMaake I, which was a licence-built Hansa-Brandenburg W.29.[4] In addition, sixMaake IIs were completed at byNorsk Aeroplanefabrikk (Army Aircraft Factory) when the company initially contracted to build them failed to deliver, although these were later handed over to the Navy, along with four additional newly manufacturedMaake IIIs built atHaerens Flyvenmaskinfabrikk/Kjeller Flyfabrikk, as the Army no longer had any need for them.[4] TheMaake IIIs had some minor detail differences from theMaake IIs.[4] Most were built with 190 kW (260 hp) Mercedes D.IVa engines,[3] although examples built before 1923 were fitted with similar Benz engines developing from 160 to 190 kW (220 to 260 hp).[4] These were normally armed with a fixedVickers machine gun and a flexibleLewis gun.[5] Lamblin radiators were used on Norwegian examples in lieu of the car type radiator mounted ahead of the engine that was otherwise normal for the type.[5] When the final examples were retired from the Navy in 1935[3] two examples were given civil registrations (N-47 and N-48) and briefly used to deliver mail.[4]
In 1921, Finland obtained the manufacturing license for the W.33 and the first Finnish-built example flew on 4 November 1922, as theIVL A.22 Hansa.These were powered by 220 kW (300 hp) inline six-cylinder Fiat A-12bis engines due to shortages of the German engines.[3] This was the first aircraft to be mass-produced in Finland and 120 were eventually built[6] between 1922 and 1925, and theFinnish Air Force would operate the aircraft until 1936.[3] Armament was similar to the Norwegian examples, although two Lewis guns were sometimes fitted. Some of the Finnish aircraft also had their floats replaced with skis.[7]
Japan received a single W.33 as war reparations, and from 1922 to 1925, built 310 examples for theImperial Japanese Navy. 160 of these were built byNakajima and 150 were built byAichi, with minor modifications, including the substitution of the German inline engine with a 160 kW (210 hp) water-cooled V-8Mitsubishi Type Hi engine (a licence-built Hispano-Suiza V-8), and other detail changes to meet Japanese requirements. These were not popular in Japanese service due to inadequate directional control and poor downward visibility from the cockpit, but were flown from thebattleship Nagato for seaplane trials in 1926.[8] By 1927, they were gradually being replaced, and the last examples were retired from military service in 1928, although some of these would continue in civilian service after having been converted with a cabin to seat 3-5 passengers by the Ando Aeroplane Research Studio and Japan Air Transport Research Association.[8]
Latvia received two IVL A.22s from the Finnish Air Force in December 1926, however both were completely wrecked the following March, prompting a major rebuild, which some sources have counted as two additional aircraft having been built.[4] It took until 1928 before they had been returned to service, and they remained in use until 1933.[4]
Finland
German Empire
NorwayThe sole survivor of the type is an IVL A.22 Hansa in theFinnish Aviation Museum inHelsinki.[6]
Data fromHansa-Brandenburg : Aircraft of WWI Volume 3, Monoplane Seaplanes[4]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Avionics
Related development
Related lists
