Hannover CL.III

CL.III
	A German Hannover CL.III shot down by American machine gunners in the First World War.
Role	Ground attack aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Hannoversche Waggonfabrik
Designer	Hermann Dorner
First flight	1917
Number built	617
Variants	Hannover CL.II

The Hannover CL.III was a German military aircraft of World War I. It was a two-seat multi-role aircraft, primarily used as a ground attack machine. Like the other Hannover "light-C-class", or "CL" designated aircraft designed by Hermann Dorner, it included an unusual biplane tail, allowing for a greater firing arc for the tail gunner. Until the introduction of the aircraft, such tails had only been used on larger aircraft.

Design[]

Compared to the preceding CL.II, the CL.III had redesigned ailerons with aerodynamic balances that overhung the wingtips, a modification that provided greater manoeuvrability, especially at the low levels that the CL.III was expected to be operating at in its new ground-attack role as the Schutzstaffeln (escort squadrons) were re-assigned as Schlachtstaffeln (battle squadrons). It was also intended that it should use the excellent Mercedes D.III engine, but the Idflieg gave priority for these engines to fighter production, and most CL.IIIs were produced with the same Argus engine that the CL.II had used. The Argus engined variant was designated CL.IIIa.

Variants[]

Hannover CL.III: Powered by a 119-kW (160-hp) Mercedes D.III engine.
Hannover CL.IIIa: CL III powered by a 134-kW (180-hp) Argus As.III engine
Hannover CL.IIIb: Experimental model of the CL.III, with a two-bay wing.

Operators[]

German Empire

Luftstreitkräfte

Latvia

Latvian Air Force - Postwar.

Specifications (CL.IIIa)[]

Data from Windsock Datafile No.23^[1] & German Aircraft of the First World War^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 2
Length: 7.58 m (24 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 11.7 m (38 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 32.7 m² (352 sq ft)
Empty weight: 717 kg (1,581 lb)
Gross weight: 1,081 kg (2,383 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Argus As III 6-cyl. water-cooled in-line Piston engine, 130 kW (180 hp) (CL.IIIa)

or 1x 119.3 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III (CL.III)

Performance

Maximum speed: 165 km/h (103 mph; 89 kn) at 5,000 m (16,404 ft)
Endurance: 3 hours
Service ceiling: 7,498 m (24,600 ft)
Rate of climb: 3.145 m/s (619.1 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,281 ft) in 5 minutes 18 seconds

Armament

Guns: 3 × 7.92 mm (0.323 in) LMG 08/15 machineguns (two ring-mounted in observer's cockpit, one fixed forward)

References[]

↑ Grosz, Peter M, Windsock Datafile No.23-Hannover Cl.III, Albatros Publications, 1990. ISBN 0-948414-27-8
↑ Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd.. pp. 150–153. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.

Bibliography[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hannover CL.III.

Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd.. pp. 150–153. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.
Grosz, Peter M, Windsock Datafile No.23-Hannover Cl.III, Albatros Publications, 1990. ISBN 0-948414-27-8

All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
The original article can be found at Hannover CL.III and the edit history here.

[1] Grosz, Peter M, Windsock Datafile No.23-Hannover Cl.III, Albatros Publications, 1990. ISBN 0-948414-27-8

[Gray-2] Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam & Company Ltd.. pp. 150–153. ISBN 0-370-00103-6.

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