Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge
Encyclopedia
The Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge (ˈtsepːelin ˈʃtaːken ˌʀiːzenˌfluɡˈtsɔjɡe) were a series of very large bomber
aircraft, usually powered by four or more engines, designed and built in Germany
from 1915 to 1919.
, aided by Robert Bosch GmbH (engineers), the V.G.O. I, (Versuchsbau Gotha-Ost), was built at Gothaer Waggonfabrik
due to lack of facilities at the Zeppelin works, hence the V.G.O. Designator. This large aircraft set the seal on what was to come, with a 42.2m (138 ft 5in) wingspan it was very large by the standards of 1915. Other design traits were: podded engines suspended between the mainplanes either side of the fuselage
, with accommodation for engineers and/or gunners; an engine installed in the nose; tricycle undercarriage
with the aircraft able to stand nose down or tail down onto a tail-skid; a box like tail unit with biplane tailplanes and twin fins with rudders, (some later variants also had a central fin).
The engine installations differed with each aircraft type but generally followed the layout of a single nose engine, usually driving a two-bladed propeller and engine nacelles either side suspended by struts between the mainplanes each housing two engines in tandem, geared to drive single pusher propellers
.
Engine installation variations included;
Construction of the aircraft was almost entirely of wood or plywood with fabric covering
, steel detail fittings and strut
s. The wings were three bay strutted and wire-braced assemblies supporting the engine nacelles, at around mid gap and the single axle main undercarriage units. The square-section fuselage, with curved decking forward of the wings, supported the tail unit and nose twin wheel single axle nose undercarriage and housed the majority of the crew, defensive armanent positions, cockpit, cabin, and bomb load.
The engine nacelles consisted of semi-monocoque wooden constructions, with the paired engines amidships, a cockpit for the engineer and defensive gun position for the gunner either forward or behind of the engines depending on whether a pusher or tractor arrangement was used. Aircraft using push-pull nacelles, i.e. individual propellers for each engine, had no provision for defensive armament, just a cockpit for the engineer amidships.
and France
.
Zeppelin-Staaken V.G.O.II
Zeppelin-Staaken V.G.O.III (a.k.a.R.III)
Zeppelin-Staaken R.IV
Zeppelin-Staaken R.V
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VII
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV
Three R.XIVs were built, serialed R 43/16 to R 45/16, of which R 43/16 was shot down by Capt. Yaille of No. 151 Squadron RAF
.
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI (Av)
Zeppelin-Staaken Type “L” Seaplane
Zeppelin-Staaken Type 8301 Seaplane
Bomber
A bomber is a military aircraft designed to attack ground and sea targets, by dropping bombs on them, or – in recent years – by launching cruise missiles at them.-Classifications of bombers:...
aircraft, usually powered by four or more engines, designed and built in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1915 to 1919.
Design and development
The first Zeppelin-Staaken R-planes were designed by Ferdinand von ZeppelinFerdinand von Zeppelin
Ferdinand Adolf Heinrich August Graf von Zeppelin was a German general and later aircraft manufacturer. He founded the Zeppelin Airship company...
, aided by Robert Bosch GmbH (engineers), the V.G.O. I, (Versuchsbau Gotha-Ost), was built at Gothaer Waggonfabrik
Gothaer Waggonfabrik
Gothaer Waggonfabrik was a German manufacturer of rolling stock established in the late nineteenth century at Gotha. During the two world wars, the company expanded into aircraft building.-World War I:...
due to lack of facilities at the Zeppelin works, hence the V.G.O. Designator. This large aircraft set the seal on what was to come, with a 42.2m (138 ft 5in) wingspan it was very large by the standards of 1915. Other design traits were: podded engines suspended between the mainplanes either side of the fuselage
Fuselage
The fuselage is an aircraft's main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. In single-engine aircraft it will usually contain an engine, although in some amphibious aircraft the single engine is mounted on a pylon attached to the fuselage which in turn is used as a floating hull...
, with accommodation for engineers and/or gunners; an engine installed in the nose; tricycle undercarriage
Tricycle gear
Tricycle gear describes an aircraft undercarriage, or landing gear, arranged in a tricycle fashion. The tricycle arrangement has one wheel in the front, called the nose wheel, and two or more main wheels slightly aft of the center of gravity...
with the aircraft able to stand nose down or tail down onto a tail-skid; a box like tail unit with biplane tailplanes and twin fins with rudders, (some later variants also had a central fin).
The engine installations differed with each aircraft type but generally followed the layout of a single nose engine, usually driving a two-bladed propeller and engine nacelles either side suspended by struts between the mainplanes each housing two engines in tandem, geared to drive single pusher propellers
Pusher configuration
In a craft with a pusher configuration the propeller are mounted behind their respective engine. According to Bill Gunston, a "pusher propeller" is one mounted behind engine so that drive shaft is in compression...
.
Engine installation variations included;
- Paired engines mounted side by side in the nose, geared to a single propeller
- Tractor propellersTractor configurationthumb|right|[[Evektor-Aerotechnik|Aerotechnik EV97A Eurostar]], a tractor configuration aircraft, being pulled into position by its pilot for refuelling....
in the nose of the nacelles, driven by a pair of geared engines in tandem via extension shafts. - Single engines in the nacelles, driving pusher propellers via extension shafts.
- Paired engines side by side in each engine nacelle, driving a single propeller via extension shafts .
- Tandem paired engines driving individual propellers via gearboxes and extension shafts.
Construction of the aircraft was almost entirely of wood or plywood with fabric covering
Aircraft fabric covering
Aircraft fabric covering is a term used for both the material used and the process of covering aircraft open structures. It is also used for reinforcing closed plywood structures, the de Havilland Mosquito being an example of this technique....
, steel detail fittings and strut
Strut
A strut is a structural component designed to resist longitudinal compression. Struts provide outwards-facing support in their lengthwise direction, which can be used to keep two other components separate, performing the opposite function of a tie...
s. The wings were three bay strutted and wire-braced assemblies supporting the engine nacelles, at around mid gap and the single axle main undercarriage units. The square-section fuselage, with curved decking forward of the wings, supported the tail unit and nose twin wheel single axle nose undercarriage and housed the majority of the crew, defensive armanent positions, cockpit, cabin, and bomb load.
The engine nacelles consisted of semi-monocoque wooden constructions, with the paired engines amidships, a cockpit for the engineer and defensive gun position for the gunner either forward or behind of the engines depending on whether a pusher or tractor arrangement was used. Aircraft using push-pull nacelles, i.e. individual propellers for each engine, had no provision for defensive armament, just a cockpit for the engineer amidships.
Operational history
Flown principally by Rfa500 and Rfa501 of the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) on operations, the Zeppelin-Staaken R-planes flew operations over the eastern and western fronts as well as strategic bombing of targets in EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Variants
Zeppelin-Staaken V.G.O.I- The first of the Zeppelin-Staaken R-planes was constructed at Gothaer Waggonfabriek A.G. Initially fitted with three 240 hp (179 kW) Maybach Mb.IVMaybach Mb.IVThe Maybach Mb.IV, originally designated Maybach HS, , was a six cylinder in-line piston engine, originally developed for use in airships, it was also used for large aircraft such as the Dornier Rs.I giant seaplane....
engines, one in the nose and on each in the rear of the engine nacelles, the V.G.O.I was first flown on 11 April 1915. Carrying the registration 'R.M.L.1' it was built for the Kaiserliche Marine and served on the eastern front before being returned to StaakenStaakenStaaken is a locality at the western rim of Berlin within the borough of Spandau. In the west it shares border with the Brandenburg municipalities of Falkensee and Dallgow-Döberitz in the Havelland district. Buildings range from small detached houses in the west to larger 1960s and 1970s housing...
where two additional engines were fitted in the nacelles. During flight testing, after the extra engines had been fitted, the V.G.O.I crashed killing two of its crew. One built.
Zeppelin-Staaken V.G.O.II
- Almost identical to the V.G.O.I, the V.G.O.II serialed 'R 9/15' also served with the LuftstreitkräfteLuftstreitkräfteThe Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
, (Military Aviation Service), on the eastern front and later as a trainer. One built.
Zeppelin-Staaken V.G.O.III (a.k.a.R.III)
- To overcome the low power experienced with the V.G.O.I and V.G.O.II, Zeppelin-Staaken fitted an identical airframe with six 160hp(119KW) Mercedes DIII engines in three pairs, two side by side in the nose geared to a single tractor propeller and two side by side in each nacelle geared to single pusher propellers. After delivery to the Luftstreitkräfte as 'R 10/15', the V.G.O.III was used at the eastern front by Rfa500 (Rfa – Riesenflugzeugabteilung – giant aircraft unit). One built.
Zeppelin-Staaken R.IV
- Built at Staaken after production moved from Gothaer Waggonfabriek A.G., the R.IV although generally similar to the V.G.O.III, retained the paired 160hp(119KW) Mercedes DIII engines in the nose, but was fitted with paired 220hp(164KW) Benz BzIV engines in the engine nacelles driving single four-bladed pusher propellers. The sole R.IV serialled 'R 12/15' carried out operations on both the eastern and western fronts. One built, and the only "nose-engined" Zeppelin-Staaken R-plane to survive to the end of the war.
Zeppelin-Staaken R.V
- Adhering to the same layout as the previous Zeppelin-Staaken R-planes, the R.V differed in having the engine nacelles arranged as tractor units with tandem mounted 240hp (179KW) Maybach MbIV powerplants and the engineers and gunners transferred to the rear of the nacelles. A single MbIV replaced the paired units of the R.IV in the nose. Additional defensive firepower was fitted in the form of the Schwalbenest (swallows nest), a nacelle on the centre-line of the upper mainplane leading edgeLeading edgeThe leading edge is the part of the wing that first contacts the air; alternatively it is the foremost edge of an airfoil section. The first is an aerodynamic definition, the second a structural one....
housing a gunner with a single machine-gun. Serialled R 13/15 the R.V saw service on the western front. One built.
- The first true production Zeppelin-Staaken R-plane was the R.VI. This giant aircraft was powered either by four 245hp (183KW) Maybach MbIV engines or four 260 hp (194 kW) Mercedes DIVa engines. The fuselage was similar to the previous aircraft but the cockpit was extended forward, enclosed and glazed with a gunner's cockpit in the extreme nose. Other improvements included aluminium alloy structure in the triple-finned biplane tailunit, which was built with inverse camber to improve the stabilising downforce. Eighteen R.VIs were built serialled 'R25' to 'R39' and 'R52' to 'R54'. All except 'R30', which was used exclusively as a supercharged engine test-bed, saw service in the Luftstreitkräfte with Rfa500 and Rfa 501 on the western front stationed in the GhentGhentGhent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
area. Air raids on EnglandEnglandEngland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
by R.VIs began on 17 September 1917. Many air raids attributed to Gotha bombers were, in fact, carried out by Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI or R.XIV bombers, with direct hits on the Royal Hospital ChelseaRoyal Hospital ChelseaThe Royal Hospital Chelsea is a retirement home and nursing home for British soldiers who are unfit for further duty due to injury or old age, located in the Chelsea region of central London, now the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. It is a true hospital in the original sense of the word,...
with the first 1,000kg bomb dropped on England, on 16/17th February 1918. St Pancras railway stationSt Pancras railway stationSt Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus celebrated for its Victorian architecture. The Grade I listed building stands on Euston Road in St Pancras, London Borough of Camden, between the...
was attacked the next night. During the campaign from 18 December 1917 to 20 May 1918 the R.VIs of Rfa501 made eleven raids dropping 27,190kg (28tons) of bombs. Eighteen built.
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VII
Zeppelin-Staaken R.VII
-References:*A. K. Rohrbach, “Das 1000-PS Verkehrsflugzeug der Zeppelin-Werke, Staaken,” Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt, vol. 12, no. 1 ;...
- Differing little from the R.IV, the R.VII had a revised arrangement of struts in the tail unit. The sole R.VII, serialled R 14/15, crashed during its delivery flight to the front line. One built.
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XIV
-References:*A. K. Rohrbach, “Das 1000-PS Verkehrsflugzeug der Zeppelin-Werke, Staaken,” Zeitschrift für Flugtechnik und Motorluftschiffahrt, vol. 12, no. 1 ;...
- The R.XIV closely resembled previous Zeppelin-Staaken R-planes differing only in engine installation and details. The five Maybach MbIV engines were arranged as push-pull pairs in the nacelles, with the engineer accommodated between the engines, and a single tractor engine in the nose.
Three R.XIVs were built, serialed R 43/16 to R 45/16, of which R 43/16 was shot down by Capt. Yaille of No. 151 Squadron RAF
No. 151 Squadron RAF
-World War I:No. 151 squadron was founded at Hainault Farm in Essex on 12 June 1918, and was equipped with Sopwith Camel aircraft.During the five months in which 151 Squadron had taken part in hostilities overseas, the total number of hours flown by night was 1443 hrs 26 mins.Sixteen enemy aircraft...
.
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV
The Zeppelin-Staaken R.XV was an incremental improvement to the Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI. This was one of a series of large bombers called Riesenflugzeugen intended to be less vulnerable than dirigibles in use at the time....
- The R.XV also carried on the five engine layout of the R.XIV but introduced a large central fin in the tail unit. Three R.XVs were built, serialed R 46/16 to R 48/16, but there is no evidence that they carried out operational flights.
Zeppelin-Staaken R.XVI (Av)
- When the new 530 hp Benz VI engine became available, early in 1918, Avatik (Automobil und Aviatik A.G.) at Leipzig-Heiterblick were tasked with integrating the new more powerful engine into the R.VI airframe due to the commitments of the Zeppelin-Staaken factory and Aviatiks experience in building the R.VI under licence. The new engines were installed in the nose positions of the nacelles driving tractor propellers, with 220 hp (164 KW) Benz BzIV engines in the rear positions driving pusher propellers via extension shafts. Three R.XVI (Av)s were built; R 49 was completed in October 1918 but damaged its landing gear during a test flight, evidence that repairs were carried out is not available. R 50 was completed after the armistice as a civil aircraft but was scrapped under the orders of the Allied Control Commission. Construction of R 51 was well advanced at the time of the armistice, but was not completed.
Zeppelin-Staaken Type “L” Seaplane
- This aircraft was essentially an R.VI fitted with large 13m (42ft 8in) long duralumin floats. Allocated the serial no. 1432 by the Kriegsmarine (German Navy) the aircraft was wrecked during trials. One built.
Zeppelin-Staaken Type 8301 Seaplane
- In a further attempt to develop a useful large seaplane for the Kriegsmarine Zeppelin-Staaken used R.VI wings mated to an all new fuselage, which incorporated the large central fin of the R.XV, suspended midway between the mainplanes, all supported by floats similar to the 'Type”L”'. Three were built, serialled 8301, 8303 and 8304, of which 8301 was also tested with a land undercarriage, the existence of 8302 has not been confirmed.
Operators
-
- Luftstreitkräfte – Imperial German Air Service
- Riesenflugzeugabteilung 500 (Rfa500)
- Riesenflugzeugabteilung 501 (Rfa501)
- Kriegsmarine – Imperial German Navy
- Luftstreitkräfte – Imperial German Air Service
