LFG Roland C.II

[Bino]

According to the various online sources I've seen, it entered service around March of 1916 and remained in frontline service until the following Summer.

The engine was a 160 hp (120 kW) Mercedes D III liquid-cooled inline six.  Top speed of 102 MPH (165 KPH).  Ceiling of 13,160 feet (4000 meters).

Handling was reported as difficult - poor visibility while landing and a tendancy to stall - but for its time, it was relatively fast. Primarily used for reconnaissance, it was also used as a fighter escort.  Crew of two: pilot and observer/gunner.

This image depicts one of the first planes Manfred von Richtofen flew in combat, while assigned to Jasta 8...



And here is a photo of a later C.IIa (note straight-tube rollover bar) ...

[Simba]

Ah yes, the Roland C.II, Lieutenant Albert Ball's favourite prey when he was flying Nieuports, because its climb rate and handling was adversely affected by distortion of its thin mainplanes in service.

I reckon either of those will be a while coming to AH WWI; types like the SE5a and Albatros will probably be modelled first, along with a later-war Hun two-seater (DFW, Halberstadt, etc?).

 

[Bino]

Ah yes, the Roland C.II, Lieutenant Albert Ball's favourite prey when he was flying Nieuports, because its climb rate and handling was adversely affected by distortion of its thin mainplanes in service...

Never read that before. Could you please cite a reference? Thanks!   

[Simba]

I'm presently enjoying an utterly idle Christmas away from my library, Bino. I'll look up the ref for the C.II's wing problems when I return to base.

<hoists glass>

Cheers!

 

[Bino]

Good idea, sir!   Happy Holidays! 

[Simba]

Like MacArthur, I have returned. I've looked up the C.II wing problem reference, Bino; here it is:

The main deficiency of the C.II was that the very thin wings tended to distort after any length of time on active service and the climb performance became very poor.

The quote is from page 159 of German Aircraft of the First World War by Peter Gray and Owen Thetford; Second Edition, 1972, Putnam, London, ISBN 0 85177 809 7.

The information that Albert Ball was a great executioner of C.IIs is to be found in Appendix Four, The Combat Record of Albert Ball, of Albert Ball, V.C. by Chaz Bowyer; 1977, William Kimber & Co. Limited, London, no ISBN. Of the total of 67 victories he claimed (which of course include 'driven down out of control', 'forced to land', etc.), 19 were C.IIs and another four were reported as being either C.IIs or Albatros C-type. All his C.II victories were scored when flying Nieuport scouts with Nos. 11 and 60 Squadrons R.F.C.

Happy New Year - cheers!

       

[Bino]

Happy New Year to you, too, Simba!  And thanks!   

Yet more books I need to buy... sigh 

[Chalenge]

Its not wing flexing that causes problems with the Roland CII. The fuselage itself reduces control effectiveness by disturbing airflow across the tail surfaces and the wing gap to wing chord ratio is insufficient which creates aerodynamic interference which in turn causes an increase in stall speed and prevents climbing turns. While approaching the landing area the ground is completely out of view from the pilot and the plane has a high sink rate which requires nearly perfect timing in power and control inputs. Richthofen mounted a single forward firing machine gun above the propeller arc and managed to shoot at least one airplane down (a Nieuport) and his aggression with that setup brought Oswald Boelcke around to ask him to join his Jasta (after Richthofen was too self-conscious or shy to put his name forward as a volunteer).

EDIT: Also Richthofen was assigned to Kasta 8 when he flew the Roland... not a Jasta.

[Simba]

You're right, Chalenge, it wasn't only wing distortion that caused the C.II's problems. To quote Gray and Thetford again:

There was some restriction of downward view, but cut-outs in the wing roots and the arrangement of the stagger mitigated this.

 . . . the designer foresaw that the deep fuselage might precipitate difficulty in ensuring adequate control . . . and it was found necessary to revise the originally triangular-shaped horizontal fins. Still later it was found that the machine lacked directional stability, tending to hunt and demanding constant vigilance from the pilot; subsequent increase in the vertical fin area improved this shortcoming.

And then follows the 'thin wings distortion' quote.

The C.II was a bold and revolutionary design and was probably no worse than most other two-seaters then in service. It was certainly a shapely 'Walfisch'.

 

[Bino]

...
EDIT: Also Richthofen was assigned to Kasta 8 when he flew the Roland... not a Jasta.

My bad: I thought I was correcting a typo!