What type of German aircraft (3)

[Toxisch]

Hello,

While doing research in order to make an inventory of German aircraft transferred as war payment to Belgium, I came across some interesting pictures taken at Wilrijk airfield near Antwerp at the end of WWI. Several aircraft and airframes were abandoned here and I would like some help with the exact identification of the several types.
I have cut one particular picture in two different images so that I can make them larger:





Best regards,

Daniel
Belgian Aviation History Association

[John McKenzie]

Top Photo ......
#1.Far Right is a SSW DIV ...
#2, & Left of this of course is Albatros DVa fuselage .
#3 a 2 seater LVG CV ...
#4 is a Fokker DVII fuselage .......
* [ Just to the right of this DVII nose , in the background , is the Fin/Rudder of a DFW CV ].
Also ..
* [ Just above the motor of the Fokker D VII #4 can be seen the wings and front body of another SSW D IV , the Fin /Rudder being visible to the right, and above the pilots cockpit of #3 LVG CV ]......
Also..
* [ the top wing centre section of another Halberstadt CL II can be seen in the middle of the picture , just above the nose/motor of the next #5 LVG CV below ]
#5 is a third LVG CV ..
#6 is a Sablatnig C I ...
#7 You possibly just can see the rear fuselage & rear decking of another Fokker D VII ....
#8..I cant quite make out the shape of the last machine #8 , on the far Left side of the picture ........

I have no Idea of the names of the little boys !!.

There could be something between #5 & #6..( pos an LVG C V from the " Cabane & Radiator , but not able to see too much ).

Interesting note ...#6.Sablatnig CI ..only a couple or so have previously been known to have been built , however ,(7700/17 &/to 7702/17.)your machine seems to have the serial No **99/17 on its side , indicating that there were more than that nomber built than previously thought ..( It was the predecessor to the NI ).night bomber of 1918 ..but this didnt have the horn ballenced rudder of the earlier CI ) ..CI has a Argus As III motor .

John M

[John McKenzie]

Far Right is a SSW DIV ,..say #1 ...Over on the far Left where the 4 boys are standing , almost out of the picture is the Rh end of the wing /Ailerons for another SSW DIV ....Middle to Left ,and slightly behind is a Halberstadt CL II ( With the little white Lion insignia on its side )...Again towards the back is , I believe to be an Albatros D II ( With the number 14 painted on its side ..Posibly an Ex- School machine ? )
In the forground ...To the Right is , I believe , a Rumpler C VI , notice the large spinner .....The machine to its Left , in the foreground ,marked with IV in white , is an LVG CVI .

John M

[Toxisch]

Hi John,

Thx so much, it would have me taken so much longer to identify all these machines. I have another view in the other direction on which the Sablatnig CI (I thought it was an N.I if you see part of the inscription) is visible together with the Fokker D.VII fuselage sporting a "T" marking. Is the other machine a Halberstadt C.V ? Could some of the wheels we are seeing be of the wooden type such as the LVG in the Brussels Air Museum?

What a gold mine if ever this would have been preserved.




Best regards,


Daniel
Belgian Aviation History Association

[John McKenzie]

Hi Daniel ....Yes , it is a Halberstadt CV , ..You can see the top and bottom longerons come to a point and especially the very much longer front undercarriage leg members on this model as compared to the rear ones ..Others ..Cl II,and IV have longer rear legs .....Motor 220 Ps Benz Bz IV ?

Sablatnig..Most of the others have mid/ high tailplanes like Bf 109 type ....The CI is supposed to have a 180 Ps Argus As III , and have a 45 deg horn ballenced rudder ...Whereas the N I , developed from it , is supposed to have a 220 Ps Benz Bz IV..and *... the rudder is without any ballence part , although I could be wrong on this ...The photo that I 'd seen of the CI had a spinner , whereas photos of N I are without the spinner , though it looks , from the nose pannels , like there should be one fitted . ...However , your photo does show Sab.N... Painted on the side ..If original , then that must be conclusive proof that this IS a Sab . N I .....Is not this motor , though , an Argus As III ?..not a Benz ?...Confusing !...BUT.... Looking at the background , and the position of the serial no , being different on both sides .....I do NOT think that this is the same Sab. as in the first photo .??. Is it possible that there are two of them ?...Certaily in the first photo , the machine is leaning well over to the Right , but the 3rd photo above shous it to be quite level .

I thought that wood wheels were for factory workshop use to prevent things from puncturing good & valuble tyres ....But these machines DO seem to have the wooden wheels ....Perhaps the explanation is to be found in HOW they arrived at this place ...............On second look , ..Maybe these are standard wheels , without tyres , and the drop centres have filled up with mud/sand , due to the amount of wheeling about of these fuselages on the soft ground .

John

[YavorD]

Thank you for sharing the pictures, Toxisch!
Next to the SSW D.IV on the first picture is Alb. D.Va 7330/17 (?). Alb. D.Va 7000:7549/17 batch was ordered in October 1917.
Sablatnig C.I prototypes were equipped with the 180 hp Argus As III. Low-altitude version of Bz IV engine was used on Sab. N.I, IMHO (as well as for J-types).
Regards,
Yavor

P.S. John is typing faster than me
P.S.2. The engine on the picture is Argus As III variant, as much as I can see.

[John McKenzie]

Hello YavorD , I thought that you would be able to identify the motors .

So , if a Benz in the Halb in front of the Fokker , and this Sab on the right has an Argus , then it should be a CI ....??...But it has Sab.N written !..Is the inscription original though ?

John

PS ..Alb D Va.........7330/17......Very well spotted Yavor

[YavorD]

Hi, John!
Sab. C.I prototypes presumably served as N.1 prototypes, too.
Picture of Sab. C.I 7702/17 was posted as Breguet's aircraft ID challenge #554.
There is another possibility. I do not know how As IV engine looks? It is supposed to be somewhat larger 6-inline ...
Regards,
Yavor

[charles]

According to the War Diary of MFJ1 (you can see a copy in Cross & Cockade U.S.A., Vol.3, Issue 3, Page 188-192), Albatros D.Va 7330/17 was assigned to it on 15-June-1918. This aircraft may have also served with MFJ 3.