O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)

Gotha LE 3
   Although the Gotha LE 3 was a pre-war 1914 Taube design, a few saw operational service on scouting duties during the opening months of the var. Engine, 100 h.p. Mercedes D I. Span. 14.5 m. (47 ft. 7 in.). Length, 10.0 m. (32 ft. 9 3/4 in.). Area. 33.5 sq.m. (362 sq.ft.). Weights: Empty, 690 kg. (1,518 lb.). Loaded. 1.026 kg. (2.257 lb.). Speed, 96 km.hr. (60 m.p.h.). Climb, 800 m. (2.624 ft.) in 12 min.

J.Herris Gotha Aircraft of WWI (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 6)

Gotha LE Types

   Before WWI the Taube (Dove in German) configuration was very popular in Germany and Austria for its inherent stability, considered quite important at the time due to the limited flying experience of most airmen. Many German and Austrian manufacturers built aircraft to the Taube configuration and this is how Gotha got its start in aviation. The Gotha LE (Land Eindecker = land monoplane) series were all Taube designs.
   Gotha's Tauben were rugged, well-built airplanes that saw reliable service on all war fronts. A total of 90 Gotha Tauben were purchased by the Fliegertruppe in 1913 and 1914, more than any other manufacturer except Jeannin.


Gotha LE1

   Ordered on 4 February, 1913, eight Gotha LE1 Taube two-seat trainers were delivered to the Gotha flying school and two uncovered airframes were sent to Hamburg to serve as trainers at the Centrale fur Aviatik, an organization in which Gotha had a financial interest. In 1914 Centrale fur Aviatik was renamed Hansa Flugzeugwerke Hamburg Karl Caspar.
   Designed by Gurlich and Bohnisch, the first Gotha LE1, powered by a 75 hp Mercedes engine flew its maiden flight on 22 April 1913. Two LE1 monoplanes participated in the Prinz Heinrich Flug of 1913; the one flown by Lt. Joly, with Oblt. Felmy as passenger, completed all the competition stages. A few LE1 trainers served into the early war months.

Gotha LE1 Specifications
Engine: 75 hp Mercedes
Wing: Span 14.40 m
Area 35.2 m2
General: Length 7.80 m
Height 3.20 m
Empty Weight 600 kg
Loaded Weight 972 kg
Maximum Speed 90 km/h
Climb: 800m 12 min


Gotha LE2
  
   Designed by Bohnisch and Bartel, the next Gotha design was the LE2, another Taube clearly derived from the LE1. The LE2 had a more powerful, 100 hp Mercedes D.I engine and the landing gear was redesigned to better support the wing bracing cables. The LE2 was slightly faster than the LE1 but its rate of climb was lower, likely due to a combination of greater weight and reduced wing area.
   In addition to the 100 hp Mercedes D.I, LE2s were fitted with a variety of Argus, Benz, and Rapp 100 hp engines, and a few were fitted with 80 hp Oberursel U.O engines to provide pilots with experience flying aircraft with rotary engines.
   Gotha's reputation for good workmanship and solid construction led the Fliegertruppe to order 35 Gotha A (LE2) Tauben. These were used both for combat missions over the front and training.
  
Gotha LE2 Specifications
Engine: Wing: 100 hp Mercedes D.I
Span Area 14.40 m 28 m2
General: Length 10.22 m
Height 3.20 m
Empty Weight 690 kg
Loaded Weight 1,053 kg
Maximum Speed 102 km/h
Climb: 800m 20 min


Gotha LE3

   The LE1 and LE2 had fuselages of triangular cross section which tended to twist in flight, so Grulich and Bartl designed the LE3 with a much stiffer fuselage of rectangular cross section. The undercarriage was again redesigned and simplified, and a separate trestle supported the lift wires in order to separate them from the undercarriage.
   On 10 January 1914 work began on the LE3. In June the Fliegertruppe ordered 16 LE3s with the first delivery on 31 August. Upon mobilization, eight LE3s built for the Gotha flying school were commandeered by the Fliegertruppe for combat. In September a further 20 were ordered, followed by 10 more in October, making a total of 54 accepted by the Fliegertruppe. The LE3 was a robust aircraft that saw combat on all fronts. The last LE3 was delivered to FEA 3 on 7 July 1915. LE3 A.90.14 was fitted with a 160 hp Benz engine.

Gotha LE3 Specifications
Engine: 100 hp Mercedes D.I
Wing: Span 14.50 m
Area 33.5 m2
General: Length 10.00 m
Height 3.15 m
Empty Weight 690 kg
Loaded Weight 1,062 kg
Maximum Speed 96 km/h
Climb: 800m 12 min
Range: 385 km


Gotha LE4

   Designed by Karl Rosner, work on the Gotha LE4 began on 31 January 1914. Powered by a 100 hp Mercedes D.I engine, the LE4 was Gotha's last Taube, design. The nose radiator and tail surface with conventional, hinged elevators made the LE4 much more modern in appearance.
   Initially the LE4 had the lift wires attached directly to the undercarriage struts, a configuration disliked by the Fliegertruppe. The LE4 was damaged on 15 May 1914 while participating in the Prinz Heinrich Flug. During repair the LE4 was modified to have the front and rear lift wires attached to separate pylons in front and behind the undercarriage. The repaired LE4 was entered in several more flying meetings before the war. After being rebuilt, the LE4 was assigned to the Herzog Carl Eduard Fliegerschule in Gotha. Only one LE4 was built.

Gotha LE4 Specifications
Engine: 100 hp Mercedes D.I
Wing: Span 14.00 m
Area 28 m2
General: Length 8.50 m
Height 2.80 m
Loaded Weight 980 kg
Maximum Speed 120 km/h
Range: 600 km

M.Dusing German Aviation Industry in WWI. Volume 1 (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 84)

Gothaer Waggonfabrik A.-G., Gotha (Go)

Foundation:

  The company was founded on July 1,1898 in Gotha as a wagon factory. Subsidiaries in Furth (Bavaria) and Warnemunde were under construction until the end of the war. However, aircraft construction did not start until the end of 1912.


Aircraft Development:

  In 1913, construction of the first Taube began, still in a primitive design with a trapezoidal fuselage covered with fabric and fitted with a large tangle of bracing wires. The undercarriage was the original of the Taube designs with hinged wheels. The first Tauben were equipped with 70 hp 4 cyl; 75 hp 6 yl, 100 hp 6 cyl, Mercedes and 100 hp 4 cyl Argus engines. The climbing ability of the pigeons designed at that time, which had a total weight of about 650 kg and handled a payload of 250 kg, was good. They reached 800 m altitude in 15 minutes, and the speed was between 80 and 95 km/h.
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  In 1913, only the Gotha-Taube was produced in series, the improvement of which, especially in the comfortable arrangement of the pilot’s seat, resulted in a substantial increase in the dead weight by widening the fuselage. It should also be mentioned that the bracing and controls were also improved, which made the Gotha-Taube popular as a comfortable, safe and easy-to-fly representative of military aviation.
  The year 1914 began with the insistent demand for better flight performance of all Tauben in general, which could no longer be postponed. Although the “Tauben” in general showed significant progress in the development of flight technology, they could not compete with the biplanes, which were in fierce competition. The company soon decided to reduce the development work on the Tauben and turned to the production of biplanes in series.
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  The old popularity of the Taube in the field did not allow it to disappear so quickly in production, because a number of pilots who had used the Taube in the beginning could not let go of it so quickly. For this reason, they tried to adapt it better to the requirements of war, developing an enlarged tank, more comfortable interior and easier rigging.
  The Tauben had remarkable flight successes on September 2, 1914, when they circled over Paris in a squadron flight. It was reserved for the Gotha Taube to be the first aircraft (pilot Lt. Caspar) to fly to England (Dover) during the war.
  It is also worth mentioning that in cross-country flights the Taube already had significant successes in pre-war times. In the national flight competition, Schlegel won the 1st prize of 60,000 marks on the Gotha Taube after Stoeffler’s world record, and Lieutenant Caspar won the 2nd prize of 50,000 marks.
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Журнал Flight

Flight, June 5, 1914.

THE PRINCE HENRY CIRCUIT, 1914.

MACHINES IN PRINCE HENRY CIRCUIT.

  The Gotha Taube is one of the neatest of the machines entered, especially as regards the engine and radiator mounting, which has been carried out in such a manner that the nose of the machine forms a very good entry for the air. The chassis is of the simplest form, and offers very little head resistance, as all the tubular chassis struts are of streamline section. The wheel axle is sprung from the chassis in such a manner that the wheels are free to move slightly sideways as well as in an upward direction.
  The Hansa Taube is practically identical with the Gotha Taube, with the exception of the wing bracing, which takes the form of a girder of steel tubes underneath the planes.



Flight, September 4, 1914.

AIRCRAFT "MADE IN GERMANY#
WHICH MAY BE EMPLOYED AGAINST THE ALLIES.

16. The Gotha Taube
  does not differ materially in its general lay-out from other monoplanes of this type. The shape and construction of the wings is practically the same as in others, but some slight alterations are to be found in the shape of the fuselage and landing chassis. The former, which is of nearly rectangular section, being slightly wider at the top than at the bottom, is fitted with a comparatively turtle back extending from the nose of the machine to a point some distance behind the pilot's seat. The chassis, although of a simple type, is very strong, and consists essentially of two pairs of steel tubes bent to form a U. A transverse tube connects the rear chassis struts a short distance above and behind the wheels, whilst two other tubes run from the lower ends of the front struts to the keel of the fuselage immediately under the engine. With an Argus or Mercedes 100 h.p. engine, the speed of the Gotha Taube is in the neighbourhood of 60 miles per hour. A feature which this machine has in common with a good many others of German origin, is the ploughshare-like brake operated from the pilot's seat. By means of this the machine can be brought to a standstill in a very short space on practically any ground.

17. The New Gotha Taube
  is one of the neatest monoplanes of the Taube type, especially as regards the engine and radiator mounting. Bracing of the wings is effected as in ordinary monoplanes by stranded cables, the upper ones running to a steel tube pylon on top of the fuselage, and the lower ones being anchored to the chassis. This is of the simplest form, and offers very little head resistance, as all the tubular chassis struts are of streamline section. The wheel axle is sprung from the chassis in such a manner that the wheels are free to move slightly sideways as well as in an upward direction. For a Taube, the Gotha is unusually fast, developing, fitted with a 100 h.p. Mercedes engine, a speed of 74 miles per hour.