LVG C.II

  The LVG C.II was derived from the unarmed LVG B.II in the same way the C.I was derived from the B.I; a more powerful engine was installed and the observer was moved to the rear cockpit and provided with a flexible machine gun fitted to a rotating turret designed by LVG chief designer Schneider. As a result the C.II was somewhat smaller than the C.I and was faster and more agile.
  Also like the C.I, the C.II inherited the robust structure and good handling qualities of its predecessor. Like the other Schneider-designed B- and C-types, the engine cowling panels were aluminum, the cockpit sides were plywood, and the rear fuselage and flying surfaces were wood with fabric covering. The C.II used either the 150 hp Benz Bz.III or 160 hp Mercedes D.III engines.
  Simple, robust, easy to fly, and with better performance than the LVG C.I, the LVG C.II was immediately successful and became the most numerous LVG C-type until introduction of the LVG C.V in 1917.
  In addition to the flexilble gun mounted in the observer's cockpit, surviving documents indicate that production C.II aircraft were scheduled to be armed with a synchronized, forward-firing Spandau LMG 08 machine gun on the right side of the engine. However, photographs do not show this installation until the C.287-465/16 production batch. The cause was likely shortage of synchronization systems or perhaps a shortage of guns. In the interim many units added a second machine gun mounted to fire forward over the upper wing and above the arc of the propeller.


LVG C.II Variants

  The basic LVG C.II was delivered with two different wingspans, 12.68 meters and 12.85 meters, which is confirmed in both official German and French reports. The reason for this minor difference and which variant may have come first is not known. Perhaps it was a difference between production at Johannisthal and Koslin?
  In addition, there was an LVG C.II version with Nachtflachen (night wings) of 13.80 meter span. The reason for this is known; this version of the C.II, known as the LVG C.IIN or LVG N.I, was a night-bomber variant of the C.II and the additional wing span and area was added to help the aircraft lift a greater bomb load. As tactical night bombing became more common, Idflieg, a strong proponent of specialized designs for different tasks, decided by late 1916 to procure specialized single-engine night bombers. Standard, general-purpose C-type armed two-seaters were used for tactical night bombing from their arrival at the front until the end of the war, but Idflieg wanted a design optimized for the task that could carry more bombs with a standard production engine. Drawn up in August-September 1916, the Nachtflugzeug (night aircraft, or N-type) specifications called for a duration of four hours, a load of six 50 kg PuW bombs totalling 300 kg, and one flexible machine gun with three drums of 200 rounds each. The required climb was 1,800 meters (5,906 ft) in 50 minutes. For navigation and bomb aiming the floor of the pilot's cockpit was to have a window, and the compass and instruments were to be illuminated for night flying.
  At least six manufacturers responded to this new requirement by constructing prototypes, two of which were produced in small quantity and served operationally at the front designated as N-types, the AEG N.I and Sablatnig N.I. The LVG N.I apparently was listed with the C.II in the Frontbestand tables instead of with the designated N-types. Unfortunately, no documentation has survived that tells how many C.IIN aircraft were built nor what serial numbers they may have had.
  In addition to the night-bomber variant of the C.II, LVG built several floatplane conversions of the C.II. Three were ordered by the German Navy in May 1916. Given Marine Numbers 443-445. These were powered by the 160 hp Mercedes D.III and armed with a rear turret with flexible machine gun. These aircraft were accepted in August, October, and November 1916 as indicated in the SVK production table (pp.8-9). MN 443 was written off on 24 October 1916. The number of aircraft sold to Turkey is not documented but appears to be another three based on work number analysis.

LVG C.III

  The first German armed two-seaters were field conversions of unarmed B-types. The B-types were designed with the observers seated in the front cockpit to give them the best field of view forward and downward. Consequently, when machine guns were added to these aircraft, the guns were mounted on rails alongside the forward observers' cockpits.
  When the first armed C-types were designed, most were designed with the observer in the rear cockpit to give him the best field of fire rearward to most effectively defend the aircraft from fighter attack. While this was the intuitive solution, Idflieg wanted to preserve the option of locating the observer/ gunner in the front seat pending operational experience that showed conclusively that the gunner in the rear was the preferred solution.
  As a result, the LVG C.III was one of a number of C-types ordered with the observer/gunner in the front cockpit. The most well-known C-types of this configuration were the Aviatik C.I, C.II, and C.III, all of which had the observer in the front cockpit and all of which were produced in some numbers and used in combat. Less well-known was the DFW C.I which was also used in combat and seated the observer in front.
  Unlike those aircraft, the Albatros C.IV, a C.III modified to seat the observer in front, and the LVG C.III, an LVG C.II modified to have the observer in front, did not serve in combat as far as is known. Only 12 Albatros C.IV aircraft were built and these were used for flying testbeds, mail delivery, and other non-combat purposes. The LVG C.III was unique among the C-types with observer in front that the observer had a gun turret instead of the gun being mounted on rails attached to the fuselage.
  Only three LVG C.III prototypes are thought to have been ordered as, by the time it was built, it was clear from operational experience that locating the gunner in the rear cockpit offered a more effective defense against fighter attack. However, Polish sources report acquiring two LVG C.III aircraft after the war with serials thought to be 3300/15 and 3309/15, so perhaps a small batch was built similar to the batch of 12 Albatros C.IV aircraft.

LVG C.IV

  The LVG C.IV was one of only three German reconnaissance airplanes to be powered by the 220 hp Mercedes D.IV straight-eight engine, the others being the Albatros C.V, which was also placed in production, and the Kondor C.II that remained a prototype. The success of the both the Albatros C.V and LVG C.IV was directly attributable to their powerful engine and efficient propeller.
The eight-cylinder D.IV engine was created by adding two cylinders to the reliable 160 hp Mercedes D.III six-cylinder engine. A stop-gap until the large, six-cylinder 260 hp Mercedes D.IVa could be developed and brought into production, the D.IV straight-eight easily passed its 60-hour duration test in October 1915 and was quickly put into production. The D.IV engine had a reduction gearbox that allowed a raised propeller, giving designers the option of completely enclosing the engine for improved streamlining. The engine developed its rated power at 1400 RPM, which was geared down to 910 propeller RPM. The low propeller RPM required a massive propeller and gave better propeller efficiency, which gave the aircraft better speed and climb than faster-turning propellers. On the other had, the length and weight of the engine meant a sizable airframe was required which limited maneuverability somewhat.
  The long D.IV straight-eight had a mixed reliability record. When installed in two-engine bombers, random crankshaft failures occurred. These are thought to have been caused by resonant vibrations created by the dynamic interaction of the two engines. However, when installed in single-engine types like the LVG C.IV, the D.IV engine demonstrated good reliability like the Mercedes D.III from which it was developed. Not only was it successful in single-engine aircraft, it gave the types using it excellent performance for the time.
  The LVG C.IV was the last design by the ailing Franz Schneider to be built and placed in operation. As such it resembled its predecessors and inherited their robust airframes and benign handling qualities. Those same design practices also made the airframe heavy for its size, and despite Schneider's previous experience a number of structural problems were found in the C.IV prototype that required fixes before the aircraft could be placed in production. This is likely the reason the C.IV, ordered in December 1915, was not officially tested until 28 April 1916. The rear spar of the aircraft tested, C.IV 4367/15 (work number 779), failed the test three times before passing on 13 May 1916. According to an Idflieg report, the C.IV had demonstrated wings that were too weak and the design was old-fashioned, although performance and flight qualities were good. The strong wing oscillations in flight were reduced to an acceptable level with 'appropriate measures' and the aircraft was recommended for production. Deliveries were in progress when the type-test was completed, so the delivered aircraft had to be modified to the standards of the airframe that passed the tests. As a result, from then on Idflieg refused to permit production of new types to begin until they passed the type-test requirements.
  As an aside, in 1915 when the C.IV was proposed, Idflieg was still uncertain of the preferred location of the observer; should he be placed in the front or rear cockpit? As a result, Idflieg ordered two C.IV airframes that were identical except for the observer's position. The aircraft with observer in back was designated the LVG C.IV (company designation D.XIv, the 'v' standing for 'vorn', meaning front). The other airframe with observer in front was the LVG C.V, internal company designation D.XI. The D.XI prototype may have been built but it did not go into production and the military designation "LVG C.V" was later assigned to the new type designed by Diplom-Ingenieur Wilhelm Sabersky-Mussigbrodt that bore the LVG company designation D.XV (see following entry).
  In contrast to the somewhat surprising structural problems experienced by the C.IV during development, it was well-streamlined. The radiator water was routed inside the center-section struts to eliminate external water pipes and the landing-gear springs were enclosed in streamlined fairings.
  The first C.IV to reach the front arrived in December 1915. Apparently the normal type-testing was waived to rush this aircraft to the front for evaluation. However, production C.IV aircraft did not start arriving at the front until August 1916, a significant delay due to the structural problems during development.
  When it reached the front, the big, boxy LVG C.IV proved to be just as fast as the smaller, highly streamlined Roland C.II and was more maneuverable and easier to land! The power of the straight-eight engine was the key to this impressive performance, which made the C.IV faster than Allied aircraft and gave it better climb. The speed of the C.IV enabled it to perform long-range reconnaissance missions without being intercepted. The C.IV was used solely on the Western Front as standard reconnaissance two-seaters performed well on the Russian Front where fighter opposition was much less intense.
  The LVG C.IV remained at the front for about a year. By mid-1917 normal service wear and tear reduced their performance, especially climb and ceiling; many C.IVs could only reach 3000 m and the best could reach only 4,500 m. Moreover, newer, faster Allied fighters were in combat. A few C.IV aircraft were used for training after withdrawal from the front and others were scrapped.

LVG C.V

  There was no immediate follow-on to the LVG C.IV and LVG was forced to build the superior DFW C.V under license. LVG had good production facilities and was well-managed, giving it the ability to build about 1,000 aircraft designed by other manufacturers under license. However, license production was not as profitable as producing internal company designs due to license fees, and LVG longed to create another successful design they could produce.
  Franz Schneider, LVG's chief designer, left the company on 30 June 1916; he was ill with diabetes and needed to recover his health. Furthermore, his structural designs had fallen behind the state of the art. To replace him, LVG hired Diplom-Ingenieur Willi Sabersky-Mussigbrodt, who had led the DFW C.V design team. Sabersky's first priority was to get the license production of other designs, in particular the DFW C.V, on track by adopting them to LVG production techniques. Once he accomplished that, he started working on a refinement of the very successful DFW C.V that LVG was already building under license.
  The result was the LVG D.XV (internal company designation), given the military designation LVG C.V (replacing the earlier C.IV variant with observer in front that was originally given the C.V designation).
  The prototype of the LVG C.V war ready by 24 December 1916 and demonstrated excellent flight qualities and performance. Certainly Sabersky had an incentive; his employment contract included a bonus of 150 Marks per accepted aircraft for the types he developed.
  The key to the success of the DFW C.V was its excellent handling and maneuverability combined with its robust structure able to endure rough use in the field. Sabersky refined that design with improved streamlining, reduced weight, and easier manufacturing to create the LVG C.V. The LVG C.V used the same engine and structural technology as the DFW; however, its design improvements gave it somewhat better performance.
  With severe winter weather impeding flight testing, the LVG C.V performed flight tests in February 1917. The Typenprufung inspection and static load testing was performed March 22-28, 1917. The wing and fuselage structure were satisfactory but some airframe details (rudder, aileron attachment, tail skid control stick, and fuel-tank straps) needed strengthening. All these parts passed the second load test on 15 and 17 May except the rudder, which needed further strengthening.
  The final Typenprufung inspection was done on 24 March by Idflieg. Small detail changes were then made before the LVG C.V entered production.
  On 21 April 1917 Idflieg ordered 500 aircraft from LVG, the first 200 of which were the LVG C.V. Production deliveries began at the very end of July, and by 31 August 1917 there were 98 LVG C.Vs at the front. With its strong production capacity LVG was easily able to deliver the 150 C.Vs per month that Idflieg wanted.
  With a top speed of 170 km/h, the LVG C.V was not considered a fast airplane, but it was an improvement on the earlier DFW C.V whose top speed was only 155 km/h. Both types had good climb, ceiling, and maneuverability and were robust and reliable. Together with the Rumpler C.IV, the two designs were considered the best C-types at the front in late 1917.
  The LVG C.V more than fulfilled the hopes of LVG management. Not only did it replace the DFW C.V in production at LVG, which increased profitability, it became the LVG type ordered in the largest numbers, restoring LVG's traditional success with two-seat reconnaissance airplanes. Furthermore, it was popular with its crews.
  Like most German C-types, the LVG C.V could carry a small bomb load, in this case 50 kg of bombs. It carried the standard C-type armament of a fixed Spandau for the pilot and a flexible gun for the observer. Many C.Vs abandoned the Schneider-designed gun turret used in previous LVGs for a copy of the British Scarff ring, which was copied by LVG and supplied to many other German manufacturers as well as used in late-production C.V aircraft. One C.V was used to test a 2 cm Becker cannon mounted in the observer's cockpit floor in May-June 1918. By then the C.V was out of production so this was likely a test of the Becker installation for armored J-type aircraft; both the Albatros J.II and AEG J.II later used the Becker in a floor mount. At least 40 C.Vs were fitted with the Siemens-Halske electrical synchronization system.
  Many C.V aircraft survived the war and enjoyed a post-war career with the Polish air service (more than 150 aircraft), Russia, and the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.