LFG Roland C.II (Whale)

History

The LFG Roland C. II was a fairly advanced World War I (1914-1918) fighter biplane design that served in the Armed Forces of the German Empire. It combines forward-looking features such as drag- and weight-reducing "I" struts, lowered upper wing assemblies, aerodynamically improved tubular fuselage, and structures that result in a lighter but stronger end product . While the series was reportedly a rarity in terms of control, when it launched in 1916, it performed well - its speed proved to be a key advantage.

The plane's deep fuselage earned it the "whale" nickname.

From the summer of 1914 to the end of the year, the world wars in Europe stagnated, with lines of still trenches dotted along the French and Belgian countryside. Most observers thought the conflict would be resolved by Christmas, when the real horrors of the war began, and young people's lives or more were counted throughout 1915. During this historical period, advances in air combat were accelerating, and new model families often rendered existing models immediately obsolete. Aircraft are now equipped with machine guns to strike air and ground threats at will, while others are designed to carry throwing weapons.

Breaking the deadlock is a priority, and technology often finds entirely new ways to kill humansindeed, war has also introduced "tanks" into military service.

Pilots consider their new C.II to be strong, despite their reservations about the aircraft's handling. Wings are a major sticking point because they make visibility from either seating position very limited, especially for pilots trying to see oncoming terrain ahead and below the aircraft. However, the C.II is a naturally fast aircraft and can easily outrun most of the air threats of the day, while ground fire must be concentrated on the fast aircraft. When Allied fighter jets attempted to attack the C.II series aircraft, it was suggested that if possible, the aircraft should be attacked from above - by surprise.

The only other vulnerable angle is from below, although this is a difficult proposition. During the war, C.II took on various reconnaissance missions and managed light bombing and fighter escort missions as needed.

Over time, the C.II line suffered what other World War I aircraft suffered when they were removed from front-line service - it was only replaced by a more powerful type before the war ended in 1918.

The Luftwaffe adopted the C.II through the original "C.II" two-seat base reconnaissance format. The brand is powered by a 160-horsepower, water-cooled Mercedes D. III inline engine. Performance specs include a top speed of 103 mph, a service ceiling of 13,125 feet, and a rate of climb of approximately 545 feet per minute.

The inline engine allows the use of a streamlined spinner on the propeller blade assembly, which gives the C.II a very smooth overall profile.

Over time, engineers needed to make some changes to the base design to produce the "C. IIa" mark, which introduced a stronger wingtip section and a larger vertical tail for better control. "C. III" is an evolution of the series for Benz Bz.

IV 6-cylinder, 200 hp, liquid-cooled inline engine with modified two-piece vanes.

Specification

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Performance

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