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Friedrichshafen G.III

1917 WORLD WAR 1

History of Frederikshavn III

The Friedrichshafen G.III was a medium biplane-class bomber used by the German Empire during World War I, designed by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen GmbH. The G.III was developed to compensate for the inherent limitations of the successful Friedrichshafen G.II bomber family - primarily in terms of range and total bomb load. The G.III later became an important part of the Reich's night bomber force, sharing duties with the excellent Gotha G.V and operating extensively from its formation in February 1917 until the end of the war in November 1918. The G.III with her reliability and performance allowed her to carry a considerable bomb load in her time.

The genre lingered on the commercial market in postwar Germany for a while before being removed from the sky by the Treaty of Versailles.

The design is similar to the conventional design of World War I bombers. The wings are large-span biplane assemblies mounted along the front of the fuselage and equipped with three nacelles separated by parallel struts between the planes.

The engines were suspended on the sides of the hull between the first and second compartments. The upper wing assembly is designed to span slightly larger than the lower wing and has a slight V (up angle) shape.

The G.III had a curved nose assembly to accommodate the "barrel" position for the front gunner. The long hull is plate-like and slopes aft.

The fin initially consisted of a conventional fin consisting of a single vertical fin and applicable horizontal plane (G.IIIa sub-variants later introduced a more complex twin-foil type fin). The landing gear consists of two twin-wheeled main gear legs, supplemented by a system of auxiliary wheels mounted below the nose gunner's position to help prevent the "nose roll" landings common to G.II designs. The stern rests on a simple stern rail.

The pilot's position was set to the lower left, just before the upper wing. The rear gunner sits in a ring-shaped tub behind the wing. All crew positions are open air affairs, providing excellent visibility but at the same time exposing them to the nighttime elements at 14,000 feet.

Power is provided by a pair of Mercedes D.IVa in-line piston engines, each producing 260 hp, and operating in a two-blade "push" arrangement (the opposite "pull" or "tractor" arrangement suggests that the propellers will Mounted to the front of the engine nacelle, thereby "pulling" the aircraft through the sky - the G.III worked with propellers mounted to the rear of the nacelle). Performance specs include a respectable top speed of 84 mph and a flight time of about five hoursthe latter capable of striking French targets from relatively safe German soil.

The service ceiling is reportedly around 14,764 feet.

The weapon is centered around the standard defensive configuration of two (or three, depending on model) 7.92mm Parabellum MG14 series machine guns. One machine gun protected the G. III's front bow, while a second machine gun was used to protect the rear. A third machine gun was later used to attack enemy aircraft approaching from below.

As a bomber, the G.III employed up to 2,200-pound guns (both internally and externally held), which themselves could consist of a combination of ammunition type and weight. The bombs came in 110lb, 220lb, 660lb, and 2,200lb ammunition, and of course, the higher the ammo load, the more the G.III's overall performance dropped.

The G.III appeared in two main wartime variants along with the base product G.III itself, referred to simply as "G.IIIa" and "G.IIIb". The G. IIIa introduced an all-new, sophisticated biplane fin with two horizontal planes and two vertical fins for improved control.

In addition, a third 7.92mm machine gun, which could fire downwards and was operated by the rear gunner, protected the bomber's vulnerable underside from attack. By 1918, the G. IIIa eventually surpassed the base model G. III on the entire line.

The G. IIIb arrived later in 1918 and featured a tail gunner's area, which was now connected to the cockpit by a walkway, allowing for improved communication between the crew.

The Friedrichshafen G. III was successfully used as a night bomber in the First World War. Its excellent payload and endurance allow it to operate within the range of the Western Front.

Friedrichshafen, Daimler, and Hanseatische Flugzeugwerke were all contracted to produce the machine, and around 338 of them were eventually delivered before the end of the war, although around 1,000 were ordered - a testament to the deadly machine's worth. Licensed production in Austria-Hungary never materialized, but was discussed before the end of hostilities.

In any case, the G.III was a proven performance, surpassing the G.II's previous achievements and becoming the standard front-line bomber of the German Empire by the end of the war. The Friedrichshafen G.III was partly used for freight and passenger roles in the civilian market in the early postwar Germany.

The Treaty of Versailles was designed to permanently tie the German war machine and transfer all responsibility for the war to the only proud Empire, prohibiting the G.III from continuing these roles, thus ending their legacy.

The G.III was further developed into the G.IV and G.V bomber variants. Their bow machine guns were removed and they were fitted with a completely new shortened nose section. Engines are now of the "tractor" variety rather than "propellers".

The G. IV had limited operations until the end of the war, while the G. V flew only after the end of the war.

Friedrichshafen referred to G. III internally as "FF. 45".