Germany - 1917 Rumpler C.IV

The Exceptional Rumpler C.IV

Rumpler C.IV - 1917

The Rumpler C.IV-VII were virtually indistinguishable from the outside. This aircraft flew with the unit Flieger-Abteilung(A ) 253 during the late summer of 1918. Leutnant der Reserve Hanns-Gerd Rabe flew numerous long range patrols. The aircraft's high ceiling kept it relatively safe from pursuing Allied fighters.

The Rumpler C.IV was a German single-engine, two-seat reconnaissance biplane. The C.IV was a development of C.III with different tail surfaces and using a Mercedes D.IVa engine in place of C.III's Benz Bz.IV. In addition to the parent company, the aircraft was also built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke as the Pfalz C.I. Another variant of the basic design was the Rumpler 6B-2 single-seat floatplane fighter, with a 120 kW (160 hp) Mercedes D.III engine, built for the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy).

For a two-seater reconnaissance aircraft, Rumpler C.IV had an excellent performance, which enabled it to remain in front-line service until the end of World War I on the Western Front, as well as in Italy and Palestine. Its exceptional ceiling allowed pilots to undertake reconnaissance secure in the knowledge that few allied aircraft could reach it.

References

1. From Wikipedia Rumpler C-IV "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rumpler_C.IV"
2. Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen. "German Aircraft of the First World War". London, Putnam, 1962.
3. Munson, Kenneth. "Aircraft of World War I". London: Ian Allen, 1967. ISBN 07110 0356.
4. Munson, Kenneth. "Bombers, Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft 1914-1919". ISBN 0 7537 0918 X
5. Munson, Kenneth. "Fighters, Attack and Training Aircraft 1914-1919". ISBN 0 7537 0916 3