What A/C is it?

[oldbill]

Hi, can someone I.D the attached a/c and give me an idea of the date it was being used?

[kerry]

Not sure - is it a Halberstadt?

Kerry

[Adrian Roberts]

I would say an Albatross BII, an unarmed two-seater used as a front-line observation aircraft for the first year or so of the war and as a trainer for another couple of years.

The louvres along the side of the nose are the most specific recognition feature.

The tall crash-helmets of the crew [probably someone can tell us the correct name] suggest very early in the war, maybe even pre-war.

Adrian

[Doc2]

Not sure - is it a Halberstadt?

Kerry

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I would tend to agree with Adrian that it is an Albatross, though I would guess at a model B-1 (wouldn't argue with B-2 or even B-3 too strongly, though). Can't get a good look at the nose and engine to be more definitive. The B-1 appeared in early 1914 in both single and double-bay forms. Used as reconnaissance and training aircraft throughout the war. Withdrawn from front-line service in late 1915 after the C-types started arriving. Doc2

[oldbill]

Thanks for the replies folks.

[Piotr]

Hi Oldbill,

this is LVG BI aircraft NOT Albatros BI or BII!!!!

See Windsock Datafile 98

If you send me better scan to my private mail maybe I can tell more.

Greetings from Warsaw

Piotr

[Adrian Roberts]

Piotr, Oldbill

I have found some pictures of an early LVG and I agree Piotr could be right about the original suject being an LVG. It has similar side radiators to the early Albatross, but the slantwise fuselage member behind the cockpit and the inverted-V centre struts on the LVG seen to match the original.

In that case, I'm sorry for misleading people earlier.

Adrian