DFW C V
Until the appearance of the C V, Deutsche Flugzeug Werke GmbH (DFW) in Leipzig was one of the minor players among aircraft manufacturers. The military aircraft it had produced up until the end of 1915 had not proved to be very useful. However, this situation changed radically when work started on an armed reconnaissance plane with the internal designation Type 29 at the beginning of 1916. Under the technical management of Hermann Dorner and together with Director Heinrich Oehlerich, qualified engineer Willi Sabersky-Müssigbrodt, who had shortly before moved from the Otto-Werke to DFW, was primarily responsible for this design. As in the predecessor model Type 25 (C IV), the focus was primarily on a maximally lightweight but sturdy airframe design which had been carefully refined in all details. One Benz Bz.IV engine delivering 147 kW served as the power unit. The maiden flight of the Type 29 is likely to have taken place in May 1916. However, the subsequent type testing of the aircraft, now officially designated as the DFW C V, carried out by the armed forces in June/July 1916 proved to be unsatisfactory. Unfortunately, there is no information available on precisely what the objections were. However, these problems were clearly rapidly solved because the first purchase order for 60 aircraft was placed just one month later.
At the end of September, the first aircraft were delivered to the front and proved extremely effective right from the start. As a result, an order was placed for 1,000 more aircraft. Almost 3,000 additional aircraft had been ordered by the time the war came to an end. Since DFW was not in a position to undertake such a large mass-production operation, orders under license were placed with Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (300 aircraft), Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (250 aircraft), Aviatik (150 aircraft) and Halberstadt (75 aircraft). The aircraft built under license successfully passed the type tests in February 1917.
Right from the start, the DFW C V was popular with crews not simply because of its excellent flight, climbing and landing characteristics. It also found favour thanks to its spacious observation area. This offered adequate space for radio apparatus and photography equipment, as well as weaponry, munitions and various release payloads. Although comparatively more advanced models became available during the course of 1917, mass production of the DFW C V continued uninterrupted until November 1918. This aircraft was by far the most deployed German reconnaissance plane and was built in the biggest numbers throughout the entire war. Large numbers of the DFW CV aircraft remained in service until the end of the war and at times this type represented more than 40 percent of all German C aircraft in service.
Technical Data
DFW C V (1916)
| Type: | Two-seater armed reconnaissance aircraft |
| Engine: | One liquid-cooled Benz Bz IV with 147 kW power |
Performance:
| Maximum speed: | 170 km/h |
| Range: | 350 km |
| Service ceiling: | 5,000 m |
Weight:
| Weight: | 1,477 kg |
Dimensions:
| Length: | 7.88 m |
| Height: | 3.26 m |
| Span: | 13.27 m |
| Wing area: | 41.52 m² |
Crew:
| Crew: | 2 persons |
