ALBATROS CI

The Albatros CI was a reconnaissance and training aircraft of German production from World War I and the interwar period, with a mixed structure - mainly wooden, with a fixed undercarriage, in a biplane configuration. The drive - depending on the version - was provided by various power units ranging from 150 to 180 HP. The first flight of this machine took place in 1915, and shortly after that, serial production began, which lasted until 1917 or 1918. The deck armament consisted of a single 7.92 mm Parabellum machine gun. The plane could take a load of bombs weighing up to 100 kilograms. The Albatros CI was developed at the Albatros Flugzeugwerke works as a development of the successful Albatros B.II. The main changes compared to the original consisted in the use of engines with higher maximum power, the addition of on-board weapons and the replacement of the pilot's and observer's positions in the cockpit. In the course of serial production, three main development versions were created: CI (basic production version), C.Ia (an improved reconnaissance version powered by the Argus As.III engine) and C.Ib (training and training version, licensed by the Mercur aviation company). Albatros CI planes entered combat service in April 1915 and fought on all fronts of World War I, until its end, with the passage of time playing primarily training roles. In the course of this conflict, they also served in the aviation of Bulgaria and Turkey, and after 1918 they were transferred to e.g. Finland, Yugoslavia and Romania. A certain number (about 20-30) of this type of machines was taken over by the Polish army in 1918 and later bought by the Polish authorities and used in the Polish-Bolshevik war of 1919-1921.