GOTHA G.VA/VB

After the outbreak of the war, the German Gothär Waggonfabrik factory switched from the production of railway carriages to the construction of large aircraft. In 1915, their first structure was tested - the GI bomber. 18 aircraft were produced. The Gotha plane is a twin-engine, biplane, three-person (or two-person) bomber with a pusher propeller (except for the GI). The hull is covered, depending on the model, with plywood and linen, or only with plywood. The bombardier cabin at the front was equipped with a bomb ejector and a Parabellum rifle on the turntable. At the back, the gunner's cockpit also has a Parabellum rifle on a turntable (both cal. 7.92 mm), in the middle - the pilot's cabin. Double-girder panels, covered with linen. Fuel tanks capacity - 550 l (additionally a 70 l drop tank, into which the pilot pumped gasoline with a manual pump). Bomb load up to 500 kg, which, depending on the size, were attached under the fuselage or placed inside the bombardier's cabin. In 1917, production of the G.IV. About 230 copies of this type of aircraft were produced. Unlike previous models, the G.IV had ailerons on both lobes and the entire fuselage was covered with plywood. Later (from August 1917) of the war, there were also variants G.Va and G.Vb, differing from the G.IV with a slightly higher load capacity. In addition, the special structure of the hull at the rear gunner position allowed for the mounting of upward and downward firing MGs, which eliminated the blind spot. The GV "a" and "b" versions were powered by two Mercedes D.IVa engines with a capacity of 260KM each. About 200 of these models were produced. From September 1917 to the end of hostilities, Gotha planes made 70 night attacks on Great Britain, during which 60 machines were lost. Most of them (36) crashed on landing! G.IV planes were also used in the Balkans and in Italy (Austro-Hungarian aviation). After the war, the Polish aviation served the captured ones: four G.IV and one G.III. Technical data: length: 12.42 m, wingspan: 23.7 m, height: 4.5 m, maximum speed: 140 km / h, maximum range: 840 km, maximum ceiling 6500 m, armament: fixed 2-3 MG14 machine guns cal. 7.92mm, suspended - up to 550 kg bombs.