The Albatros J.I was a German armored
ground attack airplane of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, produced in 1918.
Design and development
![German ground attack plane on display in the US c1919](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/German_ground_attack_plane_on_display_in_the_US_c1919.jpg)
The Albatros J.I was a "
J-class" derivative of the
Albatros C.XII
The Albatros C.XII was a German military reconnaissance aircraft which saw service during World War I. It differed markedly from previous Albatros C-type aircraft by adopting an elliptical-section fuselage similar to that of the Albatros D.V. The ...
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
aircraft. The J.I utilized the wings and
tail
The tail is the section at the rear end of certain kinds of animals’ bodies; in general, the term refers to a distinct, flexible appendage to the torso. It is the part of the body that corresponds roughly to the sacrum and coccyx in mammal ...
of the C.XII, which were joined to a new slab-sided
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraf ...
. The crew compartment was protected by 490 kg (1,080 lb) of steel armor plate, while the engine was left unprotected. The sides and bottom were 5 mm thick chrome nickel steel plate that was bolted to the wood frame.
Power was provided by the 150 kW (200 hp) Benz Bz.IV, which gave marginal performance when combined with the heavy J.I airframe. The fixed 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns fired downward to facilitate
strafing
Strafing is the military practice of attacking ground targets from low-flying aircraft using aircraft-mounted automatic weapons.
Less commonly, the term is used by extension to describe high-speed firing runs by any land or naval craft such ...
ground targets.
The Albatros J.I was developed for low-altitude battlefield
reconnaissance
In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities.
Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...
and
ground-attack
In military tactics, close air support (CAS) is defined as air action such as air strikes by fixed or rotary-winged aircraft against hostile targets near friendly forces and require detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movem ...
missions, often at altitudes of 50 meters (150 feet) or less. Albatros J.Is were mainly issued to ''Flieger Abteilungen'' in support of the Army Corps or Army Headquarters.
German units began receiving the J.Is in April 1918 and they were first used in the
Battle of the Lys. The aircraft was popular with crews, due to the armor protection and good visibility of the low set engine. Operationally a success, the main drawback of the type was the inadequate armor.
By June 1918, the new
Albatros J.II started to replace J.I at the front. The older aircraft nevertheless served until the Armistice. Two were bought by
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. After the war, it was still operated by
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...
,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
. Poland was the largest post-war user of the type, operating 10 aircraft, which were captured during
Greater Poland Uprising (1918–19) Greater Poland Uprising (also Wielkopolska Uprising or Great Poland Uprising) may refer to a number of armed rebellions in the region of Greater Poland:
* Greater Poland Uprising (1794)
* Greater Poland Uprising (1806)
* Greater Poland Uprising (1 ...
.
[Morgała (1997), p. 30] They were used during
Polish-Soviet war, and four aircraft were lent by the Polish from September 1920 until February 1921 to an allied 1st ''Zaporizhska'' Aviation Escadrille of
Ukrainian People's Army
The Ukrainian People's Army ( uk, Армія Української Народної Республіки), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or as a derogatory term of Russian and Soviet historiography Petliurovtsy ( uk, Пет ...
.
[
]
Operators
;
*''Luftstreitkräfte
The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Force)—known before October 1916 as (Flyer Troops)—was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-language sources it is usually referred to as the Imperial German Air Service, alth ...
''
;
* Polish Air Force operated 10 aircraft postwar until 1921
;
*Ukrainian People's Army
The Ukrainian People's Army ( uk, Армія Української Народної Республіки), also known as the Ukrainian National Army (UNA) or as a derogatory term of Russian and Soviet historiography Petliurovtsy ( uk, Пет ...
operated 4 aircraft, lent by the Polish
Specifications (J.I)
See also
References
Bibliography
* Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen (1962). ''German Aircraft of the First World War''. London: Putnam. .
*
*
{{Idflieg J-class designations
Biplanes
Single-engined tractor aircraft
1910s German attack aircraft
J.I
Aircraft first flown in 1917