The LFG Roland C.II, usually known as the ''Walfisch'' (Whale), was an advanced German reconnaissance aircraft 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 ...

. It was manufactured by

Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft, also referred to as LFG, was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. They are best known for their various "Roland" designs, notably the Roland C.II ''Walfisch'' (whale), Roland D.II ''haifisch'' (Shark) and ...

G.m.b.H.

Characteristics

The C.II had much lower drag than comparable aircraft of its time. It featured a

monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...

fuselage built with an outer skin of two layers of thin plywood strips at an angle to each other (known as a ''Wickelrumpf'', or "wrapped body" design). This had both lower drag and better strength per weight than typical of the time, but it was relatively slow and expensive to build. (This approach was further developed in the

de Havilland Mosquito The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito is a British twin-engined, shoulder-winged, multirole combat aircraft, introduced during the Second World War. Unusual in that its frame was constructed mostly of wood, it was nicknamed the "Wooden Wonder", or ...

of World War II.) The deep fuselage completely filled the vertical gap between the wing panel center sections, eliminating any need for

cabane strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of strut, which act in ...

s commonly used in biplanes, and gave the aircraft its "whale" nickname. Struts and wires were reduced, without suffering the weight penalty of cantilever wings, like those used on the pioneering all-metal

Junkers J 1 The Junkers J 1, nicknamed the ''Blechesel'' ("Tin Donkey" or "Sheet Metal Donkey"), was an experimental monoplane aircraft developed by Junkers & Co. It was the world's first all-metal aircraft. Manufactured early on in the First World War, ...

of late 1915. There was even some attempt to flair the wings into the fuselage, to eliminate dead air space, a feature prominently missing from the

Schneider Trophy The Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider, also known as the Schneider Trophy, Schneider Prize or (incorrectly) the Schneider Cup is a trophy that was awarded annually (and later, biennially) to the winner of a race for seaplanes and flying ...

contestants of the following decade. The engineer in charge of the design was Tantzen, who was a student of

Ludwig Prandtl Ludwig Prandtl (4 February 1875 – 15 August 1953) was a German fluid dynamicist, physicist and aerospace scientist. He was a pioneer in the development of rigorous systematic mathematical analyses which he used for underlying the science of ...

, the founder of mathematical aerodynamics and the one to introduce the concept of

boundary layer In physics and fluid mechanics, a boundary layer is the thin layer of fluid in the immediate vicinity of a bounding surface formed by the fluid flowing along the surface. The fluid's interaction with the wall induces a no-slip boundary condi ...

. The C.II was powered by a single

Mercedes D III The Mercedes D.III, or F1466 as it was known internally, was a six-cylinder SOHC valvetrain liquid-cooled inline aircraft engine built by Daimler and used on a wide variety of German aircraft during World War I. The initial versions were introd ...

, providing a top speed of , a ceiling of and a flight endurance of four hours.

Operational history

The C.II entered service in the spring of 1916. Operationally, handling was reported as difficult but performance was relatively good. Due to the crew positions with eyes above the upper wing, upward visibility was excellent, but downward visibility was poor. It was also used in a fighter escort role and had a crew of two, pilot and observer/gunner. Because of its speed, when it was first introduced, few enemy aircraft could catch it level flight. A notable exception was the Nieuport 17 C.1 Nieuport 17#Specifications (Nieuport 17 C.1), which was introduced at almost the same time, and which was several miles per hour faster. Because of the lack of downward visibility, it was best attacked by diving below and coming up at it.

Albert Ball Albert Ball, (14 August 1896 – 7 May 1917) was a British fighter pilot during the First World War. At the time of his death he was the United Kingdom's leading flying ace, with 44 victories, and remained its fourth-highest scorer b ...

, whose first victim was a C.II, said in the latter half of 1916 that it was "the best German machine now".

Variant

* C.II : Two-seat reconnaissance, escort fighter biplane. * C.IIa : Generally similar to the Roland C.II, but fitted with revised and reinforced wingtips and larger vertical stabilizer. * C.III : Development with two bay wings and a

Benz Bz.IV The Benz Bz.IV was a German six-cylinder, water-cooled, inline engine developed for aircraft use. Deliveries began in 1916, and some 6,400 were produced. Design and development The Bz.IV was a dual-camshaft design, with two intake and two exhau ...

6-cylinder water-cooled inline engine.

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, alt ...

Specifications (C.II)

Comparable aircraft

Hannover CL.II The Hannover CL.II was an escort fighter, produced in Germany during World War I, designed in response to a 1917 requirement by the '' Idflieg'' for such a machine to protect reconnaissance aircraft over enemy territory. It was a compact biplane o ...

Characteristics

Operational history

Variant

Operators

Specifications (C.II)

Comparable aircraft

References

Bibliography

Further reading