Friedrichshafen G.IIIa

When the Friedrichshafen G.III lost an engine, it could be steered only with the greatest of effort. The Friedrichshafen G.IIIa sought to correct this with a box-tail double-rudder. Other improvements included the Gotha-style tunnel for firing to the downward rear quarter and Flettner tabs on the ailerons.

Austria-Hungary had tried to buy some G.IIIs in 1918, but a fire at the factory resulted in a cancellation of the order. Two were sent for study and analysis and arrived in August 1918. Oeffag was preparing to build fifty G.IIIa's (as Series 54) in autumn 1918 but none had been completed by the Armistice. They would have been powered by 2&#215;250hp Benz(Mar) engines.