Zeppelin-Staaken R.IV

The Zeppelin-Staaken R.IV, sereal number R.12/15, was basically a Zeppelin-Staaken V.G.O. III with the nacelle engines upgraded to the 220hp Benz. After starting on the Eastern front in July 1917, the plane was relocated to the Western Front and was used in raids on the U.K.

The R.IV began construction in early 1916 at Gotha, before the R-plane factory was moved to Staaken in mid 1916. By August it was ready for testing, and since the factory had by then been moved, it was the first plane to be accepted with the "Staaken" naming. The R.IV was similar to the V.G.O. III but required changes to accommodate the more powerful Benz Bz.IV engines in the nacelles. It was the first of the R-planes to add gunner's positions in the upper wings, reached via ladders from the engine nacelles. Arriving for service at Alt-Auz on 12 June 1917, it joined the other planes at Rfa 500, where it participated in raids in the summer of 1917. In July 1917 it was transferred to Rfa 501 on the Western Front, where it was used in raids on London, Chelmsford, and several French cities, serving through the end of the war.

Card Links

 * Plane Card
 * Crew Card

1:144 Scale

 * Shapeways: Columbia Aerodrome

1:200 Scale

 * Shapeways: Columbia Aerodrome