Albatros J.I

From Wings of Linen
Albatros J.I
Role Ground Attack
Manufacturer Albatros
Introduction autumn[1]-winter 1917
Primary users Germany
Austria-Hungary
Number built 125 [2]
Developed from Albatros C.XII
Wingspan 14.2 m (46 ft 9 in) [3][1]
Engine 200hp Benz Bz.IV inline
Armament rear flexible Parabellum and
two fixed LMG08/15 firing forward and downward or
20mm Becker cannon [2]
Crew 2
Max Speed 140 km/h (87 mph)[4][5][1]
Climb 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in 5:00[5][3] to 11:24[4][1]
2,000 m (6,560 ft) in 12:06[5][3]
3,000 m (9,840 ft) in 26:00[5][3] to 50:00[4]
4,000 m (13,100 ft) in 52:00[5]-57:00[3]
Endurance 2:30 [4][3][1]

A.E.G. and Junkers had produced armored close-support aircraft in the J-class, and they were supplemented by the Albatros J.I and J.II. The J.I married the C.XII wing with an ungainly fuselage with armor plating over the cockpit area. The lack of plating to protect the engine was a major limitation of the type: its competitors had armored the engine as well as the crew areas. This oversight was corrected in the J.II.

Given that it had less horsepower than the C.XII, flight performance must have been much more clumsy, but that mattered little at the altitude and mission profile under which the J.I operated. Starting in February 1918, some J.Is operated with a 20mm Becker cannon and Lewis gun rather than the flexible Parabellum and downward-firing fixed machine guns. The initial three cannon-armed J.Is were followed by five more in April.[2]

Three J.I's were acquired by Austria-Hungary for evaluation. One crashed during testing; a second was damaged at the front in May 1918; and the last saw duty with Flik 69/S between July and September 1918. [6]

For more information, see Wikipedia:Albatros J.I.

Timeline [note 1]

Game Data

Wings of Glory

Unofficial Stats
Availability Maneuver Damage Dmg Points Max Alt. Climb
17Q4-18Q4 G -/B 19 ? 7

Plane and Crew Cards

Miniatures and Models

1:144 Scale

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

Resources

Orthographic Drawings

References

Notes
  1. German numbers are from bi-monthly Frontbestand records (Effective Frontline Strength).[7]
Citations
  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Argus Vol. 2, p.67.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Herris'12, p.35.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 Lamberton, pp.220-221.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Gray, p.55.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Grosz'93, p.452.
  6. Grosz'93, p.451.
  7. Grosz'85, p.60 and Grosz'86, p.66.
Bibliography
  • Argus Books, Airplane Archive: Aircraft of World War One, Volume 2. Great Britain: Argus Books, 1989. ISBN 0-85242-984-3
  • Peter Gray and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. Great Britain, Putnam, 1962, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-809-7.
  • Peter M. Grosz, George Haddow, and Peter Schiemer. Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One. Flying Machines Press, 1993. ISBN 0-9637110-0-8.
  • Peter M. Grosz, "Archiv -- Frontbestand". WW1 Aero, № 107, Dec 1985 and № 108, Feb 1986. Poughkeepsie, NY: World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.
  • Jack Herris, German Armored Warplanes of WWI. USA: Aeronaut Books, 2012. ISBN 978-1-935881-11-7
  • W.M. Lamberton and E.F. Cheesman, Reconnaissance & Bomber Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Great Britain: Harleyford Publications Ltd., 1962. ISBN 9780900435027