Rumpler G.I

The Rumpler G.I was a bomber aircraft produced in Germany during World War I, together with refined versions known as the G.II and G.III.^[1]

Design and development

Based on a prototype with the factory designation 4A15, the G.I and its successors were built to a conventional bomber design for their time, two-bay biplanes with unstaggered wings of unequal span.^[2] The pilot sat in an open cockpit just forward of the wings, and open positions were provided in the nose and amidships for a gunner and observer. The engines were mounted pusher-fashion in nacelles atop the lower wings and enclosed in streamlined cowlings.^[2] Fixed tricycle undercarriage was fitted, with dual wheels on each unit.^[2]

The G.II version was almost identical, but featured more powerful engines and carried a second 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine gun and increased bombload.^[2] The G.III was again similar, but had engine nacelles that were now mounted on short struts clear of the lower wing.^[2]

Variants

• 4A15 - prototype with Benz Bz.III engines^[3]
• 5A15 - G.I production version with single machine gun and Benz Bz.III or Mercedes D.III engines^[4] (ca 60 built)^[2]
• 5A16 - G.II production version with Benz Bz.IV engines and two machine guns^[5] (ca. 72 built)^[6]
• 6G2 - G.III production version with Mercedes D.IV engines and two machine guns^[7] (ca. 90 built)^[6]

Specifications (G.III)

Data from Kroschel & Stützer 1994, p.140

General characteristics

• Crew: Three
• Length: 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
• Wingspan: 19.30 m (63 ft 4 in)
• Height: 4.50 m (19 ft 2 in)
• Wing area: 73.0 m² (785 ft²)
• Empty weight: 2,365 kg (5,203 lb)
• Gross weight: 3,620 kg (7,964 lb)
• Powerplant: 2 × Mercedes D.IV, 190 kW (260 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 165 km/h (103 mph)
• Range: 700 km (440 miles)
• Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft)

Armament

• 1 × trainable 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun in nose
• 1 × trainable 7.92 mm (.312 in) Parabellum MG14 machine gun in dorsal position
• 250 kg (550 lb) of bombs

Notes

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rumpler aircraft.

• Gray, Peter; Owen Thetford (1962). German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam. 
• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing. 
• Kroschel, Günter; Helmut Stützer (1994). Die Deutschen Militärflugzeuge 1910–1918. Herford: Verlag E.S. Mittler & Sohn. 
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.