The LVG C.II was a 1910s German two-seat

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

designed at the Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft for the ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...

''.

Development

The C.II was developed from the LVG B.I, with the pilot and observer positions reversed, adding a ring-mounted machine gun to the rear. The increase in weight required a larger engine, the Benz Bz.III. Few C.I's were built before the C.II was introduced. It incorporated structural improvements and a more powerful engine.Donald, 1997, p. 553.

Operational history

The C.IV was the first fixed-wing aircraft to bomb

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, when six bombs were dropped near Victoria Station on 28 November 1916. (The first air raid on London was by the Zeppelin LZ 38, in the early hours of 1 June 1915.)

Variants

*LVG C.I - initial design, 120 kW (160 hp) Benz Bz.III engine. *LVG C.II - production version. *LVG C.III - single experimental aircraft, observer and machine gun moved to front. *LVG C.IV - slightly larger, 160 kW (220 hp) Mercedes D.IV engine.

Operators

; * Luftstreitkrafte * Kaiserliche Marine ; * Swiss Air Force

Specifications (C.II)

Notes

References

* Donald, David, ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft'' (pg 553). (1997). Prospero Books. * * * * van Wyngarden, G (2006). Early German Aces of World War I, Osprey Publishing Ltd. {{Authority control 1910s German military reconnaissance aircraft Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft C.II Aircraft first flown in 1915 Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear