Halberstadt CL.II

Escort Biplane Fighter / Ground Attack Aircraft

Imperial Germany | 1917

"Nearly 1,000 of the Hablerstadt biplane aircraft were produced during World War 1 - serving as escort fighters and ground attack platforms."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

It was the Halberstadt D.IV fighter that served as the basis for the CL.II escort fighter / ground attacker. The original D.IV was rejected by the German Air Service due to pilot vision out-of-the-cockpit and only saw three aircraft produced but it was this very design that influenced the upcoming CL.II, developed to a two-seat, defensive-minded patrol and pursuit requirement for the Germans of World War 1 (1914-1918). The CL.II fulfilled this role quite well and was produced to the tune of 900 examples.

The CL.II originally emerged under the designation of "C.II" during 1916 but this was reworked to become the "CL.II" in the summer of 1917. Like other aircraft in the Halberstadt stable, the CL.II carried a single 7.92mm LMG 08/15 synchronized machine gun in a fixed, forward-firing mounting for the pilot. Armament was augmented by the rear crewman being given management of a single 7.92mm LMG 14 series machine gun atop a flexible mounting. To fulfill the ground attack aspect of the requirement, the aircraft could be laden with up to five 22lb "Wurfgranaten 15" series trench mortar fragmentation bombs and ten stick grenades. Power was from a Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder inline engine of 160 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller at the nose. A biplane wing arrangement (staggered) was used with parallel strutworks as was a fixed undercarriage (wheeled at the main legs) and open-air cockpits for the two crewmembers.

First-flight was had during early 1917 which led to a first-order placed in May. In August of that year, the aircraft was readied for battle and began arriving in useful numbers. Once in action, the series was well-regarded for its handling and power as well as good vision out-of-the-cockpit. In a matter of weeks, it proved itself one of the more valuable aircraft in service to the Germans as the type could engage air and ground targets with equal lethality - as well as defend itself when necessary. It also served as an escort to larger, slower and more vulnerable warplanes when needed, such was its over-battlefield flexibility.

To make up the 900-strong total, Halberstadt received no fewer than five total production batch orders and this accounted for at least 700 aircraft with manufacture ranging into the middle part of 1918. Bayerische FlugzeugWerke (BFW) supplied the other 200 aircraft in the total.

The CL.IIa was the sole variant of the CL.II line, this model carrying a BMW IIIa series engine and trialed for a time in frontline actions. It did not see quantitative production figures.

Both Lithuania and Poland became post-war operators of the CL.II.

As finalized, the CL.II could manage a maximum speed of 103 miles per hour with a service ceiling of 16,600 feet. Endurance was three hours and climb to 16,400 feet took forty minutes. Empty weight was 1,700lb against a Maximum Take-Off Weight (MTOW) of 2,500lb.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Halberstadt CL.II Escort Biplane Fighter / Ground Attack Aircraft.

1 x Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine developing 160 horsepower and driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.
Propulsion

103 mph
165 kph | 89 kts
Max Speed

16,732 ft
5,100 m | 3 miles
Service Ceiling

311 miles
500 km | 270 nm
Operational Range

550 ft/min
168 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Halberstadt CL.II Escort Biplane Fighter / Ground Attack Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

24.0 ft
7.30 m
O/A Length

35.3 ft
(10.75 m)
O/A Width

9.0 ft
(2.75 m)
O/A Height

1,709 lb
(775 kg)
Empty Weight

2,502 lb
(1,135 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Halberstadt CL.II Escort Biplane Fighter / Ground Attack Aircraft .

STANDARD:
1 x 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 machine gun in fixed, forward-firing mounting synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
1 x 7.92mm Parabellum MG14 machine gun on flexible mounting in rear cockpit.

OPTIONAL:
5 x 22lb Wurfgranaten 15 series trench mortar fragmentation drop bombs.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Halberstadt CL.II family line.

CL.II - Base Series Designation

CL.IIa - Limited test form fitted with BMW IIIa series engines.

C.II - Original designation of 1916

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Halberstadt CL.II. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 900 Units
Contractor(s): Halberst?dter Flugzeugwerke (Halberstadt) / Bayerische FlugzeugWerke (BFW) - German Empire

[ German Empire; Lithuania (post-war); Poland (post-war) ]

Relative Max Speed

Hi: 120mph

Lo: 60mph

Aircraft Max Listed Speed (103mph).

Graph Average of 90 MPH.

Era Crossover

Showcasing Aircraft Era Crossover (if any)

Max Alt Visualization

Production Comparison

900

36183

44000

Entry compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian) total production.

MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

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Aviation Timeline

EarlyYrs

WWI

Interwar

WWII

ColdWar

Postwar

Modern

Future

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Image from the Public Domain.

Mission Roles
Some designs are single-minded in their approach while others offer a more versatile solution to airborne requirements.

AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT

CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT

Recognition
Some designs stand the test of time while others are doomed to never advance beyond the drawing board; let history be their judge.

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Going Further...
The Halberstadt CL.II Escort Biplane Fighter / Ground Attack Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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