AEG G.II
The AEG G.II was a biplane bomber built by the Template:Lang (AEG) during the First World War for the Imperial German Army's (Template:Lang) Imperial German Air Service (Template:Lang). It was an improved version of the AEG G.I with more powerful engines. The G.II was typically armed with a pair of 7.92 mm (.312 in) machine guns and 200 kg (440 lb) of bombs. The bomber suffered stability problems, and many G.IIs were fitted with additional rudders to improve flight handling characteristics.
Development
A batch of a six G.IIs (factory designation GZ2) was ordered by the Inspectorate of Flying Troops (Template:Lang (Template:Lang) on 1 April 1915 before the G.I even began its combat trials. It required the use of water-cooled Template:Convert Benz Bz.III straight-six piston engines, an armament of a single Template:Cvt machine gun, a bomb load of Template:Convert and Template:Cvt of armor plate with thicknesses ranging from Template:Cvt for the forward gunner. The crew was to consist of two men, although it was to be equipped with three seats. Template:Lang was very concerned about the G.II's ability to fly on a single engine, so AEG lengthened the steel-tube fuselage and enlarged the vertical stabilizer and rudder accordingly. The aircraft was expected to be used in the battleplane (Template:Lang) or aerial cruiser role escorting bombers or reconnaissance aircraft and engaging enemy aircraft. Another batch of a dozen was ordered on 6 May, also before the results of the G.I's combat trials were known.<ref name=h5>Herris, pp. 5, 94</ref>
AEG's measures to insure adequate stability when flying on a single engine proved inadequate so the aircraft from the first batch received a variety of modifications to address the issue. Most had the tail structure modified with the existing vertical stabilizer and rudder enlarged and/or two additional rudders were mounted on the horizontal stabilizers. Some had the blunt armored nose replaced by a more streamlined unarmored one. Aircraft of the second and succeeding batches incorporated these changes as built. Two more batches totaling 18 aircraft were ordered in September, but only three or four of the last batch of a dozen were actually delivered. The highest number of G.IIs on the front-line strength report was 13 in December 1915 and remained in front-line service through June 1917.<ref name=h5/>
Despite the addition of additional machine guns, the battleplane concept proved to be a failure as the G.II was too slow to catch faster and more maneuverable fighters. Template:Lang concluded that the G.II: "had fared poorly in air combat, but had been successfully employed as a bomber in squadron strength".<ref>Herris, p. 94</ref>
Specifications (AEG G.II)
See also
References
Bibliography
Template:AEG aircraft Template:Idflieg G, GL, K, L and N-class designations Template:World War I Aircraft of the Central Powers