Gotha G.III

1916


BOMBER	Virtual Aircraft Museum / Germany / Gotha

The Gotha G.II and G.III bombers made their appearance in 1916. The two bombers were remarkably similar, differing only in their engines and internal details. The G.III entered service in August of 1916 and was powered by two Mercedes D IVa direct drive engines. Engine power went directly to the propeller shaft without using a reduction gear to reduce revolution speed. Both aircraft were armed with two 7.92mm Maxim IMG Parabellum machine guns - one in the nose and another in the aft fuselage - and carried approximately 540kg of bombs. A few G.IIs and G.IIIs were equipped with a trapdoor in the undersurface of the rear fuselage, which permitted the rear gunner to take up a prone position and fire aft or downwards from a ventral position to defend the bomber's vulnerable 'blind spot.'

Comments

Barry, 18.05.2016 17:57

Replacing the the unreliable 8 cylinder Mercedes D.IV of the Gotha GII with the 260 h.p. 6 cylinder Mercedes D.IVa was an improvement. The Gotha GIII was used mainly on the Eastern Front and some 25 were built. So successful were they that the commander of the staffel operating this bomber complained to Berlin that they were too fast for their fighter escort. By September 1917 they had all been retired to training units.
Span 77'9" Length 40'0" Height 12'10" Wing area 563 sq ft
Empty weight 5,250 lb Gross weight 7,975 lb
Maximum speed 83 mph Endurance 3 hrs 45 mins
Armament 2 /3 7.92 mm Maxim IMG 14 Parabellum machine guns
1,100 lb of bombs

wanhua, 20.06.2011 04:45

which permitted the rear gunner to take up a prone position and fire aft or downwards from a ventral position to defend the bomber's vulnerable 'blind spot.'

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