Mystery giant?

FinnN · 21 October 2001, 11:14 AM

Well, it's a mystery to me anyway! I'm in the middle of producing a fairly large website with many WW1 related items (newspapers, magazines, photos, stereoviews, military documents, etc - all directly from original material). I've got a few photos that I can't quite pin down and I was wondering if anyone here can help? I won't be cheeky and post them all at once...

Here's one, I know it's a SSW R-plane, but I've no idea which one (although I think it's an RIII or IV maybe?). I have two source on SSW R planes, the Thetford/Grey book and a general aircraft encyclopedia - but neither are much help to me in pinning down the specific model.

http://fp.finnn.f9.co.uk/airquiz.jpg

I have another (less clear) photo of the same plane from behind if that would help:

http://fp.finnn.f9.co.uk/ssw2.jpg

Thanks in advance, and have fun!
Finn

Paul Forster · 21 October 2001, 02:40 PM

Since the plane in the picture looks like it is painted in a dark color,it may be the RII,which was painted with night camo at one point.

Cigogne · 22 October 2001, 06:04 AM

It is definitely a Siemens-Schuckert bomber. I'm not sure which type exactly. See if you can find a copy of "The German Giants" by Peter Grosz. It will make you an expert in no time. George Haddow's drawings also are very crisp and clean.

FinnN · 22 October 2001, 01:10 PM

Thanks for the help everyone - and yes I'm going to hunt that book down! I'll ask about another plane tomorrow, in the meantime you might like to have a look at this:

http://www.warillustrated.co.uk/aerialtest.asp

Note that this will prompt to download the Viewpoint viewer if you don't already have it installed. After that, left click to zoom in, right click to zoom out and click and drag to pan around. It's a 600dpi scan of an aerial photo of an airfield, just testing the technology for now - I haven't decided yet whether or not to use. The real site is still a few weeks off at least.

Have fun
Finn

chip55 · 22 October 2001, 02:55 PM

Hello I have a photo of what I believe is the same aircraft in `JANE'S encyclopedia of aircraft of WWI'
Janes said it contained the engines inside the fuselage . The propellers were driven by clutches and a gear box. Flown around 1915. It was an early R series.

not much other info on it.

BE WELL

chip55

leo · 24 October 2001, 02:52 PM

It looks to me as though it might be an SSW R 7 with the nose conversion common to those bombers which served with Rfa 501 on the Eastern Front. Some of the windows or laddered apertures were closed to keep out the cold.

leo

chip55 · 29 October 2001, 02:10 PM

Finn could this be a linke-Hoffman? I have a pic of a linke hoffman R-1

But alas I don't know how to post it.

Be well

chip55

Dan_San_Abbott · 29 October 2001, 03:27 PM

FinnN
Just an opinion, I think it is SSW R.II2/15, for what it is worth.
Bluer skies are ahead,
Dan-San

FinnN · 30 October 2001, 11:32 AM

Well - it's worth quite a lot really! Best thing I know now though is that I need to get ahold of that German Giants book. It certainly looks like the RII, plus with the extra information about the night camouflage I might be able to pin it down now.

Have fun
Finn

2 November 2001, 08:58 AM

Second edition of Haddow and Grosz's 'The German Giants' (1969, Putnam, London, SBN 370-00037-4) has pictures on pages 21 and 25 of the Siemens-Schuckert SSW R.VII 7/15, which flew from Vilna in 1917-18, mainly as a trainer. Page 195 has a photo of the end of the last training flight of the aircraft; looking forlorn, but living up to the statement on page 196:

"It is a tribute to safety of these aircraft [the SSW R-series] that not one life was lost in them."

I reckon it's a strong chance this is your mystery bird - a good picture of the aircraft abaft the wings would confirm or deny it.

Cheers!

Simba.