Can anyone ID This Roland?

Jagdpanzer · 12 October 2004, 04:01 PM

Hello to all. I am trying to find out what unit the Roland in this photograph belonged to:

Specifically I am referring to the Roland with the Sharkmouth nearest the camera in the photo. Can anyone be of assistance here? I would appreciate any help anyone can give me to ID this plane...

jumpinjan · 12 October 2004, 06:13 PM

Tonight, I actually finished airbrushing the colors on my Eduard C.IIa kit. Here are a couple of links that might help (but I didn't read anywhere what unit it is)
http://www.internetmodeler.com/2001/...ria/Roland.htm

This one is painted in the purple/green camo scheme
http://www.wwi-models.org/IM/German/laskodi_roland.html
I really don't think it's correct. I think it should also be the rust-brown/moss green color scheme. Further reference in the Datafile #49 (C.II) mentions that your shark mouth (#2), was done in the brn/grn scheme, but on the back cover is art work of #2 in the pur/grn scheme....Confused yet? Why would there be 3 different paint schemes?
1) Over-all pale blue (The Walfisch scheme)
2) grn/rust-brown/pale blue (The Link-Hofmann scheme?)
3) grn/purple/pale blue (?? )
Could anyone comment on the grn/purple scheme?
Thanks in advance, Jan

Cigogne · 12 October 2004, 06:14 PM

Well, there is no image posted... but, if it is the one I am thinking of, it could very well be Flieger-Abteilung 62 that flew on the Eastern Front.

Rudolf Windisch and Max von Cossel flew in one or more Roland C.IIs with the unit. There were several aircraft in the unit that bore "shark" mouth markings.

Jagdpanzer · 13 October 2004, 11:44 AM

Thanks for the info guys. Flieger-Abteilung 62 ? that sounds interesting. I'll have to do some research...

Cigogne · 14 October 2004, 04:02 PM

The flew during the Verdun conflict in the Spring of 1916 and were later transferred to the Eastern Front during the Summer to Fall of 1916.

The "shark mouthed" one on the left is an LFG "Roland" built machine. The others are Linke-Hoffman license built aircraft. You can tell by the different exhaust stack.

Intrepid · 14 October 2004, 07:25 PM

This photo also appears in LFG Roland C.II (Windsock Datafile #49) by Peter Grosz. The unit and local are unknown. I do not believe it is the same aircraft photographed with Windish and von Cossel on page 206 of Over the Front Vol.17 No. 3. It is also noted the Feldflieger Abteilung 62 Roland C.II with the sharks mouth had a non-standard water header tank.

Cigogne · 15 October 2004, 05:48 AM

Intrepid,

Ah, yes, you've an eye for the finer details. I wonder if the non-standard header tank was a factory mod? I saw it as well. It is definitely a different aircraft that von Cossel and Windisch are posing in front of. The von Cossel/Windisch machine is from an earlier production batch with the rounded roll over bar and has no forward fixed synchronized machinegun. The one seen here has the later style w/ the fixed armament. I believe another photo exists of their machine, but before the application of the shark mouth. I've seen a right side view w/ the same dark camouflage on the top side, but no "face"... I'll have to go and study it more closely.