Breguet's Aircraft Challenge # 208

[Varese2002]

Breguet's Aircraft Challenge # 208

Regularly (original) pictures are auctioned at Ebay from the all around German reconnaissance biplanes. A good lot of them are haphazardly identified or not identified at all.

Try to give an argumentation why this biplane is surely the Z.XXX and could positively be identified as that type by distinguishing characteristics from the myriad of other German biplanes



Kees

[Breguet]

Great idea Kees! It's could for people to understand the process of identification.

[Kilian]

Is this a fake photo?

[Patrick]

Obviously an Albatros C-class product based on the fuselage construction, cowling metalwork and general shape of the wings and tail surfaces. Not a C.V (wrong engine) or a C.VII (front metalwork and spinner aren't right for a C.VII). Initial thought is that it's either an Albatros C.X or a C.XII.

After research, I'd say it's an BFW-built Albatros C.X based on:

1. Oversized Mercedes 6-cylinder engine indicating a 260-hp D.IVa engine, as powered both the C.X and the C.XII, but . . .

2. That distinctive exhaust manifold is of the type commonly seen on the C.X.

3. It looks like the front port leg of the center strut is part of the coolent water return path; I can just make out what looks like a highlight reflection from the L-pipe that mates the radiator to the strut tube. This is a known C.X feature for some early-series BFW and Linke-built aircraft (despite the fact that it was prohibited by Idflieg). I have not read that it was ever done on the C.XII.

4. The two port-side circular engine inspection doors beneath the engine cylinder bank match the doors on a BFW-built C.X perfectly in number, shape and location. The Alb-OAW, Roland and Linke-Hofmann doors on the port side were different. The C.XII doors were more widely spaced, and, I think, on a slight diagonal.

5. The leading edge of the vertical stabilizer profile looks like it has the little "flat spot" where it changes from the classic Albatros curve and drops off sharply to meet the fuselage. This is consistent with the vert stab profile of the C.X. The profile of the C.XII continued a smooth rounded curve all the way to the fuselage.

6. The white-square-background cross markings would have been from a late 1916-to-very early 1917 build as delivered from the factory, indicating a C.X; I don't think any C.XII would have been marked that way since they began to arrive late in 1917.

7. General finish of a natural wood fuselage with high-gloss varnish coat, clear-doped rudder and light gray struts, cowling metal, spinner and wheels is in agreement with known BFW factory finish. Although the print doesn't show it well, the wings and tail upper surfaces would have been 2- or 3-color camo with a (probably) light blue lower surfaces.

All-in-all, a very nice interesting picture! Only a very few of the C.X images I have in my references show it with the white-square-background crosses, so perhaps this pic is even a bit of a rarity.

[Varese2002]

Patrick, I am greatly impressed by your analysis where after classifying the machine as an Albatros C.X you even identified it as one licence built by B.F.W. I am impressed .

Before issuing this Challenge I made an identification of this one as an Albatros C.X as distinctive from the C.XII on the consideration of the struts connecting the upper wing to the fuselage on the C.X which are missing on the C.XII.



Kees

[Varese2002]

I think it is right to allot Patrick 1,5 point as he correctly identified and reasoned the Albatros C.X but also found that it was licence produced by B.F.W.

Kees

The scores after challenge # 208 are:

40.9 Varese2002
24.2 Dave_Kent
15.5 Rbailey
9.3 Rod Filan
8.3 YavorD
7.4 JohnMacG
7.0 Breguet
5.9 Cruze
6.1 joegertler
6.0 Eric Goedkoop
5.6 ercoupepilot
5.5 EdStevens
5.4 Colin A. Owers
5.1 bshatzer
4.8 Der Grune Flieger
4.4 Ross Moorhouse
4.3 edmondthieffry
4 greenknight
4 Gilles
3.7 dpolglaze
3 Tom L
2.7 Berman
2.6 FOKKERJ
2,5 Patrick
1.2 Ransom E. Olds
1 Peter Zambori
1 Gregoire
1 cubsfan4life
1 austin08
1 Cliff
.8 Machinbird
.6 Crankcase
.4 Vilkata
.2 Paul_J._Fisher

Previous challenges are on http://www.earlyaviator.com/br.challenge/

[Patrick]

Hi Kees, darn that center rear strut!

I spent so much time looking at the front part of the center strut for evidence of the L-pipe that I completely forgot to look at the assembly whole, comparing C.X to C.XII, to see if there were any differences.

I also noticed later that the rudder cross is positioned fully on the rudder, rather than split between the rudder and vert stab. This is often the way the early cross markings were applied on Alb rudders, whereas all the later pictures of the C.X show the cross split. More indication that this is a circa-1916 C.X from one of the very early production batches.

[Breguet]

I, too, would like to say I'm impressed! You really nailed it!

[Patrick]

Thanks!