Rumpler 6B
| 6B | |
|---|---|
| |
| Rumpler 6B1 | |
| Role | Floatplane fighter |
| Manufacturer | Rumpler Flugzeugwerke |
| First flight | 1916 |
| Introduction | 1916 |
| Retired | 1920s |
| Primary users | German Imperial Navy Finnish Air Force |
| Produced | 1916–1918 |
| Number built | 88 |
| Developed from | Rumpler C.I |
The Rumpler 6B was a German single-engine floatplane fighter with a biplane wing structure, designed and built by Rumpler Flugzeugwerke, in Berlin Johannisthal and introduced in 1916.
Design and development[edit]
Born out of a requirement of the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) for a seaplane fighter, the Rumpler 6B was, like its contemporaries the Albatros W.4 and Hansa-Brandenburg W.9, an adaptation of an existing landplane design. In Rumpler's case, the new floatplane fighter was based on the company's two-seat C.I reconnaissance aircraft. The modifications included adding a forward stagger to the wings, removal of the second (observer's) cockpit and fitting a larger rudder to offset the increased side area caused by the addition of floats. In the production aircraft, the area of the horizontal tail surfaces was also slightly reduced. The armament consisted of a fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 "Spandau" machine gun mounted on port side of the engine block.
The initial version of the fighter was the 6B1. A total of 39 of these were produced, with all but one of the number having been delivered by the end of May 1917. A new version of the basic design, the 6B2, was introduced in October 1917. These aircraft retained the Mercedes D.III engine, but otherwise they were based on the C.IV, with larger dimensions and more rounded horizontal tail surfaces. In spite of the decrease in performance, 49 of this type were delivered between October 1917 and January 1918, during which time the remaining 6B1 also left the factory.
Operational history[edit]
The Rumpler 6Bs were mostly employed at German seaplane bases at Ostend and Zeebrugge. Two were also sent to Kingdom of Bulgaria[1] and some to Kingdom of Romania to fight the Russians.[2]
Use in Bulgaria[edit]
The two 6B1s that were stationed at the German Naval Air Station Peynerdjik near Varna were transferred in April 1918 to the Bulgarian Navy. In 1920, they were destroyed in accordance with the clauses of the Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine.[3]
Use in Finland[edit]
In February 1918, the Finnish White Army ordered one Rumpler and seven other aircraft from Germany. The aircraft was destroyed in an accident in October 1919. Another Rumpler aircraft was bought from the Germans in Tallinn in 1918 and it was used for seven years.
Survivors[edit]
Hallinportti Aviation Museum has one Rumpler in storage.
Operators[edit]
Specifications (6B1)[edit]
Data from The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Built and Flown;[4] German Aircraft of the First World War; [5] Rumpler Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes[6]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 9.05 m (29 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 12.15 m (39 ft 10 in)
- Height: 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 35.7 m2 (384 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 790 kg (1,742 lb)
- Max takeoff weight: 1,140 kg (2,513 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.III water-cooled, straight-six engine, 120 kW (160 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 135 km/h (84 mph, 73 kn)
- Combat range: 550 km (340 mi, 300 nmi)
- Time to altitude: 25 minutes to 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
Armament
- Guns: 1 or 2 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 with an interruptor gear
See also[edit]
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
Related lists
References[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- Gray, Peter & Thetford, Owen (1987) [1970]. German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd ed.). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-85177-809-7.
- Green, William & Swanborough, Gordon (2001) [1994]. The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Built and Flown (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Salamander Books. ISBN 1-84065-269-1.
- Herris, Jack (2014). Rumpler Aircraft of WWI: A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes. Great War Aviation Centennial Series. Vol. 11. n.p.: Aeronaut Books. ISBN 978-1-935881-21-6.
- Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari; Niska, Klaus (1976). Suomen ilmavoimien lentokoneet 1918–1939 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Tietoteos.
- Keskinen, Kalevi; Partonen, Kyösti; Stenman, Kari (2005). Suomen ilmavoimat 1918-1927 (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusliike Kari Stenman. ISBN 952-99432-2-9.
- Lamberton, W. M. (1960). Fighter Aircraft of the 1914–1918 War. Letchworth, UK: Harleyford Publications. OCLC 1395838.
- Nedialkov, Dimitar (2001). Въздушната мощ на Царство България: Ч. 2. / Air Power of the Kingdom of Bulgaria, Pt. 2 (in Bulgarian/English). Sofia: Fark.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link) - Nicolle, David (March–April 1999). "Young Turks: Ottoman Turkish Fighters 1915–1918". Air Enthusiast. No. 74. pp. 40–45. ISSN 0143-5450.