Hannover CL.III

Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft

Imperial Germany | 1917

"The Hannover CL.III was a direct evolution of the earlier CL.II and saw production figures exceed 600 units in all."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Firepower

Performance

Survivability

Versatility

Impact

Even as the CL.II (detailed elsewhere on this site) by Hannoversche Waggonfabrik AG was making its way to German squadrons during World War 1 (1914-1918), the company was already evolving the design under the designation of "CL.III". The engine-of-choice switched from the original's Argus As.III of 180 horsepower to the proven Mercedes D.III water-cooled engine of 160 horsepower - the change promising greater performance power at altitude. Several measures were also enacted to reduce the type's operating weight and various sections were reinforced or revised. The resulting biplane fighter saw total production reach 617 units with the German Empire and some post-war use was had by the nations of Latvia and the newly-founded Soviet Union.

The aircraft carried over other established qualities of the CL.II that came before it: the unequal-span biplane wing members (single bay, parallel struts), tail-dragger undercarriage, and tandem seating for its crew of two (pilot in front, gunner/observer at the rear). Armament was increased from two 7.92mm machine guns (one forward, one aft) to three machine guns: 2 x 7.92mm machine guns now featured at the rear cockpit emplacement.

Dimensions included a running length of 24.9 feet, a wingspan of 38.4 feet, and a height of 9 feet. Empty weight reached 1,580 lb against an MTOW of 2,400 lb.

The CL.III was approved on February 23rd, 1918 and a serial production order for 200 units then followed by the German Air Service with first-deliveries tagged for March of that year. However, there proved a shortage of the in-demand Mercedes D.III engines which resulted in just eighty of the aircraft featuring entering service with this powerplant - the remainder were equipped with the original Argus As.III of 180 horsepower and these became the "CL.IIIa" in service. The engines were license-built by Opel and designated "As.III(O)" to mark the origin.

With this engine in place, the aircraft could manage a maximum speed of 103 miles-per-hour, reach an altitude of 24,600 feet, and climb at 620 feet-per-minute while holding a mission endurance of three hours.

The CL.IIIa proved itself the definitive production mark of the series, seeing combat service from entry in April 1918 up until the end of the war in November of 1918 (the 'Armistice') - though by this point the capable fighters were being used in the ground-attack role to help delay Allied advances. At least one other designation emerged as the "CL.IIIb" and this was to feature the NAG C.III engine of 185 horsepower. For this work, a single experimental model, the "CL.IIIc", was to serve as a testbed while also sporting a two-bay biplane wing arrangement.

Despite the signing of the Armistice of 1918 to end the war in full, Hannover continued serial production of the aircraft for a short time later, adding another 100 CL.III and another 38 CL.IIIa forms.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Hannover CL.IIIa Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

1 x Argus As.III 6-cylinder water-cooled inline piston engine developing 180 horsepower and driving a two-bladed wooden propeller at the nose.
Propulsion

103 mph
165 kph | 89 kts
Max Speed

24,606 ft
7,500 m | 5 miles
Service Ceiling

311 miles
500 km | 270 nm
Operational Range

620 ft/min
189 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Hannover CL.IIIa Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

2
(MANNED)
Crew

24.9 ft
7.58 m
O/A Length

38.4 ft
(11.70 m)
O/A Width

9.2 ft
(2.80 m)
O/A Height

1,576 lb
(715 kg)
Empty Weight

2,381 lb
(1,080 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Hannover CL.III Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft .

1 x 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 machine gun in fixed, forward-facing mounting.
2 x 7.92mm Parabellum MG14 machine guns in trainable mounting at rear cockpit.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Hannover CL.III family line.

CL.III - Base Series Designation; powered by Mercedes D.III engine; 80 examples completed.

CL.IIIa - Powered by Argus A.III inline piston engine of 180 horsepower; production by Opel.

CL.IIIb - Proposed production form to be powered by NAG C.III engine of 185 horsepower.

CL.IIIC - Testbed form with revised wing mainplanes with twin bays and NAG engine.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Hannover CL.III. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 617 Units
Contractor(s): Hannoversche Waggonfabrik / Opel - German Empire

[ German Empire; Latvia (post-war); Soviet Union (post-war) ]

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Image from the Public Domain.

Going Further...
The Hannover CL.III Twin-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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