Photo AEG G.II

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay are two photos of AEG G.II G.23/15 named Sonnenvogel of FFA 30 at:


https://www.ebay.de/itm/Top-Original...8AAOSwC29fM708


https://www.ebay.de/itm/Top-Original...YAAOSwM0VfM73a


Jack Herris in WWI Aircraft Photo Extra which has further photos of this machine records that itserved with FFA 1. Given that both units served in Macedonia presumably it passed from one unit to the other?


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

I don't have Herris photo extra and I am certainly not privy to his sources either, but in this case the seller seems to know a thing or two even if he is not capable of ID any aircraft.

There is even a third photo of, most likely, the same aircraft, now reported in Serbia. Seller has more photos of what he claims to be from FFA 30 so it feels likely he has "plundered" an album of some sort.

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hello Stig,


If you took my post to mean that the aircraft did not belong to FFA 30, that was not my intention. Rather my point is that it was operated by both FFA1 and FFA 30. The source for the photos in APE I is Bruno Schämling. Also I had noticed the other FFA 30 photos as you'll see from my thread further down the board. I agree with the likelihood of a photoalbum. A shame really as it would have been nice to keep the collection together. Still here's hoping for for photos of FFA 30 aircraft with serials.


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Sorry Clint, no I didn't

All I was saying was that I had no idea of Herris sources, and that I felt the seller (for a change) actually was saying something useful...
Schmäling is a good researcher/collector and I have no reason to doubt his statement.

I find the AEG bomber a bit odd to use in the Balkans. The G types were introduced by the Germans as a sort of strategic weapon but could of course be used as a tactical aircraft as well, even if I then feel they were a bit of an "overkill". In the Balkans I have no feeling any of the combatants tried any strategic warfare so what was this G.II's purpose? Long range recce perhaps?

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hi Stig,


Good to here. I don't think that the G category was initially planned as a bomber whether tactical or strategic. Rather, they were Kampfflugzeuge inteded to escort recce aircraft and to attack enemy aircraft to paraphrase the Aeronaut AEG Volume. Clearly not a practical tactic and I would think that the Balkans would be a good place for deployment as not too much aerial opposition could be expected and thus the probability of survival at least tenable. . I believe that the AEG G.IV was the first of the company's G types to be planned as a bomber.


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Yes, I had forgotten the early concept of the K-type (aka G-type)

All major sides tried this concept and I believe France was the nation who stuck to it the longest.
But one have to remember that the German concept also included bomb carrying capacity and by 1916 at least the Germans must have felt the "aerial battleship" idea was a dead end, and found with a more offensive (strategic) tactic the same type of aircraft could be better used in a pure "heavy" bombing role.

I don't think they tried to re-invent the wheels in the Balkans but perhaps the early G-types were sent to the Eastern fronts so they at least could use their better capacity a bit longer? Would be interesting to know what these FFA units wanted this and perhaps other G-types to perform?

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hello,


Currently on ebay is a further photo of AEG G.II G.23/15 'Sonnenvogel' at:


https://www.ebay.de/itm/Top-Original...8AAOSw7BdfPOoG


Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Interesting Clint

Much better date than before, Nov 1915.
Previous guesses from the seller was from 1916-17, wasn't it.
Wonder if it lasted that long....

Cheers
Stig

[musec04]

Hi Stig,


Well, after German intervention in Serbia, organised fighting was over there by the end of 1915 and large scale operations didn't really resume until September 1918, so I would imagine that the greatest threat to an individual machine based in that theatre would be via mechanical unreliability. But that's all speculation. Again according to Jack Herris in AEG Aircraft of WWI P.94, the G.II remained in frontline use until June 1917.Though checking the Frontbestand on P.4 of the same publicationit was just a single machine by that stage.



Regards,


Clint

[Stig Jarlevik]

Ah yes

But I was referring specifically only to our "Sonnenvogel"
Previous photos talked only about 1916-17 but now we get Nov 1915, a quite specific date.

Cheers
Stig