German and Austro-Hungarian Military Aircraft Designations (1914-1918)

Copyright © 2003-2004 Andreas Parsch
(Original designation listings compiled by Aleksey V. Martynov)

1 German Aircraft Designation System

2 Designation Listing

3 Serial Number Systems

4 Sources

1 German Aircraft Designation System

The German Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen = Inspectorate of the Flying Troops) used a formalized aircraft designation system as early as 1913. Each aircraft was identified by the manufacturer's name, a letter designating the type (or mission) of the aircraft, and a roman numeral. Type letter and numeral were separated by a dot. One numeric series (I, II, III, ...) was used for each combination of manufacturer and type letter. In rare cases, lower-case suffix letters were used to designate variants of an aeroplane (e.g. Hannover CL.IIIa). However, it was much more usual to assign a new numeral even for small changes on the aircraft (e.g. Fokker E.II/III/IV were all variations of the basic Fokker E.I).

The following type letters were defined:

Notes:

1. Type "CL" was a derivative of Type "C", the "L" was for "leicht" ("light"). Types "C" and "CL" shared a single numerical sequence for each manufacturer. In the same way, "GL" designated a lightened G-type.
2. Type "CLS" was apparently a derivative of Type "CL", but was applied only to a handful of aircraft in 1918. It possibly specified still lighter and faster two-seat fighters (perhaps "S" = schnell (fast)). The CLS-type designations were assigned in a separate numerical series, except for the Halberstadt CLS.X, which followed that company's C.IX.
3. In 1918, Type "Dr" was cancelled, and all new single-seat fighters became Type "D".
4. In 1918, Type "E" was cancelled, and all new single-seat fighters became Type "D".
5. "J" was used for Infantrieflugzeug instead of "I", because the latter would have led to confusion with the roman numeral "I" (e.g. in designations like I.I).

The original system of 1913 had only two type letters, "A" for monoplanes and "B" for biplanes. However, the system was expanded in early 1915 to distinguish between armed and unarmed aircraft. The original "A" and "B" types were redefined to cover only unarmed aircraft.

There are a few odd designations, which were apparently officially allocated to some aircraft, but which do not quite fit into the standard designation system. These include:

The Kriegsmarine (German Navy) used manufacturers' designations for many of its aircraft. Although many floatplanes used the designation "W" for Wasserflugzeug (Seaplane), it's possible that W-type designations were assigned by the manufacturers, too. The W-type designations used arabic instead of roman numerals, and were apparently not always assigned in strict numerical sequence. They are outside the scope of this document.

In the initial system, aircraft built under license by another manufacturer were given a new designation in the manufacturer's series. E.g. an L.F.G. Roland D.I built by Pfalz was known as a Pfalz D.I. However, in late 1916 (or early 1917) the system was changed. A license-built aircraft then retained the original designer's designation, followed by a two- to five-letter abbreviation of the manufacturer's name in parentheses. This was retroactively applied to existing machines, so that e.g. the Pfalz D.I was redesignated as L.F.G. Roland D.I (Pfal.). The following table lists the official abbreviations of German aircraft manufacturers:

Minor German aircraft manufacturers, for which no official abbreviation is known, include:

The Austro-Hungarian KuKLFT (Kaiserlich und Königliche Luftfahrttruppen = Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops) also adopted the German aircraft designation system. However, Austria-Hungary assigned its designations completely independent from Germany. This can be a bit confusing in the case of Aviatik, which had airplane companies in both Germany and Austria. E.g. a German "Aviatik C.I" is a different type of aircraft than an Austro-Hungarian "Aviatik C.I". This was not a real problem, though, because essentially all KuKLFT warplanes were built by Austro-Hungarian manufacturers, none of which exported aircraft to Germany. German designs built under license in Austria-Hungary used the standard nomenclature, i.e. original designation plus builder's name in parentheses (e.g. "Friedrichshafen G.III (Oef.)").

The official abbreviations of the Austro-Hungarian aircraft manufacturers were as follows:

Austrian aircraft companies and designers, which didn't have own production facilities for military aeroplanes during the war, included:

2 Designation Listing

Major types are listed in black, while other types (mostly prototypes or abandoned designs) are listed in gray. The "Year" column gives year of first flight (if known), or the year of design and/or construction for unfinished projects.

2.1 German Designations

Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft (A.E.G.)

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.II 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D II
B.III 1915 Derivative of B.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D II
C.I 1915 Derivative of B.II; engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.II 1915 Derivative of B.II; engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.III 1915 Engine: 1x Bz III
C.IV 1916 Variants: C.IV N; engine: 1x Mercedes D III (C.IV N: 1x Benz Bz III)
C.V 1916 Derivative of C.IV; engine: 1x Mercedes D ?
C.VI   Derivative of C.IV; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.VII 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.VIII 1917 Variants: C.VIII Dr (triplane); engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.I 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
DJ.I 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
G.I 1915 Originally designated K.I; engine: 2x Mercedes D I
G.II 1915 Engine: 2x Benz Bz III
G.III 1915 Eengine: 2x Mercedes D IV
G.IV 1916 Derivative of G.III; variants G.IVb, G.IVk; engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.V 1918 Engine: 2x D IVa
J.I 1917 Derivative of C.IV; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
J.II 1918 Derivative of J.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
K.I 1915 became G.I, q.v.
N.I 1918 Engine: 1x Benz
R.I 1916 Engine: 4x Mercedes D IVa

Ago

Designation Year Remarks
C.I 1915 Variants: C.I W; engine: 1x Mercedes D III or 1x Benz Bz III
C.II 1915 Derivative of C.I; variants: C.II W; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.III   Derivative of C.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.IV 1916 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
(C.V) (No information)
(C.VI) (No information)
C.VII   Derivative of C.IV; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.VIII   Derivative of C.VII; engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa
S.I 1918 Engine: 1x Basse und Selve BuS III

Albatros

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I or 1x Mercedes D II
B.II 1914 Derivative of B.I; variants: B.IIa; engine: 1x Mercedes D I or 1x Benz Bz II or 1x Mercedes D II or 1x Argus As II
B.III 1915 Engine: 1x Mercedes D II
C.I 1915 Derivative of B.I; variants: C.Ia, C.Ib (1917); engine: 1x Benz Bz III or 1x Mercedes D III or 1x Argus As III
C.II 1916 Engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.III 1916 Derivative of C.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.IV 1916 Derivative of C.III; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.V 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IV
C.VI 1916 Derivative of C.III; engine: 1x Argus As III
C.VII 1917 Derivative of C.V; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.VIII N 1917 Later known as N.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.IX 1917 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.X 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa
C.XI 1917 Derivative of D.IV; project only
C.XII 1917 Derivative of C.X; engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa
C.XIII 1917 Derivative of D.Va; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.XIV 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IVa
C.XV 1918 Derivative of C.XIV; engine: 1x Bz ?
CLS.I 1918 Not built?
D.I 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III or 1x Benz Bz III
D.II 1916 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.III 1916 Derivative of D.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa
D.IV 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.V 1917 Variants: D.Va; engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa
D.VI 1917 Project only
D.VII 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.VIII 1917 Project only
D.IX 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa
D.X 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.XI 1918 Engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III
D.XII 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa
D.XIII 1918 Not completed
D.XIV 1918 Not completed
D.XV 1918 Project only
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.V; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
Dr.II 1918 Derivative of D.X; engine: 1x Benz Bz IVb
G.I 1916 Engine: 4x Mercedes D I
G.II 1916 Engine: 2x Benz Bz III
G.III 1916 Engine: 2x Benz Bz IVa
G.IV 1918 Project only
J.I 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
J.II 1918 Derivative of J.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz IVa
J.III 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz ?; not built?
N.I 1917 Originally designated C.VIII N; engine: 1x Mercedes D III

Aviatik

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.II 1915 Engine: 1x Mercedes D II
C.I 1915 Variants: C.Ia; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.II 1916 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.III 1916 Derivative of C.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
(C.IV) (No information)
C.V 1917 Engine: 1x Argus As III
C.VI 1917 License-built D.F.W. C.V; probably later redesignated as D.F.W. C.V (Av.); engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
(C.VII) (No information)
C.VIII 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.IX 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
(D.I) Not assigned
D.II 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.III 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.IV    
(D.V) (No information)
D.VI 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.VII 1918 Derivative of D.VI; engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb

Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke (B.F.W.)

Designation Year Remarks
CL.I 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
CL.II 1918 Derivative of CL.I; engine: 1x MAN III
CL.III 1918 Derivative of CL.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
CL.IV 1918 Derivative of CL.I; project only
N.I 1918  

Daimler

Designation Year Remarks
D.I 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIb

Deutsche Flugzeug-Werke (D.F.W.)

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.II 1915 Derivative of B.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D I or 1x Mercedes D II
C.I 1916 Derivative of B.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.II 1916 Derivative of C.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.III 1916 Engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.IV 1916 Engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.V 1916 Derivative of C.IV; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.VI 1918 Engine: 1x Bz IVa
D.I 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.II 1917 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III; not built?
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
R.I 1916 Engine: 4x Mercedes D IV
R.II 1916 Derivative of R.I; engine: 4x Mercedes D IVa

Euler

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.II 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.III 1918 Derivative of L.V.G. B III; engine: 1x Mercedes D II
D.I 1916 Copy of Nieuport Nie.11; engine: 1x Oberursel U O or 1x Oberursel U I
D.II 1916 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Oberursel U I

Note: Euler built four triplane prototypes, which are sometimes referred to as Dr.I through Dr.IV. However, these designations were never assigned by the German military.

Fokker

Designation Year Remarks
A.I 1914  
A.II 1914 Engine: 1x Oberursel U O
A.III 1914 Derivative of A.II; engine: 1x Oberursel U O
C.I 1918 Engine: 1x BMW IIIa
D.I 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D II
D.II 1916 Engine: 1x Oberursel U I
D.III 1916 Derivative of D.II; engine: 1x Oberursel U III
D.IV 1916 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.V 1916 Engine: 1x Oberursel U I
D.VI 1918 Engine: 1x Oberursel U II
D.VII 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III or 1x BMW III
D.VIII 1918 Originally designated E.V; engine: 1x Oberursel U II
Dr.I 1917 Originally designated F.I; Engine: 1x Oberursel U II
E.I 1915 Derivative of A.III; engine: 1x Oberursel U O
E.II 1915 Derivative of E.I; engine: 1x Oberursel U I
E.III 1915 Derivative of E.II; engine: 1x Oberursel U I
E.IV 1916 Derivative of E.III; engine: 1x Oberursel U III
E.V 1918 Original designation of D.VIII, q.v.
F.I 1917 Original designation of Dr.I, q.v.
K.I 1915 Engine: 2x Oberursel U O

Note: Three Fokker B-types were designated and exclusively used by Austria-Hungary, and are listed in the latter's section.

Friedrichshafen

Designation Year Remarks
C.I   Engine: 1x Benz Bz III
D.I 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
DD.II 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
G.I 1915 Engine: 2x Benz Bz III
G.II 1916 Engine: 2x Benz Bz IV
G.III 1917 Derivative of G.II; variants: G.IIIa; engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.IV 1918 Engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
N.I 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa

Germania

Designation Year Remarks
C.I   Engine: 1x Maybach Mb ?
C.II   Derivative of C.I
(C.III) (No information)
C.IV 1918 Engine: 1x Argus As II

Gotha

Designation Year Remarks
A.I 1914 License-built "Taube"; engine: 1x Mercedes D I
G.I 1915 Engine: 2x Benz Bz III
G.II 1916 Engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.III 1916 Derivative of G.II; engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.IV 1916 Derivative of G.II; engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.V 1917 Derivative of G.IV; variants: G.Va, G.Vb; engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.VI 1918 Engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.VII 1918 Engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa
G.VIII 1918 Variants: GL.VIII; engine: 2x Maybach Mb IV
G.IX 1918 Engine: 2x Maybach Mb IV
G.X 1918 Engine: 2x BMW IIIa

Halberstadt

Designation Year Remarks
(A.I) (No information)
A.II   License-built Fokker A.I
B.I 1915 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.II 1915 Derivative of B.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.III 1915 Derivative of B.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D II
C.I   Development of B.II
CL.II 1917 Variants: CL.IIa; engine: 1x Mercedes D III (CL.IIa: 1x BMW IIIa)
C.III 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
CL.IV 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.V 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
(C.VI) (No information)
C.VII 1918 Derivative of C.V; engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
C.VIII 1918 Engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
C.IX 1918 Derivative of C.V; engine: 1x Hiero
CLS.X 1918 Derivative of CLS.I; project only
CLS.I 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
CLS.II 1918 Derivative of CLS.I; project only
D.I 1915 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
D.II 1916 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D II
D.III 1916 Derivative of D.II; engine: 1x Argus As II
D.IV 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz III
D.V 1917 Derivative of D.III; engine: 1x Mercedes D II or 1x Argus As II
G.I 1915 Engine: 2x Mercedes D III

Hannover

Designation Year Remarks
C.I 1915 License-built Aviatik C.I; later redesignated as Aviatik C.I (Han.); engine: 1x Mercedes D III
CL.II 1917 Variants: CL.IIa; engine: 1x Argus As III
CL.III 1917 Derivative of CL.II; variants: CL.IIIa, CL.IIIb, CL.IIIc; engine: 1x Mercedes D III (CL.IIIa: 1x Argus As III; CL.IIIb: 1x NAG)
C.IV 1918 Engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
CL.V 1918 Engine: 1x BMW IIIa

Jeannin

Designation Year Remarks
A.I 1914 "Taube"; engine: 1x Argus As II

Junkers

Designation Year Remarks
CL.I 1918 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa or 1x BMW IIIa
CLS.I 1918 Seaplane derivative of CL.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIa
D.I 1918 Engine: 1x BMW IIIa or 1x Mercedes D IIIa
E.I 1915 Engine: 1x Mercedes D II or 1x Mercedes D III
J.I 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV

Kondor

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D II
D.I 1918 Engine: 1x Oberursel U II
D.II 1918 Engine: 1x Oberursel U II
(E.I) Not assigned (possibly to designate the 3rd Kondor fighter as E.III)
(E.II)
E.III 1918 Variants: E.IIIa; engine: 1x Oberursel U III (E.IIIa: 1x Goebel Goe IIIa)

L.F.G. Roland

Designation Year Remarks
C.I 1915 License-built Albatros C.I; later redesignated as Albatros C.I (Rol.)
C.II 1915 "Walfisch"; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.III 1916 Derivative of C.II; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
(C.IV) (No information)
C.V 1917 Derivative of D.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
(C.VI) (No information)
(C.VII) (No information)
C.VIII 1918 Derivative of C.III; engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa
D.I 1916 "Haifisch"; Derivative of C.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.II 1916 Derivative of D.I; variants: D.IIa; engine: 1x Mercedes D III (D.IIa: 1x Argus As III)
D.III 1916 Engine: 1x Argus As III
D.IV 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.V   Derivative of D.IV; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.VI 1918 Variants: D.VIa, D.VIb; engine: 1x Mercedes D III (D.VIb: 1x Benz Bz IIIa)
D.VII 1918 Derivative of D.VI; engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.VIII   Derivative of D.VI
D.IX 1918 Derivative of D.VII; engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III
(D.X) (No information; not assigned?)
(D.XI) (No information; not assigned?)
(D.XII) (No information; not assigned?)
D.XIII 1918 Derivative of D.VII; engine: 1x Korting Kg III
D.XIV 1918 Derivative of D.VII; engine: 1x Goebel Goe IIIa
D.XV 1918 Derivative of D.VI; engine: 1x Mercedes D III or 1x BMW III
D.XVI 1918 Engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III or 1x Goebel Goe III
D.XVII 1918 Engine: 1x BMW IIIa
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.IV; engine: 1x Mercedes D ?
E.I   Possibly original designation of D.XVI
G.I 1915 Engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV

Linke-Hofmann

Designation Year Remarks
R.I 1917 Engine: 4x Mercedes D IVa
R.II 1918 Engine: 4x Mercedes D IVa

Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (L.V.G.)

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1912 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.II 1915 Derivative of B.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D II
B.III 1917 Derivative of B.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D I or 1x Mercedes D II
C.I 1915 Derivative of B.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.II 1915 Derivative of B.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.III 1916 Derivative of C.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.IV 1916 Derivative of C.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D IV
C.V 1917 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.VI 1918 Derivative of C.V; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
(C.VII) (No information)
C.VIII 1918 Derivative of C.VI; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
D.I 1916 License-built Albatros D.II; later redesignated as Albatros D.II (Lvg.); engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.II 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.III 1917 Engine: 1x NAG C.III
D.IV 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.V 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.VI 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
E.I 1915 Engine: 1x Mercedes D II
G.I 1915 Engine: 2x Benz Bz III
G.II   not built?
G.III 1918 Engine: 2x Maybach Mb IV

Märkische Flugzeug-Werke

Designation Year Remarks
D.I 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb

Naglo

Designation Year Remarks
(D.I) (No information; not assigned?)
D.II 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III

National-Flugzeug-Werke (N.F.W.)

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1915 Engine: 1x Argus As II
E.I 1916 Engine: 1x Oberursel U O
E.II 1917 Derivative of E.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D III

Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (O.A.W.)

Designation Year Remarks
C.I 1915 Engine: 1x Benz Bz ?
C.II 1916 Derivative of C.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D IV

Otto

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1914  
C.I 1915 Engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.II   Eengine: 1x Mercedes D III

Pfalz

Designation Year Remarks
A.I 1914 License-built Morane-Saulnier Type L; engine: 1x Oberursel U O
A.II 1914 Derivative of A.I; engine: 1x Oberursel U I
C.I 1917 License-built Rumpler C.IV; probably later redesignated as Rumpler C.IV (Pfal.); engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa
D.I 1916 License-built L.F.G. Roland D.I; later redesignated as L.F.G. Roland D.I (Pfal.); engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.II 1916 License-built L.F.G. Roland D.II; later redesignated as L.F.G. Roland D.II (Pfal.); engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.III 1917 Variants: D.IIIa (1918); engine: 1x Mercedes D III (D.IIIa: 1x Mercedes D IIIa)
D.IV 1917 Engine: 1x Oberursel U II
(D.V) (No information; not assigned?)
D.VI 1917 Engine: 1x Oberursel U II
D.VII 1918 Engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III or 1x Oberursel U III
D.VIII 1918 Engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III or 1x Oberursel U III or 1x Goebel Goe III
(D.IX) (No information)
(D.X) (No information)
(D.XI) (No information)
D.XII 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa or 1x BMW IIIa
(D.XIII) (No information)
D.XIV 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
D.XV 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa or 1x BMW IIIa
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.VII; engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III
Dr.II 1917 Derivative of Dr.I; variants: Dr.IIa; engine: 1x Oberursel U II (Dr.IIa: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh I)
E.I 1915 License-built Morane-Saulnier Type H; engine: 1x Oberursel U O
E.II 1915 Derivative of E.I; engine: 1x Oberursel U I
E.III 1915 Derivative of A.II; engine: 1x Oberursel U I
E.IV 1916 Derivative of E.II; engine: 1x Oberursel U III
E.V 1916 Derivative of E.II; engine: 1x Mercedes D I
E.VI 1916 Derivative of E.V; engine: 1x Oberursel U I

Rumpler

Designation Year Remarks
(A.I) (No information)
A.II 1912 "Taube"; engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.I 1914 Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
C.I 1915 Derivative of B.I; variants: C.Ia; engine: 1x Mercedes D III or 1x Benz Bz III (C.Ia: 1x Argus As III)
(C.II) (No information)
C.III 1916 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IV
C.IV 1917 Derivative of C.III; engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa
C.V 1917 Derivative of C.III; engine: 1x Mercedes D IVa
C.VI 1917 "Rubild"; derivative of C.VII; engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
C.VII 1917 Derivative of C.IV; engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
C.VIII 1917 Engine: 1x Argus As III
C.IX 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.X 1918; Engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
D.I 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa
G.I 1915 Engine: 2x Mercedes D III or 2x Benz Bz III
G.II   Derivative of G.I; engine: 2x Benz Bz IV
G.III   Derivative of G.I; engine: 2x Mercedes D IVa

Sablatnig

Designation Year Remarks
B.I   Engine: 1x Benz Bz III
C.I 1917 Engine: 1x Argus As III
C.II 1918 Engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
C.III 1918 Engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
N.I 1918 Derivative of C.I; engine: 1x Benz Bz IV

Schütte-Lanz

Designation Year Remarks
C.I 1915 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.I 1915 Engine: 1x Gnome
D.II   Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Mercedes D ?
D.III 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.IV 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.V   Derivative of D.IV; engine: 1x Mercedes D III; project only
D.VI 1918 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
D.VII 1918 Derivative of D.III; engine: 1x Mercedes D IIIa
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.III; engine: 1x Mercedes D III
G.I 1915 Engine: 2x Mercedes D III

Siemens-Schuckert Werke (S.S.W.)

Designation Year Remarks
D.I 1916 Copy of Nieuport Nie.17; variants: D.Ia; engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh I
D.II   Derivative of D.I; variants: D.IIe
D.III 1917 Engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III
D.IV 1918 Derivative of D.III; engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III
D.V 1918 Derivative of D.III; engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh IIIa
D.VI 1918 Engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh IIIa
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh I
Dr.II 1917 Derivative of D.II; engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh III; not completed
DDr.I 1917 Engine: 2x Siemens-Halske Sh I
DDr.II 1917 Engine: 2x Siemens-Halske Sh II; project only
E.I 1915 Engine: 1x Siemens-Halske Sh I
E.II 1916 Derivative of E.I; engine: 1x Argus As II
E.III 1916 Derivative of E.I; engine: 1x Oberursel U I
E.IV   Derivative of E.III; project only
G.I   Project only
G.II   Project only
G.III 1918 Original designation of L-I, q.v.
L.I 1918 Originally designated G.III; engine: 3x Maybach Mb IV
R.I 1915 Engine: 3x Benz Bz III
R.II 1915 Derivative of R.I; engine: 3x Mercedes D IVa
R.III 1916 Derivative of R.I; engine: 3x Benz Bz IV
R.IV 1916 Derivative of R.I; engine: 3x Benz Bz IV
R.V 1916 Derivative of R.I; engine: 3x Benz Bz IV
R.VI 1916 Derivative of R.I; engine: 3x Benz Bz IV
R.VII 1917 Derivative of R.I; engine: 3x Mercedes D IVa
R.VIII 1918 Engine: 6x Basse und Selve BuS IV

Zeppelin-Friedrichshafen

Designation Year Remarks
C.I 1917 Engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV
C.II 1917 Derivative of C.I; engine: 1x Maybach Mb IV

Zeppelin-Lindau (Dornier)

Designation Year Remarks
C.I 1917 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
C.II 1918 Derivative of C.I
CS.I 1918 Engine: 1x Benz Bz IIIb
D.I 1918 Engine: 1x BMW IIIa
Rs.I 1915 Engine: 3x Maybach Mb IV
Rs.II 1918 Engine: 3x Maybach Mb IV
Rs.III 1917 Engine: 3x Maybach Mb IVa
Rs.IV 1917 Engine: 3x Maybach Mb IVa

Zeppelin-Staaken

Designation Year Remarks
V.G.O.I* 1915 Engine: 3x Maybach Mb IV or 5x Maybach Mb IV
V.G.O.II* 1915 Derivative of V.G.O.I; engine: 3x Maybach Mb IV
V.G.O.III* 1915 Engine: 6x Mercedes D III
R.IV   Derivative of V.G.O.III; engine: 6x Benz Bz IV
R.V   Engine: 5x Maybach Mb IV
R.VI 1916 Engine: 4x Maybach Mb IV or 4x Mercedes D IVa
R.VII   Derivative of R.IV; engine: 2x Mercedes D III + 4x Benz Bz IV
(R.VIII) (No information)
(R.IX) (No information)
(R.X) (No information)
(R.XI) (No information)
(R.XII) (No information)
(R.XIII) (No information)
R.XIV 1918 Variants: R.XIVa; engine: 5x Maybach Mb IVa
R.XV 1918 Derivative of R.XIV; engine: 5x Maybach Mb IVa
R.XVI 1918 Derivative of R.VI; engine: 2x Benz Bz IV + 2x Benz Bz VI

*Note: "V.G.O." was a company designator. It stood for "Versuchsbau GmbH Gotha Ost", the orignal name of the company, before it moved to Berlin-Staaken in 1916. V.G.O.III was sometimes unofficially called R.III. The official R-type designations were started with R.IV, to avoid confusion with the earlier "V.G.O." designations.

2.2 Austro-Hungarian Designations

Aviatik

Designation Year Remarks
B.I   Engine: 1x Mercedes or 1x Daimler
B.II   Engine: 1x Daimler
B.III   Engine: 1x Daimler
C.I   Engine: 1x Daimler
D.I   Engine: 1x Daimler
D.II   Engine: 1x Daimler
Dr.I 1917 Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Daimler
G.I   Project only

Etrich

Designation Year Remarks
A.I   Engine: 1x Daimler
A.II   Engine: 1x Daimler

Fokker

(This table only lists Fokker types designated and exclusively used by Austria-Hungary.)

Designation Year Remarks
B.I 1915 Engine: 1x Oberursel U O
B.II 1915 Derivative of B.I; engine: 1x Oberursel U O
B.III 1915 Engine: 1x Oberursel U O

Hansa-Brandenburg

Designation Year Remarks
B.I   Engine: 1x Mercedes or 1x Daimler or 1x Hiero
C.I   Engine: 1x Hiero or 1x Benz Bz IVa or 1x Daimler
C.II   Engine: 1x Hiero
D.I 1916 Engine: 1x Mercedes D III
G.I   Engine: 2x Daimler

Knoller

Designation Year Remarks
(C.I) (No information)
C.II   Engine: 1x Daimler
D.I   Engine: 1x Hiero

Lloyd

Designation Year Remarks
C.I   Engine: 1x Hiero
C.II 1915 Engine: 1x Hiero
C.III   Derivative of C.II; engine: 1x Daimler
C.IV   Engine: 1x Daimler
C.V   "Fournier"; engine: 1x Daimler or 1x Benz

Lohner

Designation Year Remarks
B.I   Engine: 1x Daimler
B.II   Engine: 1x Hiero
B.III   Engine: 1x Daimler
B.IV   Engine: 1x Mercedes D I
B.V   Engine: 1x Rapp
B.VI   Derivative of B.V; engine: 1x Rapp
B.VII   Engine: 1x Daimler
C.I   Derivative of B.I; engine: 1x Daimler
Dr.I 1917 Engine: 1x Daimler

Mises

Designation Year Remarks
R.I    

Österreichische Flugzeugfabrik (Oeffag)

Designation Year Remarks
C.I   Engine: 1x Daimler
C.II   Engine: 1x Daimler
Dr.I   Engine: 1x Daimler

Phönix

Designation Year Remarks
C.I   Engine: 1x Hiero
C.II    
D.I   Engine: 1x Hiero
D.II   Derivative of D.I; variants: D.IIa; engine: 1x Hiero
D.III   Derivative of D.I; engine: 1x Hiero
D.IV   Engine: 1x Hiero or 1x Daimler

Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik (UFAG)

Designation Year Remarks
C.I   Engine: 1x Hiero
C.II   Engine: 1x Hiero
D.I   Engine: 1x LeRhône

Wiener Karosserie- und Flugzeugfabrik (W.K.F.)

Designation Year Remarks
C.I   Engine: 1x Daimler
D.I   Engine: 1x Hiero
Dr.I   Engine: 1x Daimler

3 Serial Number Systems

3.1 Germany

German aircraft serials consisted of a type letter (see designation system), a dot, a serial number, a slash, and the last two digits of the year when the aircraft was ordered. For the serial numbers, separate sequences were used for each aircraft type category ("A", "B", etc.) and year. E.g., the Albatros D.Va with serial D.5390/17 was "D"-type aircraft number 5390 ordered in 1917. However, the serial numbers did not always start at 1 for each series. Frequently, number 100 was used as a starting point, probably to avoid very short serials.

3.2 Austria-Hungary

Although the Austro-Hungarian forces used the same aircraft designation system as Germany, they had a separate system for assigning serial numbers to individual aircraft. A serial consisted of four to six digits, and a separating dot. The part to the left of the dot specified the make and model of the aircraft, while the part to the right was a consecutive serial number for this particular type.

General Example:   a b c . nnn

The digit b (second from the left of the dot) specified the manufacturer, while digit c specified an aircraft model by that manufacturer. It seems that a zero in position c was used for prototypes and test aircraft of all types for a certain manufactuerer. The optional digit a indicated a modification of the basic design (often a different type of engine), i.e. 1 for the first modification, 2 for the second, etc. The complete digit set abc effectively designated the aircraft type and version, and was therefore also known as "Bauart" (construction type). For manufacturers with more than 9 different types, digit a was also used to extend the system, so that e.g. Bauart 112 was not a derivative of Bauart 12. The serial number nnn was either two-digit or three-digit (01-999). A separate numerical series was used for each Bauart.

The following table lists the manufacturer code digits, and the known Bauart numbers for each manufacturer:

4 Sources

[1] Peter Gray, Owen Thetford: "German Aircraft of the First World War", 2nd ed., Putnam, 1962
[2] Peter M. Bowers, Ernest R. McDowell: "Triplanes", Motorbooks, 1993
[3] Kaiserlich und Königliche Luftfahrttruppen





Comments and corrections to: Andreas Parsch



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Last Updated: 13 January 2004