Halberstadt CL.II - Domestic Users

It took us longer than expected because the German paint schemes on this airplane are very hard to do, but here we are again!

The Halberstadt CL.II was a German two-seater escort fighter which was also good at performing ground attack missions. It served in great numbers with the Imperial German Air Service.

In  1917 the German Army inspectorate of flying troops required a new type of two-seat airplane smaller than the already existing C type of airplanes. This new type, which was to be known as CL-type (Light C type). It was intended to equip the protection flights to escort reconnaissance airplanes. To meet that requirement Halberstadt developed it's previous unsuccessful Halberstadt D.IV into a two-seater and they originally designated it 'Halberstadt C.II'.

The mounting of the observer's machine gun, in it's characteristical ring, provided a very good field of fire allowing to fire towards targets on the ground. Also, a tray able to hold ten stick grenades was added on the left side of the fuselage. It could also hold a wireless radio in the observer cockpit with it's own generator. Generator that could also be used for heated flight suits. 700 airplanes were manufactured by Halberstadt and 200 were manufactured by BFW (Bayerische Flugzeug-werke).

After entering service it proved to be very successful having an excellent manoeuvrability, rate of climb and field of fire which made it a fine opponent for the contemporary single seat fighters. It also proved to be good at providing fire-support which was the role the remaining CL.II were used in, making the units equiped by these airplanes to be redesignated as Schlachstaffeln (Battle flights).

The ground support they could provide was that good that it became a major factor in the German counter offensive at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917. The success of this airplane convinced the German Army inspectorate of flying troops of the necessity of more airplanes of this kind and that's how more airplanes of this type like it's inmediate follow-on, the Halberstadt CL.IV or the Hannover CL.III were encouraged to be designed by their respective manufacturers.

Only two variants were made:

• CL.II: The main production version, powered by a 150hp Mercedes D.III engine
• CL.IIa: Made by the BFW, it was powered by a BMWIIIa engine. Barely used during the Great war but used by the Polish air force during the Polish-Soviet war.