Albatros
C.XII
Volume 1
Windsock Datafile 126
By P. M. Grosz
Albatros Publications, ©2007
ISBN 1-902207-95-5
Softbound, 32 Pages
This Datafile holds a special place in the series, as it is the last
Datafile of Peter Grosz. With his passing in September of 2006, the aviation
world lost a great historian, and this book presents a last glimpse into
the depth of his knowledge. Through the assistance of his family and friends,
this volume on the Albatros C.XII was finished. This is the first of two
volumes, and after looking through this one, I am guessing that the second
volume will cover the Albatros C.XII in post-war usage.
This volume, though, starts out with an examination of the Albatros
C series, and the progression that led up to the C.XII variant. As with
many aircraft during this period, the driving force for the new design
was the engine, in this case the Mercedes D.IVa, which became the powerplant
for the Albatros C.X. In an attempt to get even better performance, Albatros
departed from its earlier designs and went with an oval fuselage cross
section for the C.XII, designed to reduce drag and lower weight. The hoped
for benefits, though, did not appear, and the C.XII was not appreciably
better than its immediate predecessor, the C.X. Still, several hundred
were produced, and it served quite well in the waning years of the war.
For its post-war record, we will just have to wait for Volume 2 (hopefully;
I would hate to think that the post-war Polish and Russian service will
only get the single paragraph that appears in this text).
Complementing the text, which does a great job of describing the development
and operations of the Albatros C.XII, this book has over seventy photos,
many of which are very clear. This allows for a great amount of detail
to show up, making this a great reference for the modeler. In addition
to the photos, there are the usual high quality drawings, further complemented
by the color profiles on the rear cover showing one German, one Polish,
and one Russian example.
This is a great addition to the Datafile line, and fills an important
gap in the German two-seater line. I am looking forward to the second
volume with anticipation. My thanks to Albatros Publications for the review
copy. Visit
their website for ordering information. |
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