O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)
Albatros C XIII
Built in 1917, the C XIII was an endeavour to develop quickly a CL aircraft from the D Va. Only one was built and, as may be seen, it was little more than an enlarged version of the D Va. Certainly it was an elegant two-seater. Engine, 160 h.p. Mercedes D III. Span, 100 m. (32 ft. 9 3/4 in.). Length, 7.8 m. (25 ft. 7 1/8 in.). Height, 2.71 m. (8 ft. 10 3/4 in.). Weights: Empty, 700 kg. (1,540 lb.). Loaded, 1,060 kg. (2,332 lb.). Speed, 165 km.hr. (103.12 m.p.h.). Climb, 1,000 m. (3,280 ft.) in 4 min., 5,000 m. (16,400 ft.) in 47 min. Duration, 2.5 hr. Armament, one Spandau and one Parabellum machine-gun.
J.Herris Albatros Aircraft of WWI. Vol 2: Late Two-Seaters (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 25)
Albatros C.XIII
After the failure of the Albatros C.IX to reach production for the light C-type role, Albatros created another design to the same Idflieg specification. The resulting C.XIII, had a single-bay configuration like the C.IX and, obviously based on the Albatros D.V fighter, was intended for the CL-role. A compact, streamlined aircraft, it was powered by the same 160 hp Mercedes D.III used in the D.V fighter and earlier C.IX prototype. The cockpits were very close for crew coordination. Unfortunately, the C.XIII retained the single-spar lower wing already proved structurally unsatisfactory in the Albatros D.V. Armament was the standard German two-seater fit of a fixed Spandau machine gun for the pilot and a flexible Parabellum machine gun for the observer.
Normally Idflieg would order three examples of a new prototype. However, only a single C.XIII was apparently built.
Albatros' second attempt at a light C-type, the C.XIII, was more convincing than its C.IX. It was more refined, with no protrusions, and was much lighter than the C.IX or Hannover. It looked aggressive, and, except for high-altitude climb rate, its performance matched the Hannover. However, to achieve its light weight the C.XIII retained the single-spar lower wing of the D.V, so undoubtedly inherited its structural weakness, whereas the Hannover was a very robust design. Furthermore, the C.XIII may not have matched the Hannover's excellent maneuverability. With a more robust two-spar lower wing like that of the Pfalz D.III, the C.XIII might have been competitive.
The excellent Hannover CL.II was placed in production. It had better speed and climb than the Albatros C.IX and was also noted for its maneuverability, something the C.IX was unlikely to have matched. The Albatros C.XIII fared better in comparison but had a single-spar lower wing that caused structural problems in Albatros fighters.
Comparison of Albatros C.IX & C.XIII to Hannover CL.II
Albatros C.IX Albatros C.XIII Hannover CL.II
Engine: 160 hp Mercedes D.III 160 hp Mercedes D.III 180 hp Argus As.Ill
Wing Span 10.4 m (34.1 ft.) 10.0 m (32.8 ft.) 11.95 m (39.2 ft.)
Length 8.22 m (27.0ft.) 7.8 m (25.6 ft.) 7.8 m (25.6 ft.)
Empty Weight 790 kg (1,742 lb.) 700 kg (1,543 lb.) 773 kg (1,704 lb.)
Loaded Weight 1,150 kg (2,535 lb.) 1,060 kg (2,337 lb.) 1,133 kg (2,498 lb.)
Maximum Speed 155 km/h (97 mph) 165 km/h (103 mph) 165 km/h (103 mph)
Climb to 1000 m 5 min. 4 min. 4 min.
Climb to 4000 m 30 min. - -
Climb to 5000 m - 47 min. 32 min.
Armament: 1 flexible machine gun & 1 fixed machine gun 1 flexible machine gun & 1 fixed machine gun 1 flexible machine gun & 1 fixed machine gun
Albatros C-Type Specifications
Albatros C.XII Albatros C.XII(OAW) Albatros C.XIII Albatros C.XIV Albatros C.XV
Engine 260 hp Mercedes D.IVa 260 hp Mercedes D.IVa 160 hp Mercedes D.III 220 hp Benz Bz.IVa 220 hp Benz Bz.IVa
Span, Upper 14.37 m 14.24 m 10.00 m 10.4 m 11.8 m
Span, Lower 13.01 m 12.92 m - - -
Chord, Upper 1.8 m 1.8 m - - -
Chord, Lower 1.6 m 1.6 m - - -
Gap 1.73 m (inboard) 1.80 m (outboard) 1.73 m (inboard) 1.80 m (outboard) - - -
Wing Area 42.7 m2 42.7 m2 - - -
Wing Dihedral 3° (upper), 2.5° (lower) 3° (upper), 2.5° (lower) - - -
Length 8.85 m 8.85 m 7.8 m 6.9 m 7.47 m
Height 3.40 m 3.40 m 2.71 m - 3.33 m
Empty Weight 1,020-1,115 kg 1,040-1,115 kg 700 kg 950 kg 859 kg
Loaded Weight 1,638-1,733 kg 1,658-1,733 kg 1,060 kg 1,385 kg 1,320 kg
Maximum Speed 175 km/h 175-180 km/h 165 km/h - 165 km/h
Climb to 1,000m 5 minutes 5 minutes 4 minutes - 3.4 minutes
Climb to 2,000m 11 minutes 11 minutes - - -
Climb to 3,000m 19 minutes 19 minutes - - -
Climb to 4,000m 30 minutes 30 minutes - - -
Climb to 5,000m 45 minutes 45 minutes 47 minutes - -
Climb to 6,000m - - - - 47 minutes
Duration 314 hours - 2.5 hours 3.5 hours 3 hours
