O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)

Albatros G I
   Built at Schneidemuhl factory to designs of Konstr. Grohmann, a first flight was made on 31st January 1916. Apart from the fact that the aircraft was completely unsatisfactory, no further information is available.
   The aircraft was powered with four 100 h.p. Mercedes D I engines and scaled a loaded weight of 4,319 kg. (9,502 lb.).

G.Haddow, P.Grosz The German Giants (Putnam)

Albatros G.I

   The Ostdeutsche Albatroswerke G.m.b.H. was founded on 27 April 1914 in Schneidemuhl by Otto Wiener and Dr. Walter Huth, the latter also the founder of the original Albatros concern in Johannisthal. (The company abbreviation initially was "Albs" and the correct designation of the licence-built R-planes was Staaken R.Vl (Albs) 36/16. Later in the war the company abbreviation was changed to "OAW", as in Albatros D.Va (OAW).) Although OAW maintained close ties with Albatros, it remained an independent company until October 1917, when it became a branch of the Albatros concern. OAW concerned itself almost totally with the construction of licence-built aircraft (exclusively Albatros types), but did produce a few aircraft of its own design. Among these was a four-engined bomber known as the Albatros G.I (company designation L4), which was designed by an engineer named Grohmann, who was appreciably influenced by the Sikorsky four-engined bomber. The G.I fell into the same grouping as the Union, SSW-Forssman and Daimler bombers; that is, they were early aircraft of considerable size, but their engine configuration did not permit in-flight servicing. Four 120 h.p. Mercedes D.II engines powered the G.I, which had a wingspan of 27 metres. These were mounted on the lower wing in large full-enclosed nacelles and drove four tractor propellers. The Swiss pilot Alexander Hipleh flew the G.I on its maiden flight on 31 January 1916. The G.I was subsequently developed into the Albatros G.II and G.III, which bore a certain family resemblance to the G.I although they were twin-engined bombers. Further details concerning the G.I are not known.
   ]n early 1917 OAW received a contract to build three Staaken R.VI bombers under licence. The first of the series, numbered R.36 to R.38, was begun in May 1917 and the last machine was delivered in May 1918. The Staaken R.VI chapter contains additional information concerning these machines.


SPECIFICATIONS

   Type: Albatros G.I
   Manufacturer: Ostdeutsche Albatroswerke G.M.b.H., Schneidemuhl
   Engines: Four 120 h.p. Mercedes D.II engines
   Dimensions:
   Span 27•3 m. (89 ft. 6 1/2 in.)
   Chord 2•75 m. (9 ft. 1/2 in.)
   Fuselage Length 12•0 m. (39 ft. 4 1/4 in.)
   Areas:
   Wing 138 sq. m. (1485 sq. ft.)
   Ailerons 3•03 sq. m. (33 sq. ft.)
   Tailplane 6•6 sq. m. (71 sq. ft.)
   Rudder 1•5 sq. m. (16 sq. ft.)
   Fin 1•92 sq. m. (20 sq. ft.)
   Weights: Empty 3452 kg. (7610 lb.)
   Loaded 4319 kg. (9522 lb.)
   Wing Loading: 31•3 kg./sq. m. (6-4 lb./sq. ft.)
   Performance: Climb, 2000 m. (6562 ft.) in 60 mins.

J.Herris Albatros Aircraft of WWI. Vol.3: Bombers, Seaplanes, J-types (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 26)

Albatros G.I

   Ostdeutsche Albatroswerke G.m.b.H (OAW), part of the Albatroswerke G.m.b.H, was one of two Albatros companies until they merged in October 1917. Chief engineer at OAW was Dipl.- Ing. Karl Grohmann, who designed the Albatros G.I. Only a single Albatros G.I was built at OAW's Schneidemuhl factory. Interestingly, it was a rare, four-engine aircraft with three bays of bracing outboard of the tractor engines. The G.I was powered by four 120 hp Mercedes D.II engines and made its first flight on January 31, 1916, but no further details are available. For unknown reasons the aircraft was unsatisfactory and no further development was undertaken.


Albatros Bomber Specifications
G.I G.II G.III
Engines 4 x 120 hp Mercedes D.II 2 x 150 hp Benz Bz.III 2 x 220 hp Benz Bz.IV
Span (Upper) 30 m 17.0 m 18.0 m
Span (Lower) - 17.0 m 17.0 m
Length - 11.9 m 11.9m
Height - 4.2 m 4.2 m
Empty Weight - - 2,004 kg
Loaded Weight 4,319 kg - 3,086 kg
Max. Speed - - 150 km/h
Climb, 1,000 m - 9.3 minutes 10.0 minutes
Climb, 2,000 m - 25 minutes 30 minutes
Climb, 3,000 m - 70 minutes 45 minutes
Service Ceiling - 3,000 m 3,000 m
Range/Endurance - 4 hours 595 km
Bomb Load - - 325 kg
Armament - 2 flexible MGs 2 flexible MGs
Note: Only one G.I and one G.II were built. The highest number of Albatros bombers at the front was 9, indicating a short production run. Known serials were in the range G.126-132/16.