Voisin III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voisin_III

The Voisin III was a French two-seat bomber and ground attack aircraft of World
War I, among the earliest of its kind. It is also notable for being the first
aircraft in the war to win an aerial fight and shoot down an enemy aircraft.

It was a biplane with a single engine in a pusher configuration, developed by
Voisin in 1914 as a more powerful version of the 1912 Voisin I design. It also
incorporated a light steel frame which made it more durable when operating out
of the temporary wartime military aviation airfields.

The first Voisin III was powered by a single 97-kilowatt (130 hp) Salmson M9
engine, later the 110-kilowatt (150 hp) P9 and R9. It had a range of 200 km (120
mi), top speed of 105–113 km/h (65–70 mph) and ceiling of 3,350–6,000 m
(10,990–19,690 ft) (sources vary).

Earlier aircraft were armed with a Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun on the fuselage
operated by a standing observer, and later models had 37 mm or 47 mm guns for
ground attack. It could carry up to 55 kg (121 lb), 60 kg (130 lb) or 150 kg
(330 lb) of bombs (sources vary).


Role
Bomber

Manufacturer
Voisin

Designer
Gabriel Voisin

First flight
1914

Introduction
1914

Retired
before 1918

Primary user
Aéronautique Militaire

Number built
1,350+

Developed from
Voisin I

Early in the war, the Voisin III became the most common Allied bomber.
Significant numbers were purchased by the French Aéronautique Militaire and the
Imperial Russian Air Force. Russia ordered more than 800 from France and built a
further 400 under license at DUX in Moscow. Around 100 were built in Italy, and
50 in the United Kingdom, while smaller numbers were purchased by Belgium and
Romania. One French aircraft was forced to land in Switzerland in 1915 after
running low on fuel in combat with a German aircraft and was put into service
with the Swiss Fliegerabteilung.

Like many other aircraft of its era, Voisin III was a multi-purpose aircraft.
Its missions included reconnaissance; artillery spotting; training; day- and
night bombing; and ground attack.

Fighter role

On October 5, 1914, over Jonchery, Reims, Sergeant Joseph Frantz and Corporal
Louis Quénault of Escadrille VB24 scored the first air-to-air kill (not
involving ramming - see Pyotr Nesterov) of the war, shooting down a German
Aviatik B.I (no. B.114/14) with machine gun fire. Quénault fired two 48-round
magazines at the Germans. The Germans returned fire with rifles. When the
Frenchman's Hotchkiss M1909 machine gun jammed, he successfully returned fire
with his rifle. Oberleutnant Fritz von Zangen and Sergeant Wilhelm Schlichting
of FFA 18 fell to their deaths. This is believed to be the first air-to-air kill
in any war.

Bomber role

The Voisin III is also notable in being among the earliest dedicated bombers.
The steel frame construction of the aircraft enabled a bomb load of
approximately 150 kg (330 lb) to be carried. With development, the final
variants of the type were able to carry twice this load.

France was the first country to organize dedicated bomber units on the Western
Front, using the Voisin. Three Escadrilles (squadrons) of the aircraft comprised
the first bomber group, GB1, formed in September 1914 under the leadership of
Commandant de Goÿs. de Goys’ contribution both as a tactical leader and
theoretician, in developing the theory and practice of long range bombing
sorties, is significant. An almost unopposed bombing campaign was conducted by
GB1 during the early months of 1915, culminating in a retaliatory attack against
the Badische Anilin Gesellschaft at Ludwigshafen, Germany, on 26 May 1915,
shortly after the German Army introduced poison gas in battle. Of the 18
aircraft which took part, only Goÿs himself failed to return, his Voisin being
forced down by mechanical failure.

Following the success of GB1 other bomber groups were formed, and successful
daytime attacks on targets within Germany ensued throughout the summer and
autumn of 1915, with as many as 62 aircraft involved. By 1916, advances in
aircraft design made the Voisin III increasingly obsolete, as it became
vulnerable to better-performing German fighter aircraft. With mounting losses
and better designs being introduced, a decision was made to withdraw Voisin III
from day operations. Among other types, it was replaced by the Voisin V (Voisin
5).

Specifications (Voisin LA in British service)

General characteristics
Crew: 2
Length: 9.50 m (31 ft 2 in)
Wingspan: 14.74 m (48 ft 4 in)
Height: 2.95 m (9 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 49.7 m² (534 ft²)
Empty weight: 950 kg (2,094 lb)
Loaded weight: 1,350 kg (2,976 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Salmson M.9 water-cooled radial engine, 97 kW (130 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 105 km/h (57 knots, 65 mph) at sea level
Range: 200km (124mi)
Endurance: 4½ hours
Service ceiling: 3,500m (11,485ft)
Climb to 1,000 m (3,300 ft): 12 min
Climb to 2,000 m (6,600 ft): 30 min

Armament

Guns: 1× .303 in Lewis gun
Bombs: up to 91 kg (200 lb) of bombs




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