Hannover CL.IIIa to be determined

HANNOVER CL.III 3-VIEW

Three variations of the Hannover CL series were produced: CL.II (Argus engine), CL.III (Mercedes engine), and CL.IIIa (Argus engine). Except for details of the engine, the outward appearance of all three were strikingly similar. The first version, CL.II, appeared in late 1917 and was not properly identified by the Allies until early the following year. The second version, CL.III with the Mercedes engine, was intended to provide high altitude performance but few were built because the demand for the Mercedes engine was exclusively committed to fighter prodeuction. As a result, the third version, CL.IIIa. reverted to the Argus engine but it was recognized that the type would generally operate at lower altitudes anyway. As it turned out,k the Hannover CL series was exceedingly sucessful as a corps reconaissance aircraft (escort, short range reconaissance aircraft, artillery spotter, and photo machine) and a ground attack weapon in the Schusta/Schlasta staffels. This drawing is taken from Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War, compiled by O. G. Thetford and E. J. Riding, Harleyford Publications, 1954.

THE MODEL TO BE BUILT

This specific aircraft, Hannover CL.IIIa 2714/18, is well-documented by the observer who commanded it, Ltn d R Hanns-Gerd Rabe. His last name, Rabe, stands for 'raven' in German, hence the black raven symbol in a white circle. Ltn Rabe's pilot was Uffz Peter Johannes (see photo below). 'Over the Front' quarterly magazine of the League of Aviation Historians has periodically published translated sections of Ltn Rabe's writings which cover exploits in all of the aircraft assigned to FA(A) 253 during mid-1918 and includes this Hannover CL.IIIa but also DFW C.V, Junkers J.I, and others. This profile was created by Alexandr Kazakov. This profile and the following photo are found in Hannover Aircraft of WW1, Aeronaut Books, see bibliography below.

PERIOD PHOTO VIA PETER KILDUFF

Individual FA(A) 253 Markings

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 1

Most of the cockpit interior of Eduard's early-issue Hannover CL.IIIa is built up from PE parts as can be seen by the extensive sheet. A few parts have been assembled but many more to go.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 2

As usual, early Eduard kits appeared with extensive PE parts. This photo shows the beginning of the cockpit interior. Not much to look at but it's a start. Many of the parts shown were soldered into place.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 3

Fuselage halves are glued together. The Argus As.III engine support was inadequate to hold it in place. Scrap pieces of plastic were used to fill the bottom of the forward fusealge until the engine was properly positioned before the fuselage halves were glued together. The cockpit interior fit well.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 4

The landing gear is made from brass tube and rod. The axle is a straight piece of brass rod to which is aoldered a secondary piece and then soldered at each end to their respective landing gear struts. Overall, the model at this stage is primed including (not shown) the wings and tail.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 5a and 5b

The Hannover fuselage was finished in plywood and then covered in fabric glued to the plywood. As such, a camouflage scheme was devised to approximate the colors and shapes of the pre-printed lozenge fabric on the flying surfaces. The center section of the top wing both upper and under surfaces was also plywood covered and would receive the same camouflage pattern as the fuselage. The colors chosen were derived from a previously built Eduard Hannover CL.II as follows (all colors are Vallejo acrylic from the Model Color range):

Fuselage and upper center section of the top wing:
Blue Gray: VC0900 French Mirage Blue
Dark Green: VC0823 Luftwaffe Camouflage Green
Ochre Brown: VC0824 Brown Ochre (with a bit of VC0921 English Khaki)
Light Green: VC0857 Golden Olive (with a bit of VC0921 English Khaki)

Under side of the center section of the top wing:
Pale Pink: VC0944 Old Rose 2/3 and VC0989 Stone Grey 1/3
Pale Blue: VC0901 Pastel Blue
Pale Grey: VC0884 Stone Grey
Pale Yellow: VC0912 Tan Yellow 1/2 and VC0953 Yellow 1/2

In a later step, the fuselage finish with its colored varied hexegon shapes will be covered in a thin wash of blue-green. This was done at the factory to tone down the rather sharp effect of the scheme. My previous Hannover CL.II was toned down with a wash of dark blue. It appears in the literature that this wash varied from dark green to dark blue but no explanation is found in the record.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 6a and 6b

Fuselage painting of the randomly-shaped patches was done in five colors. One color at a time was added. I used the fifth color to fill in.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTOS No. 7a and 7b

The Hannover's top wing center section was plywood covered and had to be hand-painted in the same manner as the fuselage except patches were smaller and uniform in size.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 8

The fuselage is washed in a dark green/dark brown shade. Light gray/green is applied to metal components (landing gear struts, access panels, and nose piece.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 9

Fuselage decals are now applied over the darkened finish. Wheel covers are stained. Prop is hand-painted to simulate the wood layers and appropriate decals are applied. The observer/gunner's gun is built up from the Karaya kit for the Parabellum late-war version with teleocopic sight. Waiting for Aviattic 4-color lozenge decals to cover the flying surfaces.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No.10

I covered the flying surfaces using Aviattic's 4-color pre-printed lozenge decals in factory fresh finish. The base color of the flying surfaces is Humbrol 103 Cream Matte. Darker or lighter shades will effect the finish of the decals. The center section is covered in plywood so the manufacturer applied a similar scheme in hand-painted colors. After painting that section, I muted the colors with a wash of Vallejo chocolate brown. Decals were applied and the surfaces were over-sprayed in polyurethane.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 11

As with the 4-color lozenge decals applied to the upper surfaces, the under surfaces were covered in Aviattic's underside version from the same sheet. They supply six 'bolts' of upper and four bolts for the under surface. The top wing's coverage was applied at 45 degree angles, each wing half slanted inward. The bottom wing was covered spanwise.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 12

Pink (salmon) colored rib tapes were selected rather than light blue, lozenge, or CDL. The edging around all flying surfaces was hand-painted in a mix of Vallejo 944 Rose and 835 Salmon Rose. Some of that edging has to be re-visited as touch-up.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 13

Assembly now continues. The lower wing halves and the lower tail halves were attached to the fuselage with brass pins and super glue. Additional work on the tail is shown in the next photo panel.

FINISHED PHOTO No. 14

FINISHED PHOTO No. 15

FINISHED PHOTO No. 16

FINISHED PHOTO No. 17

FINISHED PHOTO No. 18

FINISHED PHOTO No. 19

------------------------------- a suivre ------------------------------

Duiven, Rick and Dan-San Abbott. Schlacht-Flieger! Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2006.

Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam & Company Limited, 19

Grosz, P. M. Hannover CL.III, Windsock Datafile 23. Berkhamsted, UK. Albatros Productions Ltd, revised second edition 1999.

Owers, Colin A. and Jack Herris. Hannover Aircraft of WW1. Aeronaut, 2020. ISBN 9781935881841

Rabe, Hanns-Gerd (translated by Peter Kilduff). Comments & Reminiscences, Flying as an Observer in, Flieger-Abteilung (A) 253. Over the Front Volume 17, Number 4, Winter 2002: Journal of World War I Aviation Historians.

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