HISTORICAL MINIATURES JOURNAL ISSUE NUMBER 14

BY GEORGE GRASSE

KIT DESCRIPTION

This 1:48 scale model of the Halberstadt CL.II is produced by Mirage Hobby of Poland.  It is multi-media kit primarily of injection-molded plastic and includes a large photo-etched sheet of 61 detailed components and a large decal sheet to personalize three aircraft.  The kit DOES NOT include decal sheets for German 5-color printed camouflage fabric which all of the flying surfaces are covered.  However, Mirage offers the decal set separately or it is included in a higher-priced kit.  Additionally, Mirage produces a decal set of two sheets intended to represent the painted surface of the plywood-skinned fuselage.  One version emphasizes the mid-to-late-1917 two-color camouflage scheme of dark green and mauve.  The other represents the late-1917/1918 painted fuselage in which the colors of the printed camouflage fabric were applied in large irregular patches of sky blue, mauve, yellow-ochre, dark green, and pink (at least that's what the sheet looks like to me).  In addition, each sheet shows the "scumble" of randomly sprayed or splattered dots which were an apparent attempt to achieve a blending or diffusion of the underlying patches of paint. These two fuselage schemes have to be applied since few if any Halberstadt CL.II aircraft are seen without some form of painted fuselage camouflage.  Of course, I will hand-paint the fuselage.

There are many alternative parts included in this kit including alternate propellers, engine cowl covers, and armament.  This points out the fact that photographs of the aircraft you are to build have to be found and studied.  The decal markings in the kit are based on photos appearing in Windsock Datafile 27 - Halberstadt CL.II, Schlacht-Flieger!, or the kit's instruction booklet.  Of course, I will do my model based on another aircraft not featured in the kit.  Some of that later. 

The instruction booklet is first class, somewhat small in size, but packed with color step-by-step instructions supplemented by good drawings and photos.  One novel feature is the appearance of a coloring chart for each major step.  Three-digit numbers refer to the Vallejo acrylic line of hobby paints, my favorite.  You will need a cross-reference to know the Vallejo paint names.  Try their website at http://www.acrylicosvallejo.com/ . 

Not supplied in the kit and augmented or replaced are following after-market accessories:

AN OVERVIEW OF GERMAN CL-TYPE AIRCRAFT

The CL-Type classification, as in Halberstadt CL.II, was created as a nimble two-seat escort aircraft that would accompany another C-Type two-seater from a Flieger-Abteilung (FA) or Artillerie-Flieger-Abteilung FA(A) on an army cooperation mission deemed likely to be intercepted by Allied fighters.  The escorting CL-Type hovered near the mission aircraft as it performed artillery spotting, photography, or general reconnaissance.  If Allied fighters appeared, the escort aircraft would engage always trying to stay between the enemy and the aircraft it was protecting.  In the event that Allied fighters pressed home their attack, the escort would join up with the mission aircraft and they would attempt to exit the battle area to get across their lines.  If the enemy fighters persisted, the escort would become the decoy, fly off with the Allied fighters in pursuit, but this ploy had to work; otherwise, the escort and mission aircraft would stay together as their best defense. 

On 1 January 1917, the Schutzstaffel, or escort flight, was created.  It consisted of six aircraft and was usually assigned to a specific FA or FA(A) unit under the orders of that unit's commanding officer.  The Schusta, as they were called, were all from an existing aviation unit and contained the same aircraft and crews as before except the name change.  Well into the second half of 1917, most of the aircraft inventory in a Schusta was made up of existing C-Types.  After just a few weeks of operation, most of the Schustas would assume a motley mix of aircraft, so much so that all six aircraft could be different.  Further, each aircraft might be sporting a different camouflage scheme depending on when it was built and by whom.  So, the early Schustas were a mixed bunch and, early on, devised tactical markings unique to each Schusta.  These would usually take the form of a simple, single-digit aircraft number, usually 1 to 6.  Most Schustas had devised more than that and could be seen with markings unique to the Staffel such as a chevron, a diamond, colored fins, striped horizontal tail surfaces, and so on.

The mission of escorting continued on and, as it did so, it became increasingly urgent that a maneuverable, light-weight, powerful, fast, and well-armed type be developed - something as close to a fighter as possible with both offensive and defensive capabilities.  As early as November 1916, Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppe), issued specifications for this type of aircraft called the CL-Type.  Halberstadt and Hannover would become the primary suppliers.  These first CL-Types did not make an appearance in great numbers until late 1917.

THE HALBERSTADT CL.II DESCRIBED

The Halberstädter Flugzeug-Werke company was, earlier in the war, known for its relatively fine-handling Halberstadt D Series fighters from mid-1916.  Its one serious limitation was a slightly under-powered engine which prevented the aircraft from carrying more than one Spandau forward-firing machine gun.  By the time Halberstadt was able to get larger engines, the now-famous Albatros D series fighter with a larger engine and two Spandaus introduced into combat in September 1916 virtually shut out all other competitors whose products, still in limited production, were all relegated to other fronts, where the Halberstadt and Roland D series aircraft were then still superior to enemy aircraft, at least for a while. The company also built a few early-war B and C series aircraft but they were out-produced by Aviatik, Albatros, DFW, and others, to name a few.²

When in mid-1916 it became apparent to the Germans that their reconnaissance units were under increasing pressure by Allied fighters during army cooperation missions, it became necessary to provide escorts so that one aircraft could perform its duties while the other protected the mission.  However, the escort, during all of 1916, was another two-seater not equipped to take on nimbler fighters and the units suffered high casualties to their specialized reconnaissance crews.  German fighter aircraft were not available as escorts; their task was to attack enemy reconnaissance and bombing aircraft.

It came about that a specialized two-seater aircraft of light weight and heavy armament could take on enemy fighters as an escort.  Speed, maneuverability, and armament would require a light-weight airframe and a large engine combined with a specialized crew.  By the end of August 1916, Idflieg (Inspecktion der Fliegertruppen) released such a specification for such an aircraft to be classified as a Type-CL, a light two-seater armed aircraft.  The standard reconnaissance two-seater was classified as Type-C and quite "clunky" for Idflieg's "protection" or escort purposes.  In November 1916, Idflieg authorized three CL-Type prototypes from Halberstadt equipped with the Mercedes D.III 160hp engine the first of which was completed in April 1917, type-tested in May 1917, and production proceeded in earnest in June 1917.  In July of that year, the first Halberstadt CL.II aircraft reached the Western Front.³

Construction of the Halberstadt CL.II was conventional for most German airframe manufacturers.  The box fuselage frame was covered in thin sheets of plywood, not fabric.  This process had inherent airframe strength.  The downside was warping which caused misalignment which riggers had to overcome by constantly adjusting the flying and landing wires.  The central theme of the CL-Type class was a combination of two combat qualities, that of the offense and that of the defense.  One characteristic of the CL-Type class in achieving this mix of qualities was its small size as defined by its single bay wing set, i.e., only one set of wing struts instead of the two-bay configuration of most C-Types.  These were also swept back to a degree and, in conjunction with large ailerons, in effect, gave this aircraft a nimble agility so it could take on Allied fighters.  One additional defensive feature was the low profile of the upper wing relative to the fuselage and the high, deep construction of the combined cockpit that allowed the gunner to fire over the top wing thus increasing substantially the field of fire.

The wings and fixed tail structures were wood frame and fabric covered.  The one exception was the welded steel tube center section of the top wing and the leading edges of the wings which were plywood covered.  Moveable flying surfaces (ailerons, elevators, and the rudder) were of welded steel tube construction covered with fabric.  All struts (wing, cabane, and landing gear) were steel tube covered in aerodynamic wood fairings.⁴    

HALBERSTADT  CL.II SPECIFICATIONS

Table 1: Halberstadt CL.II Specifications ⁵

HALBERSTADT CL.II PRODUCTION

Table 2: Halberstadt CL.II & CL.IIa Production Orders and Serial Numbers ⁶

* Halb = Halberstädter Flugzeugwerke and BFW = Bayerische Flugzeug-Werke

** Equipped with the Argus As.IIIa Engine but only a few reached the front before 11 November 1918

FRONTLINE COMBAT INVENTORY OF CL-TYPES

Table 3: Front Line Inventory of CL-Types 1917-1918 ⁷

OHL kicked the idea around about forming large strategic aviation units to carry out and supplement the dirigible attacks (again, the Channel Coast would have to be cleared).  Six Staffeln each of six aircraft would form a "battle group" of 36 aircraft, the swarm envisioned by OHL.  In December of 1915, the first orders to do so went out and Germany's first "bomb group" was born.  So as not to alert the Allies, the unit was given the code name Brieftauben-Abteilung Ostend (BAO) or, Pigeon Carrying Detachment / Ostend.  The cream of the crop in pilots and observers were taken from operational units.  To facilitate the movement of this strategic air unit, they were given special trains for their rapid movement from one sector or even one front to another.  They were supported by top-notch maintenance and supply structures  However, the dream had to be shelved when a combination of Belgian, French, and British forces held line in Flanders and the German Army was stopped dead along a line known as the Western Front with its northern flank on the Belgian coast and out of effective range for the two-seaters of BAO. 

SCHUSTAS AND SCHLASTAS.

In the Fall of 1917, perhaps earlier, some Schusta aircraft were deployed to assist an infantry attack.  As the year wore on, more of these missions were conducted and soon, a definite ground attack/ground support set of tactics evolved.  However, one problem persisted: army support aircraft would be left without Schusta escorts and would have to provide their own.  It made no sense to use a trained army cooperation crew in the role of escort which reduced that unit's ability to respond to artillery and photo missions.  The solution was called "Verstärkt" or, roughly translated, increased aircraft inventory.  Some 39 FA and FA(A) units which operated directly on an active frontline where authorized to increase their aircraft inventory from six to nine aircraft, at least one of which was to be a CL-Type, usually the older Hannover CL.II.  Now, these units could provide their own escorts with crews specifically trained in aerial gunnery.

All of these Fall 1917 activities revolved around the rearming of the Schustas so that they were increasingly outfitted with the Halberstadt or Hannover CL-Types as fast as could be supplied.  They continued in some escort activity but it is clear that their employment as ground attack units was substantially increased.  In preparation for the great offensive in the early Spring of 1918 code-named "Kaiserschlacht" (the Emperor's great battle), most of the Schustas were less employed as escorts and were actually training for large-scale ground attack missions in which more than one Schusta participated.  The typical tactic of ground attack was either a line-abreast or line-in-column attack at low level with the forward firing machine gun ahead and the rear-swivel machine gun behind.  During the attack, hand-grenades were throw overboard.  The attack could be initiated as the aircraft crossed the lines, or, as often, from the rear where the aircraft crossed the lines, penetrated several miles, turned and made their attack.  

On 21 March 1918, the great battle was launched and several penetrations were made raising the hopes of German leaders that this could divide the French and British forces from each other and cause one or the other or both to give up the war.  The first few weeks were in Germany's favor but defenses stiffened.  In keeping with their role as battlefield ground attack units, the Schustas, on 27 March 1918, were all renamed to Schlachtstaffel or Schlastas.  Casualties mounted given the nature of their low-level activities which often brought them under massed small arms fire in addition to large numbers of Allied anti-aircraft weaponry and large numbers of fighters.  The basic ground attack theory proved itself and was employed by both sides right up to the end of the war in November 1918.

MODEL CONSTRUCTION

As with all aircraft I build, I maintain a "construction" page for each one in my "World War I Aircraft in 1:48 Scale" section.  Click on the link below for the Halberstadt CL.II,

HALBERSTADT CL.II FINISH & MARKINGS

Factory-applied pre-printed camouflage fabric was mandatory for frontline combat aircraft.  The Halberstadt CL.II used a daylight scheme of 5-colors.  The upper surfaces of the wings and tail plane were in a "dark" pattern.  The under surfaces were covered in a "light" version of the same colors but "lightened and muted".  Halberstadt covered the fuselage and the top wing's center section in thin three-ply wood which was then covered with unbleached linen, doped, and varnished.  Over this was applied a hand-painted version of the 5-color daylight "dark" scheme except for the under surface of the center section and the fuselage which were left in a natural varnished state.  The hand-painted pattern consisted of irregular patches larger than the pre-printed pattern and the colors used closely approximated it.  A splatter of a light color was sprayed over these hand-painted surfaces to mute the colors and make them appear to blend into each other.  This "scumble" was a surprisingly effective camouflage.  The following photos taken from my construction page show how I achieved an acceptable finish.

 

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO No. 10a, 10b, and 10c 6 March 2012
	The original state of the fuselage is a base coat of Vallejo VC0913 Yellow Ochre.  I painted the engine cowling with Misterkit MKAH06 Phönix Dark Green Photo which, it seems to me, is a more modern late-war color quite similar to the shade seen on the metal components of Fokker D.VII aircraft.  Then I added the rough sketching in pencil of a random and irregular pattern to be used as a guide.
	started at the front of the fuselage alternating colors that I had on the palette.  These colors had to be thinned a little and replenished often during the painting process.  Incidentally, I started by following the pencil pattern at the front but noticed that the overall design seemed a bit too small.  By the time I got to the end of the engine along the fuselage side, I broadened the patches.
	The last step was to apply the Tamiya TM8046 Light Sand overspray from a distance of about 15-18 inches.  I allowed the overspray to stay on the engine covers as seen on many Halberstadt CL.II aircraft.  Sometimes, in fact, the engine covers were incorporated into the five-color pattern.

 

For the cockpit interior I used a number of different shades of light brown with different washes.  The pilot sat on a brass main fuel tank.  The observer sat on a spring-loaded flip-down seat (some folded up) and supported by a wood or metal leg.  For interior details I used the kit's components which included a camera, map case, ammunition drums, a wireless sending unit, a fold-down shelf for the wireless sending key, rack for flare cartridges, and maybe one or two other small items. The pilot's cockpit contained the usual main instrument panel, one or two small auxiliary panels, throttle quadrant, two bicycle-style pumps (one for fuel pressure and one for oil pressure), a Spandau fixed forward-firing machine mounted on the left side of the engine, rudder bar, control stick, and a few scratch-built items.

Table 5 below gives examples of the colors I used for the model except for the hand-painted 5-color scheme on the fuselage and top wing center section the colors of which are shown in Table 6.  These are swatches I made from the actual paint, scanned in, and formatted.  The actual shades will vary on your computer.   Eisernes Kreuz markings were decals placed on all eight of the traditional positions.  The serial number for this aircraft is not known.  Unit and individual markings were taken directly from the kit's decal sheet.  Underneath, near the tail is my small font personal marking "G. Grasse - Halberstadt CL.II - No. 6679".

Table 5: Paint Color Swatches for the Halberstadt CL.II of Schusta 23b

	Misterkit MKGC10 German Clear Doped Linen	Applied as a base color on all 5-color camouflage surfaces
	Misterkit MKAH06 Phönix Dark Green	Applied to the engine covers and landing gear struts
	Vallejo VC0912 Sand Yellow	Applied to underside of fuselage and underside of the top wing's center section to simulate the clear varnished plywood surface
	Vallejo VC0941 Burnt Umber	Thinned with water and applied as a wash to cockpit interior components
	Vallejo VC0913 Yellow Ochre	Used on various wood components mainly to differentiate one from another.
	Vallejo VC0824 German Camouflage Orange Ochre
	Vallejo VC0981 Orange Brown

 

Table 6: Paint Color Swatches for the 5-Color Hand-Painted Fuselage and Wing Center Section

NOTE THAT THESE HAND-PAINTED COLORS WERE MATCHED TO THE FINISHED "DARK" 5-COLOR DECAL ACTUALLY ON THE MODEL AND DO NOT REPRESENT AN ATTEMPT TO QUALIFY THEM AS THE "REAL THING"

 

	Vallejo VC0964 Field Blue	Prussian Blue-Gray:  the Field Blue is close but "grayer" and "lighter".  I added just a bit of Andrea ANAC22 Prussian Blue.
	Vallejo VC0960 Black Green	Dark Green: the Black Green is close but a little too dark.  I added just a bit of pale beige.
	Vallejo VC0824 German Camouflage Orange Ochre	Ochre Brown:  the Vallejo Orange Ochre is lighter so I darkened it with the Burnt Umber.
	Vallejo VC0857 Golden Olive	Light or Pea Green:  Vallejo's Golden Olive is a close match but a little brighter.  I toned it down with a little Burnt Umber.
	Vallejo VC0812 Violet Red	Magenta:  I could not find a close Vallejo match.  Thinned with water and applied as a wash to cockpit interior components
	Vallejo VC0803 Brown Rose
	Vallejo VC0941 Burnt Umber

 

 

HALBERSTADT CL.II of SCHUSTA 23b FINISHED PHOTO GALLERY

 

 

-------------------------------------  FINIS  --------------------------------------

FOOTNOTES

¹  Gray, Peter & Owen Thetford, German Aircraft of the First World War, drawing by L. E. Bradford, page 138.  The Halberstadt CL.II as with all German two-seaters were modified at Staffel level and to properly represent a model aircraft you have to study photos of the intended real-life counterpart.  For example, note the tear-shaped metal covering adjacent to the engine on the forward part of the fuselage.  If the aircraft carried a wireless transmitter (W/T), it probably had an internally mounted generator mounted to the left lower side of the engine.  If so, it bulged out a bit and this tear-shaped cover would have projected outward in a rounded shape.  If the aircraft did not carry a W/T, a simpler "flat" tear-shaped cover was installed.  Note also the rectangular object just below and slightly behind the gunner's cockpit.  In this drawing it represents a generic sheet metal holder for hand grenades.  These holders can be seen on many late-war two-seaters in both reconnaissance and ground attack aircraft.  They took on many forms and were positioned on either side of the cockpit, many times on both but did not always appear as in this drawing.

² Grosz, Peter M.  Halberstadt CL.II Windsock Datafile 27, page 1.  It is recommended to review the several paragraphs by Grosz concerning the development of the Halberstadt company and its early aircraft production history.

³ The Mercedes D.III 160 hp in-line engine was the best of its type in 1916-1917 and equipped all of the Albatros D-Type fighters from mid-1916 through 1917.  It was upgraded as the D.IIIa of 180 hp and equipped the early Fokker D.VII fighters until improved with high-compression technology.

⁴ Gray & Thetford, pages136-138.

⁵ Gray & Thetford, pages138-139.

⁶ Grosz, Peter. M. Halberstadt CL.II Windsock Datafile 27, page 35.

⁷ Grosz, Peter M. Archiv: Frontbestand. This date was taken from The Journal of the Early Aeroplane "WWI Aero", issue 107, Dec 1985.

⁸ Duiven, Rick and Dan-San Abbott.  Schlacht-Flieger! This is the encyclopedia of Schustas and includes for each one airfields, rosters, significant combat log entries, campaigns, and photos.  Another source is the internet website Frontflieger, that displays the entire Fliegertruppe/Luftstreitkräfte in summary form:  http://www.frontflieger.de/2alb.html

⁹ Rottgardt, Dirk.  German Armies' Establishment 1914/18, The Nafziger Collection, 2007, page 75.  While researching the Kampfstaffeln, I came across three special purpose independent Kampfstaffeln and offer an explanation from the author, "In Winter 1915/16, another 3 independent special Kampfstaffeln ^{600 (refers to his footnote following)} were organized for the protection of home industrial sites intercepting enemy bombers.  They flew a mixture of single-seaters, C and G planes.  Their larger planes were apparently used as "gun ships".  All were converted to escort duty (Schustas) in January 1917."

^"600 S.1 to S.3, S meaning Sonderstaffel (special Staffel).  They were to protect industrial sites - S.1 originally the Krupp factories at Essen.  S-1 was originally raised as Sonderstaffel Köln (Cologne), later     Sonderstaffel Trier and was (eventually) renamed S.1 in January 1916.  S.2 was originally raised as Sonderstaffel Freiburg and in March 1916 became S.2.  S.3 was originally raised as Sonderstaffel T and in July 1916 became S.3." 

¹⁰ Duiven, Rick and Dan-San Abbott.  Schlacht-Flieger!, (or SF! for short) page 198.  This drawing cites Vzfw Schönmann as the gunner.  A check with the Schusta 23b roster prepared by Duiven on page 284 shows that Vzfw Schönmann left Schusta 23b on 17 October 1917 for Schusta 11.  The abbreviated combat log for Schusta 23b shows that on 30 October 1917, Thaufelder's gunner was Vzfw Alois Köhler and, again on 25 March 1918, these two were credited with shooting down a British F.2b Bristol Fighter.  So, it would appear that they were a team and the entry on the drawing, for whatever reason, is not correct.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND RECOMMENDED READING LIST:

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, 1962.

Grosz, Peter M. Archiv: Frontbestand.  The Journal of the Early Aeroplane "WWI Aero", issues 107 (Dec 1985) and 108 (Feb 1986).

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

Grosz, Peter. M. Halberstadt CL.II Windsock Datafile 27.  Berkhamsted, UK: Albatros Productions, Ltd, 1999, revised second edition.

Sumner, Ian.  German Air Forces 1914-18, Osprey Elite Series No. 135.  Botley, Oxford (UK): Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2005.

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© Copyright by George Grasse