Rumpler 6B

6B
	Rumpler 6B1
Role	Floatplane fighter
Manufacturer	Rumpler Flugzeugwerke
First flight	1916
Introduction	1916
Retired	1920s
Primary users	German Imperial Navy; Finnish Air Force
Produced	1916–1918
Number built	88
Developed from	Rumpler C.I

The Rumpler 6B was a German single-engine floatplane fighter with a biplane wing structure, designed and built by Rumpler Flugzeugwerke, in Berlin Johannisthal and introduced in 1916.

Design and development

Born out of a requirement of the Kaiserliche Marine (Imperial Navy) for a seaplane fighter, the Rumpler 6B was, like its contemporaries the Albatros W.4 and Hansa-Brandenburg W.9, an adaptation of an existing landplane design. In Rumpler's case the new floatplane fighter was based on the company's two-seat C.I reconnaissance aircraft. The modifications included adding a forward stagger to the wings, removal of the second (observer's) cockpit and fitting a larger rudder to offset the increased side area caused by the addition of floats. In the production aircraft, the area of the horizontal tail surfaces was also slightly reduced. The armament consisted of a fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 "Spandau" machine gun mounted on port side of the engine block.

The initial version of the fighter was the 6B1. A total of 39 of these were produced, with all but one of the number having been delivered by the end of May 1917. A new version of the basic design, the 6B2, was introduced in October 1917. These aircraft retained the Mercedes D.III engine, but otherwise they were based on the C.IV, with larger dimensions and more rounded horizontal tail surfaces. In spite of the decrease in performance, 49 of this type were delivered between October 1917 and January 1918, during which time the remaining 6B1 also left the factory.

Operational history

The Rumpler 6Bs were mostly employed at German seaplane bases at Ostend and Zeebrugge. Some were also sent to the Black Sea area to fight the Russians.

Use in Bulgaria

The two 6B1 naval fighters stationed at the German Naval Air Station Peynerdjik near Varna on the Black Sea were transferred in June 1918 to the Bulgarian Navy. They were used after the war in minesweeping operations. In 1920, they were destroyed in accordance with the clauses of the Peace Treaty.[1]

Use in Finland

In February 1918, the Finnish White Army ordered one Rumpler and seven other aircraft from Germany. The aircraft was destroyed in an accident in October 1919. Another Rumpler aircraft was bought from the Germans in Tallinn in 1918 and it was used for seven years.

Survivors

Hallinportti Aviation Museum has one Rumpler in storage.

Operators

Bulgaria

Bulgarian Navy

Finland

Finnish Air Force

German Empire

Imperial German Navy

Netherlands

Royal Netherlands Navy

Specifications (6B1)

Data from Fighters : attack and training aircraft 1914-19[2], The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft, 1914–1980[3]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 9.4 m (30 ft 10 in)
Wingspan: 12.05 m (39 ft 6 in)
Height: 3.5 m (11 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 38 m² (410 sq ft)
Max takeoff weight: 1,140 kg (2,513 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Mercedes D.III 6-cylinder water-cooled in-line piston engine, 120 kW (160 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 153 km/h (95 mph, 83 kn)
Endurance: 4 hours
Service ceiling: 5,000 m (16,000 ft)

Armament

Guns: 1 × fixed, forward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) LMG 08/15 with an interruptor gear

References

Milanov, Y. The Aviation in Bulgaria in the Wars from 1912 to 1945, Vol. I(in Bulgarian). Sveti Gueorgui Pobedonosetz, Sofia, 1995.
Munson, Kenneth. Fighters : attack and training aircraft 1914-19. London: Bounty Books. ISBN 0-7537-0916-3.
Angelucci, Enzo (1983). The Rand McNally encyclopedia of military aircraft, 1914-1980. San Diego, California: The Military Press. ISBN 0-517-41021-4.