Halberstadt CL.II at War!

by John Alcorn

Reviewed by Rob Baumgartner

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This isn’t the first time the Halberstadt CL.II has appeared in a Datafile format.

Peter Grosz visited the subject back in 1991 with No. 27 in the series. Understandably it’s been out of print for a while so with new information at hand, now a good time to take another look at this feisty 2-seater.

It was an aircraft that debuted at the Front in September 1917. The successes that followed ensured Kogenluft’s approval of the type in the protection, ground-attack and 2-seat fighter roles. Provisional information suggests that over 800 machines were produced which includes 160 built under licence by Bayerisch Flugzeug Werke (BFW).

John Alcorn is tasked with the job of conveying the history of the CL.II. He does so using the standard format of 36 pages, contained within soft card covers. The narrative is a very interesting read that not only describes the origin, development and structure of the aircraft, but also its operations.

There are nearly 110 photographs included so there’s plenty for the enthusiast to salivate over. Ninety of them are period images with the remainder courtesy of the world’s sole surviving Halberstadt CL.II located at the Polish Aviation Museum in Krakow.

Reproduction is excellent and the A4 sized pages allow maximum benefit to be gleaned from each image. Complimenting these images are a number of illustrations from Flight magazine. These sketches focus on the constructional elements of the aircraft and offer insights that are difficult to see in photographs.

The author also had a hand in the scale drawings where the dimensions were taken directly from the aforementioned specimen in Poland. CL.II 15459/17 was from the November 1917 production batch and readers should be aware that there are many detail differences between early, mid, and late examples. As a result it is imperative to examine period photos carefully.

Full sets of plans are represented in both 1:72 and 1:48 scales. For those building a larger model, there’s a bonus interior layout and numerous fuselage cross-sections in 1:32 scale.

Another hallmark of the series is the artwork and yet again the reader is not disappointed. Ronny Bar supplies 7 stunning profiles with one subject receiving additional upper and lower views. Not to be forgotten is the evocative artwork of Robert Karr. His cover piece is striking and provides yet another interesting piece of livery.

Ray Rimell takes us through the minefield that is colours and markings. With an invaluable contribution from Piotr Mrozowski, we get as good a précis as possible with the limited pages available.

Rounding out the publication are tables of production figures and technical data for the type, as well as a list of model kits that have represented this 2-seater.

The result is a fine companion to the earlier publication on the subject. With much new material presented it’s the ideal reference sources for both modellers and enthusiasts alike.

This is an excellent publication that is the culmination of 25 years of research.

It’s been authored by two of Italy’s top WWI aero historians and the results are testimony to their dedication.

If you have the slightest interest in Spad VII or XIII aircraft, then this publication is for you.

Thanks to Albatros Productions for the review sample

Review Copyright © 2013 by Rob Baumgartner
This Page Created on 27 February, 2013
Last updated 8 July, 2013

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