Gotha WD.11

Gothaer Waggonfabrik · Germany · first flew 1916 · bomber

The Gotha WD.11 was a three-seat floatplane torpedo-bomber built by Gotha for the Imperial German Navy during the First World War. It was a twin-engined sesquiplane with twin floats.

Recognition (WEFT)

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

• Twin floats below the wings, each attached by ten struts
• Torpedo carried semi-recessed in a trough under the fuselage between the floats
• Twin-tail empennage with the vertical stabilisers at the ends of the horizontal stabiliser

Look for a large twin-engined floatplane sesquiplane with a three-bay wing and a twin tail, with a torpedo slung in a trough beneath the fuselage. The Mercedes engines sit on the lower wing with radiators above them.

Specifications

• The Gotha WD.11 has a length of 13.45 m (44 ft).
• It has a wingspan of 22.5 m (74 ft).
• Its maximum speed is 120 km/h (75 mph).
• Typical crew: 3.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

The prototype was ordered on 9 March 1916 and handed to the Seaplane Experimental Command on 9 October 1916. It followed the smaller WD.7, which had been used to train torpedo tactics, and the first five production aircraft were delivered in April and May 1917.

Variants

Seventeen WD.11s were built in all. Some aircraft were modified with a second gun for the rear observer, or to carry bombs in the torpedo trough.

Where you'll see it

The type sank two British freighters in the North Sea and one squadron took part in Operation Albion in 1917. Torpedo shortages and a structure too weak for the loads carried led to its withdrawal from service in 1918.

Related aircraft

• Gotha B-Type
• Gotha Go 150
• Horten Ho 229
• AD Seaplane Type 1000
• AEG G.IV
• AEG N.I
• Airco DH.3

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