2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Captured Third Army German Hannover CL.II: Air Service, United States Army· Public domain
- 2. Hannover CLII nr 8.15 and Zdzislaw Zych Plodowski: nn· Public domain
what is it?
The Hannover CL.II was an escort fighter, produced in Germany during World War I, designed in response to a 1917 requirement by the Idflieg for such a machine to protect reconnaissance aircraft over enemy territory.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 11.7 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 109 years ago, in 1917.
- Wingspan of 11.7 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1917
- number built
- 439
- role
- escort fighter
- origin
- German Reich
- makers
- Hannoversche Waggonfabrik
- engines
- 1× Argus As.III / Argus As III
- crew
- 2
- length
- 7.6 m
- wingspan
- 11.7 m
- height
- 2.8 m
- max take-off weight
- 1,081 kg
- top speed
- 165 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 7,500 m
- wings
- biplane
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q3783100, Wikipedia: Hannover CL.II (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.