LVG
A Berlin firm that began selling advertising flights in airships became Germany’s second-largest aircraft maker of the First World War, and one of its two-seaters was the first aeroplane to bomb London.
LVG: the company and the aircraft that made its name
Six bombs near Victoria Station
On 28 November 1916 a single German two-seater crossed the English coast in daylight and dropped six bombs near Victoria Station. London had been bombed before, but only by Zeppelins. This was the first fixed-wing aircraft to bomb London, and it was an LVG C.IV from the Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft at Johannisthal, Berlin. The raid did little damage, and the aircraft was brought down by French anti-aircraft fire on the way home, but it pointed to the kind of war that was coming.
From airship adverts to aeroplanes
LVG had not started out building aeroplanes at all. Its roots lay in a company founded in 1910 as the Luftfahrtbetriebs-GmbH to sell passenger and advertising flights in Parseval airships. The airships were popular but technically troublesome, and many bookings could never be flown. In 1911 the firm hired the Swiss engineer Franz Schneider as chief designer, and from 1912 the reorganised Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft A.G. turned to aircraft, first Farman-type machines and then Schneider’s own B- and C-series biplanes. In 1913 Schneider patented a gun-firing mechanism for aircraft.
Second only to Albatros
War made LVG enormous. Its C.I was the first German front-line two-seater whose observer had a machine gun on a swivelling ring mount, and its C.VI, with about 1,100 built, became one of the standard reconnaissance aircraft of 1918. In 1913 LVG delivered 60 aircraft with 300 workers; in May 1918 alone, 174 left the works and the payroll stood at 3,500. Over the war it built 5,640 aircraft, more than any German maker except Albatros. Young designers who passed through included Ernst Heinkel and Walter Rethel. Peace and the Versailles restrictions finished it, and the company was liquidated in 1919.
LVG in numbers
Het bedrijf
- Kortom
- Founded 1910
- Founded in Berlin as the Luftfahrtbetriebs-GmbH, an airship advertising venture
- Reorganised as Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft A.G. in 1912
- Based at Johannisthal airfield
- Liquidated in 1919
Productie
- Het meest bekend om
- LVG C.VI
- 5,640 aircraft built during the First World War
- C.VI: about 1,100 built
- C.II: about 300 built
- Also licence-built Albatros and Gotha types
Vandaag
- Nu
- Defunct since 1919
- Surviving C.VIs are displayed in museums
De cijfers
- Vliegtuigen gebouwd in de Eerste Wereldoorlog
- 5,6401914–1918
- Medewerkers
- 3001913
- Medewerkers
- 3,5001918
- Aircraft delivered in May 1918
- 174
- LVG C.VI built
- about 1,100
Every notable LVG aircraft
| Vliegtuig | Rol | Eerste vlucht | Gebouwd | Status | Opmerking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LVG B.I | Reconnaissance, later trainer | 1912 | Gepensioneerd | The company’s first original design; also licence-built by Euler and Otto | |
| LVG C.I | Armed reconnaissance | Gepensioneerd | First German front-line two-seater with a ring-mounted observer’s gun | ||
| LVG C.II | Armed reconnaissance and light bomber | ongeveer 300 | Gepensioneerd | ||
| LVG C.IV | Verkennings- en lichte bommenwerper | Gepensioneerd | First fixed-wing aircraft to bomb London, 28 November 1916 | ||
| LVG C.V | Verkenning | 1917 | Gepensioneerd | ||
| LVG C.VI | Verkenning | 1917 | 1,100 | Gepensioneerd | LVG’s most-produced type |
| LVG E.I | Experimental armed monoplane | Gepensioneerd | Fitted with two machine guns | ||
| LVG G.III | Triplane bomber | Gepensioneerd | Schütte-Lanz design built by LVG |
LVG aircraft in the world’s air forces
1 air forces in the Order of Battle fly or flew LVG types. Geen van hen heeft er nog een in gebruik.
| Luchtmacht | In dienst | Voorheen gevlogen |
|---|---|---|
| Litouwse luchtmacht | LVG C.VI |
Where LVG built, who led it, what it achieved
Fabrieken
- Johannisthal werkt · Johannisthal airfield, Berlin — Main plant; 3,500 workers in May 1918
Mensen
- Arthur Müller · founder — His Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft m.b.H. was the forerunner of LVG A.G.
- Franz Schneider · chief designer from 1911 — Designed the B- and C-types and patented an aircraft gun-firing mechanism in 1913
- Ernst Heinkel · engineer — Later founded his own aircraft company
- Walter Rethel · engineer
Records en primeurs
- LVG C.IV: first fixed-wing aircraft to bomb London, 28 November 1916
- LVG C.I: first German front-line two-seater with a movable observer’s gun on a ring mount
- Second-largest German aircraft maker of the First World War after Albatros
LVG, year by year
Luftfahrtbetriebs-GmbH founded for Parseval airship passenger and advertising flights
Franz Schneider hired as chief designer
Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft A.G. formed; aircraft production begins, first Farman types
Design of the B.I, the first original LVG aircraft
60 aircraft delivered with 300 workers; Schneider patents a gun-firing device
An LVG C.IV bombs London near Victoria Station
C.VI first flight
Peak output: 174 aircraft in a month, 3,500 employees
Company liquidated
Everything people ask about LVG
What does LVG stand for?
How many aircraft did LVG build?
What was the first aeroplane to bomb London?
What was LVG’s most important aircraft?
Around LVG
Alle feiten gecontroleerd
- LVG (Wikipedia)
- Luft-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft (German Wikipedia)
- LVG C.VI (Wikipedia)
- LVG C.II (Wikipedia)
- LVG B.I (Wikipedia)
- LVG C.V (Wikipedia)
Geverifieerd op 3 oktober 2026.