page_title: Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge
section_title: Types
hierarchical_section_title: Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge / Types
caption_attribution_description: English: Photo of first Zeppelin-Staaken "giant" bomber, the VGO.I of 1915.
context_page_description: The Zeppelin-Staaken Riesenflugzeuge were a series of very large bomber aircraft - Riesenflugzeuge, usually powered by four or more engines, designed and built in Germany from 1915 to 1919.
context_section_description: VGO.I
  The pre-cursors to the Zeppelin-Staaken R-planes were constructed at Versuchsbau G.m.b.H. Gotha-Ost (VGO), co-located with Gothaer Waggonfabrik A.G. Initially fitted with three 240 hp (180 kW) Maybach Mb.IV engines in their original "HS" version, one in the nose and one in the rear of each of the twin engine nacelles, the V.G.O.I was first flown on 11 April 1915. Once accepted by the Kaiserliche Marine the designation R.M.L.1, (Reichs Marine Landflugzeug 1), was applied to the nose and rear fuselage areas. The VGO.I served on the eastern front before being returned to Staaken where two additional engines were fitted in the nacelles. During flight testing, after the extra engines had been fitted, the V.G.O.I crashed in December 1915, killing two of its crew. One built.
  VGO.II
  Almost identical to the VGO.I, the VGO.II serialed 'R.9/15' also served with the Luftstreitkräfte, (Military Aviation Service), on the eastern front and later as a trainer. One built.
  VGO.III (also designated as R.III)
  To overcome the low power experienced with the V.G.O.I and V.G.O.II, VGO fitted an identical airframe with six 160 hp (120 kW) Mercedes D.III engines in three pairs, two side by side in the nose geared to a single tractor propeller and two side by side in each nacelle, with each pair geared to a single pusher propeller apiece. After delivery to the Luftstreitkräfte as 'R 10/15', the V.G.O.III was used at the eastern front by Rfa500 (Rfa – Riesenflugzeugabteilung – "giant aircraft unit"). One built.
  Zeppelin-Staaken R.IV
  Built at Staaken after production moved from VGO, the R.IV although generally similar to the V.G.O.III, retained the paired 160 hp (120 kW) Mercedes D.III engines in the nose, but was fitted with paired 220 hp (160 kW) Benz Bz.IV engines in each of the twin engine nacelles, each pair driving single four-bladed pusher propellers. The sole R.IV serialled 'R 12/15' carried out operations on both the eastern and western fronts. One built, and the only "nose-engined" Zeppelin-Staaken R-plane to survive to the end of the war.
  Zeppelin-Staaken R.V
  Adhering to the same layout as the previous Zeppelin-Staaken R-planes, the R.V differed in having the engine nacelles arranged as tractor units with tandem mounted 240 hp (180 kW) Maybach Mb.IV powerplants and the engineers and gunners transferred to the rear of the nacelles. A single Mb.IV straight-six engine replaced the paired units of the R.IV in the nose. Additional defensive firepower was fitted in the form of the Schwalbennest (swallows nest), a nacelle on the centre-line of the upper mainplane leading edge housing a gunner with a single machine-gun. Serialled R 13/15 the R.V saw service on the western front. One built.
  Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
  The first true production Zeppelin-Staaken R-plane was the R.VI. This giant aircraft was powered either by four 245 hp (183 kW) Maybach Mb.IV engines or four 260 hp (190 kW) Mercedes D.IVa engines. The fuselage was similar to the previous aircraft but the cockpit was extended forward, enclosed and glazed with a gunner's cockpit in the extreme nose. Other improvements included aluminium alloy structure in the triple-finned biplane tailunit, whose twin horizontal planes were built with both inverse camber and a positive angle of incidence to improve the stabilising downforce. Eighteen R.VIs were built serialled 'R25' to 'R39' and 'R52' to 'R54'. The IdFlieg-designated 'R.30/16' example acted as a supercharged engine test-bed, and saw service in the Luftstreitkräfte with Rfa 500 and Rfa 501 on the western front, stationed in the Ghent area. Air raids on England by R.VIs began on 17 September 1917. Many air raids attributed to Gotha bombers were, in fact, carried out by Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI or R.XIV bombers, with direct hits on the Royal Hospital Chelsea with the first 1,000kg bomb dropped on England, on 16/17 February 1918. St Pancras railway station was attacked the next night. During the campaign from 18 December 1917 to 20 May 1918 the R.VIs of Rfa501 made eleven raids dropping 27,190 kg (28 tons) of bombs. Eighteen built.
  Zeppelin-
caption: The VGO.I of 1915.
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