Rui’s Renditions
At the Invalides in Paris, German material captured during 1914/15 is displayed to the public. Circa 1915.
The bird-like aircraft is a ‘Taube’ (dove), a reconnaissance aircraft designed by Igor Etrich in 1910. Issues with Etrich’s patent allowed the Taube to be built by several manufacturers from different countries in many variants and under different names, one of the best known being the Rumpler Taube, a 2-seat military version produced by Rumpler in 1912 and said to be the first military airplane mass-produced in Germany.
I believe the example depicted in this photo to be a Rumpler.
While researching the Taube I came upon many unconfirmed facts and stories. Here are some of the most popular internet ‘facts’ I’ve found. Some are apparently true while others are certainly debatable. Feel free to prove or disprove them:
The bird-like wings design was actually inspired by the seed of the Javan cucumber (Alsomitra macrocarpa).
The first aircraft to drop aerial bombs in combat (one- or four-pounds bombs, depending on the source) done so by Italian Commander Gavotti, against Turkish forces in Libya on November 11, 1911.
When the wings were painted with clear nitrate dope over linen, above 1200 ft the plane became virtually transparent and impossible to see against a clear sunny sky.
It was the first airplane to bomb Paris, when German pilot Ferdinand von Hiddessen and his observer dropped four small bombs and leaflets over the city on August 30, 1914.
Because the following visits to Paris by different Taube were done around 5 p.m, these became known as the “Five-O’clock-Taube”. It is said that Parisians would sit in the outdoor restaurants and bars, making bets as to where the bombs would fall.
It was so stable that the pilots would climb out of the cockpit and lie on the wing, waving to people on the ground, while the plane made great sweeping circles around the airfield.
Original: Agence Rol