Friedrichshafen G.IV
The Friedrichshafen G.IV, G.V and FF.62 were heavy German bombers built during World War I by Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen. They were factory designs FF.61 (G.IV) and FF.55 (G.V), created for the Luftstreitkräfte and led by designer Karl Gehlen. To improve performance while using the same 260 hp Mercedes D.IVa engine as the earlier G.III, engineers lightened the design and moved the two engines to a tractor configuration in front of the wings. The G.IV family had two main versions: the G.IV, which kept a tail unit similar to the G.III, and the G.IVa, which had a tail like the G.IIIa/IIIb. One key change was removing the nose gunner position to save weight.
The G.V followed a similar concept but with a shorter forward fuselage, placing the nose behind the propeller discs and moving the engines closer to the centerline to reduce problems if an engine failed. A single G.V prototype flew on 9 May 1918 but did not go into production. The FF.62 did not fly until 20 November 1918 and was generally similar to the G.V, but used Mercedes D.IVa engines instead of the Maybach Mb IVa. Two batches of these bombers were ordered, and some were delivered before the war ended, but exact numbers and their front-line use are not well documented.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 08:55 (CET).