Gotha WD 12

The Gotha WD 12 was a German two‑seat reconnaissance floatplane built by the Gothaer Waggonfabrik in the final years of World War I. Designed as a development of the earlier WD 11, the WD 12 first flew in early 1918 and entered limited service with the Imperial German Navy’s coastal patrol units. Its wooden frame was covered with doped fabric and it featured a single 220 hp Benz Bz.IV six‑cylinder inline engine mounted in the nose, driving a two‑blade wooden propeller. The aircraft’s equal‑span biplane wings were equipped with a pair of steel‑tube struts and could be easily folded for shipboard storage. Twin wooden floats provided the necessary buoyancy for sea operations, while the open cockpit offered excellent visibility for the observer and pilot. Although only a few dozen were produced before the armistice, the WD 12 demonstrated the practicality of purpose‑built naval aircraft and influenced later interwar German seaplane designs. Its straightforward construction, reliable powerplant, and versatile reconnaissance capability made it a notable step in the evolution of maritime aviation during the early twentieth century. After the war, several WD‑12s were transferred to civilian operators and used for coastal survey work, further extending their impact on post‑war aviation development.

Gotha

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