The German aircraft industry excelled in producing efficient
aircraft for high altitude reconnaissance duties and pioneered
the use of aircraft specifically designed for the ground attack
role. The Albatros C.XII was a German military reconnaissance
aircraft which saw service during the late period of World War
I. It differed markedly from previous Albatros C-type aircraft
by adopting an elliptical-section fuselage similar to that of
the Albatros D.V. The C.XII also featured a tailplane of reduced
area, but it retained the wings of the earlier Albatros C.X. The
aircraft was powered by a single 260 hp (190 kW) Mercedes D.IVa,
inline water-cooled engine. The aircraft's armament consisted
of: a single 0.312 in (7.92 mm) "Spandau" LMG 08/15 machine gun,
fixed downward, and a single trainable 0.312 in (7.92 mm)
Parabellum MG14 machine gun in the observer's cockpit The
Albatros C.XII was a sleek aircraft with clean lines. Despite
the aerodynamic advantages of the design, there was no
significant increase in perform