Evening All,
The Hansa Brandenburg CC was named after Camillo Castiglione a banker who bought the Hansa and Brandenburgisch Fleugzeug-Werke Gmbh in 1916. The machine was designed by E. Heinkel and was powered by a Benz III 150 hp engine, a Heiro 220 hp engine or an Austro-Daimler 185hp engine.
The machine was designed as a short range defensive fighter for use by the Austro-Hungarian navy and there was hope that the German navy would use them too but although they accepted one machine, German pilots tended to prefer floatplanes.
The unusual multiple V strut (or star strut) configuration had been used on the Hansa-Brandenburg D1 fighter and the Hansa-Brandenburg KDW - a D1 on floats. Only 35 of this type were built and most were used by the Austro-Hungarian navy for protection of harbours and bases on the Adriatic coast.
Lt Gottfried Banfield was the best known of the navy pilots to fly these machines which were in service during the summer and autumn of 1917. They were able to hold their own against the Italian flown Nieuport 11, although they were less manoeuvrable than the Nieuports they were slightly faster. Early machines were fitted with one machine gun but later examples had two.
There is a resin kit of this aircraft by Omega Models but I have never seen one so I cannot comment on it.
Thanks for looking.
Stephen.
