The Lohner Arrow-Plane

30 July 1914

The most modern and capable aeroplane used by the Austro–Hungarian aviation units now mobilising against Serbia is the Pfeilflieger (“Arrow-Flier”). This biplane is the design of Rittmeister (Cavalry Captain) Hans Umlauff von Frankwell and is manufactured for the Army by the Jacob Lohner Company of Vienna. 

For the most part, the Pfeilflieger has a familiar, Blériot-style design. That is, the major components of the aeroplane are arranged on a fuselage with a single engine and airscrew at the front and a secondary aerofoil and fin making up an empennage (tail unit) at the rear. Its most remarkable and distinctive feature—and the source of the “Arrow-flier” appellation—is its sharply swept-back wings, as illustrated in the photograph below.

This sweep-back provides the Pfeilflieger with excellent stability, in both pitch and roll.

The first Pfeilflieger flew nearly four years ago, on 18 October 1910, and Lohner has made progressive refinements to the design ever since. In 1912, Ritter Philipp Blaschke von Zwornikkirchen used one example to set world altitude records by flying himself and two passengers to 3,500 metres (11,500 ft) and, on a separate flight, flying with a single passenger to 4,260 metres (14,000 ft). In June last year, Karl Illner, again with a Pfeilflieger, increased these records to 4,700 metres (15,400 ft) and 5,180 metres (17,000 ft) repectively. This April just past, two Pfeilflieger were the only entrants to complete the gruelling competition for the Schicht prize—a round trip from Vienna to Prague, Teplitz, and Brunn, back to Vienna, on to Budapest, then back to Vienna once more; a total journey of some 1,200 km (750 miles). Winning pilot Viktor Wittmann received a 100,000-krone prize. The top speed of current models is a very respectable 110 km/h (70 mph).

Located in Floridsdorf in the north of Vienna, the Lohner-Werke was founded in 1821 by Heinrich Lohner, grandfather of present proprietor Ludwig Lohner. Originally a coach-building firm, Lohner expanded to automobiles in the year 1900 and to aeroplanes in 1909. The first aircraft the firm produced was the ubiquitous Taube (“Dove”) designed by Igo Etrich. Last year, Lohner became the exclusive supplier of aircraft to Austria–Hungary’s Imperial and Royal army.

Powerplants for Lohner aircraft are sourced from Austro–Daimler in Wiener Neustadt, where they are designed by engineer Ferdinand Porsche. Porsche is himself a former Lohner employee, the firm’s automobile designer from 1898 to 1905.

Pfeilflieger production suffered a major setback earlier this year when a defect in the wing design was found to have caused a number of serious accidents, at least three of them killing airmen. The army’s fleet was temporarily grounded while the firm supplied redesigned and strengthened replacement wings.

A total of forty-nine of the type now equip army aviation units, where they are used for scouting.

The Austro-Hungarian aviation troops and sea-fliers

29 July 1914

Although a formal state of war has existed between Austria–Hungary and Serbia since only yesterday, both nations began mobilising their military forces three days previously, on 25 July.

However, yesterday’s declaration of war co-incided with the mobilisation of one of the very latest advances in military technology, in the form of Austria–Hungary’s k.u.k. Luftfahrtruppen (Imperial and Royal aviation troops, LFT for short) and k.u.k. Seeflieger (Imperial and Royal sea-fliers).

Austria is no stranger to bringing war to the skies: sixty-five years ago, Austrian forces attempted to bombard Venice via balloons. Today’s Austro–Hungarian army still fields balloons as part of the equipment of its artillery regiments, but the Luftfahrtruppen go aloft in an entirely different apparatus: the aeroplane.

In the ten years since American brothers Orville and Wilbur Wright demonstrated that such machines are practical, the armies and navies of the world have been exploring the usefulness of the aeroplane over a battlefield. In recent years, aeroplanes have provided reconnaissance during the Italo–Turkish War and the two Balkan Wars. In the former conflict, an Italian airman even threw bombs down onto a Turkish position (to no great effect, it must be said).

The units that Austria–Hungary is fielding today are larger, more numerous, and more organised. The army has nine Fliegerkompanien (flying companies, FliK for short), each of which is intended to have six aeroplanes ready at all times, plus another two in reserve. Additionally, the navy has a single division of flying boats that operates from stations on the Dalmatian coast.

Yesterday, in Újvidék, the first FLiK mobilised: FLiK 5, under the command of Oberleutnant Waldemar Kenese. The unit is destined for Serbia,

Austrian balloon bombs attack Venice, 22 August 1849	Orville Wright makes the first flight in a practical aeroplane 17 December 1903
	Italian Lieutenant Giulio Gavotti throws grenades at a Turkish camp outside Tripoli 1 November 1911
Eight of today’s Austro-Hungarian army aeroplanes

War in Europe

28 July 1914

Austria–Hungary has declared war on Serbia. A special evening edition of the Weiner Zeitung (Vienna News) reports:

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Declaration of war

By most high decree of His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty of 28 July 1914, a declaration of war (in French) was today directed to the Serbian government, which in its original and in German translation are set out below:

Le Gouvernement Royal de Serbie n’ayant pas répondu d’une manière satisfaisante à la Note qui lui avait été remise par le Ministre d’Autriche–Hongrie à Belgrade à la date du 23 juillet 1914, le Gouvernement I. et R. se trouve dans la nécessité de pourvoir lui-même à la sauvegarde de ses droits et intérêts et de recourir à cet effet à la force des armes. L’Autriche–Hongrie se considère donc de ce moment en état de guerre avec la Serbie.

Le Ministre des Affaires Etrangères d'Autriche–Hongrie Comte Berchtold

As the royal government of Serbia has not responded in a satisfactory manner to the notice that it had been handed by the minister of Austria–Hungary in Belgrade on 23 July 1914, the imperial and royal government finds itself needing to provide for the safeguarding of its rights and interests, and to resort to effect this by force of arms. Austria-Hungary considers itself therefore from this moment in a state of war with Serbia.

The minister of foreign affairs of Austro-Hungary Count Berchtold

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via Österreichische Nationalbibliothek

Auf Grund Allerhöchster Entschließung Seiner k. u. k. Apostolischen Majestät vom 28 Juli 1914 wurde heute an die serbische Regierung eine in französischer Sprache abgefaßte Kriegserklärung gerichtet, welche im Urtext und in Deutscher Übersetzung folgendermaßen lautet: Le Gouvernement Royal de Serbie n’ayant pas répondu d’une manière satisfaisante à la Note qui lui avait été remise par le Ministre d’Autriche–Hongrie à Belgrade à la date du 23 juillet 1914, le Gouvernement I. et R. se trouve dans la nécessité de pourvoir lui-même à la sauvegarde de ses droits et intérêts et de recourir à cet effet à la force des armes. L’Autriche–Hongrie se considère donc de ce moment en état de guerre avec la Serbie. Le Ministre des Affaires Etrangères d'Autriche–Hongrie Comte Berchtold Da die königl. serbische Regierung die Note, welche ihr vom österreichisch-ungarischen Gesandten in Belgrad am 23. Juli 1914 übergeben worden war, nicht in befriedigender Weise beantwortet hat, so sieht sich die k. u. k Regierung in die Notwendigkeit versetzt, selbst für die Wahrung ihrer Rechte und Interessen Sorge zu tragen und zu diesem Ende an die Gewalt der Waffen zu appellieren. Österreich-Ungarn betrachtet sich daher von diesem Augenblicke an als im Kriegszustande mit Serbien befindlich. Der österreichisch-ungarischen Minister des Äußern Graf Berchtold

The original telegram, with slight restoration via WikiMedia Commons and Архив Србије (Arhiv Srbije)

His Imperial and Royal Apostolic Majesty Kaiser Franz Josef I Portrait by court photographer Carl Pietzner