AEG G.IV

The AEG G.IV was a biplane bomber aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Allgemeine Elektrizitäts-Gesellschaft. It saw action during the First World War with the Luftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Army Air Service). The G.IV was developed from the AEG G.III, featuring various refinements to power, bomb-load, and dimensions; specifically, it featured double the bomb capacity of the AEG G.II. Introduced to service during late 1916, the G.IV managed to achieve some operational success in both reconnaissance and direct combat missions. Because of its relatively short range, the G.IV served mainly as a tactical bomber, thus it operated close to the front lines. It initially flew both day and night operations in France, Romania, Greece, and Italy, but was increasingly restricted to night missions as the conflict progressed. Many night operations were considered nuisance raids, conducting without any specific targets other than the intention of disrupting enemy activity at night and achieving some collateral damage at best. Some officials concluded that the G.IV was still inadequate in terms of offensive capacity and performance, thus further improvements were sought. A single specialised G.IV was converted into an armored, antitank gunship, the G.IVk (Kanone) with two 20 mm Becker cannon, but it did not see action. The G.IV was the last in the series to see action, as while development of the improved G.V did proceed, the Armistice of 1918 that brought an end to the combat came into effect before this successor could become operational.

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