How accurate were the Albatros C.III's bombs?

Short answer

Very poor: the C.III lacked a precise aiming device, so aiming its bombs was not easy and its use as a bomber amounted to little more than harassment. It could carry up to 90 kg (200 lb) of bombs, whose effective use was badly hampered by that shortcoming.

Published: November 1, 2026 · Updated: November 1, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

How accurate were the Albatros C.III's bombs?

Albatros C I '197-15Alan Wilson (CC BY SA), vía commons

Up to 90 kg without a bombsight

The C.III could carry a load of up to 90 kg (200 lb) of bombs, distributed in four vertical tubes inside the fuselage or hung from external racks. Aiming them was not easy, since the aircraft had no precise aiming device, and the lack of a bombsight greatly hindered the effective use of that load on the battlefield, so its use as a bomber amounted to little more than harassment.

What the C.I already had

Compared with the C.I, the C.III adopted a lower, rounded tail instead of the latter's large triangular tail unit. It was also a somewhat more compact aircraft. The C.I itself already had internal bomb racks for four 10 kg bombs. On the C.I, the observer occupied the rear cockpit, fitted with a machine gun, usually a 7.92 mm Parabellum MG14 on a ring mount.

A very numerous type

Albatros built the C.III in greater numbers than any other of its C-category aircraft, and it was also the company's most-produced two-seater. Cumulative orders for the type reached 2,271 aircraft.