These early war German Aviatik designs, with their gently-swept wings, heart -shaped tails and distinctive comma rudders, performed many valuable tasks from mid-1915 onwards. Alongside the LVG C.I and Albatros C.I (also covered in the DATAFILE series), the Aviatik C.I was employed on bombing raids,photographic reconnaissance and artillery spotting. The C.I placed the pilot in the rear cockpit with the observer occupying the front seat,his machine gun clipped to a sliding bar mount either side of the fuselage.