It was very well regarded for its good visibility, climb rate, maneuverability, stability and ease of internal communication afforded by the close nature of the pilot and gunner. Following successful type-testing in May 1917, an order was placed for 100 Halberstadt Cl.II and production aircraft began arriving at front line units from late July 1917 onwards. After initial evaluation the single piece top wing was split into 3 parts, the fully enclosed engine cowling was reduced and the elevator balances were removed. The result was the sleek 160hp Daimler-Mercedes D.III powered Halberstadt Cl.II, the lower case “l” indicating leicht (light) weight, and the first prototype 9902/16 was completed in April 1917. In November 1916 Halberstadt started work on 3 prototypes built to Idflieg’s new lightweight C class (C = armed two-seat) specifications incorporating many features from their single seat fighters. After war broke out in August 1914 they changed their name to Halberstadter Flugzeugwerke GmbH and continued to build aircraft more suited to training until late 1915 when they introduced their successful Halberstadt D.1 single seat fighter. Halberstadter Flugzeugwerke GmbH was initially established in 1912 as Deutsche Bristol Werke GmbH and built Bristol aircraft under license. The Halberstadt Cl.II was a highly successful escort fighter and infantry support aircraft.

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