metal airliner, 1 uncompleted, projected in 1921
11 seater highlever monoplane, corrugated Duralumin construction
G1 Wing at Dessau 1921
Historical Data:
During World War I the German aviation industry was engaged in the developement of large aircraft, the socalled Giants.
While Hugo Junkers was still experimenting with his all-metal approaches for fighter aircraft, he also headed for the idea of
an all-metal Giant aircraft. Two major designs were developed in 1917 as R I and R II, but due to
the end of WW I and due to less interest of IDFLIEG in all-metal giants, these designs never reached prototype status.
When the F13 design was finished, Junkers returned to the idea of a large all-metal aircraft for passenger transport
purposes. This design was designated as JG1. Several approaches were discussed to design a high-, mid- and cantilever
monplane, but due to aerodynamic troubles, finally a highlevel monoplane was designed.
Developments of the JG1 started in summer 1920. In January 1921 the prototype construction was initiated.
The outer wing and the rear parts of the fuselage were already finished, when the Allied supervisory board
discovered the JG1 during its investigations at Junkers Flugzeugwerke in the beginning of 1921. Junkers was
advised to destroy these JG1 parts due to the construction limitations in Germany.
While the JG1 would have been available during late 1921/22, it would not have been the first
all-metal large aircraft. This was already finished by Adolf Rohrbach with his E4/20 Staaken in September 1920.
Nevertheless, Junkers returned to his large aircraft designs in 1924 with Junkers J1000
and in the late 20s with his famous Junkers G38.
Comments about the JG1 Designator:
The designator Junkers G1 is widely used for this airliner and seems to be the
correct one, regarding the later designators G23, G24 and G38 for other "Grossflugzeuge".
The utilization of the designator JG1 seems to be wrong and just a later combination
of J for Junkers together with the G1 designator. On the other hand all other Junkers
aircraft, which entered construction phase, were numbered in continous sequence. In sofar
the type number "1" is not typical for the Junkers designator system. An interesting
point is also, that just a single number in the lower ranges of type numbers was not
used by any Junkers aircraft type, that's the number "14", which normally must have been
used in the area around 1921. Therefore it might be, that the G1 was the never mentioned
J14. In that case of course the G1 consequently must have been
named G14. No documents are available which show this link
between G1 and J14. It might be, that the destroyment of the G1 occured to early for
further publication of this designator.