 A further two engines were mounted in the nose of the fuselage, driving a single tractor propeller in a similar fashion.First flown early in 1917, the sole R.VII (R.14/15) was accepted by the "Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte" (Imperial German Air Service) on 3 July 1917 and assigned to Rfa 501 on 29 July 1917.Used in operations on the Western Front, the R.VII had a short operational life, crashing due to a clutch failure and the incorrect actions of a flight mechanic, with the loss of six crew members.