Albatros D.III

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Albatros D.III
Albatros D.III
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire

Manufacturer:

Albatros Flugzeugwerke GmbH

First flight:

Summer 1916

Commissioning:

1917

Production time:

1916-1917

Number of pieces:

1352

The Albatros D.III (factory designation L25) of the Albatros Flugzeugwerke was a fighter aircraft that was used by the German , Austro-Hungarian and Turkish-Ottoman air force during the First World War . The Albatros D.III was one of the most widely used German fighters. In Austria-Hungary , the aircraft was rebuilt as the Oeffag D.III with a few changes .

development

At the end of 1916, the Air Force Inspection provided the German aircraft manufacturers with a captured Nieuport single-seater ; This French combat biplane was regarded by German pilots as a particularly dangerous opponent in terms of turning characteristics and maneuverability. While some manufacturers largely copied the design of the Nieuport, the team of the chief engineer of the Albatroswerke, Robert Thelen , only adopted the design feature of a narrower lower wing. The aim was to significantly improve the pilot's view and the flight characteristics that are so important in aerial combat, such as maneuverability in turns and climbing ability , without sacrificing the proven firepower and stability of the Albatros D aircraft.

This change, however, required the reconstruction of the entire structure: the trailing wing edges with the ailerons were lengthened slightly outwards and the leading edges were shortened inwards. As with the Nieuport 11, the lower surfaces became shorter than the upper ones. They were only constructed with a single spar and the two wings were connected by V-struts. After the first flight in the summer of 1916, the type test took place on September 26, 1916.

With its synchronized twin machine guns , the D.III had the same firepower as its predecessor and was therefore still superior to the opposing fighters.

The aircraft was manufactured by the Albatros-Werke in Berlin-Johannisthal and the Ostdeutsche Albatros-Werke (OAW) in Schneidemühl . In the course of production, some changes were made to the aircraft, which were also carried over to the later Albatros DV . These included the rounding of the vertical stabilizer and the lateral offset of the Teeves & Braun wing cooler, in order to protect the pilot from scalding from hot coolant if he hits the cooler.

commitment

When the first 13 D.III reached the front in January 1917, their climbing ability and maneuverability made them superior to the Allied aircraft. In March 1917 137 D.III were already in use, in May 327. The albatrosses won the air superiority and maintained it throughout the spring, when almost all of the 37 fighter squadrons were equipped with D.III. In the bloody April 1917, the British alone lost 151 aircraft with only 30 German losses.

However, a dangerous design weakness came to light in use: The narrow, single-spar lower wings were designed too weakly, and so vibrations occurred during high loads when falling and turning, which could result in fluttering, breaking wings or completely losing the lower wings . In this way, two fighter pilots of Jasta 2 lost their lives on January 24, 1917, and the leader of Jasta 11, Manfred von Richthofen , was only able to save himself with difficulty by making an emergency landing after the lower wing broke. This deficiency was never completely rectified and was even more pronounced in the successor Albatros DV; In contrast to their German colleagues, the Austrian engineers who rebuilt the Albatros D.III as Oeffag D.III for the Austro-Hungarian aviation troops under license and continuously improved over three series, succeeded in solving this problem.

However, as more and better Allied fighters appeared in the sky, including the SPAD S.VII and the Sopwith Triplane , the D.III was replaced from July 1917 by the more powerful Albatros DV . In November, however, there were still 446 D.III's in the west, in Palestine and in the Balkans, while the enemy with the even more powerful fighters SE5 , Sopwith Camel and the SPAD S.XII were already the next generation of superior single-seaters in superior numbers Sent battle. The Albatros D.III remained in use until the end of the war.

In addition to the German air force, the Turkish air force successfully deployed the Albatros D.III. However, the Oeffag D.III series 53.2, 153 and 253 with 185, 200 or 225 hp Austro-Daimler engines, produced by Oeffag for the Austro- Hungarian aviation troops, proved to be the best .

After the end of the war, the D.III - mainly Oeffag D.III , from the holdings of the dissolved kuk aviation troops - was used on the Polish side in the Polish-Soviet war .

Aircraft in the front line

From January 1917 to around summer 1917, the Albatros D.III successively replaced almost all other types of fighter aircraft; a total of 1,340 machines had been built by the beginning of 1918

The German hunting squadrons reported the following stocks:

month Bet number
January 1917 13
March 1917 137
May 1917 327
July 1917 303
September 1917 385
November 1917 446
January 1918 423
March 1918 357
May 1918 174
July 1918 82
September 1918 52

Performance comparison

Performance comparison of single-seaters in the front line at the end of the First World War :

Surname Country First flight Commissioning Engine power Max. speed Takeoff mass Armament ( MG ) Summit height number of pieces
Albatros D.III German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1916-08-01 1917-01-15 170 hp 165 km / h 886 kg 2 5,500 m 1352
SE5a United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1916-11-22 1917-03-15 200 hp 222 km / h 880 kg 2 5,185 m 5205
Sopwith Camel United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1916-12-31 1917-06-15 130 hp 185 km / h 659 kg 2 5,791 m 5490
Sopwith Dolphin United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1917-03-23 1918-02-15 200 hp 211 km / h 890 kg 2 6,100 m 2072
Albatros D.Va German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-04-15 1917-07-15 185 hp 187 km / h 937 kg 2 6,250 m 2562
Palatinate D.IIIa German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-04-15 1917-08-15 180 hp 181 km / h 834 kg 2 6,000 m 750
SPAD S.XIII Third French RepublicThird French Republic France 1917-04-30 1917-05-31 220 hp 222 km / h 820 kg 2 6,650 m 8472
Nieuport 28 Third French RepublicThird French Republic France 1917-06-14 1918-03-15 160 hp 195 km / h 740 kg 2 5,200 m 300
Fokker Dr.I German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-07-05 1917-09-01 130 hp 160 km / h 585 kg 2 6,500 m 420
Sopwith Snipe United Kingdom 1801United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland United Kingdom 1917-10-31 1918-08-30 230 hp 195 km / h 955 kg 2 6,100 m 497
LFG Roland D.VIa German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-11-30 1918-05-15 160 hp 190 km / h 820 kg 2 5,500 m 353
Siemens-Schuckert D.IV German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1917-12-31 1918-08-15 160 hp 190 km / h 735 kg 2 8,000 m 123
Fokker D.VII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-01-24 1918-04-15 180 hp 189 km / h 910 kg 2 6,000 m 800
Fokker D.VIIF German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-01-24 1918-04-15 226 hp 205 km / h 910 kg 2 7,000 m 200
Palatinate D.VIII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-01-24 1918-09-15 160 hp 190 km / h 740 kg 2 7,500 m 120
Palatinate D.XII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-03-31 1918-07-15 160 hp 180 km / h 902 kg 2 5,640 m 750
Fokker D.VIII German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire 1918-05-31 1918-07-31 110 hp 204 km / h 605 kg 2 6,300 m 289

Further development

With the Albatros D.III and the Zeppelin LZ 80 / L 35, attempts were made in 1918 to use the aircraft as a subsidiary of an airship.

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 1
span 9.05 m
length 7.33 m
height 2.98 m
Wing area 20.50 m²
Empty mass 661 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 886 kg
Top speed 175 km / h NN
Service ceiling 5500 m
Climbing time to 1000 m 3:18 min
Climbing time to 2000 m 12:01 min
Ascent time to 5000 m 28:48 min
Max. Range 330 km
Flight duration 2 h
Engines a water-cooled six-cylinder in-line engine, Mercedes D IIIa (127/130 kW / 170/175 PS)
Fuel load 119 l
Oil supply 20.5 l
Armament two rigid 7.92 mm LMG 08/15

See also

photos

  • Albatros D.III

  • Ernst Udet in front of his Albatros D.III (No.D.1941 / 16)

  • Albatros D.III of Jasta 11 near Douai, France

  • Recovery of a wounded pilot from an Albatros D.III

  • Captured by British troops in Palestine, D.III

  • Debris from an Albatros D.III (OAW) in Flanders

  • Albatros D.III (Oeffag) of the Polish Air Force, Lewandówka Winter 1919/20

literature

  • Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi: The planes. From the beginning to the First World War . Falken-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-8068-0391-9 , ( Falken manual in color ).
  • John F. Connors: Albatros Fighters in Action . Squadron / Signal Publications, Carrollton TX 1981, ISBN 0-89747-115-6 , ( Aircraft 46).
  • Norman Franks: Albatross Aces of World War 1 . Part 1. Osprey Publishing, Botley Oxford 2000, ISBN 1-85532-960-3 , ( Osprey aircraft of the aces 32).
  • Peter L. Gray: The Albatros DI-D.III. Profile No. 127, Profile Publications Ltd., Leatherhead, Surrey, England 1966.
  • Peter L. Gray, Ian R. Stair: Albatros Fighters of World War 1 . Vintage Aviation Publications, Oxford 1979, ISBN 0-905469-80-1 , ( Air history world war 1 series (Wingspan Publications) 2).
  • Peter L. Gray, Owen Thetford: German Aircraft of the First World War . Putnam, London 1962, (3rd Edition, reprinted: ibid. 1987, ISBN 0-85177-809-7 ), pp. 49-52.
  • Grosz, Peter M .: Albatros D.III (Windsock Datafile Special). Berkhamsted, Herts, Albatros Publications, 2003, ISBN 1-902207-62-9 .
  • Karlheinz Kens, Hanns Müller: The aircraft of the First World War 1914–1918 . Heyne, Munich 1973, ISBN 3-453-00404-3 .
  • Peter Kilduff: Germany's First Air Force. 1914-1918 . Arms and Armor Press, London 1991, ISBN 1-85409-053-4 .
  • Tomasz J. Kowalski: Albatros DI-DV . Kagero, Lublin 2006, ISBN 83-60445-00-1 .
  • Günter Kroschel, Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1910–1918 . Lohse-Eissing, Wilhelmshaven 1977, ISBN 3-920602-18-8 .
  • WM Lamberton: Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War . Edited by EF Cheesman. Drawings by JD Carrick and F. Yeoman. Produced by DA Russell. Harleyford Publ. Ltd., Letchworth 1960, pp. 112-113.
  • James F. Miller: Albatros D.III - Johannisthal, OAW, and Oeffag variants (Air Vanguard 13) . Osprey Publishing, Oxford 2014, ISBN 978-1-78200-371-7
  • Kenneth Munson: Warplanes. Fighter and training aircraft 1914–1919 . 2nd revised edition. Orell Füssli Verlag, Zurich 1976, ISBN 3-280-00824-7 , ( Airplanes of the World in Colors ), pp. 24, 121–122.
  • Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Airplanes 1914–1918 . Lehmanns, Munich 1959.
  • Karl R. Pawlas: German aircraft. 1914-1918 . Pawlas, Nuremberg 1976, ISBN 3-88088-209-6 , ( Aviation Documents 20), pp. 63-65.
  • Raymond Laurence Rimell: Albatros D.III . Albatros Production Ltd., Berkhamsted 1986, ISBN 0-948414-05-7 , ( Wind-sock Datafiles 1).
  • Greg Van Wyngarden: Albatros Aces of World War I . Part 2. Osprey Publishing, Botley Oxford 2007, ISBN 978-1-84603-179-3 , ( Osprey aircraft of the aces 77).

Web links

Commons : Albatros D.III  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Grosz, Peter : Albatros D.III , p. 8
  2. ↑ The bloody April part 1. In: luftfahrtgeschichte.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2007 ; Retrieved September 13, 2010 .
  3. ↑ cf. Peter L. Gray: The Albatros DI-D.III. Profile No. 127, Profile Publications Ltd., Leatherhead, Surrey, England 1966, p. 12.
  4. ↑ initially with a weaker 160 hp Mercedes D.III engine