Albatross DV
| Albatross DV | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
Spring 1917 |
| Commissioning: |
1917 |
| Number of pieces: |
2562 (with licensed buildings) |
The Albatros DV was a fighter aircraft from the Albatros Flugzeugwerke . The aircraft was in the First World War by the German air force used.
history
With the Albatros DV, Ing. Thelen largely followed the concept of the successful Albatros D.III . Compared to it, there were only minor modifications to the DV.
The DV was preceded by the Albatros D.IV prototype at the end of 1916 . From the start, this was not intended as a series prototype, but as a pure test aircraft for the installation of the new, more powerful Mercedes D III engine with 170 hp. The prototype D.IV received wings of the same depth as on the DI and D.II , but already showed the essential modifications to the fuselage and rudder surfaces that were transferred to the DV. The Albatros D.IV was used by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke until at least April 1918 as a test aircraft for various engine types.
The prototype of the DV (factory designation L 22) was probably tested in February or March 1917, and the first 200 cells were ordered in April.
construction
The fuselage, which is typical for Albatros and is aerodynamically built in plywood shell construction, was much more oval shaped on the DV than on the predecessor D.III. The water cooler , mounted centrally in the upper wing of the D.III, was moved to the side in order to protect the pilot from scalding from splashing water in the event of hits in the tank. The upper wing was also moved about 10 cm down, which improved the visibility of the pilot. A high headrest was attached behind the cockpit, but was later omitted because it obstructed the view to the rear. Furthermore, the rudder was more rounded, and the control cables for the ailerons were relocated to the upper wings.
This last change was withdrawn from D.Va (factory designation L 24); the control cables were relocated back to the lower wing. The D.Va also had a reinforced but slightly heavier hull and an even more powerful engine.
Further development
In close reference to the DV, two three- decker prototypes were created, the Albatros Dr.I (factory designation L 36) and in 1918 the Dr.II (factory designation L 39), the latter with a Benz engine, as well as the prototypes D.VI , D. VII , D.VIII , D.IX , DX , D.XI , D.XII , D.XIII and D.XIV . None of these machines were ordered by IdFlieg anymore .
commitment
Due to the success of the D.III, which had gained air supremacy on the western front in the spring of 1917 , but now had to take on at least equal or even superior enemy fighter aircraft such as the Sopwith Camel , the SE5 or the SPAD S.XIII , the Idflieg ordered a large number of their performance-enhanced successor. Obviously, the order was only preceded by inadequate acceptance tests, which would later take painful revenge.
The DV and D.Va reached the front in July and November 1917, respectively; In November 1917, 500 DV / D.Va were already in use, in May 1918 approx. 1,000. Because of its widespread use, this pattern was flown by many successful fighter pilots, including Manfred von Richthofen , Ernst Udet , Fritz Rumey , Josef Jacobs , Ulrich Neckel , Eduard von Schleich and Julius Buckler .
At the front, however, the aircraft did not meet expectations. Compared to the D.III, the DV showed only a slight improvement in performance, especially since armament with double MG had meanwhile also become standard for allied fighters; after all, it was more motorized and therefore faster than its predecessor. On the other hand, however, it suffered all the more from a dangerous structural weakness: the lower wing had only one main spar, which had already led to wing vibrations on the D.III under high load. The load limit of the stronger DV was exceeded: On February 18, 1918, a pilot of Jagdstaffel 5 broke the lower wing of his DV in a dogfight; he managed to save himself by making an emergency landing. The officer got away with horror; after all, in his DV the aileron control led through the upper wing. The breaking of the lower wing in a dogfight, especially during a dive , almost inevitably had to be fatal with the D.Va.
Albatros made some reinforcements, which, as inspections on front engines showed, were not implemented adequately. So the dive behavior of the machine remained an ongoing risk. Of necessity, the fighter squadrons ("Jastas") at the front finally managed to connect the front wing edge to the wing strut with a small support strut, which significantly reduced the vibration and thus the risk of breakage.
The disappointing experience reports from the front even briefly led to the discussion about discontinuing production in full swing in favor of the tried and tested D.III - for example, the very successful licensed version of the Albatros D.III was produced by Oeffag in Austria-Hungary ( Oeffag D III ) until the end of the war. Changes in the current production would, however, have endangered the growth of the German fighter pilots' associations, which was urgently needed as part of the “ America program ”, and so one relied on the makeshift improvements made by Albatros. The Albatros DV and D.Va became the most popular German fighter aircraft during the war with 900 and 1,012 respectively built; In May 1918, 131 DV and 986 D.Va were still in use, many of which remained in use until the end of the war.
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 |
.svg){kind=small} German Empire
|
1916-08-01 | 1917-01-15 | 170 hp | 165 km / h | 886 kg | 2 | 5,500 m | 1352 |
| SE5a |
 United Kingdom
|
1916-11-22 | 1917-03-15 | 200 hp | 222 km / h | 880 kg | 2 | 5,185 m | 5205 |
| Sopwith Camel |
United Kingdom
|
1916-12-31 | 1917-06-15 | 130 hp | 185 km / h | 659 kg | 2 | 5,791 m | 5490 |
| Sopwith Dolphin |
United Kingdom
|
1917-03-23 | 1918-02-15 | 200 hp | 211 km / h | 890 kg | 2 | 6,100 m | 2072 |
| Albatros D.Va |
German Empire
|
1917-04-15 | 1917-07-15 | 185 hp | 187 km / h | 937 kg | 2 | 6,250 m | 2562 |
| Palatinate D.IIIa |
German Empire
|
1917-04-15 | 1917-08-15 | 180 hp | 181 km / h | 834 kg | 2 | 6,000 m | 750 |
| SPAD S.XIII |
 France
|
1917-04-30 | 1917-05-31 | 220 hp | 222 km / h | 820 kg | 2 | 6,650 m | 8472 |
| Nieuport 28 |
France
|
1917-06-14 | 1918-03-15 | 160 hp | 195 km / h | 740 kg | 2 | 5,200 m | 300 |
| Fokker Dr.I |
German Empire
|
1917-07-05 | 1917-09-01 | 130 hp | 160 km / h | 585 kg | 2 | 6,500 m | 420 |
| Sopwith Snipe |
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 Empire
|
1917-11-30 | 1918-05-15 | 160 hp | 190 km / h | 820 kg | 2 | 5,500 m | 353 |
| Siemens-Schuckert D.IV |
German Empire
|
1917-12-31 | 1918-08-15 | 160 hp | 190 km / h | 735 kg | 2 | 8,000 m | 123 |
| Fokker D.VII |
German Empire
|
1918-01-24 | 1918-04-15 | 180 hp | 189 km / h | 910 kg | 2 | 6,000 m | 800 |
| Fokker D.VIIF |
German Empire
|
1918-01-24 | 1918-04-15 | 226 hp | 205 km / h | 910 kg | 2 | 7,000 m | 200 |
| Palatinate D.VIII |
German Empire
|
1918-01-24 | 1918-09-15 | 160 hp | 190 km / h | 740 kg | 2 | 7,500 m | 120 |
| Palatinate D.XII |
German Empire
|
1918-03-31 | 1918-07-15 | 160 hp | 180 km / h | 902 kg | 2 | 5,640 m | 750 |
| Fokker D.VIII |
German Empire
|
1918-05-31 | 1918-07-31 | 110 hp | 204 km / h | 605 kg | 2 | 6,300 m | 289 |
Serial numbers and production batches
- Albatros DV:
- D.1000 / 17 - D.1199 / 17 200 pieces
- D.1962 / 17 - D.2361 / 17 400 pieces
- D.4403 / 17 - D.4702 / 17 300 pieces
- Albatros D.Va:
- D.5165 / 17 - D.5426 / 17 262 pieces
- D.5600 / 17 - D.5849 / 17 250 pieces
- D.7000 / 17 - D.7549 / 17 550 pieces
- Albatros D.Va license production by Ostdeutsche Albatros-Werke (OAW):
- D.6400 / 17 - D.6999 / 17 600 pieces
total produced: 2562 pieces
Units equipped with Albatros DV and D.Va
.svg){kind=small}
|
|
- Kest 1a (combat single-seater relay)
- Bogohl 6 (bomb squadron of the Supreme Army Command )
.svg){kind=small}
- Jasta 16b
- Jasta 23b
- Jasta 32b
- Jasta 34b
- Jasta 35b
- Jasta 76b
- Jasta 77b
- Jasta 78b
- Jasta 79b
.svg){kind=small}
- Jasta 72s
- Jasta 28w
- Jasta 64w
.svg){kind=small}
- Sea front relay 1
- Navy Field Fighter Squadron 1
- Marine Field Fighter Squadron 2
- Navy Field Squadron 3
- Photos and graphics
Black Four An Albatros D.Va with the serial number D.5629 / 17
Manfred von Richthofen's Albatross after a crash landing
Captured Albatros DV from Vice Sergeant Ernst Clausnitzers (serial number D.1162 / 17) recognizable by the black trunk strap as a Jasta 4 machine, now with British cockades
Gisi - an Albatros D.Va with the serial number D.7098 / 17
Albatros DV with a wounded leader
An Albatros DV flown by Paul Bäumer in the Jasta 5
Albatros DV of the Jasta 15 from the spring of 1918, flown by Lieutenant Dingel
Albatros D.Va, Hans von Hippel, Jasta 5
Albatros D.Va, Ernst Udet , Jasta 37
The red Albatros DV of the leader JG 1, Manfred von Richthofen.
Albatros D.Va of Jasta 79b, flown by Lieutenant Hans Böhning in the spring of 1918
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Albatross DV | Albatros D.Va |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 1 | |
| length | 7.33 m | |
| span | 9.05 m | |
| height | 2.70 m | |
| Wing area | 20.32 m² | |
| Empty mass | 717 kg | 730 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 915 kg | 937 kg |
| water-cooled in- line engine |
Mercedes D III with 170 hp |
Mercedes D IIIa with 185 hp |
| Top speed | 180 km / h | 187 km / h |
| Climbing time to 1000 m | 4:20 min | 4:20 min |
| Ascent time to 3000 m | 14:30 min | 17:08 min |
| Ascent time to 3000 m | 11:18 min | |
| Ascent time to 5000 m | 32 min | 35 min |
| Service ceiling | 6500 m | 6250 m |
| Range | 380 km | 350 km |
| Flight duration | 2 h | |
| Armament | 2 MG 08/15 | |
Preserved copies
Of all the Albatros fighter machines produced, only two copies of the type D.Va still exist: "Stropp", an aircraft with the serial number D.7161 / 17 is exhibited in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, while the number D.5390 / 17 is part of the collection of the Australian War Memorial in Canberra, Australia.
There are also some airworthy replicas of the Albatros DV, one of which in the markings of Eduard Ritter von Schleich is used for flight demonstrations in the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome near New York .
See also
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: Albatros 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 DV. Profile Publications, Leatherhead 1965, ( Profile Publications 9).
- 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.
- Jon Guttman: Naval Aces of World War 1 Part 2. Osprey Publishing, 2012, ISBN 978-1-84908-664-6 , pages: 21, 22, 35-44.
- 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.
- GK Merrill: Jagdstaffel 5. Volume 1. Albatros Productions Ltd., Berkhamsted 2004, ISBN 1-902207-67-X .
- GK Merrill: Jagdstaffel 5. Volume 2. Albatros Productions Ltd., Berkhamsted 2004, ISBN 1-902207-68-8 .
- Robert C. Mikesh: Albatros D.Va. German fighter of World War I. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington DC 1980, ISBN, ( Famous Aircraft of the National Air and Space Museum. 4) Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, DC 1980, ISBN 0-87474-633-7 .
- 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.
- Ray Laurence Rimell: Albatros D.IV. In: Windsock International 4, 1988, 2, ISSN 0268-6422 .
- Ray Laurence Rimell: Albatros DV Albatros Productions, Berkhamsted 1987, ISBN 0-948414-07-3 , ( Wind-sock Datafiles 3).
- Ray Laurence Rimell: Albatross Fighters. Albatros Productions Ltd., Berkhamsted 1991, ISBN 0-948414-35-9 , ( Windsock Datafile Special ).
- Michael Sharpe: biplanes, triple decks & seaplanes. Gondrom, Bindlach 2001, ISBN 3-8112-1872-7 .
- 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
- Albatros DV - Development history and color profiles ( Memento from May 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Albatros DV - development history and photos ( Memento from May 18, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
- Color photo
- Development history and photo
- Albatros DV (replica)
- Flight demonstration of a Pfalz D.III and an Albatros DV in New Zealand - accessed on January 13, 2013
- Flight demonstration of the Albatros DV (replica) by Leutnant von Hippel in New Zealand - accessed on January 13, 2013
Individual evidence
- ↑ according to Connors in May and October 1917, cf. John F. Connors: Albatros Fighters in Action. Squadron / Signal Publications, Carrollton TX 1981 ( Aircraft 46).
- ↑ report by Lt. d. Res. Hans-Joachim von Hippel / Jasta 5 (quoted from Werner von Langsdorff : Flieger am Feind ): “ On February 18, 1918, Jasta 5 took off and very soon found itself in a dogfight with British aircraft at an altitude of 5,000 m. I flew an Albatros DV biplane and dived about 1,000 m. When I wanted to put the machine back on the horizontal plane, I felt a brief jolt and saw how the lower left wing on the fuselage broke off. The tension wires tore and the wing became independent. The machine, which was now heavier on the right, threatened to coast down. With appropriate tax swings, I managed to keep the single-seater horizontal again. I had turned off the engine and the ignition and couldn't turn. In flat gliding I managed to land the machine, which then overturned because the controls no longer worked during the landing. If I had had a Heinecke parachute, I would inevitably have jumped out at an altitude of 4,000 m. The wing was found 20 km away from the landing site by a Landsturmmann and brought to the loot collection point. She was perfectly safe. You can imagine what a feeling I had during that quarter of an hour. The incident occurred via Le Catelet. "
- ↑ The aircraft of the Jasta F assigned to Army Group F / Asia Corps in Palestine received a second wing cooler, offset parallel to the left.
- ↑ according to Kroschel / Stützer only 250 km