Albatros D.II

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

German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire

Manufacturer:

Albatros Flugzeugwerke GmbH

First flight:

September 1916

Commissioning:

October 1916

Production time:

September – December 1916

Number of pieces:

275

The Albatros D.II of the Albatros Flugzeugwerke (factory designation L17) was the German standard fighter in addition to the DI, which was only built in small numbers, from September 1916 to early 1917 .

development

The Albatros D.II differed only slightly from its predecessor Albatros DI: N-shaped, outwardly spread center struts instead of the central strut tower now carried the upper wing, which lowered its height and thus gave the pilot a significantly better view upwards and forwards. This lowering also made it possible to replace the aerodynamically unfavorable Windhoff side coolers used in the DI and the first D.II with Teeves & Braun wing coolers from November; the aircraft modified in this way were sometimes also referred to as D.IIa. Otherwise, the construction remained unchanged, so that production could continue seamlessly.

200 aircraft were manufactured by Albatros and another 75 under license by the LVG . They appeared at the front from October 1916 and were delivered to the Jasta 2 and the newly erected Jasta 11. In January 1917 there were already 214 D.IIs in action at the front. At the same time, Oeffag also produced 20 Albatros D.II under license as a series 53 for the kuk aviation troops . Oeffag used the Austro-Daimler engine with 185 hp for this.

commitment

General use

The Albatros D.II proved itself in the group of the newly formed hunting squadrons, where it gradually replaced the still existing Fokker D.II and Halberstadt D-types together with the DI . Like its predecessor the DI, the D.II had two IMG 08/15 mounted above the engine and thus had a firepower superior to that of the Allied aircraft. The improvements made compared to the DI were bought with some restrictions: The flight time was reduced by approx. 20 minutes to 1:30 h, the rate of climb decreased, the D.II took approx. 50 seconds longer to reach an altitude of 1000 m .

The stable and manoeuvrable aircraft contributed significantly to the fact that the Allies lost their air sovereignty on the Western Front .

The Albatros D.II in a performance comparison

Surname Motor power Max. speed Takeoff mass MG Summit height
Albatros D.II 160 hp 175 km / h 888 kg 2 6000 m
Sopwith Pup 100 hp 171 km / h 556 kg 1 5600 m
Nieuport 17 110 hp 164 km / h 560 kg 1 5350 m
Albatros DI 160 hp 175 km / h 898 kg 2 6000 m

Aircraft in the front line

In January 1917, however, the production of the Albatros D.III started , which gradually replaced the D.II from spring 1917. In May only half of them were left and in November 1917 only 20 Albatros DI and II were still in use.

month Bet number
September 1916 1
November 1916 28
January 1917 214
March 1917 150
May 1917 107
July 1917 72
September 1917 44
November 1917 11
January 1918 6th
March 1918 2
May 1918 2
July 1918 2
September 1918 2

Technical specifications

Parameter Data
crew 1
length 7.33 m
span 8.50 m
height 2.64 m
Wing area 24.50 m²
Empty mass 637 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 888 kg
Top speed 175 km / h above sea level
Service ceiling 6000 m
Climbing time to 1000 m 4:50 min
Climbing time to 2000 m 9:30 min
Ascent time to 3000 m 12:40 min
Ascent time to 5000 m 37:10 min
Flight duration 1:30 h
Max. Range 230 km
Engine a water-cooled 6-cylinder in-line engine ( Mercedes D III ) with 160 PS (approx. 120 kW)
Armament 2 MG rigidly forward

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).
  • Peter L. Gray: The Albatros DI-D.III. Profile No. 127, Profile Publications Ltd., Leatherhead, Surrey, England 1966.
  • Günter Kroschel, Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1910–1918 . Lohse-Eissing, Wilhelmshaven 1977, ISBN 3-920602-18-8 .
  • Kenneth Munson: Warplanes, fighters and training aircraft 1914-1919 . Füssli, Zurich 1968 ( Planes of the World ).
  • Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Airplanes 1914–1918 . Lehmanns, Munich 1959.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ www.militaryfactory.com , accessed January 6, 2013
  2. ↑ cf. John F. Connors: Albatros Fighters in Action . Squadron / Signal Publications, Carrollton TX 1981, p. 9.
  3. ↑ cf. Peter L. Gray: The Albatros DI-D.III. Profile No. 127, Profile Publications Ltd., Leatherhead, Surrey, England 1966, p. 12.