Oeffag D.III
| Albatros (Oeffag) D.III | |
|---|---|
_253.01.jpg)
|
|
| Type: | Fighter plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
June 1917 |
| Commissioning: |
1917 |
| Production time: |
1916-1918 |
| Number of pieces: |
about 540 (delivered) |
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The Albatros (Oeffag) D.III , or Oeffag D.III for short , was a fighter aircraft that was used by the Austro-Hungarian aviation troops in the First World War . It was a license replica of the successful German Albatros D.III .
development
Already on December 4, 1916, the Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG in Wiener Neustadt had received a production order for 16 Albatros D.II with 185 HP Austro-Daimler engine (series 53.0) and one MG as well as 34 Albatros D.III with two MG for license production to replace the less than satisfactory Hansa-Brandenburg DI single-seaters as quickly as possible.
The combat double-decker Albatros Oeffag D.III with its synchronized twin machine guns essentially followed the German model of the Albatros factory. The use in the Alps on the front against Italy , however, required a more powerful engine. In addition, the Austrian machines had a completely new and torsionally rigid lower wing, the construction of which by Oeffag's own engineers even made a condition for license production. In addition, the Oeffag machines had the option of completely covering the engine and machine guns with additional cladding. This additional cover was removed in warm weather to prevent the engine from overheating.
The Oeffag D.III made its maiden flight in June 1917. Orders followed in 1917 for the 53.2 and 153 series and in 1918 for the 253 series, each with more powerful engines, the last series without a propeller hood because of the extended fuselage to accommodate the larger engine. The Oeffag D.III thus clearly surpassed the performance of its German model.
A total of 656 aircraft of the various series types were ordered; around 540 of them were delivered by the end of the war:
| Serial numbers | date | number of pieces |
|---|---|---|
| 53.20-53.64 | December 1916 - February 1917 | 45 |
| 153.01-153.281 | February 1917 - May 1918 | 281 |
| 253.01-253.330 | May 1918 - August 1918 | 330 |
commitment
The Oeffag D.III was the most successful hunting machine of the kuk pilots. In contrast to the German Albatros D.III and Albatros DV , it proved to be a reliable and stable aircraft. The Austrian pilots were therefore above all safer from the risk of wing fractures, which repeatedly cost their German comrades their lives in the event of accidents involving the Albatros D.III and DV. According to reports from December 1917, the aircraft was the most popular aircraft among the Austro-Hungarian pilots, which could be compared to both the Hanriot HD.1 used by the Italians and the British Sopwith Camel , albeit a little slower than the Corpo in level flight Aeronautico Militare used SPAD S.VII - without a doubt especially important for the Austro-Hungarian fighter pilots, who had to take on numerically clearly superior opponents. The praise became even clearer when the upgraded Series 253 machines reached the front in May 1918: First class - the best aircraft that we have flown to date and is superior to all other combat aircraft, solidly built, reliable, manoeuvrable and capable of climbing , the two reported Flik 61J and 63J when they received the plane and thus incurred the Oeffag D.III even the more modern aviation (Berg) DI and Phoenix DI and D-II before.
The field pilots were in dispute about the demand for increased assembly of the machine guns without complete fairing in order to be able to aim better - for this advantage, however, carried out on a trial basis with some aircraft, they would have obstacles in the field of vision during fire fighting due to the case ejection, the powder gases and the sprayed gun oil have to accept. The low rate of fire of the Schwarzlose machine guns, however, was always criticized.
In addition to being used as a fighter aircraft, an aerial camera was also built into some D.III for reconnaissance flights.
The Oeffag D.III remained in service successfully until the end of the war.
Post-war use
After the war, Oeffag had to stop building aircraft due to the peace conditions.
Several Oeffag D.III of the type 253 were sold in 1919 to the Polish Air Force , which they used in their Eskadra Kosciuszkowska in the Russian-Polish war 1919-20, in which Polish and American pilots equipped them with bombs and improved machine-guns with a doubled rate of fire used for low-flying attacks.
The Austrian people's armed forces also used the aircraft in the battles that lasted until June 1919 in the Carinthian defensive battle on the border with the newly formed SHS state, later Yugoslavia.
In addition, the Czechoslovak air force took over a D.III.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data series 153 | Data series 253 |
|---|---|---|
| crew | 1 | |
| length | 7.30 m | |
| span | 9.00 m | |
| height | 2.98 m | |
| Wing area | 20.64 m² | |
| Empty mass | 690 kg | 716 kg |
| Max. Takeoff mass | 964 kg | 1005 kg |
| water-cooled 6-cylinder in-line engine | Austro-Daimler , 200 hp (147 kW) | Austro-Daimler , 225 hp (165 kW) |
| Top speed | 188 km / h | 202 km / h |
| Climbing time to 1000 m | 2:30 min | 2:15 min |
| Climbing time to 2000 m | 5:55 min | 5:15 min |
| Ascent time to 3000 m | 10:15 min | 9:15 min |
| Climbing time to 4000 m | 15:30 min | 14:15 min |
| Ascent time to 5000 m | 21:40 min | 20:15 min |
| Service ceiling | 5500 m | |
| Max. Range | 500 km | |
| Flight duration | 3 h | |
| Armament | 2 Schwarzlose MG , 8 mm, rigidly installed |
2 MG |
photos
Albatros D.III (Oeffag) 53.38
Godwin Brumowski (left) with Frank Linke-Crawford in front of his Oeffag D.III (series 153), Torresella airfield of FliK 41J ( kuk aviation troops ), December 1917
Albatros D.III (Oeffag) Series 253
Albatros D.III (Oeffag) Series 253
Polish Albatross (Oeffag) D.III series 253 of Dywizjon Kosciuszki at Lewandówka airfield, winter 1919–1920
_Brumowski.jpg)
_series_253.jpg)
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Individual references / comments
- ↑ The unit price of a series machine 153 was 33,000
- ↑ In principle, Oeffag types were given the code number "5" according to the classification system of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force, so the serial numbers of this company were 53, 153, 253 etc.
- ↑ Series 53.2 with 185 HP Austro-Daimler
literature
- Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi: Airplanes from the beginnings to the First World War, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-8068-0391-9
- John F. Connors: Albatros Fighters in action , Squadron / Signal Publications, Crowley / Texas (USA) 1981, ISBN 0-89747-115-6
- Peter M. Grosz: Albatros D.III (OEF) , Windsock Datafile No. 19, Albatros Production Ltd., Berkhamsted 1987, ISBN 0-948414-23-5
- Reinhard Keimel : Österreichs Luftfahrzeuge , Weishaupt-Verlag Graz 1981, ISBN 3-900310-03-3
- Kenneth Munson: Kampfflugzeuge 1914-1919 , Orell-Füssli Verlag, 2nd edition, Zurich (1976), p. 24, 121/122, ISBN 3-280-00824-7
- Ernst Peter: The Austro-Hungarian Airship and Air Force , Stuttgart 1981, ISBN 3-87943-743-2
- Raymond Laurence Rimell: Albatros D.III , Windsock Datafile No. 1, Albatros Production Ltd., Berkhamsted 1987, ISBN 0-948414-09-X
- Peter Schiemer: The Albatros (Oeffag) fighter aircraft of the kuk aviation troops , Graz no year.
- Walter Schroeder, Bernhard Tötschinger: Oeffag Albatros D.III 158.85 , ÖFH Nachrichten, special issue 13, Vienna 1986