Palatinate EI-VI

The Pfalz EI, a combat single-seater from 1915

The Pfalz E. types were together with the Fokker monoplanes the first German fighter planes in the First World War .

development

The Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke , previously mainly engaged in the reproduction of French Morane monoplanes , began building combat monoplane in 1915 like their competitor Fokker . After some Pfalz umbrella decks had already been equipped with machine guns (MG), Pfalz decided, like Fokker, to concentrate on the construction principle of a middle decker with bracing.

The EI was a near real-life replica of the Morane-Saulnier H . It had consistently deep wings with rounded tips, which were hinged to the fuselage for transverse control, a rectangular fuselage with a square cockpit cutout, and the horseshoe-shaped aluminum engine cover. As armament, a synchronized machine gun was installed on the fuselage slightly to the right, which fired through the propeller circle.

The design principle of the E.II also changed little, but it received the 100 HP rotary engine from the Oberursel engine factory .

With the otherwise identical E.III, Pfalz returned to the high-decker at the end of 1915 . Here the wings were connected to a tombstone and, like the Morane Parasol, cut out in a trapezoidal shape above the cockpit. The 100 HP Siemens & Halske Sh.I engine was also installed, as the production of Oberursel engines was already at full capacity.

Only a few of the other types E.IV to E.VI were built. The D4 as a further development of the E-types to the double-decker was only created as a prototype.

commitment

Despite good performance data, the Pfalz monoplane was overshadowed by the more agile and more powerful Fokker monoplane. They were considered obsolete in 1916 and were largely replaced by the front-line units by the middle of the year. Only in Palestine at Fliegerabteilung 300 , on the Eastern Front and possibly also in the Balkans, the Pfalz monoplane was still used for a while, where it was used as an escort for reconnaissance aircraft.

A Pfalz E.II was on 17 July 1916, the Imperial and Royal Navy issued and when A10 until 1 March 1917 as interceptors to protect Pola used.

Speed comparison combat single-seater in action 1915/16

Model	Type	delivered	year	km / h
Fokker	EGG	56	1915	130
	E.II	23		132
	E.III	258		140
	E.IV	40	1915-16	160
Hanuschke	EGG	6th	1915	130
Palatinate	EGG	74		145
	E.II	80		145
	E.III	20th	1915-16	160
	E.IV	24	1916	160
	EV	20th		165
	E.VI	20th		?
Siemens-Schuckert	EGG	20th		140
Siemens-Schuckert	E.III	6th		140
total		641

Technical specifications

Parameter	EGG	E.II	E.III	E.IV	EV	E.VI
Construction year	1915	1916
Intended use	Fighter plane
crew	1
length	6.30 m	6.45 m	6.85 m	6.60 m		6.45 m
span	9.26 m	10.20 m	11.20 m	10.20 m
height	2.55 m		3.40 m	2.55 m	2.60 m	2.55 m
Wing area	14.40 m²	16.00 m²	18.50 m²	16.00 m²
Empty mass	345 kg	410 kg	445 kg	471 kg	510 kg
Takeoff mass	535 kg	620 kg	705 kg	694 kg	696 kg
Engine	air-cooled seven-cylinder rotary engine Oberursel-Gnôme U 0 80 HP (59 kW)	air-cooled nine-cylinder rotary engine Oberursel UI 100 PS (74 kW)	air-cooled nine-cylinder rotary engine Siemens & Halske Sh.I 110 PS (81 kW)	air-cooled 14-cylinder rotary engine Oberursel U III 160 PS (118 kW)	liquid-cooled six - cylinder in - line engine Mercedes DI 105 PS (77 kW)	air-cooled nine-cylinder rotary engine Oberursel UI 100 PS (74 kW)
Top speed	145 km / h in NN	150 km / h in NN		160 km / h in NN	165 km / h in NN
Climbing time to 1000 m			3 min
Climbing time to 2000 m	12 min	9:45 min		8:30 min
Ascent time to 3000 m			23 min	19 min
Service ceiling	3300 m		4000 m
Range	180 km	220 km	250 km	150 km	180 km
Flight duration	2 h
Armament	1 MG

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 ).
Günter Kroschel, Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1910–1918 . Lohse-Eissing, Wilhelmshaven 1977, ISBN 3-920602-18-8 .
Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Airplanes 1914–1918 . Lehmanns, Munich 1959.

Individual references / comments

↑ internal company name, no further development of the later built, very successful Pfalz D.III
↑ See Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp .

[1] ternal company name, no further development of the later built, very successful Pfalz D.III

[2] See Walter von Bülow-Bothkamp .