Roland D.III

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LFG Roland D.III "Shark"
LFG Roland D.III.jpgRoland D.III "Shark"
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

German EmpireThe German Imperium German Empire

Manufacturer:

Luftfahrzeug-Gesellschaft mbH (Roland) in Charlottenburg

Commissioning:

1917

Production time:

1917

Number of pieces:

150

The LFG Roland D.III was a German fighter aircraft during the First World War .

development

The D.III was the further development of the engineers Tantzen and Hoffmann of aircraft mbH (Roland) in the city's Charlottenburg constructed Roland D.II . Because of their aerodynamic shape, the fighter planes of this development series were given the name Haifisch . Compared to their predecessor models DI and D.II, the upper wing of the biplane was placed on a tombstone, so that a gap between the fuselage and wing improved the pilot's view to the front and below. The rudder unit was also enlarged to make the machine more maneuverable. Like the D.II, the machine was equipped with the Opel Argus As.III engine.

commitment

Despite the improvements mentioned, the Roland D.III lagged behind the fighters of the Albatros Flugzeugwerke , so that of the 150 aircraft ordered by the Royal Bulgarian Air Force and the German Air Force, only about 25 were used in secondary theaters of war in the Balkans and on the Eastern Front; all other machines were used for fighter pilot training.

Further development

Triplane version

Based on the D.III,  a three-decker with the designation LFG Roland D.IV / Dr.I with a 160 HP Mercedes engine was built based on the Sopwith Triplane as a model - as was the case with numerous other German aircraft manufacturers . The machine broke in September 1917. After the salvage, it was given a new type of hull, in which the less complex clinker construction was used instead of the previous wound hull construction with pine veneer strips. However, this single-seat fighter could not face the competition model, Fokker Dr.I prevail. The LFG Roland DV with a 180 hp Mercedes engine was then created as a prototype , of which three copies were produced. 1918 arose from the successful LFG Roland D.VI .

Technical specifications

Parameter Roland D.III Roland D.IV / Dr.I
number of pieces 150
crew 1 1
length 6.84 m 7.40 m
span 8.94 m 9.45 m
Wingspan (lower wing)
Wing spacing
height 2.76 m
Wing area 19.8 m²
Empty mass 717 kg 930 kg
Takeoff mass 961 kg 1390 kg
Top speed 175 km / h 155 km / h
Ascent time to 3000 m
Service ceiling 4500 m 6000 m
Range
Flight duration 2.5 h
Engines a water-cooled six-cylinder in-line engine Argus As.III with 180 PS (132 kW) a water-cooled six-cylinder in-line engine Mercedes D III with 160 PS (118 kW)
Armament two MG 08/15

The Roland D.III in a performance comparison (around mid-1917)

Surname Engine power Top speed Takeoff mass MG Service ceiling
Roland D.III 180 hp 175 km / h 961 kg 2 4500 m
Roland D.IIa 180 hp 181 km / h 845 kg 2 5800 m
Albatros D.III 160 hp 165 km / h 888 kg 2 5500 m
Sopwith Pup 100 hp 171 km / h 556 kg 1 5600 m
Sopwith Triplane 130 hp 186 km / h 643 kg 1 6080 m
Nieuport 17 110 hp 164 km / h 560 kg 1 5350 m
SPAD S.VII 180 hp 180 km / h 755 kg 1 5485 m

See also

literature

  • Karlheinz Kens, Hanns Müller: The development of the aircraft of the First World War 1914-1918. Lehmanns-Verlag, 1959.
  • Günter Kroschel, Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1910–1918. Lohse-Eissing, Wilhelmshaven 1977, ISBN 3-920602-18-8 .
  • Kenneth Munson: Warplanes 1914-1919. Orell Füssli Verlag, Zurich 1968, p. 116.

Web links

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

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ 1000aircraftphotos.com accessed January 8, 2017
  2. ↑ cf. Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Airplanes 1914–1918. Lehmanns-Verlag, 1959, p. 32
  3. ↑ cf. Günter Kroschel, Helmut Stützer: The German military aircraft 1910–1918. Lohse-Eissing, Wilhelmshaven 1977, ISBN 3-920602-18-8 , p. 139