Albatros D.III
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The Albatros D.III was a highly successful single seat, biplane fighter aircraft used by the German Imperial Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (Luftfahrtruppen) during the First World War. Manufactured by Albatros-Flugzeugwerke and its subsidiary, Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW), it was introduced in December 1916. Though production was phased out in favor of the D.V in mid-1917, the D.III continued in service until the end of the war. The D.III was used by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Löwenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schaeffer. It was the preemininent fighter during the period of German aerial dominance known as "Bloody April" 1917.
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[edit] Design and production
Like the preceding Albatros fighters, the D.III was designed by Robert Thelen and R. Schubert. It was initially powered by a six-cylinder, 160 hp Mercedes D.III, giving a top speed of 165 km/h (103 mph). Later production examples received an uprated 170 hp Mercedes D.IIIa. The armament consisted of two 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 "Spandau" machine guns, synchronized to fire through the airscrew.
Following on the successful Albatros D.I and D.II series, the D.III utilized the same semi-monocoque, plywood-skinned fuselage. At the request of the Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen), however, the wing design was copied from the French Nieuport sesquiplanes. The upper wing was extended while the lower wing was given reduced chord and a single main spar. The interplane struts were of a "V" configuration, instead of the previous parallel struts. For this reason, British aircrews commonly referred to the D.III as the "V-strutter." The OAW aircraft were recognizable by their larger, rounded rudders.
The sesquiplane arrangement offered improved climb, maneuverablity and downward visibility. The D.III was considered pleasant and easy to fly, but it was not safe in a dive. The new arrangement suffered from serious problems with flutter and structural failure of the lower wing, a defect shared with the Nieuport design. The lower wing had more than adequate strength in static tests, but it was subsequently determined that the main spar was located too far aft, causing the wing to twist under aerodynamic loads. The D.III therefore could not perform steep or prolonged dives, which was a serious liability in combat. This design flaw persisted despite attempts to rectify the problem in the D.III and succeeding D.V.
In January 1917, Manfred von Richthofen experienced a crack in the lower wing of his D.III. While he landed safely, he stopped flying the D.III for over a month and flew the Halberstadt D.II instead.
Albatros built approximately 500 D.III aircraft and OAW built approximately 840 before production shifted to the D.V. Peak service was in November 1917, with 446 aircraft on the Western Front. The D.III did not disappear with the end of production, however. It remained in frontline service well into 1918. As of August 31, 1918, 54 D.III aircraft remained on the Western Front.
[edit] Austro-Hungarian variants
In the fall of 1916, Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG (Oeffag) obtained a licence to build the D.III at Wiener-Neustadt. Deliveries commenced in May 1917. The Oeffag aircraft were built in three main versions (series 53, 153, 253) using the 185, 200, or 225 hp Austro-Daimler engines respectively. The Austro-Daimlers provided improved performance over the Mercedes D.IIIa engine.
Oeffag engineers noted the wing failures of the D.III and modified the lower wing to use thicker ribs and spar flanges. These changes, as well as other detail improvements, cured the wing failure issue that plagued the German fighters. In service, the Oeffag aircraft proved to be very popular, robust, and effective.
Austrian pilots often removed the propeller spinner from their planes, since it was prone to falling off. Midway through the series 153 production run, Oeffag introduced a new rounded nose that eliminated the propeller spinner. Remarkably, German wind-tunnel tests showed that the simple rounded nose improved propeller efficiency and raised the top speed by 9 mph.
All Oeffag variants were armed with two 8 mm Schwarzlose machine guns. In most planes, the guns were buried in the fuselage. Late in the series 253 production run, the guns were relocated on top of the fuselage decking. In service, the Schwarzlose proved to be somewhat less reliable than the LMG 08/15 due to problems with the synchronization gear. The Schwarzlose also had a poor rate of fire.
Oeffag built approximately 526 D.III aircraft between May 1917 and the Armistice. After the Armistice, Poland acquired 38 series 253 aircraft, as well as several German machines, and operated them in the Polish-Soviet War of 1919-20. The Poles thought so highly of their aircraft that they sent a letter of commendation to the Oeffag factory. The newly formed Czechoslovakian air force also obtained and operated several Oeffag machines after the war.
[edit] Specifications (D.III)
[edit] General characteristics
- Crew: one
- Length: 7.33 m (24 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 9.00 m (29 ft 6 in)
- Height: 2.90 m (9 ft 6 in)
- Wing area: 23.6 m² (254 ft²)
- Empty: 695 kg (1,532 lb)
- Loaded: 886 kg (1,949 lb)
- Maximum takeoff: 955 kg (2,105 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 x 160 hp Mercedes D.III
[edit] Performance
- Maximum speed: 165 km/h (103 mph)
- Range: 300 km (480 miles)
- Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,044 ft)
- Rate of climb: 270 m/min (886 ft/min) (3.75 minutes to 1000 m/3,280 ft)
- Wing loading: 37.5 kg/m² (7.7 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 130 W/kg (0.08 hp/lb)
[edit] Armament
- 2 x 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 machine guns
[edit] Operators
[edit] Related content
Related development: D.I - D.II - D.IV - D.V
Comparable aircraft:
Designation sequence: D.I - D.II - D.III - D.IV - D.V - D.VI - D.VII - Dr.I - D.VIII - D.IX - D.X - Dr.II - D.XI - D.XII -
| Aviation in World War I |
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