Advertisements

Aviation / Aerospace

Albatros D.III

Biplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1917 ]

Though an overall improvement of the D.I and D.II, the sesquiplane wing arrangement of the new D.III led to a noted structural deficiency.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 07/31/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

Advertisements

While the Albatros D.I proved critical in winning back air superiority for the Germans in early 1917, it was not a perfect all-around solution, pushing the development of an improved form in the D.II. The D.II exhibited a better rate-of-climb, a lowered upper wing assembly for better pilot visibility and an aerodynamically designed radiator. Having already found successes in the Albatros D.I and D.II models, designer Robert Thelen sought for more in the way of maneuverability when tackling the new Albatros D.III. This was accomplished by way of a new unstaggered wing layout featuring "V" section interplane struts as opposed to the parallel types found on previous models (and earning the British nickname of "V-strutter" in the process). A capable fighter platform, the D.III took to the skies in force by early 1917 and was produced to the tune of 1,866 examples eventually finding its way into inventories of non-German countries in the post-war world. As was the case for most aircraft designs of The Great War, the type was soon replaced and outclassed by more capable systems.

The Albatros D.III was the first of the Albatros D-series to incorporate the new "Vee" shaped struts and these served to improve wing rigidity and, in turn, make for a more maneuverable mount. Additionally, the Mercedes D.III series engines featured in the preceding D.II was revised with a high-compression modification that improved high-altitude performance and brought output up to 170 horsepower. Top speed was 109 miles per hour. The original armament of 2 x 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 machine guns was retained for their proven effectiveness.

The D.III continued the design and construction successes found in the D.I and D.II before it, featuring a semi-monocoque structure with plywood skinning. This provided for a seemingly aerodynamic appearance when compared to the angular, slab-sided designs of the time. The pilot sat at the relative center portion of the fuselage in an open-air cockpit with nothing but a windscreen protecting him, his position just behind and under the top wing. The top wing was lowered enough to allow for improved visibility (a practical and well-liked feature carried over from the development of the D.II). The engine sat before the pilot under the twin 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades. The two-bladed wooden propeller featured a large cone-shaped spinner adding both an aerodynamic function and design flair. The undercarriage consisted of two fixed struts, each with single wheels while the empennage held the tail skid.

The original D.I production model was introduced in August of 1916 with the modified D.II following later that year. The D.III was already being designed in the summer of 1916 and achieved first flight that fall. It officially made its formal appearance for the Imperial German Army Air Service beginning in January of 1917 though D.III's were in operational service in some quantity by December of 1916 to which pilots rejoiced at the systems inherent capabilities. The aircraft performed well from the outset and featured a great rate-of-climb (a feature consistent with the D-series as a whole). The new wing arrangement immediately proved to offer better maneuverability over her predecessors. Power was provided for by a Mercedes brand D.IIIa series engine which was progressively uprated from 170 horsepower to 175 during the production run. After some operational service, the radiator had to be shifted from the center to the right side of the upper wing. This was done due to the fact that the pilot would incur serious burns should the radiator become punctured in combat (this production change was included in the 290th aircraft and onwards).©MilitaryFactory.com

Advertisements

As a sesquiplane biplane (the lower wings shorter than the upper (a practical design feature stolen from the French-made Nieuport 11 series fighting scouts), the D.III was a slight departure from the previous Albatros offerings. This also provided some new challenges in the Albatros design as it was soon found that failures of the leading edge and lower wing ribs were becoming an all too common occurrence - often leading to structural cracks or outright failures. As such, D.IIIs were grounded for a crucial period until the problem was located and addressed. The D.III would have to wait until February of 1917 to be back in action, this time with a reinforced lower wing. New production models automatically included this fix while previous service models were pulled and reinforced as such.

The structural deficiency was initially believed to be occurring during the construction of the aircraft, due to either the builders themselves or the quality of materials being selected and utilized or logically a combination of both factors. This thinking would eventually prove false as the fault was directly attributed to the main spar being set too far to the rear of the wing's design. This effectively caused a twisting of the wing during flight, most notably encountered during a dive or an action inducing high stress loads on the wing. This did not deter future use of the D.III nor its successor - the D.V - as pilots were simply warned about the structural failings and told to proceed with caution when attempting such combat actions.

Nevertheless, the D.III proved to have some worth and remained an aircraft of choice for if only a short time. In subtle ways noticed mostly by her pilots, the D.III was an improvement over the preceding D-series designs. Her maneuverability and rate-of-climb (vital to any airman worth his weight) were noted assets as were the changes to improve pilot protection and visibility. Such capabilities and attention to details assured the aircraft its legacy. The system stayed in operational use into the final year of the war (1918) despite being overtaken in all performance categories - particularly by the British Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 and Sopwith Camel and the French SPAD S.13 models of the Allies. This even after production was all but stopped on the D.III to focus on more modern types.

The D.III was eventually featured in no fewer than 37 Imperial German Army Air Service squadrons. Additionally, the D.III was sent to the battlefronts of Macedonia and Palestine and further stocked the inventory of German-allied Austria-Hungary. At its peak usage in November of 1917, the D.III series saw some 446 airframes available for action over the Western Front. The D.III was inevitably followed up by the aforementioned Albatros D.V which entered service in May of 1917. The D.V featured a revised wing assembly and rudder. This led to major developments of the D.V version as well, noted as by the designation of D.Va. It should be mentioned that the wing deficiency of the D.III was a persistent design flaw carried forward into these other D-series aircraft by Albatros.

In the post-war world, the D.III was retained in operational service by the newly-formed Polish Air Force, these examples beginning service in 1919. The Poles operated their D.IIIs in anger against the Soviets in the polish-Soviet War of 1919-1920. Other post-war operators included Czechoslovakia, Lithuania and the Kingdom of Yugoslavia.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1917

Origin

Imperial Germany

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

1,866
UNITS

Albatros Werke GmbH - Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

National flag of the Austro-Hungarian Empire

Austria-Hungary; Czechoslovakia; German Empire; Lithuania; Poland; Yugoslavia

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

Length

24.0 ft
(7.33 m)

Width/Span

29.7 ft
(9.05 m)

Height

9.8 ft
(2.98 m)

Empty Wgt

1,499 lb
(680 kg)

MTOW

1,953 lb
(886 kg)

Wgt Diff

+454 lb
(+206 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Albatros D.III production variant)

Installed: 1 x Mercedes D.IIIa water-cooled 6-cylinder in-line engine developing 175 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

109 mph
(175 kph | 94 kts)

Ceiling

18,045 ft
(5,500 m | 3 mi)

Range

217 mi
(350 km | 648 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

886 ft/min
(270 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Albatros D.III production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

STANDARD:
2 x 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 fixed, forward-firing synchronized machine guns.

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

D.I - Base D-series

D.II - Lowered top wing; Fundamental and minor aerodynamic changes.

D.III - V-shaped struts introduced; sesquiplane wing arrangement; repositioned radiator (290th onwards).

D.V - Streamlined eliptical fuselage; revised wings and modified rudder; larger spinner.

D.Va - Slightly modified D.V model

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 1

Image from the Public Domain.

Advertisements

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2023 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing all American military medals and ribbons.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)