Albatros D.I

Biplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1916 ]

The Albatros D.I biplane fighter helped the German Empire in regaining control of the skies from the Allies in early 1917.

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

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The Albatros Flugzeugwerke firm certainly made a name for itself in World War 1. It was responsible for a series of well-respected airframes that helped to regain control of the skies from the air aces of the Triple Entente. The series began with the excellent D.I and evolved to include the improved forms of the D.II, D.III, D.V and D.Va before the end of the war in 1918. While only 50 of the D.I models were ever produced, it proved a significant addition to the inventory of the Imperial German Army Air Service which needed a counter against the ever-improving enemy scouts. Like other classic mounts debuted in World War 1, the D.I led only a short existence before being replaced by more capable fighters - such was the life of a military aircraft during a war when technology was changing on a seemingly daily basis.

The Albatros D.I model was ordered in June of 1916 and introduced into German air service in August of 1916 to counter the successes being made b the British Airco and de Havilland scouts as well as the French Nieuport series of fighters. All three of these firms would earn their own level of respect in their own right by the end of the war - on part with the developments of the German Albatros and Fokker firms. These Airco, de Havilland and Nieuport designs were largely responsible for putting an end to the bloody "Fokker Scourge" covering the early part of 1916 in which air superiority was clearly in the hands of the Germans thanks to the revolutionary Fokker Eindecker. However, with the changing technology forcing newer and better mounts into the air, ground that was captured one day could be lost the next. As such, the D.I was unveiled by Albatros to help stave off even more losses against Triple Entente pilots.

The D.I borrowed much of what it had learned in their preceding C-series of biplane aircraft. However, the D.I incorporated a much improved aerodynamically-friendly fuselage design which lent a rather modern appearance to the new fighter type. The design was notable for its rather streamlined forward section and elliptical plywood fuselage beginning with the propeller spinner contouring directly against the lines of the engine compartment. Power was supplied form either a Benz Bz.III (150hp) or Mercedes D.III (160hp) series six-cylinder liquid-cooled engine and represented some of the most powerful engines available to scout fighter types anywhere, allowing for speeds of approximately 110 miles per hour. Such an installation resulted in immediate performance improvement results that would make the D-series legendary throughout the remainder of the war. Armament centered around a pair of 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 series machine guns coupled to the two-bladed propeller system that allowed for synchronization - the ability to fire the machine guns through the spinning propeller blades, a German technological achievement initially reached some time before the Triple Entente was to match.

The biplane wing arrangement was a standard design fixture of fighters throughout the war - a war that would see such mounts fit one (monoplane) and as many as three (triplane) wings at a time. The D.I sported these wings with parallel struts and applicable cabling. The undercarriage was fixed in position and consisted of two single-wheeled main landing gear legs and a base tail skid. This allowed for rugged landings wherever aerodromes were set up along the dynamic fronts of the war. The cockpit was fitted just ahead of amidships and behind/under the upper wing assembly.

Where the D.I outshone its enemies was in its excellent rate-of-climb. It could reach 3,280 feet in just six minutes which meant it would quickly react to incoming enemy aircraft or balloons and lift off to meet the match. However, the design had an Achilles heel of not being wholly maneuverable for a fighter scout, forcing the pilot to utilize the type's power and armament to gain the advantage. Visibility out of the open-air cockpit was good save for the wing assemblies. This was slightly improved in the upcoming D.II model which saw the upper wing assembly lowered. Regardless, the D.I was the best of its kind upon inception - unseated only by better enemy designs to come online within time.

The impressive performance and capabilities of the D-series as a whole eventually led to their use by some of the top German aces of the time including the mythical Manfred von Richthofen.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1916

Origin

Imperial Germany

Status

RETIRED
Not in Service.

Crew

1

Production

50
UNITS

Albatros Werke GmbH - Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

German Empire

(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
(7.30 m)

Width/Span

28.2 ft
(8.60 m)

Height

9.5 ft
(2.90 m)

Empty Wgt

1,422 lb
(645 kg)

MTOW

1,980 lb
(898 kg)

Wgt Diff

+558 lb
(+253 kg)

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

Installed: 1 x Mercedes D.III liquid-cooled, inline engine developing 160 horsepower driving a two-bladed propeller unit at the nose.

Max Speed

109 mph
(175 kph | 94 kts)

Ceiling

16,998 ft
(5,181 m | 3 mi)

Range

180 mi
(289 km | 535 nm)

Rate-of-Climb

546 ft/min
(166 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Albatros D.I 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

D.V - Streamlined fuselage

D.Va - Slightly modified D.V model

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