| Albatros D.V | |
|---|---|
 Albatros D.Va reproduction at Duxford Air Show, 2012 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Albatros Flugzeugwerke |
| Designer | Robert Thelen |
| Primary users | Luftstreitkräfte |
| Number built | c. 2,500 |
| History | |
| First flight | April 1917 |
| Developed from | Albatros D.III |
TheAlbatros D.V is afighter aircraft of the German aircraft manufacturerAlbatros Flugzeugwerke. It was the final development of theAlbatros D.I family and the last Albatros fighter to see operational service with theLuftstreitkräfte (Imperial German Air Service) during theFirst World War.
The D.V was developed from theD.III during early 1917. Sharing many similarities to its predecessor, the most visible change was its new elliptical cross-sectionfuselage. The D.V was brought into service in May 1917 but early operations were plagued by structural failures of the lower wing. With its limited performance improvements this resulted in pilots expressing their preference for the older D.III. Albatros produced the improvedD.Va with modifications for greater structural strength, although some structural concerns remained.
Despite its well-known shortcomings and general obsolescence, approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft were produced at the Johannisthal andSchneidemühl factories before production was terminated in April 1918. The D.Va continued to fly in German hands until the end of fighting with theArmistice of 11 November 1918. ThePolish Air Force andOttoman Air Force also operated the type. A pair of original D.Va aircraft have been preserved and some airworthy reproductions have been built.
In April 1917, Albatros received an order fromInspektion der Fliegertruppen (Idflieg) for an improved version of theD.III. The design process was headed by the aeronautical engineerRobert Thelen, the company's chief designer at Johannisthal.[1] Development proceeded at a rapid pace, the resulting D.V prototype performed itsmaiden flight late in April 1917. This prototype retained the standardrudder of the Johannisthal-built D.III; subsequent production aircraft used the enlarged rudder featured on D.IIIs built by theOstdeutsche Albatroswerke (OAW), in what was known asthe independent city ofSchneidemühl.[2] The D.V had a larger spinner and ventral fin and closely resembled the D.III with the same 127 kW (170 hp)Mercedes D.IIIa engine. The most notable difference was a new, elliptical cross-sectionfuselage which was 32 kg (71 lb) lighter than the partially flat-sided fuselage of the earlier D.I to D.III designs.[3] The new elliptical cross-section required an additional longeron on each side of the fuselage and the fin, rudder and tailplane initially remained unchanged from the D.III.[3]
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Compared to the D.III, the upper wing of the D.V was 121 mm (4.75 in) closer to the fuselage, while the lower wings attached to the fuselage without afairing. The D.V wings were almost identical to those of the standard D.III, which had adopted asesquiplane wing arrangement broadly similar to the FrenchNieuport 11. The only significant difference between wings of the D.III and D.V was a revised routing of theaileron cables that placed them entirely within the upper wing.Idflieg conducted structural tests on the fuselage but not the wings of the D.V.[4][5]
Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest but it was usually removed in service as it interfered with the pilot's field of view.[4] The headrest was deleted from the second production batch.[6] Aircraft deployed inPalestine had a pair of wingradiators, better to cope with the warmer climate.Idflieg issued production contracts for 200 D.V aircraft in April 1917, followed by additional orders of 400 in May and 300 in July.[5] Initial production of the D.V was undertaken by the Johannisthal factory, while theSchneidemühl factory produced the D.III for the rest of 1917.
The D.V entered service with the German Air Force in May 1917 but losses attributed to structural failures of the lower wing occurred.[5] The aviation historian Jon Guttman said "Within the monthIdflieg was doing belated stress testing and concluding, to its dismay, that the D.V’s sesquiplane wing layout was even more vulnerable than that of its predecessor".[7] The outboard sections of the D.V upper wing also suffered failures, requiring additional wire bracing and the fuselage sometimes cracked during rough landings.[7] Against these problems, the D.V offered very little improvement in performance.[4][5] Front line pilots were considerably dismayed and many preferred the older D.III.Manfred von Richthofen was critical of the new aircraft in a July 1917 letter, where he described the D.V as "so obsolete and so ridiculously inferior to the English that one can't do anything with this aircraft". British tests of a captured D.V revealed that the aircraft was slow to manoeuvre, heavy on the controls and tiring to fly.[8]
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Albatros responded with theD.Va, which featured stronger wing spars, heavier wing ribs and a reinforced fuselage.[9] The modified D.Va was 23 kg (51 lb) heavier than the D.III but the structural problems were not entirely cured. Use of the high-compression 130 kW (170 hp) Mercedes D.IIIaü engine offset the increased weight of the D.Va.[10] The D.Va also reverted to the D.III aileron cable linkage, running outwards through the lower wing, then upwards to the ailerons, much the same as the earlierAlbatros B.I unarmed two-seater had used before 1914, providing a more positive control response. The wings of the D.III and D.Va were interchangeable.[4] To further strengthen the wing, the D.Va added a small diagonal brace connecting the forwardinterplane strut to the leading edge of the lower wing; the brace was also retrofitted to some D.Vs.[10]
During August 1917,Idflieg placed orders for 262 D.Va aircraft; follow-on orders for another 250 aircraft were received in September and as 550 during the following month.Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke, which had been engaged in production of the D.III, received orders for 600 D.Va aircraft in October. Deliveries of the D.Va commenced in October 1917.[9] The structural problems of theFokker Dr.I and the mediocre performance of thePfalz D.III left theLuftstreitkräfte with no alternative to the D.Va until theFokker D.VII entered service in mid-1918. Production of the D.Va ceased in April 1918.[11] In May 1918, 131 D.V and 928 D.Va aircraft were in service on the Western Front; the numbers declined as the Fokker D.VII and other types replaced the Albatros in the final months of the war. By 31 August, fewer than 400 Albatros fighters of all types remained at the front but they continued in service until theArmistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the conflict.[12]
Two D.Va aircraft survive in museums.
Cole Palen built a flying replica for hisOld Rhinebeck Aerodrome (in Bavarian aceHans Böhning's colour scheme for its rear fuselage.)[15][a] A Ranger-powered replica, built in Canada, now flies with the New Zealand Warbirds Association at Ardmore, Auckland. A number of authentically-constructed airworthy Albatros D.Va reproductions have been built in New Zealand with original and new-build engines. One example is on display at theRoyal Air Force Museum in Colindale, London, another is owned byKermit Weeks in Florida, USA, while two others remain flying with TVAL in NZ. A reproduction Albatros D.Va is on display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. It has a rare 212 hp (158 kW) Hall-Scott L-6 engine of 1917, which was based on the original 160–180 hp (120–130 kW) Mercedes.[citation needed]
Data fromGerman Aircraft of the First World War[16]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
Related lists
