PFALZ D.IIIA

Pfalz D.III, the most dangerous competitor of the Albatross in the German fighter competition, was established at the beginning of 1917. The year 1916 ended with the reign of Nieuport 11 and the concept of the 1.5-a-fighter. German companies were ordered to copy this concept, this is how the Albatros D.III was created, but the Pfalz constructors did not quite let themselves get carried away by the "half-plane mania". It is true that the lower lobe had a smaller chord than the upper one, but it was not a significant difference, although the influence of the concept is visible. However, the shell structure of the hull turned out to be revolutionary - it was created by covering the wooden skeleton with several layers of veneer strips, which resulted in a rigid and very light structure. In March 1917, Idflieg ordered 70 series aircraft. In June, another 300, but this order was reduced to 190 in favor of the newer D.IIIa model.The basic changes to the D.III were the relocation of the rifles from the inside of the fuselage, the change in the shape of the horizontal tail, and the rounding of the lower lobe tips in later examples. In total, less than 1,000 copies were produced. The first two Pfalz D.III planes went to Jasta 10 and Jasta 22 in August, the next ones were supplied mainly by Bavarian vessels, although in total Pfalz's were passed through 40 different Jagdstafeln and 3 marine Marine Field Jasta. Opinions about the plane were different, e.g. Voss did not like it, while Berthold praised it. Pilots such as Lenz, von Holzem, Baumer, von Degelow and Bethge flew on it. The Pfalz remained in service until the end of the war, although it was definitely replaced by the Fokker D.VII from the frontline units and never posed a serious threat to the position of the Albatross D.III / DV, it is undoubtedly one of the most important aircraft structures from the Great War period. Technical data (version D.IIIa): length: 6.95 m, wingspan: 9.4 m, height: 2.67 m, maximum speed: 165 km / h, climb speed: 3.67 m / s, practical ceiling: 5180 m, armament : fixed - 2 LMG 08/15 machine guns cal.7.92 mm.