Albatros D.III

The Albatros D.III is a German biplane fighter aircraft which was historically used by the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (Luftfahrtruppen) during the Great War. It was manufactured by Albatros Flugzeugwerke Company in the Aldershof district of Berlin. The aircraft was designed by Robert Thelen and first flew in August 1916, becoming an essential element of Operation Trident by performing air superiority missions against Entente air forces. It was developed from the widely successful Albatros D.II and later evolved into the similarly performing Albatros D.V. The aircraft is armed with a pair of LMG 08/16 machine guns, which are an air-cooled and propeller-synchronized version of Germany’s MG 08. It is powered by a water-cooled Mercedes D.IIIa engine producing 170 hp. Despite its success, the fighter some serious design flaws. The placement of the aerofoil-shaped radiator above the cockpit could scald the pilot if there was a leak or puncture. Also, the lower wing experienced excessive flexing under aerodynamic load due to the wing’s spar being located too far aft and could break during hard manoeuvres. These issues were eventually addressed in later designs.