Albatros D.II

The Albatros D.II built upon the success of the D.I design

The Albatros D.II became a further development of the successful Albatros D.I series. The D.I was instrumental in winning back air superiority to the side of the Germans, with their powerful engines and dual-synchronized machine guns. Aircraft technology and weaponry changed substantially throughout the months covering the First World War, so much so that a single series of aircraft could be rightfully superceded by another in a matter of a few short months. The Albatros series was to be no exception.

The Albatros D.II series provided some improvements to the design and development of the original D.I. The top wing was brought down to improve pilot visibility (critical in dog fighting tactics) and also allowed for the radiator to be mounted in the center of the upper wing section - and improved radiator over the D.I series at that.

These minor fundamental improvements led to a significant boost in overall climbing rate, a distinction that the D.I already enjoyed - the D.II simply brought the capability up a notch, allowing the aircraft to reach just over 3,000 feet in only five minutes. Couple that with improved stability and the standard base firepower and the Albatros system continued to dominate the skies.

The development of the Albatros D.II would lead directly to the Albatros D.III, detailed elsewhere on this site. in all, the series would entail the D.I, D.II, D.III, D.V and the D.Va.