Albatros D.III

Though an overall improvement of the D.I and D.III, the sesquiplane wing arrangement of the new D.III led to a noted structural deficiency.

Having already found successes in the Albatros D.I and D.II models, designer Robert Thelen sought for more in the way of maneuverability when tackling the new Albatros D.III. This was accomplished by a new unstaggered wing layout featuring "V" section interplane struts as opposed to the parallel types found on previous models (and earning the British nickname of "V-strutter" in the process). A capable fighter platform, the D.III took to the skies in force by early 1917 and was produced to the tune of 1,866 examples eventually finding its way into inventories of non-German countries in the post-war world. As was the case for most aircraft designs of The Great War, the type was soon replaced and outclassed by more capable systems.

The D.III continued the design and construction successes found in the D.I and D.II before it, featuring a semi-monocoque structure with plywood skinning. This provided for a seemingly aerodynamic appearance when compared to the angular designs of the time. The pilot sat at the relative center portion of the fuselage in an open-air cockpit (with nothing but a windscreen protecting him) just behind and under the top wing. The top wing was lowered enough to allow for improved visibility (a practical and well-liked feature carried over from the development of the D.II). The engine sat before the pilot under the twin 7.92 LMG 08/15 machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades. The two-bladed propeller featured a large cone-shaped spinner adding both an aerodynamic function and design flair. The undercarriage consisted of two fixed struts, each with a wheels while the empennage held the tail skid.

D.III's were in operational service in some quantity by December of 1916 to which pilots rejoiced at the systems inherent capabilities. The aircraft performed well from the outset and featured a great rate-of-climb. The new wing arrangement immediately proved to offer better maneuverability over her predecessors. Power was provided by a Mercedes brand D.IIIa series engine which was progressively uprated from 170 horsepower to 175 during the production run. After some operational service, the radiator had to be shifted from the center to the right side of the upper wing. This was done due to the fact that the pilot would incur serious burns should the radiator become punctured in combat (this production change was included in the 290th aircraft and onwards).

As a sesquiplane biplane (the lower wings shorter than the upper (a practical design feature pulled from the French-made Nieuport 11 fighters), the D.III was a slight departure from the previous Albatros offerings. This also provided some new challenges in the Albatros design as it was soon found that failures of the leading edge and lower wing ribs were becoming all too common - leading to cracks o outright failures. As such, D.IIIs were grounded for a crucial period until the problem was located and addressed. The D.III would have to wait until February of 1917 to be back in action, this time with a reinforced lower wing. New production models featured this fix while previous service models were pulled and reinforced as such.

The structural deficiency was initially believed to be occurring during the construction of the aircraft, due to either the builders themselves or the quality of materials being selected and utilized or logically a combination of both. This would eventually prove false as the fault was directly attributed to the main spar being set too far to the rear of the design. This effectively caused a twisting of the wing, most notably during a dive or an action introducing high stress loads to the wing. This did not deter future use of the D.III nor its successor - the D.V - pilots were simply warned about the structural failings and to proceed with caution when attempting such actions.

Nevertheless, the D.III proved some worth and remained an aircraft of choice for a time. In subtle ways noticed mostly by her pilots, the D.III was an improvement over the preceding D-series designs. Her maneuverability and rate-of-climb (vital to any dogfighter worth her weight) were noted assets as were the changes to improve pilot protection and visibility. Such capabilities and attention to details assured the aircraft its legacy. The system stayed in operational use into the final year of the war despite being overtaken in all performance categories - particularly by the British Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5, French SPAD S.13 and Sopwith Camel models of the Allies. This even after production was all but stopped on the D.III.

The D.III was inevitably followed up by the Alabtros D.V which entered service a short time after the D.III (in May of 1917). The D.V featured a revised wing assembly and rudder. This led to major developments of the D.V as well, noted as by the designation of D.Va. It should be mentioned that the wing deficiency of the D.III was a persistent design flaw carried forward into these other D.-series aircraft by Albatros.