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Albatros D.III - Aircraft Profile - Albatros Flugzeugwerke : Albatros D.III

Albatros D.III

Manufacturer : Albatros Flugzeugwerke
Number Built : 1866
Production Began : 1916
Retired : 1923
Type :

The D.III entered squadron service in December 1916, On 23 January 1917, a Jasta 6 pilot suffered a failure of the lower right wing spar.[3] On the following day, Manfred von Richthofen suffered a crack in the lower wing of his new D.III. On 27 January, the Kogenluft (Kommandierenden General der Luftstreitkräfte) issued an order grounding all D.IIIs pending resolution of the wing failure problem. On 19 February, after Albatros introduced a reinforced lower wing, the Kogenluft rescinded the grounding order.New production D.IIIs were completed with the strengthened wing while operational D.IIIs were withdrawn to Armee-Flugparks for modifications, forcing Jastas to use the Albatros D.II and Halberstadt D.II during the interim Albatros built approximately 500 D.III aircraft at its Johannisthal factory. In the spring of 1917, D.III production shifted to Albatros' subsidiary, Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW), to permit Albatros to concentrate on development and production of the D.V. Between April and August 1917, Idflieg issued five separate orders for a total of 840 D.IIIs. The OAW variant underwent its Typenprüfung in June 1917. Production commenced at the Schneidemühl factory in June and continued through December 1917. OAW aircraft were distinguishable by their larger, rounded rudders. Peak service was in November 1917, with 446 aircraft on the Western Front. The D.III did not disappear with the end of production, however. It remained in frontline service well into 1918. As of 31 August 1918, 54 D.III aircraft remained on the Western Front. In the autumn of 1916, Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG (Oeffag) obtained a licence to build the D.III at Wiener-Neustadt. Deliveries commenced in May 1917. The aircraft were officially designated as Albatros D.III(Oeffag), but were known as Oeffag Albatros D.III in Austro-Hungary, and just Oeffag D.III in Poland

Albatros D.III


Latest Albatros D.III Artwork Releases !
 Erich Lowenhardt was one of the most famous German Aces of World War One.  A rival of the likes of Ernst Udet and Lothar von Richthofen in number of victories, he racked up an impressive 54 victories before his death in August 1918, caused by a failed parachute when he bailed out after a collision.  He is depicted here, not in his final Fokker D.VII, but in an Albatros D.III, claiming one of his tally of 9 observation balloons - this one in May 1918.  The fortunate balloon observer has managed to take to his parachute to escape this time, a measure the observers were often forced to employ by the German balloon busters.

Tribute to Erich Lowenhardt by Ivan Berryman.
 Having been wounded early in World War One as a soldier on the Western Front, Julius Buckler had become a pilot with Jasta 17 by November 1916.  He scored his first victory that December, one of almost 30 enemy aircraft.  Frequently out of action due to wounds including simultaneous broken arms, he is seen here flying his Albatros D.III names <i>Mops</i>, the aircraft he used to claim his first balloon victory on 26th April 1917.  He went on to score 7 balloon victories and was awarded the <i>Blue Max</i>.  He died in 1960 aged 66.

Tribute to Julius Buckler by Ivan Berryman.
 Originally in Germany's military, Heinrich Gontermann did not become an aviator until early 1916, and was not a fighter pilot until November of that year.  Despite this, he is credited with 39 victories including 18 observation balloons.  Scoring his first victory in November 1916, he did not score again until the next March - he is shown here in his Albatros D.III of Jasta 5 in April 1917 during which he claimed 12 victories - 5 balloons and 7 aircraft.  Highly decorated with awards including the Knight's Cross and Blue Max, he was killed in a crash in the last days of October 1917 while performing aerobatics in his new Fokker Dr.I.

Tribute to Heinrich Gontermann by Ivan Berryman.
 The last Austro-Hungarian offensive on the Italian Front, known as the Battle of the Piave River, started on June 15th 1918 with 57 Austro-Hungarian divisions ranged against 58 Italian, 3 British and 2 French who were entrenched along the whole of the front line from the Asiago Plateau in the Alps, along the Piave river, to the marshes at the eastern end of the Venetian lagoon.  After initial successes in crossing the Piave in numerous places and establishing shallow bridgeheads from Montello to the Adriatic, the Austro-Hungarian offensive was brought to an abrupt halt, not least by a change in the weather that brought torrential rain and flooding of the Piave which, fuelled by the melting snow of the Alps, swept away bridges, pontoons, barges, horses and men. As the Austro-Hungarians attempted to supply their forward lines with men, weapons, ammunition and materials, the Italian artillery, consisting of 5,500 cannons and trench mortars continued to pound them, directed by the Drachen observation balloons of the 11° Sezione which were in place close to the Italian coastline. Flik 41J's top ace Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski, flying his notorious red Albatros D.III (Oef) 135.209 replete with white skulls emblazoned on the fuselage, was on hand however, sending one of the balloons down in flames near Passerella on the fifth day of the offensive, its observer, probably Tenente M Zanini, making his escape by parachute.  This was Brumowski's 33rd victory of the war and his 34th was to follow just minutes later when he shared in the destruction of an Italian SAML S.2 that was strafing troops on the ground.

Drachen Slayer by Ivan Berryman. (PC)

Albatros D.III Artwork Collection



One in the Bag by Ivan Berryman


Oberleutnant Godwin Brumowski by Ivan Berryman.


Brothers in Arms by Ivan Berryman.


Godwin von Brumowski by Ivan Berryman.


Outnumbered by Ivan Berryman.


A Pair of Aces by Ivan Berryman.


Duel Above the Piave by Ivan Berryman.


The Last Victory by Ivan Berryman.


Drachen Slayer by Ivan Berryman.


Close Combat - The 31st Victory by Ivan Berryman.


Oblt Friedrich Navratil by Ivan Berryman.


The Maestro Strikes Again by Ivan Berryman.


Josef Kiss by Ivan Berryman. (PC)


Bird of Prey by Ivan Berryman. (PC)


Tribute to Heinrich Gontermann by Ivan Berryman.


Tribute to Julius Buckler by Ivan Berryman.


Tribute to Erich Lowenhardt by Ivan Berryman.


Austro-Hungarian Ace by Stan Stokes.

Top Aces for : Albatros D.III
A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. A profile page is available by clicking the pilots name.
NameVictoriesInfo
Adolf Schulte9.00
Joachim von Bertrab5.00

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