Albatros D.V

{{Short description|1917 fighter aircraft by Albatros}}  {{Infobox aircraft |name = Albatros D.V |image = File:Albatros D.Va Duxford Airshow 2012.jpg |caption = Albatros D.Va reproduction at Duxford Air Show, 2012 |type = [[Fighter plane|Fighter]] |manufacturer = {{lang|de|[[Albatros Flugzeugwerke]]}} |designer = Robert Thelen |first_flight = April 1917 |introduction = |retired = |status = |primary_user = {{lang|de|[[Luftstreitkräfte]]}} |more_users = {{ubl|{{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Marine]]}}|[[Polish Air Force]]|[[Ottoman Air Force]]}} |produced = |number_built = {{circa| 2,500}} |developed_from = [[Albatros D.III]] }}

The '''Albatros D.V''' is a [[fighter aircraft]] of the German aircraft manufacturer ''[[Albatros Flugzeugwerke]]''. It was the final development of the [[Albatros D.I]] family and the last Albatros fighter to see operational service with the {{lang|de|[[Luftstreitkräfte]]}} (Imperial German Air Service) during the [[First World War]].

The D.V was developed from the [[Albatros D.III|D.III]] during early 1917. Sharing many similarities to its predecessor, the most visible change was its new elliptical cross-section [[fuselage]]. The D.V was brought into service in May 1917 but early operations were plagued by structural failures of the lower wing. With its limited performance improvements this resulted in pilots expressing their preference for the older D.III. Albatros produced the improved ''D.Va'' with modifications for greater structural strength, although some structural concerns remained.

Despite its well-known shortcomings and general obsolescence, approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft were produced at the Johannisthal and [[Schneidemühl]] factories before production was terminated in April 1918. The D.Va continued to fly in German hands until the end of fighting with the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]]. The [[Polish Air Force]] and [[Ottoman Air Force]] also operated the type. A pair of original D.Va's have been preserved and some airworthy reproductions have been built.

==Design and development==

In April 1917, Albatros received an order from {{lang|de|[[Inspektion der Fliegertruppen]]}} ({{lang|de|[[Idflieg]]}}) for an improved version of the [[Albatros D.III|D.III]]. The design process was headed by the aeronautical engineer [[Robert Thelen]], the company's chief designer at Johannisthal.<ref name = "grey1965 3">Grey 1965, p. 3.</ref> Development proceeded at a rapid pace, the resulting D.V prototype performed its [[maiden flight]] late in April 1917. This prototype retained the standard [[rudder]] of the Johannisthal-built D.III; subsequent production aircraft used the enlarged rudder featured on D.IIIs built by the {{lang|de|[[Ostdeutsche Albatroswerke]]}} (OAW), in what was known as [[Piła#First World War and Imperial German military aviation technology|the independent city of ''Schneidemühl'']].<ref name="Grosz pp21-22">Grosz 2003, pp. 21–22.</ref> The D.V had a larger spinner and ventral fin and closely resembled the D.III with the same 127 kW (170 hp) [[Mercedes D.III]]a engine. The most notable difference was a new, elliptical cross-section [[fuselage]] which was {{cvt|32|kg}} lighter than the partially flat-sided fuselage of the earlier D.I to D.III designs.<ref name="Mikesh p15">Mikesh 1980, p. 15.</ref> The new elliptical cross-section required an additional longeron on each side of the fuselage and the fin, rudder and tailplane initially remained unchanged from the D.III.<ref name="Mikesh p15" />

[[File:DVa (12320781604).jpg|thumb|Captured Albatros D.V (serial D.1162/17) with British roundels]] Compared to the D.III, the upper wing of the D.V was {{cvt|4.75|in|mm|order=flip}} closer to the fuselage, while the lower wings attached to the fuselage without a [[Aircraft fairing|fairing]]. The D.V wings were almost identical to those of the standard D.III, which had adopted a [[sesquiplane]] wing arrangement broadly similar to the French [[Nieuport 11]]. The only significant difference between wings of the D.III and D.V was a revised routing of the [[aileron]] cables that placed them entirely within the upper wing. {{lang|de|Idflieg}} conducted structural tests on the fuselage but not the wings of the D.V.<ref name="Connors p22">Connors 1981, p. 22.</ref><ref name="Van Wyngarden p40">Van Wyngarden 2007, p. 40.</ref>

Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest but it was usually removed in service as it interfered with the pilot's field of view.<ref name="Connors p22"/> The headrest was deleted from the second production batch.<ref name="Guttman p31">Guttman 2009, p. 31.</ref> Aircraft deployed in [[Palestine (region)|Palestine]] had a pair of wing [[radiator (engine cooling)|radiators]], better to cope with the warmer climate. {{lang|de|Idflieg}} issued production contracts for 200 D.V aircraft in April 1917, followed by additional orders of 400 in May and 300 in July.<ref name="Van Wyngarden p40"/> Initial production of the D.V was undertaken by the Johannisthal factory, while the [[Schneidemühl]] factory produced the D.III for the rest of 1917.

==Operational history==

[[File:Albatroscockpit.jpg|thumb|A pilot's-eye-view from the cockpit of an Albatros D.V]] The D.V entered service with the German Air Force in May 1917 but losses attributed to structural failures of the lower wing occurred.<ref name="Van Wyngarden p40"/> The aviation historian Jon Guttman said "Within the month {{lang|de|Idflieg}} was doing belated stress testing and concluding, to its dismay, that the D.V's sesquiplane wing layout was even more vulnerable than that of its predecessor".<ref name="Guttman p22">Guttman 2009, p. 22.</ref> The outboard sections of the D.V upper wing also suffered failures, requiring additional wire bracing and the fuselage sometimes cracked during rough landings.<ref name="Guttman p22"/> Against these problems, the D.V offered very little improvement in performance.<ref name="Connors p22"/><ref name="Van Wyngarden p40"/> Front line pilots were considerably dismayed and many preferred the older D.III. [[Manfred von Richthofen]] was critical of the new aircraft in a July 1917 letter, where he described the D.V as "so obsolete and so ridiculously inferior to the English that one can't do anything with this aircraft". British tests of a captured D.V revealed that the aircraft was slow to manoeuvre, heavy on the controls and tiring to fly.<ref name="Bennett p124">Bennett 2006, p. 124.</ref>

[[File:Type D-5a - Airplanes - Types - Types of German Airplanes. Albatros Biplane Scout. Rear View. From 2d Section General Staff - AEF - NARA - 17342149 (cropped).jpg|left|thumb|German type D-5a Albatros biplane scout]] Albatros responded with the ''D.Va'', which featured stronger wing spars, heavier wing ribs and a reinforced fuselage.<ref name="Van Wyngarden p65">Van Wyngarden 2007, p. 65.</ref> The modified D.Va was {{cvt|23|kg|lb}} heavier than the D.III but the structural problems were not entirely cured. Use of the high-compression {{cvt|130|kW}} Mercedes D.IIIaü engine offset the increased weight of the D.Va.<ref name="Mikesh p17">Mikesh 1980, p. 17.</ref> The D.Va also reverted to the D.III aileron cable linkage, running outwards through the lower wing, then upwards to the ailerons, much the same as the earlier [[Albatros B.I#Design and development|Albatros B.I]] unarmed two-seater had used before 1914, providing a more positive control response. The wings of the D.III and D.Va were interchangeable.<ref name="Connors p22" /> To further strengthen the wing, the D.Va added a small diagonal brace connecting the forward [[interplane strut]] to the leading edge of the lower wing; the brace was also retrofitted to some D.Vs.<ref name="Mikesh p17"/>

During August 1917, {{lang|de|Idflieg}} placed orders for 262 D.Va aircraft; follow-on orders for another 250 aircraft were received in September and as 550 during the following month. {{lang|de|Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke}}, which had been engaged in production of the D.III, received orders for 600 D.Va aircraft in October. Deliveries of the D.Va commenced in October 1917.<ref name="Van Wyngarden p65"/> The structural problems of the [[Fokker Dr.I]] and the mediocre performance of the [[Pfalz D.III]] left the {{lang|de|Luftstreitkräfte}} with no alternative to the D.Va until the [[Fokker D.VII]] entered service in mid-1918. Production of the D.Va ceased in April 1918.<ref name="Mikesh p7">Mikesh 1980, p. 7.</ref> In May 1918, 131 D.V and 928 D.Va aircraft were in service on the Western Front; the numbers declined as the Fokker D.VII and other types replaced the Albatros in the final months of the war. By 31 August, fewer than 400 Albatros fighters of all types remained at the front but they continued in service until the [[Armistice of 11 November 1918]] that ended the conflict.<ref name="Herris p154">Herris 2001, p. 154.</ref>

==Surviving aircraft and reproductions==

Two D.Va aircraft survive in museums. [[File:Albatross DVa at the Australian War Memorial July 2015.jpg|thumb|'''D.Va''' (serial D.5390/17) on display at the Australian War Memorial in Canberra]] * It is believed serial D.7161/17 served with [[Jagdstaffel 46|''Jasta'' 46]] before being captured sometime in April or May 1918. In 1919, the aircraft was presented to the [[De Young Museum]] in [[San Francisco, California]]. The [[National Air and Space Museum]] acquired the aircraft in 1949. It was placed in storage until restoration began in 1977. Since 1979, D.7161/17 has been on display at the Air and Space Museum, in Washington D.C. This aircraft carries the distinctive personal marking of "Stropp" on the fuselage sides. * Serial D.5390/17 was shot down during a fight with an [[Australian Flying Corps]] [[R.E.8]] on 17 December 1917. It landed intact behind the lines of the 21st Infantry Battalion of the Second Australian Division, [[First Australian Imperial Force|AIF]]. The unit recovered the aircraft and took the pilot, {{lang|de|Leutnant}} Rudolf Clausz of {{lang|de|Jasta}} 29, prisoner.<ref name="Australian War Memorial">[https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM04806 "Albatros D.Va Scout Aircraft."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702124623/https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/RELAWM04806 |date=2017-07-02 }} [[Australian War Memorial]] retrieved: 20 July 2017.</ref> In February 1918, the [[War Office]] ceded D.5390/17 to the AFC as a war trophy. It was eventually put on display at the [[Australian War Memorial]].<ref name="Australian War Memorial"/> The aircraft was removed from display in 2001 and underwent extensive restoration at the [[Treloar Technology Centre]].<ref>[https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/conservation-of-the-albatros-dva "Conservation of the Albatros D.Va."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180721103211/https://www.awm.gov.au/articles/blog/conservation-of-the-albatros-dva |date=2018-07-21}} Australian War Memorial retrieved: 21 July 2017.</ref> In 2008, D.5390/17 returned to public display at the [[Australian War Memorial|AWM]]'s ANZAC Hall in Canberra.

[[Cole Palen]] built a flying replica for his [[Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome]] (in Bavarian ace [[Hans Böhning]]'s colour scheme for its rear fuselage.)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oldrhinebeck.org/ORA/albatros-d-va/ |title=Albatros D.Va - Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome |author= |year=2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110042806/http://oldrhinebeck.org/ORA/albatros-d-va/ |archive-date=November 10, 2014 |website=oldrhinebeck.org |publisher=Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome |access-date=August 9, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>{{efn|In 2013 the Albatros entered the shop for restoration, where the decision was made to change the livery for the first time. The aircraft was repainted in the brilliant colours of the D.V/D.Va flown by Lt. Hans Böhning of {{lang|de|Jagdstaffel}} 36/{{lang|de|Jagdstaffel}} 76 and returned to the air in May 2014.}} A Ranger-powered replica, built in Canada, now flies with the New Zealand Warbirds Association at Ardmore, Auckland. A number of authentically constructed airworthy Albatros D.Va reproductions have been built in New Zealand with original and new-build engines. One example is on display at the [[Royal Air Force Museum London|Royal Air Force Museum]] in Colindale, London, another is owned by [[Kermit Weeks]] in Florida, USA, while two others remain flying with TVAL in NZ. A reproduction Albatros D.Va is on display at the San Diego Air and Space Museum. It has a rare {{cvt|212|hp}} Hall-Scott L-6 engine of 1917, which was based on the original {{cvt|160|–|180|hp}} Mercedes.{{citation needed|date=November 2024}}

==Operators== [[File:Schleich Albatros.jpg|thumb|[[Eduard Ritter von Schleich]] in his D.V (serial D.2034/17)]]

'''{{flag|German Empire}}''' * {{lang|de|[[Luftstreitkräfte]]}} * {{lang|de|[[Kaiserliche Marine]]}} '''{{POL}}''' * [[Polish Air Force]] (postwar) '''{{flagcountry|Ottoman Empire}}''' * [[Ottoman Air Force]]

==Specifications (D.V)== [[File:Albatros D.V dwg.jpg|thumb|Official Albatros D.V {{lang|de|Baubeschreibung}} drawing, submitted to {{lang|de|[[IdFlieg]]}}]] {{Aircraft specs |ref= ''German Aircraft of the First World War''<ref name="Gray p52">Gray and Thetford 1970, p. 52.</ref>  |prime units?= met  |genhide=

|prop blade number= 2 |prop name= wooden propeller  |max speed kmh= 186 |endurance= 350 km |ceiling m= 5,700 |climb rate ms= 4.17 |climb rate sigfig= 1 |time to altitude= {{cvt|1,000|m|ft}} in four minutes  |guns= 2 × {{cvt|7.92|mm|in|3}} [[LMG 08/15]] [[machine gun]]s }}

==See also== {{aircontent  |related= |similar aircraft= |lists= * [[List of military aircraft of Germany]] * [[List of fighter aircraft]] |see also= }}

==References== ===Notes=== {{notelist}}

===Citations=== {{Reflist}}

===Bibliography=== * {{cite book |last = Bennett |first = Leon |title = Gunning for the Red Baron |location = College Station, Texas, US |publisher = Texas A&M University Press |date = 2006 |isbn = 1-58544-507-X}} * {{cite book |last = Connors |first = John F. |title = Albatros Fighters in Action |series=Aircraft (No. 46) |location = Carrollton, Texas |publisher = Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc. |date = 1981 |isbn = 0-89747-115-6}} * {{cite book |last1 = Gray |first1 = Peter |first2 = Owen |last2 = Thetford |title = German Aircraft of the First World War |location = London |publisher = Putnam & Company Ltd |date = 1970 |edition = Second |isbn = 0-370-00103-6}} * {{cite book |last = Gray |first = Peter |title = Profile Publications No. 9: Albatros D.V. |location = Leatherhead |publisher = Profile Publications Ltd |date = 1965}} * {{cite book |last1 = Green |first1 = William |first2 = Gordon |last2 = Swanborough |title = The Complete Book of Fighters |location = London, UK |publisher = Salamander Books |date = 1994 |isbn = 0-8317-3939-8}} * {{cite journal |last = Grosz |first = Peter M. |title = The Agile & Aggressive Albatros |journal = Air Enthusiast Quarterly |number = 1 |pages = 36–51 |issn = 0143-5450}} * {{cite book |last = Grosz |first = Peter M. |title = Albatros D.III (Windsock Datafile Special) |location = Berkhamsted, Herts, UK |publisher = Albatros Publications |date = 2003 |isbn = 1-902207-62-9}} * {{cite book |last = Guttman |first = Jon |title = SE 5A vs Albatros D V: Western Front 1917-18 (Duel 20) |location = Oxford, UK |publisher = Osprey Publishing |date = 2009 |isbn = 978-1-84603-471-8}} * {{cite book |last = Herris |first = Jack |title = ''Pfalz Aircraft of World War I'' (Great War Aircraft in Profile, Volume 4) |location =Boulder, Colorado, USA |publisher = Flying Machine Press |date = 2001 |isbn = 1-891268-15-5}} * {{cite book |last = Mikesh |first = Robert C. |title = Albatros D.Va: German Fighter of World War I |location = Washington, D.C. |publisher = Smithsonian Institution Press |date = 1980 |isbn = 0-87474-633-7}} * {{cite book |last1 = Nelcarz |first1 = Bartolomiej |first2 = Robert |last2 = Peczkowski |title = White Eagles: The Aircraft, Men and Operations of the Polish Air Force 1918–1939 |location = Ottringham |publisher = Hikoki Publications |date = 2001 |isbn = 1-902109-73-2}} * {{cite journal |last1 = Neulen |first1 = Hans-Werner |last2 = Cony |first2 = Christophe |name-list-style = amp |title = Les aigles du Kaiser en Terre Sainte |journal = Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire |date = September 2000 |issue = 90 |pages = 38–46 |trans-title = The Kaiser's Eagles in the Holy Land |language = fr |issn = 1243-8650}} * {{cite book |last = Van Wyngarden |first = Greg |title = ''Albatros Aces of World War I'' Part 2 |series=Aircraft of the Aces (No. 77) |location = Oxford |publisher = Osprey|date = 2007 |isbn = 978-1-84603-179-3}}

==External links== {{commons category}} * [http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19500092000 Smithsonian NASM's Albatros D.Va page] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151221083726/http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19500092000 |date=2015-12-21 }} * [https://oldrhinebeck.org/albatros-d-va/ Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome's reproduction Albatros D.Va page]

[[Category:Biplanes]] [[Category:Single-engined tractor aircraft]] [[Category:Sesquiplanes]] [[Category:1910s German fighter aircraft]] [[Category:Albatros aircraft|D.05]] [[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1917]]