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Pfalz D.III

1917 WORLD WAR 1

History

The Pfalz D.III was an extraordinary aircraft mass-produced in Bavaria for the Bavarian Army; later the Reich Luftwaffe. The D.III biplane was an agile fighter jet capable of high-speed dive attacks and adept at attacking Allied reconnaissance balloons and aircraft.

Two 7.92mm machine guns complemented the system well, and production continued to increase until 1918.

The Bavarian army first got the acclaimed Pfalz D.III, because control of the factory was Bavarian from the start. Ultimately, the German pilots would receive these units and play a role on the Western Front, although they appeared in large numbers, too few and too late to affect the outcome of the war.

The success of the Pfalz D.III system spawned variants and an improved offshoot of the Pfalz D. XII base system, which reconfigured the radiator closer to the engine and had other small performance improvements.

Specification

Basic

Year:

1917

Status:

Retired, out of service

Staff:

Production

[600 units]:

Pfalz Flugzeug-Werke GmbH - Germany

Roles

- Fighter

Dimensions

Length:

22.80 ft (6.95 m)

Width:

9.4m

Height:

8.76 ft (2.67 m)

Weight

Curb Weight:

695 kg

MTOW:

935 kg

(difference: +529lb)

Performance

1 x Mercedes D.III 160hp inline 6-cylinder liquid-cooled engine driving a twin-blade propeller unit in the nose.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

103 mph (165 km/h; 89 knots)

Service Limit:

16,995 ft (5,180 m; 3.22 mi)

Rate of climb:

250 m/min

Armor

Default:

2 x 7.92mm LMG 08/15 Spandau machine guns

Changes

D. III - Designation of Basic Production Models

D.IIIa - repositioned guns on upper decks to help pilots clear gun jams; minor changes to horizontal stabilizers and wingtips; released November 1917; at least 430 copies made.

D.XII - Evolution of D.III with reconfiguration of radiator position; improved engine performance.