Development of German fighters

With the initial success of the Albatros D planes, one can understand the lack of R & D prototypes from other German firms in early 1917. No doubt during bloody April Kogenluft thought the DIII design was as good as it gets.

Can anyone comment on other German manufacturer developments at this time? With the Sopwith Triplane, Camel, SE-5 and Bristols fighters coming into the picture, why did the Germans stay with the Albatros design so long?

It has been stated that the Germans were greatly impressed with the Sopwith triplane, enough so to demand prototypes from a number of German manufacturers. Were these the only planes in development throughout the summer of 1917? When did the Siemens biplanes first arrive on the scene? It has been said that the SSW DIV was considered by many to be the finest fighter produced during the war, although I dont believe it came on the scene until late summer 1918. Was the DIII a decent plane? When was it first used in combat?

[Barrett]

I don't have time to search for sources, but I believe the Albatros series was essentially the Bf-109 of WW I. The German air ministry made the decision to concentrate on increased numbers of an available, proven type rather than invest too heavily in new designs, R&D, and inevitable production delays.
The Siemens series began flight testing in June '17 and D.IIIs were ordered in December. However, engine gremlins delayed unit service until April '18 with JG.II receiving the initial batch. Continuing engine and performance problems resulted in withdrawal in favor of D.VIIs until SS D.IIIs reappeared in July. D.IVs subsequently arrived, apparently in smaller numbers, to JG.III, a few of jastas (including MFJs) and KEKs. Total production is listed as 80 D.IIIs and 119 D.IVs.

[Richard_Schrader]

Before the war German aircraft firms copied a lot of their airplanes from other nations, France, mostly. This practice seems to have continued during the war. In 1916 the Germans spent a lot of effort trying to copy the Nieuport.
In 1917 they again tried to copy the Sopwith Tripe. Both of these efforts were less than 100% sucessful. They produced the Albatros D-3, and the Fokker DR-1. Both of these planes had serious wing failure problems.
The Albatros D-1/D-2, the Fokker D-7, and the SS D-3 & D-4 show that given their own ideas, the Germans could come up with some great planes on their own. It is too bad they wasted so much effort on trying to copy some of the Allied planes.

The Germans also had the Pfalz series aircraft. The Pfalz D.III and D.XII were fairly good planes with strong frames and great diving ability. Their maneuverability wasn't as great as some of the British planes, but given enough altitude they could always dive out of a pinch. Comparible perhaps to the P-47 Thunderbolt of World War II.
Pfalz also created a three-winged prototype but the Germans opted for Fokker's version for combat use. If my memory is correct, I believe MvR may have even tested the Pfalz Triplane and did not give it a favorable review.

[Vigilant]

The politics of the German aircraft industry may have played a part. One gets the impression that competition for Government orders was fierce.

MvR was of the opinion that Albatros had corruptly bought influence at the top, and that was why his pilots were saddled with the "lousy" D.V despite its not being much better than the D.III. Tony Fokker may have helped these rumours grow. At any rate he certainly made an effort to cultivate the pilots and aces (with those free 'R and R' parties at the Hotel Bristol in Berlin) and it seems to have paid dividends. Wasn't it pilot pressure that led to the open fighter competition at Adlershof in Jan 1918?

(Which Fokker won.)

For what it's worth, I think the Fokker aircraft that followed the E-series were stunningly mediocre. The early Fokker D-types continued to use wing-warping, and even after Fokker shifted to aileron control his products had poor maneuverability. It's no wonder they were shunted aside in favour of the Albatros types.

[Reinout]

Germany's aircraft builders designed over 500 types during the war. I think up to 30 of them may have been triplanes!

Albatros was good in politics but the DVa was simply mediocre. However, no serious competition was delivered around the time of Albatros' superiority. Fokker was awarded contracts for D-types during 1916 because his E-types had given Germany air domination for a while. The Alb DII did the same, so Alb continued to receive new contracts. Germany had a knack for remaining loyal to designers if they had indeed produced the goods. Besides, no real competition during 1917. Fokker, Roland and Halberstadt fighters of 1916 weren't able to withstand the Western air forces - they were sent to "lesser" fronts. Consequently, these firms for a time held less prestige at the German air organs. It wasn't until the advent of the Fokker V4 that the balance started to shift again.

There are so many companies that have designed fighters, but only a few actully saw some use. The ones mentioned above (and SSW).

Kind regards,

Reinout

The best resource on this subject that I know is the Kroeschel/Stuetzer. It has some 400 types of aircrafts and only lists those that were ordered in at least one plane by the IGF. Unordered Prototypes are not included and are said to be numbering in the thousands.

IMHO the most remarkable constructions are the two-seaters, who were able to fulfill most of their missions against fierce resistance.