Pfalz D VIII

[leo]

Dan-San mentioned the Pfalz D VII and DVIII in the thread concerning the D XII. It was also mentined as being on the cover of The Flying Machine Press book on Pfalz aircraft. I have read where Pfalz had been awarded a contracy for 200 of these rotary engined fighters. What information is there on this fighter? How many were built and where and by whom were they used?

Thank you.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Leo:
Idflieg ordered 120 of these very good fighters, Pfalz D.VIII 100-119/18. They were used in small numbers by several Jasta, Jasta Boelcke by Ltn Paul Bäumer, Ltn. H. Auffahrt and several others in Jasta 29, Jasta 56, Jasta 90 (Kest 1A) to name a few.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Cigogne]

Also, according to Windsock magazine, an original Pfalz D.VIII is being restored!

[Craig]

So glad there remains a D.VIII to be restored, but it only reinforces my Perma-Pout that there isn't even ONE Pfalz D.III or D.IIIa out of a THOUSAND left to make all shiny!

That said, the D.VIII was a good machine. equal to the SSW D.III/IV in all respects, save maneuverability.
Or, so I read. It's not like I was there, or anything . . . .

[chip55]

Hello
The Pfalz DVIII is another favorite of mine, The only existing model I know of it is by Tom's Model Works.
According to info I have on it the DVIII was released with 3 different engines the Quantitiy wasn't mentioned as to which.

160 Goebel, GoeIII * * *
160 Siemans ShIII,
145 Oberursel UrIII
It's In *"Pfalz *First detailed story of the company and it's famous planes" By Peter Grosz and Egon Krueger

I'm sure, as I have found out, much info in it has been found inaccurate.

I e-mailed a couple of pics to you Leo I hope they turn out, maybe you already have them.
I hope you don't mind.

be well

chip55

[leo]

Thanks guys and thank you Chip. I got the pictures. The DVIII looked right as they used to say. I wonder if the Pfalz works were used up to their capacity by Germsny.

[chip55]

Hello
Leo, According to The mentioned book, The Pfalz factory was oiginally supposed to produce *Albatros aircraft in Bavaria but didn't have the capital to do so. They produced the Otto pusher and The Roland DI and DII 1916-17 as well as a licensed copies of the Morane Saulnier (Pfalz A-1) in 1914. A fokker copy? *E series 1915-16. Before doing their own design. DIII?

hope I got this right.

be well
chip55

[ONEALM]

Leo -
The Pfalz D.III is on the front cover of the FMP Pfalz book - maybe they meant the rear cover profiles. It also shows up on the FMP DeHavilland front cover attacking a formation of IAF DH-9's.......
Best,
Mike

[Hans]

Chipp, may I draw your attention to some details concerning the Pfalz factory?

You wrote:
"According to The mentioned book, The Pfalz factory was oiginally supposed to produce Albatros aircraft in Bavaria but didn't have the capital to do so. They produced the Otto pusher and The Roland DI and DII 1916-17 as well as a licensed copies of the Morane Saulnier (Pfalz A-1) in 1914. A fokker copy? E series 1915-16. Before doing their own design. DIII?"

The Pfalz factory was located in Speyer at the Rhine. As the name says in was in the Pfalz (Palatinate), not Bavaria. Due do Wittelsbach family it was under the reign of the bavarian King, but it's a 200 km away from 'Bavaria'. Nowadays it's called Rheinland-Pfalz. The factory building still exists. It houses a technical museum with aircraft, trains and a U-boat.

The Pfalz factory started with Otto licence built a/c. The Moranes Parasol ( A.I) and Monoplanes ( E.I /II ) were built under the Morane licence. No Fokker copies! Usually it's said otherwise round, but that's a myth also. The Fokker E-type may be inspired by the Moranes, but the were constructed from welded steel tubing. The Moranes were purely wood constructions. BTW, the Pfalz factory paid all licence fees after the war, for every built a/c.
When it was clear that the Morane/Pfalz E-types were obsolete, Pfalz had to built LFG/Roland D.II from which they learned the fuselage construction method of laying wood strips in moulds ( female moulds, IMHO). And this was the beginning of the Pfalz D.III....

[chip55]

Hello
Hans, Thank you for pointing out my miscommunication. *:-[

The book reads:
"At first, it was the intention of Pfalz to aquire license rights from the Albatros firm for the production of those aircraft in (for? sic) Bavaria, but negotiations fell through at the last moment because Pfalz did not have sufficient capital. At the instigation of the Bavarian Flying Service, Pfalz aquired a license from Otto to build the Otto biplane pusher and Gustav Otto participated financially and assisted in the new company's business affairs. *As a matter of fact Pfalz did not produce an aircraft of it's own design until 1917, even then it's first "homegrown" design the Pfalz DIII leaned heavily on foreign practice.
A modern factory was erected in Speyer. on the Rhine, in the vicinity of Mannheim.
Realizing that the Otto pusher was much inferior to the contemperary French machines, Albert Eversbusch managed to secure a license from Morane Saulnier in early 1914 to construct the well known and highly regarded Morane monoplane(type H) and the parasol (type L)."
I was speculating about the Fokker copies that's why i added the (?) behind it.
Like I have mentioned much of this older text has been proven to be inaccurate.

Thank you again for the clarification Hans

Be well

chip55 *;D