Schäfer Albatros DIII

[Romani]

I posted this in the Aeroscale forum, I hope it will attract the attention of DSA so I can contact him for ordering a print of the profile, though it's a bummer since I only want to repaint an old 1/72 kit.


Hello, I am interested in this forgotten ace of Jasta 11 and would like to paint an Albatros as piloted by him. I have the Squadron Signal Albatros book, Osprey Albatros Aces and Jagdgeschwader I Richthofen ... aside from Allmenröder profile, the only info there's on Schäfer airplane are some brief descriptions here and there, and a photo on page 8 of the last book.


I want to do the model after it was painted Jasta 11 red, but I first need to know what was the previous color scheme and how much of it was retained.

The description is "yellow with a black tail" , the yellow being assumed to be the varnished wooden fuselage, and in the photot can be seen the black covers not only the tail but a good portion of the rear fuselage as well.

But here are the oddities:

1) In the tail fin there's a grey area rectangular in outline. It seems this was a "box" left unpainted around the serial number like it was done in other aircraft in occassion.



2) The nose. There's a dark narrow band on it, wich I assume is black, just as the wheelcovers but the rest of the nose and the spinner seem to be painted in another color darker than the light gray of cowling and struts.

No idea of what it could be, but given the trend in Jasta 11 of using regimental facing colors or the like as a distinctive color for trimming (example, Lothar von Richthofen served in Dragoons, and cavalry distinctive color was yellow, hence yellow trim) ... I would guess it has something to do with Schäfer infantry regiment before joining the air service. I am no expert in German uniforms and I haven't found anything going through Osprey books on the German Army but I find Schäfer's small soft cap and dark coat with double rows of buttons quite noteworthy, he almost has a "naval" look furthermore , in his photo in the Aerodrome

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/schafer2.php

he has dark collar patches in his tunic, I guess they were black and that's why Schäfer picked that color for his Albatros. In the JGI book it's mentioned that he was in the infantry, I.

Oh wait, that doesn't give us any clues as to the spinner color...perhaps if we knew his infantry regiment some other color like regimental facings or whatever would be a likely candidate.



Finally, I am assuming that given the descriptions, and the difficulty of overpainting black with red, this same machine conserved this scheme, with the rest of the fuselage , cowling and struts being painted red. I guess wheel covers would be left in black... and the nose... given Voss and Allmenröder examples, I think it was left in its original color.. whatever it was.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Romani:
I responded at the other Forum.
AtJasta 11, his Alb.D.III had a red spinner and the ring cowl painted red. From 200 mm aft of the cockpit, the rear fuselage and empennage were painted black.
At Jasta 28w as Jastaführer, the red was continued back to the black.
The wings were painted in the three color camouflage scheme of dark green,light green and venetian red(rust brown), with the under surfaces light sky blue.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[JFM]

Am I correct in stating these couldn't be the same machine, since Schäfer force-landed practically on top of the British lines 22 April? Surely artillery turned that plane into matchwood. Or, was Schäfer flying a plane other than his normal machine 22 April?

[Dan_San_Abbott]

JFM:
They were most likely two different D.III aircraft.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[josef scott]

In Lance Bronnenkant's new book, The Imperial German Eagles in World War I, there is a great photo of Schäfer, newly arrived in Jasta 28 and wearing his PlM, standing in front of his dark-coloured Alb DIII. The author suggests that Schäfer brought this machine over from Jasta 11 in it's red-nosed, black-tailed colours (he notes a subtle tone demarcation line mid-fuselage).

Pretty much all of the Albatros is visible and it is definitely an early production, central radiator machine. The leading edge of the port side of the top wing (about 4-5 ribs worth) is much darker than the rest of the wing.

In a previous thread (Same D.III?) we had discussed the possibility that the dark fuselaged early DIII with the unpainted wing patch in the familiar Jasta 11 photo was Schäfer's red and black machine.

Perhaps this is the same aircraft with the patch newly painted. The photos would have been taken within a couple of weeks of each other and the planes appear mostly identical.

Interesting that Schäfer would return to his older Albatros after he lost the later DIII.

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Jeff Scott:
After reviewing the line up shot at LaBrayelle Airfield and the photo taken Roucourt Airfield, these two photos are of the same Alb.D.III. It was this Alb.D.III he left on the battlefield. This Alb.D.III was painted red from the spinner to immediately aft of the cockpit and black to and including the empennage.(With the patch on the top surface at the left wing tip.
A second Alb.D.III had the spinner and ring cowl painted red, the plywood fuselage to aft of the cockpit anf black to include the empennage. This is most likely a later version and this is what he probably took with him to Jasta 28w.
I am going to do some more research on this machine in photos taken at Jasta 28w, I'll report back in a day or two with further observations.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

[Dan_San_Abbott]

JFM and Romani:
Here is the senario from what I have just finished studying.
Ltn. Karl-Emil Schäfer had a Alb.D.III with centrally mounted radiator and a serial number range of D.2000/16 to D.2099/16. From Ed Ferko's list on page 79 there are several possibilities.
Based at La Brayelle Airfield.
On 4 April crashed while landing. It appears the left upper wing tip was damaged in this crashed landing.
Ref. photo, top of page 22 of "RICHTHOFEN" by Ed Ferko. The third machine in the row is Ltn. Karl-Emil Schäfer's red and black Alb.D.III with a repair on left upper wing tip.
On 5 April 1917, Alb.D.2233/17 was received at Jasta 11.
This may be the machine pictured on page 18 middle.
The camouflage visible on the leading edge of the wings fits the camouflage pattern of D.2233/16 in my Alb.D.III study.
On 13 April 1917, Ltn. Schäfer is shot down and makes it back to his airfield and lands safely.
On 13 April 1917, Jasta 11 moves to Roucourt Airfield.
The Alb.D.III with a large repair patch has moved to Roucourt Airfield, see photo on bottom left of page 18.
On 22 April 1917, Ltn. Schäfer is shot down and crashes in front of the British lines in in no man's land. He leaves the crashed Alb.D.III and escapes to the German front lines.
We don't know which one was crashed, the first or second machine.
On 27 April 1917, Ltn. Schäfer is transferred to Jasta28w as Jastaführer.
Ref. Cross &Cockade Journal, Great Britain, Vol.11,No.4 1980, page 147 top photo. The caption on the photo identifies the 11 machines being from "Jastas 18 and 28".
While the markings on the 11 Alb.D.III aircraft are not consistant with Jasta 18, they are with Jasta 28w. However, Jasta 28w was never based at Halliun Airfield, the base of Jasta 18. Both of these units were in German
6. Armee, with Jasta28w at Wasquehal Airfield from 26 March to 26 August 1917, and Jasta 18 at Halliun Airfield from26 October 1916 to 12 June 1917.
If it is Jasta 28w photographed at Halliun Airfield, then the Alb.D.III at the far left end of the line, is painted up like the first Alb.D.III. Unfortunately the radiator is not discernable in the photo.
Ltn. Karl-Emil Schäfer was killed in combat on 5 June 1917.
Blue skies,
Dan-San