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Just after its combat debut, one of the sleek new Albatros D.III fighters
experienced a cracked wing spar, forcing the pilot to land in open country.
Manfred von Richthofen, the 'Red Baron' himself, was lucky to avoid
complete structural failure, unlike several other experienced German airmen.
As a result of numerous wing failures, restrictions were put on the diving
speed of the D.III, which was hardly satisfactory for a high-performance
combat aircraft. The cause was the weakness of the V-strut supporting the
lower wing, which permitted twisting under load. Another serious fault was
that the radiator was located under the centre of the top wing where any battle
damage would cause the pilot to be sprayed with boiling water. The radiator
was moved to one side for this reason, but still presented some hazard.
Jim Winchester "The World's Worst Aircraft", 2005
| CREW | 1 |
| ENGINE | 1 x 160hp Mercedes D.IIIa piston engine |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 886 kg | 1953 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 9.05 m | 29 ft 8 in |
| Length | 7.33 m | 24 ft 1 in |
| Height | 2.98 m | 9 ft 9 in |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 175 km/h | 109 mph |
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COMPANY
PROFILE
FACTS AND FIGURES© The radiator for the water-cooled
engine was inset into the upper
wing. It was well sited to avoid
battle damage, but if it occurred
the pilot risked a scalding. © The D.III was a sesquipiane, with
a lower wing of the same span as
the top one, but half the chord.
The two wings were joined by
V-shaped struts. Unfortunately,
the single lower joint allowed the
lower wing to twist in flight. © The later D.V married the D.III's
wing and tailplane to a new fuselage
and fin. Of course this just transferred
the structural problems to the new
type. These were not corrected until
the strengthened D.Va model.
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