Pfalz D.XII

Orders for the Pfalz D.XII were placed in the summer of 1918 as insurance against shortages of the hugely-popular Fokker D.VII. When it first arrived at the front, pilots viewed it as inferior, but in combat it was the D.VII's equal and faster in a dive. With ground crews it was less popular since it was at two-bay conventionally-rigged aeroplane requiring more fine-tuning than a D.VII.

It was originally scheduled for arrival at the Front in April 1918, but cooling problems forced revisions to the radiator and it was not until the second half of June that deliveries commenced.

Like the Pfalz D.III, the fuselage was formed of wrapped plywood, making it quite strong at the expense of extra weight. German tactics had been evolving into 1918, and flight speed and dive speed were given increasing attention, the latter at which the D.XII shined. In fact, in a dive the D.XII was one of the fastest planes for all combatants.

Just as the Fokker D.VII was much improved with the BMW IIIa engine, the Pfalz D.XII also saw marked improvement. The D.VII had captured the lion's share of attention, though, and most BMWs went toward Fokker D.VII use.

Pilots found the D.XII strong and just as fast as the Fokker D.VII (better in a dive), but "in turns and combat it could not compare with the Fokkers".

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