Albatros D.I

From Wings of Linen
Albatros D.I
Role Fighter
Manufacturer Albatros
Designer Robert Thelen [1]
First flight June 1916
Introduction Aug 1916
Primary user Germany
Number built 50
Wingspan 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in)[2][3] to 8.64 m (28 ft 4 in)[4]
Engine 160hp Mercedes D.III inline
Armament 2×sync. fixed LMG08/15
Ammo 1000 rounds[5]
Crew 1
Max Speed 175 km/h (109 mph) [2][3][6][4]
Climb 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in 6:00[2][3] or 4:00[2]
2,000 m (6,560 ft) in 9:10[4]-10:00[2]
3,000 m (9,840 ft) in 15:25[4]-19:00[2]
Ceiling 5,200 m (17,000 ft)[2][4]
Endurance 1:30 [2][3]

When the Albatros D.I and Albatros D.II fighters arrived at the front in late August 1916, they gave Germany a distinct advantage: a strong, high-power fighter with twin guns. Albatros engineers had been working on the two fighters since April, and Idflieg ordered a batch of fifty for each plane. The D.I had a higher wing, and that obscured the front-upward vision of the pilot. With the view from the D.II cockpit proving superior, no further D.I orders followed, and production shifted to the very similar D.II with its lower top wing, and eventually the D.III. The fifty D.Is and their D.II brothers certainly made an impact.

For more information, see Wikipedia:Albatros D.I.

Timeline [note 1]

Game Data

Wings of Glory

Unofficial Stats
Availability Maneuver Damage Dmg Points Max Alt. Climb
16Q3-17Q4 V A 14 11 5

Plane and Crew Cards

Card Links

Miniatures and Models

1:144 Scale

1:200 Scale

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

Resources

Orthographic Drawings

References

Notes
  1. German numbers are from bi-monthly Frontbestand records (Effective Frontline Strength).[7]
  2. Updated card
Citations
  1. Angelucci, p.54.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Gray'87, p.44.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Gray'66, p.12.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Lamberton, pp.218-219.
  5. Kelly, p.230.
  6. Grosz'03, p.40.
  7. Grosz'85, p.60 and Grosz'86, p.66.
Bibliography
  • Peter Gray and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. Great Britain, Putnam, 1962, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-809-7.
  • Peter L. Gray, Profile Publications 127: The Albatros DI-DIII. Great Britain: Profile Publications, Ltd., 1966.
  • Peter M. Grosz, "Archiv -- Frontbestand". WW1 Aero, № 107, Dec 1985 and № 108, Feb 1986. Poughkeepsie, NY: World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.
  • Kevin Kelly, "Belts and Drums: A Survey of First World War Aircraft Ammunition Totals". Over the Front, Vol. 5, No. 3, Autumn 1990. Walsworth Publishing Co, Inc. and The League of World War I Aviation Historians.
  • W.M. Lamberton and E.F. Cheesman, Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Great Britain: Harleyford Publications Limited, 1960.
  • P.M. Grosz, Windsock Datafile 100: Albatros D.I/D.II. Great Britain: Albatros Publications, Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-902207-55-6
  • James F. Miller, Albatros D.I-D.II, Air Vanguard 5. Great Britain: Osprey Publishing, Ltd., 2012. ISBN 978-1-78096-599-4
  • Bruno Schmäling & Jörn Lecksheid. Jasta Colors, Volume 2. USA: Aeronaut Books, 2023. ISBN 978-1-953201-01-0