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Страна: Германия

Год: 1917

Истребитель

В.Кондратьев Самолеты первой мировой войны

PFALZ D.III/D.IIIa

   После прекращения выпуска моноплана E.IV фирма "Пфальц" более года не занималась постройкой истребителей по собственным проектам. С осени 1916 г. она выпускала по лицензии истребитель "Роланд" D.II.
   Но в начале 1917 г. главный конструктор фирмы Рудольф Герингер, базируясь на конструктивно-силовой схеме "Роланда", создал улучшенную модель истребителя, которую назвали "Пфальц" D.III. Прототип был испытан в июне, а в августе самолет начал поступать в войска. Как и предыдущие модели "Пфальца", D.III направляли, прежде всего, в баварские авиаэскадрильи.
   "Пфальц" D.III представлял собой цельнодеревянный биплан весьма элегантных форм со смешанной обшивкой. Фюзеляж типа полумонокок, выклеенный из шпона с интегрированным килем. Крылья двухлонжеронные с полотняной обшивкой. Двигатель "Мерседес" D.III в 160 л.с. Вооружение - два синхронных пулемета LMG 08/15, размещенные внутри фюзеляжа, под капотом.
   Вскоре появилась модификация D.IIIa. Пулеметы на ней были вынесены наружу и размещены на капоте для лучшего охлаждения и обеспечения возможности устранять неполадки в полете. Кроме того, слегка изменили форму законцовок нижнего крыла и для повышения устойчивости увеличили площадь стабилизатора.
   Всего построено 260 экземпляров D.III (их выпуск прекращен в сентябре 1917-го) и 750 D.IIIa. Пик боевого применения этих машин приходился на апрель 1918 года. Тогда во фронтовых частях их насчитывалось 446 штук. Затем, в связи с прекращением в мае серийного производства, численность "троек" начала быстро сокращаться и к концу августа упала до 169 штук, но отдельные экземпляры прослужили до конца войны.
   "Пфальцы" D.III и D.IIIa, оснащенные менее мощными моторами, чем "Альбатрос" D.V, уступали ему по основным летным характеристикам, но их конструкция была более прочной и выносливой, позволяя круче пикировать и легче переносить боевые повреждения.


МОДИФИКАЦИИ

   D.III; пулеметы под капотом двигателя;

   D.IIIa; пулеметы сверху на капоте, скругленные законцовки крыльев и стабилизатора.


ДВИГАТЕЛЬ: "Мерседес" D.III, 160 л.с.

ВООРУЖЕНИЕ: 2 синхр. LMG 08/15 "Шпандау".


ЛЕТНО-ТЕХНИЧЕСКИЕ ХАРАКТЕРИСТИКИ

   Размах, м 9,40
   Длина, м 6,95
   Площадь крыла, кв.м 22,17
   Сухой вес, кг 689,5
   Взлетный вес, кг 922,0
   Скорость максимальная, км/ч 164
   Время подъема на высоту
   2000 м, мин. сек 7,15
   Потолок, м 5200

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Описание:

  • В.Кондратьев Самолеты первой мировой войны
  • O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)
  • W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters
  • J.Herris Development of German Warplanes in WWI (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 1)
  • J.Herris Pfalz Aircraft of WWI (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 5)
  • M.Dusing German Aviation Industry in WWI. Volume 2 (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 85)
  • A.Jackson British Civil Aircraft since 1919 vol.3 (Putnam)
  • P.Grosz, G.Haddow, P.Shiemer Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One (Flying Machines)
  • Журнал Flight
  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    D.IIIa 1296/18 of Jasta 56. The unit markings of chrome yellow nose and tail with blue-gray fuselage were applied, which are thought to have covered the serial number, with five-color camouflage fabric on the wings and wheel covers.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Richthofen's elite fighter wing, Jagdgeschwader I, was supplied with a number of D.III fighters, the yellow-nosed aircraft of Jasta 10 being particularly well-recorded. The famous Jasta 11 also received a few examples, one of which was 1369/17. This was a fairly early-production machine from the first factory batch, which may explain the unusual white-bordered crosses seen on the fuselage and wings. The unit marking of Jagdstaffel 11 was the red color applied to the nose, struts, and wheel covers. The entire tail was painted white as a personal marking of the unknown pilot, and this was supplemented by an adjacent dark band that may have been black. Otherwise this aircraft bore the standard factory finish.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III 1370/17 is one of the most familiar examples of the type, yet misconceptions about its true coloration remain commonly circulated in many publications. Vzfw. Hecht of Jasta 10 was flying this machine when he was captured behind British lines on 27 December 1917. His aircraft was one of the first two D.IIIs to fall intact into Allied hands, and together with Hegeler's D.III 4184/17 of Jasta 15 (captured on 26 February 1918), it became the subject of detailed technical reports. Official RFC documents on file at the Public Records Office make it clear that 1370/17 was basically finished in typical silbergrau overall. The nose, struts, and wheel covers were painted in Jasta 10 chrome yellow as one would expect. However, the two bands on either side of the fuselage cross, and that on the upper wing, were definitely black. The entire tail unit (with the exception of the national insignia) was painted deep green as a personal marking of the pilot,- Richthofen himself specified that aircraft tail sections were the best spot for personal colors, and several D.IIIs of Jasta 10 were so marked. The green tail is confirmed by original paint on the extant rudder of this aircraft, which is held in storage by the RAF Museum. D.III 1370/17 was given the British Captured Aircraft number G.110. The similarity of the fuselage stripes to those seen in the one poor quality photo of the D.III reportedly flown by Voss has led this author to speculate in the past that Voss' D.III may actually have been 1370/17, in an earlier configuration. This remains an unconfirmed speculation; readers should note that Voss' D.III had only a yellow nose and the black stripes, and did not have a green tail when he flew it.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    D.III of Vzfw. Friedrich Rudenberg of Jasta 10; the nose, struts, and wheel covers were painted in Jasta 10 chrome yellow. The red stripes on the tail and the black band on the fuselage were Rudenberg's personal markings. The rest of this aircraft retained its overall silbergrau factory finish.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III xx71/17 of Lt. Hans Klein of Jasta 10; the nose, struts, and wheel covers were painted in Jasta 10 chrome yellow. The yellow tail and black fuselage stripe were Klein's personal markings. The rest of this aircraft retained its overall silbergrau factory finish.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III 1386/17 of Lt. Alfred Lenz, Staffelfuhrer of Jasta 22. The black stripes on the fuselage were Lenz's personal markings. The rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    The silbergrau (silver-gray) finish of the Pfalz firm's first indigenous design - the D.III - is well-known to enthusiasts. However, a few examples of the first production batch left the factory with upper surfaces in a two-tone camouflage, these color areas having hazy or clouded edges. This application was no doubt inspired by the use of such a finish on the Roland D.II and D.IIa machines that the Pfalz firm had produced under license. The colors used in this camouflage are not recorded, but since dark green and mauve/lilac shades were frequently utilized by other German firms at this period, D.III 1395/17 is illustrated in those colors. Similarly, the lightcolored undersides may have been a pale blue, bluegray, or (most likely) silver-gray as shown. The serial number, weights table and other stenciled data were painted in black over the camouflage colors. This aircraft was eventually assigned to Jasta 10, where it became the subject of several excellent photographs with Lt. Aloys Heldmann; at some point the wheel covers were apparently painted white.

  • В.Кондратьев - Самолеты первой мировой войны

    "Пфальц" D.III, пилот лейтенант Алоиз Хельдман, 1917г.

  • J.Herris - Development of German Warplanes in WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (1)

    Lt. Gustav Bellen of Jasta 10 flew another of the early two-tone camouflaged D.IIIs. Like Heldmann's D.III 1395/17, this aircraft had undersurfaces finished in a light color, most likely silver-gray. The fuselage cross was unusually marked on a white band that encircled the fuselage, and this cross seems to have had a silbergrau border. Whether this unique marking was applied at the factory or at the front is unknown. This D.III may also have borne a partially yellow nose as a Jasta 10 machine, but since the only known photos show the aircraft with its nose buried in the dirt, we have chosen to illustrate it in a factory finish.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III 1397/17 served in Jasta 4 in early 1918. The black spiral band wrapped around the fuselage from nose to tail was the Staffel marking at this time. The individual marking of the unknown pilot was the red tail with white dots. The rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III 1405/17 was assigned to Jasta 32b, one of several Bavarian fighter units to receive Pfalz aircraft. It is believed that the unit marking of the Staffel in late 1917/early 1918 consisted of the black (?) tail unit seen on 1405/17, as well as a white spinner. Note that the circular Pfalz decal on the rudder was not painted over, but carefully left uncovered. The additional black display on the nose and wheel covers, as well as the "L" on the fuselage, were personal decorations of the pilot. The remainder of this D.III retained the usual silver-gray appearance. The pilot of 1405/17 was probably Offz. Stv. Jakob Landin of Jasta 32b, who was later killed in the crash of D.IIIa 5897/17 on 27 February 1918 at Guesnain.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III flown by Lt.d.R. Alfred Wunsch of Jasta 22. The black chevrons on the fuselage were the pilot's personal markings,- the rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of overall silbergrau.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III 4011/17 was flown by Lt. Fritz Hohn of Jasta 21 in the winter of 1917-1918. Once the aircraft reached the Jasta it was marked with the vertical black/white stripe just behind the cockpit, which was the unit marking of this Staffel. The black 'H' and the various red and black stripes were the pilot's personal embellishments. Hohn was beginning to develop his penchant for attacking balloons in this period (at least 10 of his eventual 21 victories would be balloons) and it was believed that the disruptive stripe pattern would break up the outline of the aircraft by an optical effect, thus making it difficult for anti-aircraft gunners to hit. Hohn used similar markings on a later Pfalz D.IIIa and eventually on a Fokker D.VII as well.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    D.III 4056/17 of Jasta 16b. The red heart with arrow on the fuselage and black stripe along the top of the fuselage were the pilot's personal markings. The black spinner and tail were the unit markings, and the rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall.

  • M.Schmeelke - Ballon Hoch /Centennial Perspective/ (91)

    Pfalz D.IIIa, Friedrich Ritter von Roth, Jasta 16b, 28 total victories, 20 balloons. Von Roth was the leading German balloon buster.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III of Jasta 16b flown by Oblt. Friedrich "Fritz" Roth. The black stripe on the fuselage was the pilot's personal marking. The black spinner and tail were the unit markings, and the rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.III of Lt. August Handl, Jasta 16b. The black stripe on the fuselage was the pilot's personal marking. The black spinner and tail were the unit markings, and the rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.IIIa of Jasta 16b. The black stripes on the fuselage were the pilot's personal marking. The black spinner and tail were the unit markings, and the rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall, except the wings were covered in 5-color camouflage fabric.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Lt.d.R. Heinrich Arntzen of Jasta 15 flew Pfalz D.III 4059/17 as a member of Jasta 15 circa January 1918. Arntzen had the fuselage crosses on his Pfalz over-painted with his usual personal emblem, which was based on the Prussian observer's badge. This was a black and white quartering, surrounded with a red border; there were apparently no other special markings on this machine. Arntzen, a former observer, began his career as a Jagdflieger in Jasta 15 and would eventually command Jasta 50, surviving the war with 11 confirmed victories.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Lt.d.R.Rudolf Stark's D.III 4064/17 is one of the best-known and documented Pfalz fighters. In the usual silver-gray finish when it became his first aircraft upon arrival at Jasta 34b, it was soon emblazoned with what would become his standard personal colors. In his classic book Wings of War, Stark wrote: "A Pfalz D.III stands silver-like in the hanger... My identification marks are painted on the machine - a lilac stripe behind the seat and a lilac coat for the propeller bonnet."

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    The depiction and description of Pfalz D.III 4114/17 is somewhat provisional. This aircraft was photographed on two separate occasions, in somewhat different markings. When first photographed, the only special markings it bore were a white tail and nose. Later, when photographed after a landing in which its fuselage was broken, the right side of the tail had been repainted in silver-gray leaving a white border to the rudder cross, while the left side seems to have remained white. Of more significance is the fact that a single spiral band was now seen aft of the cockpit, intersecting with the white-bordered fuselage cross. This band seems to have been part of a 'snake-line' marking, which was for a time part of the unit livery of Kest 8 - thus the attribution of 4114/17 to that unit. Pfalz D.IIIa 4229/17 of Kest 8 bore a very similar but more elaborate snake-line, as did several Albatros fighters of the unit, and it is likely 4114/17 also belonged to that unit. The pilot remains unknown.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    The Marine-Feld Jagdstaffeln were also equipped with the Pfalz D.III and D.IIIa. One of the better-documented examples is D.III 4169/17, in which Flugmaat Armin Undiener of Marine-Feld Jasta II met his death in a crash on 28 January 1918. Undiener's personal marking was the black and white checkered band just behind the fuselage cross, and the aircraft also bore a white tail. The white nose is provisional.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    D.III 4184/17 of Uffz. Hegeler of Jasta 15. The black stripe on the fuselage was Hegeler's personal marking; the rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall.

  • В.Кондратьев - Самолеты первой мировой войны

    Пфальц D.III, пилот - лейтенант Г.Кляйн, зима 1917-1918гг.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    This D.III (serial unknown) was photographed as part of the equipment of Jasta 15, possibly circa February 1918. During this period there was no unit marking for this Staffel but the aircraft were painted with distinctive individual colors and emblems, such as Arntzen's observer's badge seen previously. This particular Pfalz was flown by Lt. Claus von Waldow, as indicated by his personal stylized "N" emblem in a black frame. The significance of this letter remains an enigma, but it probably symbolized a lady friend. In addition, five dark/light bands encircled the rear fuselage,- these have been interpreted as red and white, but this is only speculation. The rest of the airframe retained a standard finish.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Under the command of Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold, Jasta 18 marked its aircraft in accordance with the dress tunic of Berthold's old infantry regiment. The Albatros D.V and Pfalz D.III/IIIa fighters of the Staffel were therefore decorated with red noses and dark blue fuselages and tails. This Pfalz D.III was the first machine assigned to Lt. Hans Burkhard von Buttlar when he arrived at the unit in January 1918. The white man-in-the-moon emblem with its pipe and faint eye marking was his personal marking. The undersides of the fuselage and the tailplane were not painted in the unit colors, but apparently remained in Pfalz silver-gray. The upper surfaces of both wings were also painted in the unit's dark blue, but the undersides retained their silver-gray factory finish. The colors applied to the struts are somewhat speculative.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    This D.IIIa (serial unconfirmed, but probably in the 42XX/18 range) served in Jasta 4, one of the component units of Jagdgeschwader I, in early 1918. The black spiral band wrapped around the fuselage from nose to tail was the Staffel marking at this time. The black chord-wise stripes on the factory finish silver tail were identification markings of the unknown pilot. The markings on the tailplane have previously been illustrated as broad black bands applied spanwise, but it is now certain that they were narrow black chord-wise stripes as shown in the scrap view. The rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.IIIa 5855/17 was flown by Vzfw. Josef Schaefer of Jasta 16b in the winter/spring of 1918. Very similar in many respects to Max Holtzem's D.IIIa of the same Jagdstaffel, this Pfalz exhibited the black tail unit marking of Bavarian Jasta 16, and personal markings of black stripes - which were a popular choice in this Staffel. Note that the stripes are just ever so slightly off-vertical, angling forward from bottom to top just a bit. A silver-gray border was carefully retained around the iron cross border on the fuselage, and the rudder cross bore a white border. It is possible that this machine also had a black spinner (difficult to see in the photo) as did other Pfalz of the unit. A rack of flare cartridges was affixed to the port fuselage side ahead of the cockpit.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    The beautiful D.IIIa of Vzfw. Max Holtzem of Jasta 16b (serial unknown) must certainly rank as one of the most elegantly decorated Pfalz fighters of the war. Documented in three blemished photographs and the pilot's own recollections, it nonetheless presents some problems in interpretation. The black tail section was the Jasta 16b unit marking in April 1918, along with (probably) a black spinner. The vertical black stripes and the carefully-delineated black/white comet were Holtzem's personal markings. In later years Holtzem said, "My symbol, the comet, was the guardian-angel who flew with me. This was my dear mother who I had lost when I was 9 years old... It was elaborated very nice(ly) in black and white over the silver fuselage of my Pfalz D.III (sic)". By April 1918, all national insignia on this machine had been converted to the early Balkenkreuz form with complete white borders in all locations. One of the photos indicates that there was some kind of eight-pointed star marking on the top wing, similar to that in the comet emblem, but apparently a single color (black?). This is tentatively illustrated in the scrap view. Curiously, Holtzem's aircraft also had the usual exhaust manifold removed, and six straight exhaust pipes fitted to the engine.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.IIIa 5947/17 is a less flamboyant but attractive example of the Pfalz aircraft of Jasta 30. This machine also bore the unit's diamond marking on fuselage, tail and (probably) upper wing center section. Personal embellishment included a black chevron marking which swept back along the fuselage to the leading edge of the tailplane, and a black outline to all tail surfaces.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Hans-Joachim Buddecke, the third ace to win the Pour le Merite, flew D.IIIa 5983/17 during his brief service in Jasta 30 in 1918. He had won early fame as a Fokker Eindecker pilot, achieving most of his victories flying in Turkish service in the Dardanelles campaign. Buddecke was transferred to Jasta 30 on 15 February 1918 after his second tour of duty in Turkey, apparently so that he could acclimatize himself to the much more intense tempo of aerial warfare over the Western Front. He achieved his 13th and last victory on 19 February, downing a Sopwith Camel of No. 80 Squadron; on 8 March he was transferred to the unit of his old friend Rudolf Berthold (who was still recovering from a serious arm wound) to lead the unit in the air, but only two days later he was killed in action. His Jasta 30 Pfalz was emblazoned with an unusual emblem around the fuselage insignia, which is thought to have been a highly stylized 'heart' in black. Apparently the orange diamond unit marking which is so identified with Jasta 30 Pfalz fighters had not yet been instituted when the photo of this D.IIIa was taken. The rest of the machine was the typical silver-gray overall.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Pfalz D.IIIa 8033/17 came down behind French lines on 27 March 1918 and became the subject of several photographs when it was on display in the town square of Nancy. It was probably flown by Offz. Stv. Schuschke of Jasta 64w, a Wurttemberg unit, who is recorded as having been taken POW on that date. The four vertical dark stripes on the fuselage were probably black, and most likely personal decor. Two-color broad stripes are just discernible on the upper surface of the tailplane in one photo, and Allied intelligence reports mention that Jasta 64w carried 'red and black' stripes on the tail as unit markings - those being the colors of Wurttemberg. Judging from another photo, however, on this machine only the black stripes were applied to the underside of the tail, the rest remaining in the factory finish silver-gray.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Vzfw. Jakob Pollinger of Jasta 77b reportedly ran out of fuel and landed behind British lines near Bourney, where his D.IIIa 8284/17 was captured in completely intact condition on 30 May 1918. The Pfalz was assigned number G/5 Bde/13 by the British. Reports on this machine indicate it had a blue tail, including the fin but not the rudder (this being the unit markings of Jasta 77b), a blue spinner, and a black swastika as the pilot's individual marking. The rudder was white as a background for the early style of Balkenkreuz, and the cross on the fuselage had a white border. Both wings were covered in five-color lozenge fabric, and photos show that the national insignia on the wings remained in their iron cross form (with white outlines) at the date the machine was captured. The color profile shows 8284/17 in its original German markings at the moment it was captured; these were soon overpainted with British rudder stripes and roundels.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Unfortunately, very little is known about the origin of this interesting D.IIIa, which may have been 8304/17. It appears in a photo of derelict aircraft fuselages in the late A.E. Ferko's files now held in the History of Aviation Collection, University of Texas, Dallas. This unidentified machine bore a shield marking painted over the fuselage cross, displaying a black (?) cross on a white background - a typical emblem of the medieval Teutonic Knights. Two crossed swords were painted 'behind' the shield. The colors of this insignia as illustrated remain provisional. Though the wings are missing from the aircraft in the photo, they were possibly covered in five-color fabric on a D.IIIa this late in the production sequence. The rudder displayed a late Balkenkreuz, and the earlier iron cross remained visible through the paint used to convert the insignia.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    This unique black Pfalz D.IIIa was flown by Lt.d.R. Carl Degelow, most likely when he served in Jasta 7. It is based on two photos, one a familiar crash photo which may date to 23 March 1918; on that date the commander of Jasta 7, Josef Jacobs, recorded in his diary that, "Upon landing Lt. Degelow raced against a 30 kph wind, machine turned over, he remained completely unhurt". Whatever the details of the crash, Degelow's machine displayed the black color of Jasta 7, which was by this time generally applied to the entire fuselage, empennage, and sometimes the wings as shown here. The black finish was definitely applied to the undercarriage and apparently to the struts and all wing surfaces. Degelow's personal symbol of the white stag was closely based on the commercial logo of Dr. Lahmann's sanatorium in Weisse Hirsch near Dresden, where he had spent time recovering from a wound. The stag was in silvery-white with black details and golden yellow antlers.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Hauptmann Rudolf Berthold, the so-called 'Iron Knight', was the formidable - even fanatical - commander of Jagdgeschwader II when he flew this famous D.IIIa marked in the dark blue and red colors of his Jasta 15. Seen in a line-up photo taken at Balatre in April 1918, the Pfalz had dark blue applied to the fuselage and upper surfaces of both wings. Most prior depictions of this aircraft have shown the demarcation between the red nose and dark blue as being at the mid-cockpit area, but inspection of the photo reveals this was actually at the rear cabane strut, as it was on all the other Jasta 18/15 Pfalz D.III and D.IIIa aircraft illustrated in this book. Berthold's classic white winged sword emblem appeared aft of the cockpit, though in a slightly different form from that seen on his later Fokker D.VII. The initial style of Balkenkreuz was in use when this D.IIIa was photographed, a period when Berthold was still recovering from grievous wounds. The extent of his combat flying in this machine, given his limited physical abilities at this time, remains a moot point.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    This Jasta 18 Pfalz D.IIIa displayed the characteristic red and dark blue markings initiated by Berthold. This machine in fact was the same aircraft as seen in profile 33, which illustrates the markings used when it was flown by Gefreiter Hitschler. Once Hitschler was transferred to Jasta 57 in late January 1918, this D.IIIa was taken over by Lt. von Buttlar, who referred to it as "My Pfalz D.IIIa" in his album. At some unknown later date, the five white stripes were painted over with a dark color (shown as red here based on the prominent red in his coat of arms) and von Buttlar's emblem of a white hunting horn was superimposed on the dark band. The yellow details of this horn emblem are provisional, again based on his coat of arms. This aircraft was flown operationally without a spinner.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    This Pfalz D.IIIa displayed the red and dark blue colors of Berthold's Jasta 18 on the fuselage and upper surfaces of both wings and the tail. The dark blue painting necessitated white borders for the national insignia on the upper wing and rudder, which are unusually thick in this case. Again, the under surfaces and wheel covers were probably left in factory silbergrau finish. It is believed that the five vertical white stripes were the personal emblem of Gefreiter Hitschler, who was transferred to Jasta 57 in late January 1918, leaving his Pfalz fighter behind. This Pfalz seems to have been flown without its spinner for most of its operational career. Perhaps most noteworthy is the fact that this machine was something of a hybrid: it had the D.IIIa gun placement and tailplane, but was still fitted with the angular lower wing tips of the D.III.

  • M.Schmeelke - Ballon Hoch /Centennial Perspective/ (91)

    Lt. Eugen Siempelkamp, Pfalz D.IIIa, Jagdstaffel 29, Late Spring - early Summer 1918.

  • M.Schmeelke - Ballon Hoch /Centennial Perspective/ (91)

    Pfalz D.IIIa, Lt. Erich Lowenhardt, Jasta 10, 54 total victories, 9 balloons

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    In general the factory finish of the Pfalz D.IIIa was similar to that of the D.III, except that later production examples of the D.IIIa had their wings, elevators, wheel covers, and rudders covered in five-color printed camouflage ('lozenge') fabric. One of these was this spectacularly decorated aircraft of Jasta 30. The unit marking applied to the Pfalz fighters of this Jasta consisted of a yellowish-orange diamond with black border, and this was painted on both fuselage sides, both upper and under surfaces of the tailplane, and (usually) on the upper surface of the top wing center section. Research by German historians indicates the two-color longitudinal stripes were white and a medium shade of gray called Mausgrau (mouse-gray) as illustrated; the tail surfaces were in white, outlined with black. The commander of Jasta 30, Oblt. Hans Bethge, flew this machine in February/March 1918 with conventional iron cross national insignia. After Bethge was killed on 17 March in a different D.IIIa (5888/17), this machine was apparently taken over by Lt. Erich Kaus. It would soon have its crosses converted to the initial form of Balkenkreuz in obedience to an Idflieg order also dated 17 March 1918. Kaus is believed to have flown this aircraft through April/May 1918.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    This colorful Pfalz D.IIIa was taken over by American occupation forces in Koblenz in 1919, and became the subject of numerous photos and even a brief bit of motion picture film; by that time the aircraft was considerably worn and dirtied, and had undergone several markings changes. The diagonal black and white stripes on the tailplane and elevators mark it as a veteran of Jasta 37, which also featured black fuselages for a period as seen on this Pfalz. The unknown pilot's personal marking was a white-bordered dark band adjacent to the cockpit; this band is shown as red, but it may also simply have been black. When photographed in 1919, this machine bore the number '23' in large black characters on a white panel on the fuselage, and also on the underside of the starboard lower wing. These numbers almost certainly indicate that after service in Jasta 37 the machine was transferred to a Jastaschule, where it saw further wear and tear. The tip of the previous Balkenkreuz insignia on the fuselage can be made out ahead of the white panel. The machine is illustrated as it may have appeared in its final days in Jasta 37, without the '23' markings. The upper wing appears to have been covered in five-color printed camouflage fabric, but the lower wing appears lighter (silbergrau?) in the photos; perhaps the lower wing was replaced during the machine's service in a fighter school.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Jasta 58 had at least one or two examples of the Pfalz D.IIIa on its strength in mid-1918. The illustration of the D.IIIa (serial number and pilot unknown) is based on a photo that is none too clear, and remains conditional. The unit marking Jasta 58 carried on its Albatros and Pfalz fighters consisted of a lengthwise black stripe from nose to tail, generally with vertical black stripes wrapped around the fore and aft ends of the horizontal stripe. This was commonly supplemented by a white spinner. In the case of the D.IIIa shown here, the pilot's individual marking was made up of the two vertical stripes just aft of the cockpit; these seem to be a bit lighter than the black unit stripe and have been interpreted as red - which is only speculation. The rudder seems to have been white as well, and five-color lozenge fabric was employed on the wings and probably the elevator. The ultimate style of Balkenkreuz insignia is seen on the fuselage and rudder.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    Vzfw. Karl Gerster, a two-victory pilot of Jasta 62, was photographed in front of a dark-painted D.IIIa that is interpreted here. According to the French interrogation of Jasta 62 POW Vzfw. Stadley (taken prisoner on 27 June 1918, along with his Albatros D.Va 7258/17), the unit marking of this Staffel was a black fuselage with a red cowling, and these colors are shown on Gerster's D.IIIa as illustrated. Most of the fuselage and tail unit were probably black, while the spinner and metal cowling panels appear to have been red. The wings are provisionally illustrated as covered in five-color lozenge fabric.

  • J.Herris - Pfalz Aircraft of WWI /Centennial Perspective/ (5)

    D.IIIa of a Marine Feld Jasta. The black diamond on the fuselage was the pilot's personal marking; the yellow (?) nose, wheel covers, and tail stripe were the unit markings, and the rest of this aircraft retained its factory finish of silbergrau overall. Interestingly, there is no cross on the tail.