M.Schmeelke Zeppelin-Lindau Aircraft of WW1 (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 42)

Metal Aircraft for the Army

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  Although Dornier's foray into ground-based aircraft construction with the V1 seemed to hold little promise of success, Colsman continued to seek out orders from the army air corps. IdFlieg, responsible for these purchases along with the aircraft maintenance department, had until 1915, purchased aircraft and engines as cheap as possible following requests from the troops. The fact that the war dragged on, as well as the raw material shortage toward the end of 1915, forced the authorities to reduce the open competition. A Beschaffungs-Abteilung ("Acquisition department") decided on the distribution of raw materials, and the construction of aircraft and engine models based on the wishes of the air corps. The maintenance works were led by Captain Wagenfuhr.
  After Colman's presentation to Wagenfuhr in Adlershof in the late summer of 1916, IdFlieg ordered the subsidiary of LZ in Staaken to build a combat aircraft. This prototype, at the suggestion of IdFlieg, was to be built similar to an Albatros, but constructed of metal. The Albatros D.I, from the Albatros Werke GmbH, had been delivered to the air corps form August 1916. It was with this aircraft, especially with the later models D.II and D.III, that Germany was able to regain air superiority over the western front by Summer 1917.
  The Project D-type aircraft was prepared in Staaken, and two test aircraft were built in 1917. The completion of the biplane in wood with free-standing wings was delayed because IdFlieg could not decide on which engine would be used. Then the leadership of LZ made a substantive decision: Small aircraft such as the C and D types were to be built in Reutin only. The hangars in Staaken (airplane and airship hangars) were working to absolute capacity on the airships and R-aircraft. Colsman would not endanger the parts of LZ that were still making good money. After the orders for airships drastically declined in August 1917, the army stopped using airships completely and the navy also reduced their reliance on the craft, production capacity in Staaken once again lay dormant. In order to make use of this free space as fast as possible, IdFlieg assigned the airship hangar repair contracts for 100 C and 20 G airplanes. In addition, the LZ hangar in Potstam took over the upgrading of tank pans for the infantry aircraft Junkers J.4 from the Junkers-Fokker-Werke. In 1918, Maybach Motorenwerke established a subsidiary for the Mb IVa in the Potsdam facility.
  In February 1918 both Staaken hangers merged to form Zeppelin-Werke GmbH Staaken. The completion of the D-aircraft had been severely delayed due to LZ's overall planning problems as reported in the annual report of the Staaken facility. Company strategy changed yet again in October 1917. Now smaller aircraft were to be built in Lindau as well as in Staaken. After this, D-aircraft would once again be completed in Staaken. The wooden prototypes would be made of metal when the aircraft went into series production.
  But Claude Dornier immediately recognized that this design would not be suitable for execution in metal. This shows how far ahead his thinking was regarding aircraft construction. Baumann's designs, which were easily carried out in wood, could in no way be realized in metal at this point in time.
  Dornier's competing design for a fighter aircraft, the D.I, was very different from Bauman's drafts, and was a precursor to the aircraft designs we would see in the 1920's.