O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)

Pfalz D XV
   Last of the Pfalz single-seaters was the D XV, which was officially type tested on 4th November 1918. It departed from previous practice in having the ply-skinned fuselage slung between the wings and all flying and landing wires deleted. The Inter-Allied Control Commission tabulation on the Pfalz-Werke credits 180 of these aircraft being built, but the figure seems not to have been substantiated. It seems likely that this was the number initially projected. Both 180 h.p. Mercedes D IIIa and 185 h.p. B.M.W. IIIa engined versions existed. Span, 8.6 m. (28 ft. 2 5/8 in.). Length, 6.5 m. (21 ft. 4 in.). Height, 2.7 m. (8 ft. 10 1/4 in.). Weights: Empty, 745 kg. (1,693 lb.), Merc; 738 kg. (1,624 lb.), B.M.W. Loaded, 925 kg. (2,035 lb.), Merc; 918 kg. (2,020 lb.), B.M.W. Speed, ca. 200 km.hr. (125 m.p.h.). Climb, 1,000 m. (3,280 ft.) in 2 min., 6,000 m. (19,680 ft.) in 22.2 min. Armament, twin Spandau machine-guns.

W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters

PFALZ D XV Germany

   Certainly one of the last, if not the last, single-seat fighter to be accepted for production in Germany during World War I - having completed its Typen-Prufung on 4 November 1918, a few days before the Armistice - the D XV participated in the third D-type Competition in October 1918. Departing from previous Pfalz practice in having the fuselage suspended between the single-bay wings and all flying and landing wires deleted, the D XV was developed during the summer of 1918, and flew in D XVf and D XV(Spezial) versions in the competition. The former had unbalanced ailerons and the latter had balanced ailerons which were adopted for the series version, both having the 185 hp BMW IIIa engine, although the Daimler D IIIa of 180 hp could also be fitted. The D XV was highly manoeuvrable and possessed a good performance, but was allegedly tail heavy and difficult to land. Too late to see operational service, several series D XVs were completed and Allied inspection teams found 74 finished D XV fuselages at the Pfalz Flugzeug-Werke in September 1919.

Max speed, 126 mph (203 km/h).
Time to 3,280 ft (1000 m), 2.0 min.
Endurance, 1.5 hrs.
Empty weight, 1,627 lb (738 kg).
Loaded weight, 2,024 lb (918 kg).
Span, 28 ft 2 2/3 in (8,60 m).
Length, 21 ft 3 9/10 in (6,50 m).
Height, 8 ft 10 1/3 in (2,70 m).
Wing area, 215.28 sqft (20,00 m2).

J.Herris Pfalz Aircraft of WWI (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 5)

Pfalz D.XV

   The Pfalz D.XV was the ultimate Pfalz fighter design. The new design was clearly evolved from the D.XII, yet was strongly influenced by the exceptional Fokker D.VII. The D.XV wings were thicker than previous Pfalz designs, although not as thick as Fokker D.VII wings, and featured single bays. Early prototypes had minimum wire bracing, but the design was finally developed through a number of prototypes to a wireless wing like the Fokker D.VII.
   The production Pfalz D.XV was a fast, maneuverable fighter that the Germans considered the equal of the Fokker D.VII, which was high praise considering the Fokker D.VII was probably the best operational fighter of WWI. Powered, like the best D.VIIs, by the 185 hp BMW D.IIIa engine, the D.XV demonstrated an excellent climb rate. Production started in October 1918, and the Typenprufung was formally completed on November 4, 1918, a week before the Great War ended. Apparently some production aircraft reached supply depots [flugparks) before the war ended, but had not been delivered to operational units.
   The Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrtruppe was also interested in the Pfalz D.XV and planned license production,- these plans were cancelled with the armistice. When the war ended, so did Pfalz's chance to finally step from the shadow of Fokker and make a solid reputation for itself with the excellent Pfalz D.XV.


Pfalz D.XV Specifications
Engine: 185 hp BMW.IIIa
Wing: Span Upper 8.60 m
Span Lower 7.20 m
Chord Upper 1.45 m
Chord Lower 1.20 m
Stagger 0.36 m
Area 20 sq m
General: Length 6.50 m
Height 2.70 m
Empty Weight 738 kg
Loaded Weight 928 kg
Maximum Speed: 200 kmh
Climb: 1000m 2 min
2000m 5 min
3000m 8 min
4000m 11.5 min
5000m 16 min
6000m 22.5 min

P.Grosz, G.Haddow, P.Shiemer Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One

Pfalz D.XV

  A Pfalz proposal, submitted to the LFT in March 1918, to install a 225 hp Daimler engine in the new Pfalz D.XII fighter was held in abeyance because Pfalz engineers became fully engaged solving the hot weather radiator problem that delayed the introduction of the D.XII by several months. On 27 August 1918, the LFT approved the purchase of two Pfalz D.XII fighters, and one 225 hp Daimler engine was shipped to Speyer for installation, but there is no record of a Daimler-engined D.XII being flight-tested. By the time the War Ministry got around to issuing the formal purchase approval on 3 October 1918, the new Pfalz D.XV fighter had superceded the D.XII and the purchase order was changed accordingly. At Armistice the order was cancelled, as was the program for WKF to build 12 Pfalz D.XV fighters in February and March 1919.