I’m going to try and start a weekly series that talks about the history of aviation, and highlights a certain aircraft each week. This week will be the Albatross D.III
The Albatros D.III was a biplane fighter aircraft used by the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) during World War I.
Many famous aces(five victories in the air) flew it including Wilhelm Frankl, Erich Löwenhardt, Manfred von Richthofen, Karl Emil Schäfer, Ernst Udet, and Kurt Wolff. It was powered by a Mercedes D.III air-cooled inline engine that made 170 horsepower. This would pull the bi plane through the air at 109 mph. It was armed with 2x 7.92mm machine guns firing over the nose.
It had a range of 300 miles, and a ceiling of 18,000 feet.
Overall, it’s one of the Great War’s best fighters, and one of the most visually appealing too.
I’d say WWI was the catalyst for ALOT of the tachtivs and maneuvers we use today. WWII takes the cake in innovation and Korea- Vietnam wins it in technological advancements in my opinion. We still fly ALOT of planes from the 60’s and 70’s
Key point number one. History is written by the winners! Always remember that if the victory had been the other way our view of history would be dramatically different with different heroes and values.
Key point number 2. Always learn from history. As humans our lives are relatively short and we don’t have the time to make all of the mistakes of our predecessors! Learn from them!
Key point number 3. Just because a nation is taken into a conflict by an authoritarian and fanatical regime doesn’t make the entire nation the same as the fanatical regime! One of the most infamous discussions that ever took place during the Second World War was where Goering passed on Hitlers wishes to the Luftwaffe that the pilots attempt to shoot allied pilots under the parachute. The chiefs of the air staff at the time stated that although they would pass the Fuerhers wishes on they didn’t believe that the pilots would comply. They didn’t. The honor was between man and machine and shooting pilots under the parachute held no honor. Never tar a people with a broad brush. To do so would be disingenuous.
Key point 4. Adversity breeds diversity. There can be no doubting that conflict pushes technological boundaries forward faster than any other event in human history. Sad but true. We all benefit now from those advances albeit at a terrible cost.
Key point 5. Taking away the zealots and fanatics, no matter upon which side of a conflict those common soldiers and people fighting felt justified in the actions of their respective Governments. They stood for what their people and country believed for and were prepared to lay down their lives for it. For that, irrespective of which side they were on in the world wars, they should have our respect.
Aside from the history lessons, a lovely aircraft.
