Albatros D.II

The Albatros D.II was a German fighter airplane used during World War I. It was the successor to the Albatros D.I, designed by Thelen, Schubert and Gnädig in an attempt to rectify the D.I's poor visibility. The solution used in the D.II was to lower (by 14 inches) and slightly stagger the upper wing of the D.I. An initial batch of 100 aircraft was ordered in August 1916. The standard D.II used a 160 hp Mercedes D.III six-cylinder inline engine and was armed with two synchronized LMG 08/15 machine guns mounted on the cowling. Later examples replaced the Windhoff "ear" radiators with a Teeves and Braun radiator in the center section of the upper wing. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (975x672, 65 KB) The Albatross D.II This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (975x672, 65 KB) The Albatross D.II This image is in the public domain in the United States. ... The Albatros D I was a German fighter airplane used during World War I. It was designed by Thelen, Schubert and Gnädig, in an attempt to create an airplane superior to the then-dominant Nieuport 11 (Bébé) and Airco D.H.2. ... MG08 with optical sight. ...

The D.II was also produced under license by LVG (Luft-Verkehrs-Geselleschaft) and Oeffag (Oesterreichische-Gesellschaft), the latter for the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (Luftfahrtruppen). The Oeffag machines used a 185 hp Austro-Daimler engine. The Austro-Hungarian Air Service (Luftfahrtruppen) was the army-air force of Austria-Hungary up until the empires demise in 1919. ...

The D.II was inaugurated in 1916 by Jagdstaffel 2 (Jasta 2), the world's first specialized fighter squadron. Famous pilots included Oswald Boelcke and Manfred von Richthofen. Oswald Boelcke in 1916 Oswald Boelcke (19 May 1891–28 October 1916) was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. ... Baron Manfred Albrecht von Richthofen (May 2, 1892–April 21, 1918) was a German pilot and is still regarded today as the ace of aces. He was a very successful fighter pilot, military leader and flying ace who won 80 air combats during World War I. Richthofen was known...

Peak strength of type was 214 machines in service in January 1917.

The design was superseded by the Albatros D.III. The Albatros D.III was a highly successful single seat, biplane fighter aircraft used by the German Imperial Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte) and the Austro-Hungarian Air Service (Luftfahrtruppen) during the First World War. ...

Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: one
• Length: 24 ft 3.3 in (7.40 m)
• Wingspan: 27 ft 10.66 in (8.50 m)
• Height: 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m)
• Wing area: 263.72 ft² (24.50 m²)
• Empty: 1,404 lb (637 kg)
• Loaded: 1,958 lb (888 kg)
• Maximum takeoff: lb ( kg)
• Powerplant: 1x 160 hp Mercedes D.III or 185 hp Austro-Daimler six cylinder water-cooled inline engine

Performance

• Maximum speed: 109 mph ( 175 km/h)
• Endurance: 1.5 hours
• Service ceiling: 16.990 ft (5.180 m)
• Time to climb: 5.5 min to 3,280 ft (1000 m)

Armament

• 2x forward-firing 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 machine guns

MG08 with optical sight. ... A machine gun is a fully-automatic firearm that is capable of firing bullets in rapid succession. ...

Operators

• Austria-Hungary, Germany

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Comparable aircraft: Albatros D.I - Nieuport 11 The Albatros D I was a German fighter airplane used during World War I. It was designed by Thelen, Schubert and Gnädig, in an attempt to create an airplane superior to the then-dominant Nieuport 11 (Bébé) and Airco D.H.2. ... The Nieuport 11 was designed in response to the Fokker Scourge of 1915. ...

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