Pfalz D.III

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Pfalz D.III (Windsock Datafiles 7)

By P. M. Gross

Publisher: Albatros 1996 28 Pages

ISBN: 0948414111

PDF 39 MB

It was during July 1913 that the Pfalz Flugzeugwerke GmbH was founded in Speyer on the Rhine by Alfred Evers-busch, with his brothers Ernst and Walter (who had obtained a flying licence in France with the Morane Saulnier company) taking an active part in corporate affairs. Initially, Pfalz intended to acquire rights from Albatros to produce their aeroplanes in Bavaria but negotiations failed because of insufficient funds. However at the insti­gation of the Bavarian Flying Service, Pfalz obtained license from the Otto company to construct their biplane pusher; Gustav Otto, who was a poor businessman, providing the financial assistance.

A modern factory was built in Speyer, near Mannheim, for production of the Otto pusher and subsequently Pfalz acquired rights from Morane Saulnier to produce their successful Type H monoplane and Type L parasol designs, probably at the instigation of Walter Everbusch. When war broke out in August 1914, Pfalz had built just three monoplanes, three parasols and was ready to deliver a trio of Otto pushers to Bavarian units. As the demand for machines grew, Pfalz began to increase their rate of production yet only a few aeroplanes were in Front line service by the Autumn of 1915. Even then most of the estimated 300 A and E types constructed were used by Bavarian flying schools as unarmed trainers. The comparatively few Pfalz E-Type monoplanes (EI to EV) that saw operational use served on several fronts, a number of examples finding their way to Palestine and Macedonia.