Albatros D.III OEFFAG 253 8242

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1:48 SCALE PLASTIC KIT

Over the second half of 1916, the German air force began to introduce into production new D.I, D.II and D.III fighters. These aircraft, at the very, least equaled their allied counterparts, and pilots flying them were able to command the skies over the Western Front into the spring of 1917. The situation of the air force of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (LFT) was considerably worse. They entered combat on the Hansa-Brandenburg D.I. Their performance could not match that of the Italian air force, and their poor flying qualities proved dangerous to less experienced pilots. Despite this, their presence was invaluable to the LFT, and its pilots were able to rack up a score of some 78 enemy aircraft.The head of the LFT realized the need for new machines, and acquired a production license from Albatros, and then placed an order for 20 D.IIs and 30 D.IIIs with Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG (Oeffag) in December, 1916. The aircraft were to be delivered in the first quarter of 1917, and the LFT designated the aircraft type as

153 . Subsequently, the order was changed to 16 D.IIs (53.01 to 53.16) and 34 D.IIIs, and to a further eleven D.IIIs in March. In all, 45 D.IIIs (53.20 to 53.64) were ordered. Austro-Hungarian aircraft differed from German production. First and foremost came an engine change, where the Mercedes D.III gave way to the excellent Austro-Daimler rated at 180hp. Changes were also seen in the armament, that saw the internal installation of Austrian Schwarzlose machine guns, the cockpit interior and radiator were changed, and, above all, the D.III had strengthened wings. Thanks to this, through their service life, Austro-Hungarian aircraft suffered no lower wing collapses, as was the case with their German counterparts. Series 53 aircraft were delivered to the LFT through May to July, 1917. They appeared on the front after trials at the beginning of June. The aircraft were enthusiastically greeted, and their performance was greater than anything else flying, friendly or not. Furthermore, they demonstrated good flight characteristics, and were easy to contol. On October 6, 1917, the first kill was achieved with Feldwebel Julius Kowalczyk of Flik 24 at the controls, downing an Italian Caproni. The delivery of 64 Series 53 aircraft was not the end of production, and on the basis of a February, 1917 order, production continued with a further 61 Series 153 aircraft. The main difference between this production block and the preceding one was the installation of a Austro-Daimler engine rated at 200hp. Also, the exhaust system was

Albatros D.III (Oef)

AUSTRO-HUNGARIAN WWI FIGHTER

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E Albatros D.III (Oef) 253.116 Sgt., Adolf Blaha, November 1919

On November 21, 1918, Zgsf. Adolf Blaha in Albatros 253.116, together with Stfw. Bela Mayer in Albatros 253.114 of Flik 3/J flew to Switzerland. Here, the aircraft remained interned, and the pilots released in the spring of 1919. Czechoslovakia was interested in acquiring the aircraft, and after almost a year of negotiating, was successful. However, 253.114 remained in Switzerland as compensation for the storage of both aircraft. On October 29, 1919, Blaha flew 253.116 to Plzeò, from where he continued on to Kbely in Prague on November 1st. Here, however, the aircraft was written off in a forced landing after engine failure, which was later installed into the only Czechoslovak Fokker D.VII(MAG) (Eduard Kit 1147). The aircraft appearance changed minimally, the removal of armament and the overpainting of the crosses on the tail and top wing. The bottom wing acquired Czechoslovak markings, likely with a thin red border.

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Note 1: In the system of LFT designation, the numeral 5 was allocated to the Oeffag factory. This was followed by a sequential production type. If, within the production run, there was a major modification to the type, such as the installation of a new engine, there appeared a prefix number (with the second variant it was a '1', with the third, it was a '2', and so on). The series number of each aircraft was composed of the type number, which was followed by a period, and the sequential unit number of the aircraft within the line of a production block. For example, Albatros D.III (Oef) 253.116 designates the 116th aircraft of the third variant of the third type manufactured by Oeffag.

modified from a collector pipe to six individual stacks. With the more powerful engine came an increase in weight, as well as maximum speed to some 190 km/h. A major improvement also came in the aircraft’s climb rate. On the heels of this series, delivered between August and September, 1917, came another run, aircraft 153.62 to 153.111 against a June order. These were identical to that preceding order, and were delivered by Oeffag between August and November. Even that wasn’t the end of the production run, as a further 100 (153.112 to 153.211) were ordered in October, 1917, followed by another seventy (153.212 to 153.281). Aircraft from the final two orders were delivered by June, 1918. Aircraft from 153.112 to 153.281 differed with a more rounded front end, boosting the top speed to 198km/h. Starting in June, 1918, new aircraft acquired a new Austro-Daimler 225hp engine. These aircraft were part of Series 253, on the basis of two orders for a total of 330 aircraft. By the end of the war, the LFT accepted 186 Series 253 aircraft, while there remained 74 airframes in various states of assembly that were completed after the war. The already excellent performance was again improved by the installation of an even more powerful engine, that, for example, pushed the top speed to over 200km/h, and the climb rate was also bettered compared to the Series 153 aircraft. Physically, they differed little from Series 153 aircraft. The trailing edge of the tailplanes were wired as opposed to the original wooden strips. From aircraft 253.31, there was also a change in the cowl, that had deeper engine cut-out. Series 253 planes also had the armament placed mostly on top of the fuselage, as was the case on German aircraft. Despite being of 1916 vintage, the Albatros D.III (Oef) was able to maintain a spot on the leading edge of fighter technology up to the end of the war, thanks to constant improvements and the installation increasingly powerful engines. Pilots of the Austro-Hungarian air force were able to gain at least 320 victories. Oeffags were used in combat even after the war, namely with the Polish air force. The Poles bought 38 aircraft from 253.212 to 257 in 1919, and pressed them into service against Bolshevik Russia.

BARVYCOLOURS FARBEN PEINTURE

DÍLYPARTS TEILE PIECES

INSTRUKTION SINNBILDEN INSTR. SYMBOLY SYMBOLES INSTRUCTION SIGNS

UPOZORNÌNÍ ATTENTION ACHTUNG ATTENTION

APPLY EDUARD MASKAND PAINT

POUŽÍT EDUARD MASKNABARVIT

OPTIONALVOLBA

FACULTATIFNACH BELIEBEN

BENDOHNOUT

PLIER SIL VOUS PLAITBITTE BIEGEN

OPEN HOLEVYVRTAT OTVORFAIRE UN TROU

OFFNEN

SYMETRICAL ASSEMBLYSYMETRICKÁ MONTÁŽ

MONTAGE SYMÉTRIQUESYMMETRISCHE AUFBAU

NOTCHZÁØEZ

L INCISIONDER EINSCHNITT

REMOVEODØÍZNOUT

RETIRERENTFERNEN

Pøed zapoèetím stavby si peèlivì prostudujte stavební návod. Pøi používání barev a lepidel pracujte v dobøe vìtrané místnosti. Lepidla ani barvy nepoužívejte v blízkosti otevøeného ohnì. Model není urèen malým dìtem, mohlo by dojít k požití drobných dílù.

Carefully read instruction sheet before assembling. When you use glue or paint, do not use near open flame and use in well ventilated room. Keep out of reach of small children. Children must not be allowed to suck any part, or pull vinyl bag over the head.

Von dem Zusammensetzen die Bauanleitung gut durchlesen. Kleber und Farbe nicht nahe von offenem Feuer verwenden und das Fenster von Zeit zu Zeit Belüftung öffnen. Bausatz von kleinen Kindern fernhalten. Verhüten Sie, daß Kinder irgendwelche Bauteile in den Mund nehmen oder Plastiktüten über den Kopf ziehen.

Iire soigneusement la fiche d´instructions avant d´assembler. Ne pas utiliser de colle ou de peinture a p roximité d´une flamme nue, et aérer la piece de temps en temps. Garder hors de portée des enfants en bas âge. Ne pas laisser les enfants mettre en bouche ou sucer les pieces, o u p asser u n s achet v inyl s ur

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253.24, Oblt.i.dRes. Benno Fiala, Flik 51/J, Ghirano, September 1918

Aircraft 253.24 typifies the camouflage scheme used on Albatros D.III (Oef) when they left the plant. Wooden and fabric surfaces were covered with a clear coat, and the metal panels on the fuselage were ‘machined’. The interwing struts and landing gear legs were painted with a dark colour, likely a dark grey. This aircraft was delivered in June, 1918, and was attached to Flik 51/J, where it was flown in combat by Zgsf. Eugen Bonsch (16 kills), Korp. Josef Pfisterer, and above all, the CO of Flik 51/J Oblt.i.d.Res. Benno Fiala Ritter von Fernbrugg, who, with 28 kills, became the third most successful LFT pilot.

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253.32, Flik 63/J, Portobuffolee, September 1918 (Rudolf Nìmec)

On July 31, 1918, an order was issued changing the national insignia on Austro-Hungarian aircraft. The original iron cross was replaced by crosses with a different design in new positions. Because there was no actual time limit imposed, the changeover was gradual. The pictured aircraft of Flik 63/J, flown by, among others, Zgsf. Rudolf Nìmec, serves as an example of various interpretations. The rudder cross was instead located on the fin, and neither was the fuselage marking up to the prescribed standard. The red colouring on the rear section, the black and white stripes on the fuselage, and the black and white sunbursts on both sides of the wheel discs were Flik 63/J unit markings. The series number on the sides of the fuselage was scratched out.

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C 253.36, Oblt. Othmar Wolfan, Flik 56/J, August 1918

The personal aircraft of Othmar Wolfan displays another non-standard representation of the national insignia on Austro-Hungarian aircraft in the summer of 1918. While the upper surface crosses remained original, the crosses on the rudder were in different proportions than the aircraft before. The crosses under the wings were non-standard in their size and location. They were actually the same size and location as the original iron crosses. Othmar Wolfan gained his first and only kill flying this aircraft when, on August 1st, 1918, he downed a Sopwith Camel from 66 Sqd. RAF. On the 14th of September, 1918, he was severely injured in a crash, and sat out the rest of the war in a hospital bed. Othmar Wolfan was one of a few German pilots who, after the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, served in the Czechoslovak Air Force. He entered service in July, 1919 as an Air Force Officer. He served, for the most part, with No. 9 Air Company and flew SPADs. He left the Czechoslovak army on January 31, 1921.

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D 253.116, Oblt. Friedrich Navratil, Flik 3/J, Fall 1918

Albatros 253.116 served as the second personal mount of Flik 3/J CO Oblt. Friedrich Navratil. Both aircraft carried virtually the same personal markings, and 253.06 is easily recognizable by virtue of its internal gun installation. 253.116 represents typical Flik 3/J colouring, which included the ‘natural’ elements of the fuselage, upper sides of both wings and empanage being painted over in green and possibly also brown splotches. National insignia in October 1918 remained in their original iron cross guise. Note the use of the left wheel off of an Aviatik D.1 238.18.

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DOPPED LINEN H8545SAIL COLOURMc218ALUMINIUM

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E Albatros D.III (Oef) 253.116 Sgt., Adolf Blaha, November 1919

On November 21, 1918, Zgsf. Adolf Blaha in Albatros 253.116, together with Stfw. Bela Mayer in Albatros 253.114 of Flik 3/J flew to Switzerland. Here, the aircraft remained interned, and the pilots released in the spring of 1919. Czechoslovakia was interested in acquiring the aircraft, and after almost a year of negotiating, was successful. However, 253.114 remained in Switzerland as compensation for the storage of both aircraft. On October 29, 1919, Blaha flew 253.116 to Plzeò, from where he continued on to Kbely in Prague on November 1st. Here, however, the aircraft was written off in a forced landing after engine failure, which was later installed into the only Czechoslovak Fokker D.VII(MAG) (Eduard Kit 1147). The aircraft appearance changed minimally, the removal of armament and the overpainting of the crosses on the tail and top wing. The bottom wing acquired Czechoslovak markings, likely with a thin red border.

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