Customer Reviews

Albatros Aces of World War I (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 32)

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Albatros Aces #32 has everything I like in a book about the pilots and airplanes of the First World War. Franks generously supplies contemporary photographs--and ones not often seen to boot. The colorplates of aircraft are very fine indeed, an excellent source for modellers. Franks also provides short but informative, absorbing biographies of the pilots of Albatros single-seaters. I cannot speak highly enough of this fine work.

Albatros fighters made up the backbone of the German Air Service in World War I. Most, if not all of Germany's aces, flew some version of the sleek Albatros craft during their combat careers. The exploits of Albatros aces were so widespread that Osprey Publishing has produced a second volume on Albatros aces, this one authored by Greg VanWyngarden.

VanWyngarden's book differs from the earlier book, written by Norman Franks, in that he covers many of the lesser known Albatros aces not covered previously. Ernst Udet is probably the best known ace described along with the likes of Max Muller, Julius Buckler, Kurt Student, Theodor Rumpel, Kurt Schonfelder, Karl-Emil Schafer and others.

VanWyngarden is a gifted author, his text flowing smoothly. He includes several first-person accounts that help give a human flavor to those long-ago dogfights. The text is complimented by 100 black & white photographs, several plan views and 11 pages of color profiles by Harry Dempsey.

World War I enthusiasts will want to purchase this book. It compliments and supplements the earlier Franks book with more tales of intrepid aces flying one of the sleekest fighters of the Great War.

The author is one of the top authorities on WWI German aces and his knowledge shows in this exceptional book, Osprey's second title on Albatros aces. Covering many of the less well-known aces, the text is well-written and highly informative. It puts the flight operations in context of the wider operational picture and has many quotes from the German aces themselves. There are a number of photos that have never been published before and many new color profiles by the excellent artist who has done all of Osprey's WWI color profiles. This book is a 'must' for anyone who enjoys Osprey's series on aces and for all enthusiasts of WWI aviation.

I ordered this expecting VanWyngardens usual combination of scholarship and skilled,entertaining writing and I was not disappointed.Harry Dempsey's illustration work,again,is breathtaking.Any WWI work done by this pair is a must-have for reference and a pleasure to read as well.

Greg VanWyngarden's ALBATROS ACES OF WORLD WAR 1 PART 2 provides a followup to Osprey Aircraft 32, the first volume of the two-part series examining the design and production of the Albatros aircraft series, and is recommended for prior owners of the first volume and for specialty collections in aviation or World War I history. Vintage black and white photos accompany specs on the craft.

The book is a good basic over view of it's subject filled with good information. It is a good starting point for further review of the subject providing a good amount of information as far as names and places.

An outstanding addition to the original Pt 1. Many rare photos of lesser known pilots and aircraft of the German Air Force of WWI. A must have addition for anyone interested in WWI.

I have not read this yet,but I wanted to say a word about the Albatros
line,after the problems with the D-3 wings,I always thought they should have returned to the D-2 wings,and used the more powerful D-3 engine!

ALBATROS ACES OF WORLD WAR I-PART 2
GREG VANWYNGARDEN
OSPREY PUBLISHING, 2007
QUALITY SOFTCOVER, $20.95, 96 PAGES, ILLUSTRATIONS, PHOTOGRAPHS


The Albatros D.1 was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. It was designed by Robert Thelen, R. Schubert, and Gnadig, in an attempt to create an aircraft superior to the then dominant Nieuport 11 (Bebe) and Airco D.H.2. The aircraft was ordered in June, 1915 and introduced in August, 1916. It possessed a semi-monocoque fuselage (an advancement over the fabric-skinneed box-type fuselage then in common use) and was powered by either a 150 Hp Benz Bz III or a 160 Hp D III six-cylinder water-cooled inline engine. It generated a speed of 103 miles per hour, which was 15 miles per hour faster than the Eindecker it replaced. A total of 50 pre-series and Series D.1 aircraft were in service by November, 1916. Further production under this designation wasn't undertaken-a reduction in the gap between the top and bottom planes in order to improve the pilot's view resulted in the otherwise identical Albatros D.II-the first major production Albatros fighter.

The solution used in the D.II was to lower (by 14 inches) and slightly stagger the upper wing of the D.1. 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.

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.

D.IIs formed part of the initial equipment of Jagdstaffel 2 (Jasta 2), the first specialized fighter squadron in the Imperial German Army Air Service (such squadrons had existed in French and British service since 1915). Famous pilots included Oswald Boelcke and Manfred Richthofen. The new Jagdstaffels (or "Jastas") quickly won back air superiority for the Germans, as the Albatros outflew all contemporary Allied aircraft. The peak strength of D.IIs were 214 aircraft in January, 1917. The high point of German success was in March, 1917 when the Luftstreitkrafte (German Air Corps) shot down 120 British aircraft. The introduction of the Albatros, outstanding training, and the tactical employment by Oswald Boelcke were the reasons for the Germans taking back the skies over the Western Front.

The follow-up, Albatros D.III, was a highly successful single-seat, bi-plane fighter aircraft used by many top German aces, including Manfred von Richthofen, Ernst Udet, Erich Lowenhardt, Kurt Wolff, and Karl Emil Schafer. It became the pre-emininent fighter during the period of German aerial dominance known as "Bloody April" 1917. Peak service for the Albatros D.III was in November, 1917, with 446 aircraft on the Western Front. The D.III didn't disappear with the end of production, however. It remained in frontline service well into 1918. As of August 31, 1918, 54 D.III aircraft remained on the Western Front.

Ironically, the success of the Albatros helped ensure the loss of German air superiority over France in 1917. After April, 1917, the next generation of Allied fighters appeared over the Western Front. Combined with Allied industry out-producing the Central Powers, Germany had made several bad production designs. Its air leaders decided to standardize most production on the successful D.III fighter design, causing research and development work to stagnate. They also decided to build a Fokker version of a British Sopwith triplane whose ability to challenge modern designs was transitory at best. Finally, Boelcke had been killed in combat on 28 October 1916, and with his death many of his air tactics were abandoned-or at least didn't continue to evolve in response to new conditions.

From September, 1916 until November, 1918, bi-planes from the Albatros firm formed the primary equipment of Germany's fighter forces. Starting with the D.I of 1916, these aircraft underwent a continuous program of development and production to the D.Va of late 1917. Albatros fighters reached their zenith of deadly efficiency in the spring of 1917, when the Albatros D.III took a heavy toll of Allied aircraft. Nearly everyone of the 81 Jagdstaffein, or fighter squadrons, operated one or more types of highly decorated Albatros aircraft at some point in their history. This book, ALBATROS ACES OF WORLD WAR I-PART @ is a follow-up to Osprey Aircraft Aces 32 of World War One-Albatros Aces, and provides a superb look at the design and production of the Albatros series. It also details the careers of some of the war's best known and lesser-known aces. The exploits of such luminaries as Ernst Udet, Max Muller, Karl-Emil Schafer, and Julius Buckler are recounted through their own first-hand accounts, rare archival photography, and outstanding color artwork.



Lt. Colonel Robert A. Lynn, Florida Guard
Orlando, Florida

Like Mr. Franks's others books this one has a lot information about the Albatros units and the most sucesseful pilots, unfortunately that is all. There is no presonal accounts in the book and little accounts of events about the units and the men. The author has done better in other books, like Dieppe. It is a good book for modelers, the artwork is great, but who, like me, looks for more detailed information, will have to look elsewhere. Anyway this book should be a good start.