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Pfalz D.XII

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The Pfalz D.XII was a World War I fighter aircraft from Pfalz Flugzeugwerke. It entered service in small numbers near the end of the war, alongside the much more famous Fokker D.VII. Although not as well known as the D.VII, the D.XII is considered it's equal in most ways.

The D.XII continued Pfalz's Wickelrumph plywood-skinned monocoque fuselage construction, introduced in the Pfalz D.III. Like the D.III, it also featured the Mercedes D.III engine, although in this case the more powerful 180 hp D.IIIaü version. Unlike the D.III, the D.XII used a strong two-bay wing cellule. Furthermore, the flush wing radiator was replaced with a car-type radiator mounted in front of the engine.

The D.XII was not quite ready to be entered in the first fighter competition at Adlershof in January 1918, and missed flying head-to-head with the superb Fokker D.VII. The prototype first flew in March, and a limited run of 50 was ordered. It was then entered in the second competition in May/June 1918, where it competed against the Fokker E.V and Siemens-Schuckert D.IV, all of which were ordered into limited production (making the "competition" somewhat superfluous). The D.XII was generally considered inferior to the already famous D.VII, about as fast as and equal to it in climb, but generally less manuverable. It did maintain the excellent high-speed dive characteristics of the earlier D.III, largely a result of the sturdy wing, and was able to outdive the D.VII.

Production started immediately with an order for an additional 150 examples. These, and the original 50 pre-production versions, featured the original rectangular tail. Additional aircraft after the first 200 featured a new rounded design, similar to those found on most German aircraft of the era. By the end of the war between 750 and 800 had been completed.

Aircraft first started reaching the operational units in July 1918. Units in quieter sectors of the front were completely equipped with the D.XII. Generally speaking, the D.XII found little favor with German pilots, who strongly favored the Fokker D.VII. Leutnant Rudolf Stark, commander of Jasta 35, said, During the larger operations, we flew the Fokker D.VII and the Pfalz D.XII mostly together. Both types were similar but the Fokker was more maneuverable. Therefore the Pfalz pilots had orders from me, during attacks by the enemy, to fly below the Fokkers. Contemporary pilot accouts routinely criticized the D.XII for a long takeoff run and "clumsy" handling qualities in the air. Rate of roll, in particular, appears to have been deficient. Landing was also tricky because the D.XII tended to float above the ground, and the landing gear was weak.

The D.XII's only lasting claim to fame is that two were purchased by an American buyer after the war, and were later to appear in the films Hell's Angels and the first Dawn Patrol.. One of these later made its way to the National Air and Space Museum, while the other was part of the Champlin Fighter Museum, itself now part of the Seattle Museum of Flight. Other preserved aircraft are displaued at the Musée de l'Air in Paris and the Australian War Memorial in Canberra.

A further refinement, the D.XV, moved the lower wing below the fuselage and made it smaller in chord, and reverted to the D.III's "cut off" rudder, although the reasons for these changes are not clear.

Specifications

Engine: 180 hp Mercedes D.IIIaü
Dimensions: span 9 m (29 ft 6 in), length 6.35 m (21 ft)
Weight: 712.5 kg (1,571 lb) empty, 902 kg (1,989 lb) gross
Max speed: 170 km/h (106 mph)
Ceiling: 5,640 m (18,500 ft)
Armament: 2 x 7.92 mm LMG 08/15 "Spandau" machine guns

References

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