Pfalz D.III

Windsock Datafile 107
By P. M. Grosz
Albatros Publications, ©2004
ISBN 1-902207-66-1
Softbound, 32 Pages

Reviewed by Chris Banyai-Riepl

The latest Datafile from the people at Albatros Publications takes a look at the venerable Pfalz D.III. For those that are familiar with the Datafile line, yes, this is a duplicate of an earlier volume, number 7 to be exact. This is not merely a reprint, though, as the nearly two decades of time between that first volume and this one has revealed lots of new information about the aircraft, and the author weaves this information into place nicely.

The book starts out with a bit of background on the Pfalz company, walking the reader quickly through the early designs until getting to the biplane production years that were so dominated by the D.III. An involvement with the Roland company gave Pfalz experience with Wickelrumpf fuselage construction, a method that involved a light frame wrapped with thin wood. This technique was used on the D.III and by mid-1917 the aircraft was in flight testing., and by the end of July of that year, the first Pfalz D.III aircraft were making their way to front-line units.

The combat experience of the D.III was generally good, with the type being roughly on par with the Albatros D.V that it was supposed to replace. Some initial teething problems arose, though, such as a weak wing spar, and modifications were made accordingly. A total of 260 aircraft were manufactured before production ended.

Accompanying the comprehensive text (which is only briefly summarized above), the book has lots of excellent photos showing the Pfalz D.III from all points, including development, combat, and even a post-war reproduction made exclusively for the movie "The Blue Max." Along with the photos are the usual high quality scale drawings, in both 1/72 and 1/48, as well as a selection of color profiles by Bob Pearson and Ray Rimell.

This is a welcome update to their earlier volume and should be popular with WWI modelers and historians alike. My thanks to Albatros Publications for the review sample. Visit their website for ordering information.