Siemens-Schuckert D.III

Siemens-Schuckert D.III

Role	Fighter Type of aircraft
Manufacturer	Siemens-Schuckert Werke
First flight	October 1917
Introduction	April 1918
Primary user	Luftstreitkräfte
Produced	80

The Siemens-Schuckert D.III was a German single-seat fighter built by Siemens-Schuckert Werke. The D.III was a development of the earlier Siemens-Schuckert D.IIc prototype.^[1] The D.III was an (nearly) equal-span biplane powered by a 160 hp (119 kW) Siemens-Halske Sh.III bi-rotary engine. Idflieg placed an order for 20 aircraft in December 1917, followed by a second order of 30 aircraft in February 1918.^[2]

Operational history

Approximately 41 D.IIIs were delivered to frontline units between April and May 1918.^[2] Most aircraft were supplied to Jagdgeschwader II,^[3] whose pilots were enthusiastic about the new aircraft's handling and rate of climb. After only seven to 10 hours of service, however, the Sh.III engines started showing serious problems with overheating and piston seizure.^[4] The problem was later traced to the Voltol mineral oil that was used to replace the now-scarce castor oil.^[3] Furthermore, the close-fitting engine cowling provided inadequate cooling to the engine.^[5]

In late May 1918, Jagdgeschwader II replaced its D.IIIs with the older Fokker Dr.I.^[6] The remaining D.III aircraft were returned to the Siemens-Schuckert factory, where they were retrofitted with new Sh.IIIa engines, an enlarged rudder, and cutaway cowlings that provided improved airflow.^[1] A further 30 new production D.IIIs incorporated these modifications. Total production amounted to 80 aircraft.^[1]

In July 1918, the D.III returned to active service as an interceptor with home defense squadrons.^[4] By this time, the D.III had been replaced in production by the Siemens-Schuckert D.IV.

Operators

German Empire

Luftstreitkräfte

Switzerland

Swiss Air Force

Specifications

Data from German Aircraft of the First World War,^[7] The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985),^[8] The Complete Book of Fighters^[9]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 5.7 m (18 ft 8 in)
Wingspan: 8.43 m (27 ft 8 in)
Height: 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in)
Wing area: 18.84 m² (202.8 sq ft)
Empty weight: 523 kg (1,153 lb)
Gross weight: 725 kg (1,598 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Siemens-Halske Sh.III and Sh.IIIa 11-cylinder contra-rotating air-cooled rotary piston engine, 120 kW (160 hp) 160 kW (210 hp) for take-off
Propellers: 4-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 177 km/h (110 mph, 96 kn) at sea level
Range: 360 km (220 mi, 190 nmi)
Service ceiling: 8,000 m (26,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 1 minute 45 seconds

Armament

Guns: 2×7.92 mm (0.312 in) LMG 08/15 machine-guns

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Siemens-Schuckert D.III.

Notes

^ ^a ^b ^c Green and Swanborough 1994, p. 530.
^ ^a ^b Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 213.
^ ^a ^b VanWyngarden 2005, p. 43.
^ ^a ^b Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 214.
^ Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 215.
^ VanWyngarden 2005, p. 44.
^ Grey, Peter; Thetford, Owen (1970). German Aircraft of the First World War (2nd revised ed.). London: Putnam. pp. 213–217.
^ The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
^ Green, W; Swanborough, G (1994). The Complete Book of Fighters. Smithmark. p. 530. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.

Bibliography

Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-933852-71-1.
Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. London: Salamander Books, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
VanWyngarden, Greg. Jagdgeschwader Nr II Geschwader 'Berthold' (Aviation Elite Units No. 19). Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2005. ISBN 1-84176-727-1.

Siemens-Schuckert (SSW) aircraft

Company designations

1910 biplane
Bulldog
B
DD.5
Forssman

Idflieg designations

D biplane fighter types	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI
Dr & DDr triplane fighter types	Dr.I Dr.II DDr.I
E monoplane fighter types	E.I E.II E.III
L heavy bomber types	L.I
R Riesenflugzeug bomber types	R.I R.II R.III R.IV R.V R.VI R.VII R.VIII

Idflieg D and DJ-class aircraft designations

D- class

AEG	D.I D.II D.III
Albatros	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII
Aviatik	(D.I skipped) D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII
Daimler	D.I D.II
DFW	D.I D.II
Euler	D.I D.II
Fokker	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII
Friedrichshafen	D.I D.II D.III
Halberstadt	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V
Junkers	D.I
Kondor	D.I
LFG/Roland	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII D.XIII D.XIV D.XV D.XVI D.XVII
LVG	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI
Märkische	D.I
Naglo	D.I D.II
Pfalz	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII D.VIII D.IX D.X D.XI D.XII D.XIII D.XIV D.XV
Rumpler	D.I
Schütte-Lanz	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI D.VII
Siemens-Schuckert	D.I D.II D.III D.IV D.V D.VI
Zeppelin-Lindau	D.I

DJ- class

AEG	DJ.I

v t e World War I aircraft of the Central Powers
Fighters	AEG D.I AEG Dr.I Albatros D.I Albatros D.II Albatros D.III Albatros D.V Aviatik D.I Aviatik C.VI Daimler L.6 Euler D.I Euler D.II Fokker D.I Fokker D.II Fokker D.III Fokker D.IV Fokker D.V Fokker D.VI Fokker D.VII Fokker D.VIII Fokker Dr.I Fokker E.I Fokker E.II Fokker E.III Fokker E.IV Fokker E.V Halberstadt D.II Hannover CL.II Hannover CL.III Hannover CL.IV Hannover CL.V Hansa-Brandenburg W.12 Hansa-Brandenburg W.29 Junkers D.I Kondor D.6 Kondor E.III Naglo D.II Pfalz D.III Pfalz D.XII Pfalz Dr.I Pfalz E.I Pfalz E.II Phönix D.I LFG Roland D.II LFG Roland D.VI Siemens-Schuckert D.I Siemens-Schuckert D.II Siemens-Schuckert D.III Siemens-Schuckert D.IV Zeppelin-Lindau D.I
Bombers and ground attack	AEG DJ.I AEG G.I AEG G.II AEG G.III AEG G.IV AEG G.V AEG J.I AEG J.II AEG R.I Friedrichshafen G.II Friedrichshafen G.III Gotha G.I Gotha G.II Gotha G.III Gotha G.IV Gotha G.V Gotha GL.VII Gotha G.IX Hannover CL.II Junkers CL.I Junkers J.I Rumpler G.I Rumpler G.II Rumpler G.III Siemens-Schuckert L.I Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.II Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.III Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.IV Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI
Reconnaissance	AEG B.I AEG B.II AEG B.III AEG C.I AEG C.II AEG C.III AEG C.IV AEG C.V AEG C.VI AEG C.VII AEG C.VIII AGO C.I AGO C.II AGO C.III AGO C.IV AGO C.VII AGO C.VIII Albatros B.I Albatros B.II Albatros C.I Albatros C.III Albatros C.V Albatros C.VII Albatros C.IX Albatros C.X Albatros C.XII Aviatik B.I Aviatik B.II Aviatik C.I Aviatik C.VI DFW C.V LFG Roland C.II LVG B.I LVG C.II Rumpler C.I Rumpler C.IV Rumpler Taube
Trainers	Euler D.I
Prototypes	Albatros C.II Fokker V.1 Fokker V.2 Junkers J 1 Junkers J 2 Zeppelin-Lindau Rs.I

This page was last edited on 24 January 2024, at 12:13

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