Oeffag Va.253 - Foreign Users, first entry

And we keep going with the Albatros D.III variants. This time we are covering some of the foreign users of the Austro-Hungarian most advanced variant, the Oeffag Va.253.

Note: As the Polish air force 7th squadron used a lot of these airplanes, they'll have their own dedicated entry. The Polish airplanes represented here are those not belonging to that squadron.

Powered by a 225hp Austro-Daimler engine, the Va.253 was basically a license-built Albatros D.III featuring some changes which we will explain later.

The countries covered in this entry:

• Austria: After the World War I, the newly created Austrian Republic was banned from having a military air force and therefore most of the former Austro-Hungarian airplanes were scrapped. However some were saved and were owned privately. 
• Czechoslovakia: On 22nd November 1917 the Czech pilot Adolf Blaha, defected to Switzerland where he performed acrobatic shows for living until the Austro-Hungarian Empire collapsed. Then he flew back to Prague and became the first Czechoslovak pilot of the newly created Czechoslovak Army Air Force.
• Poland: After the war the Polish army bought 38 Oeffag Va.253 and employed them in the Polish-Soviet war mainly in ground attack roles. The main user was the 7th squadron, but in this entry we are covering those which didn't serve on the 7th squadron.
• Yugoslavia: The newly created State of Slovenes, Croats and Serbs, seized some leftover Austro-Hungarian airplanes and used them in the Austro-Slovene conflict lasting from November 1918 up to July 1919.