Designed by Robert Thelen it was produced by Albatros due to an order from the idflieg (the general inspection of the luftstreitkräfte) to achieve an improved version of the D.III in April 1917.
Resembling the aforementioned D.III and sharing the same engine, the 170hp Mercedes D.IIIa, the most noticeable difference was the shape of the fuselage, which was lighter than the one of the D.III. The rudder was also different because it incorporated the sub-variant designed by OAW, which became standard. It also had a larger spinner and a ventral fin.
The upper wing was positioned closer to the fuselage and the lower ones were attached to the fuselage without using any fairing, but on the rest, they remained identical to those of the D.III, which had a sesquiplane wing configuration, similar to those of the French Nieuport 11.
The only noticeable difference from the D.III wings was a revised linkeage in the aileron cables which were completely repositioned in the upper wing.
Some early examples included a headrest, but was quickly removed because it obstructed the pilots field of view and it was deleted from the production chain. It's also known that some airplanes deployed in Palestine and Middle-east featured two radiators mounted on the upper-wing in order to deal with the warmer climate.
The idflieg ordered 200 D.V airplanes in April 1917 and was quickly increased in 400 in May and 300 in July. Most of the production was undertaken at the Johannisthal factory, in Berlin.
This time it's the turn for the next Jastas (squadrons)
- Jasta 28
- Jasta 23b
- Jasta 18
- Jasta 37
- Jasta 12
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albatros_D.V
2. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 77 - Albatros Aces of World War I (2)
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