"Open fire only at close range, and then only when the opponent is squarely in your sights."
- Dicta Boelcke

The Albatros D.V was a German fighter airplane used during World War I. In April 1917, Albatros received an order from the Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen) for an improved version of the D.III. The resulting D.V featured a new fuselage with an elliptical cross-section. The flat fuselage sides of the D.III were eliminated. The D.V also used the enlarged rudder of the Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW) D.III. The upper wing was repositioned 4 inches closer to the fuselage, while the lower wings attached to the fuselage without a fairing. The wings themselves were similar to those of the standard D.III, except for a revised linkage of the aileron cables. Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest, which was typically removed by pilots because it obstructed the field of view. Aircraft deployed in Palestine used two wing radiators to cope with the warmer climate.

The D.V entered service in May 1917 and, like the preceding D.III, immediately began experiencing structural failures of the lower wing. Indeed, anecdotal evidence suggests that the D.V was even more prone to wing failures than the D.III. Furthermore, the D.V offered very little improvement in performance. This caused considerable dismay among frontline pilots. Manfred von Richthofen denounced the D.V as "obsolete" and "ridiculously inferior" to Allied scouts such as the Camel and S.E.5a. Nevertheless, 400 D.Vs were ordered in May and 300 more in July.

In October 1917, production switched to the D.Va, which reverted to the D.III's aileron cable linkage to provide a more positive control response. The wings of the D.III and D.Va were in fact interchangeable. In an effort to resolve continuing problems with wing flutter, the D.Va also featured a metal sleeve to strengthen the lower main spar, as well as a small brace connecting the interplane struts to the leading edge of the lower wing. These modifications increased weight while failing to cure the flutter problem.

While most D.V aircraft were equipped with the 170 hp Mercedes D.IIIa, late D.V and almost all D.Va aircraft used the high-compression 180 hp Mercedes D.IIIa.

The D.Va was the final development of the Albatros D.I family, and the last Albatros fighter to see operational service during World War I. Despite its well-known shortcomings and general obsolescence, Albatros and OAW produced approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft. Service numbers peaked in May 1918; 131 D.V aircraft and 928 D.Va were on the Western Front at that time. Numbers declined as production ended and the superlative Fokker D.VII entered service, but the D.Va remained in widespread use until the Armistice.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Albatros DVa fighter that was piloted by Lt. Max Ritter von Muller, who was attached to Jasta 28 in late 1917. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Length: 4-inches
Wingspan: 5-inches

Release Date: April 2016

Historical Account: "Mad Max" - Max Ritter von Muller (January 1st, 1887 - January 9th, 1918) Orden Pour le Merite, Iron Cross, Military Order of Max Joseph was a German World War I fighter ace credited with 36 victories. He was the highest scoring Bavarian pilot of the war.

Muller underwent single-seat fighter training and then served with Feldflieger Abteilung 32, beginning on May 17th, 1916. As a two-seater pilot, Muller had flown over 160 missions, and had also earned the Iron Cross First Class and the Iron Cross Second Class. Already noted as an aggressive and skilled airman, Muller was one of the first pilots to fly the Fokker Eindecker in action.

Muller was posted to Kampfeinsitzer Kommando B, which in May 1916 became Abwehrkommando Nord of FAA 32. He then was posted to the newly mobilized Prussian Jasta 2 on September 1st, 1916, to serve under Oswald Boelcke.

On October 10th of that same year, he scored his first victory: a DH.2 of No. 24 Squadron, RFC, the pilot being captured. On November 27th, he became an ace.

A transfer to the Kingdom of Wurttemberg's newly formed Jasta 28 followed, in January 1917. On April 7th, 1917, he opened their victory roll when he shot down an F.E.2d of 20 Squadron. On the 30th, he shot down the 45 Squadron Sopwith Strutter of 8-kill ace Captain William Wright, who survived; it was Muller's seventh win.

Muller's tally quickly rose throughout 1917, with six in May. He was also promoted to Leutnant on May 26th, in the regular army, rather than the Reserve, the first time such a commission had been awarded.

He scored five more times in June 1917. He was quickly rising among the recognized German flying aces, and his skill formed the cutting edge of Jasta 28. His native Bavaria recognized him with the Bavarian Golden Medal for Bravery. He also was awarded the Wurttembergian Order of Military Merit and the Member's Cross with Swords of the Royal Hohenzollern House Order, not to be confused with the more usual Royal House Order of Hohenzollern. The Members' Cross (Kreuz der Inhaber) was a lower order exclusively for non-commissioned officers or civilians and, especially with swords, was a rare distinction.

On July 28th, he shot up a Sopwith 1-1/2 Strutter containing 10-kill 'ace' Captain Matthew Brown Frew and 7-kill 'ace' gunner Lieutenant George Al Brooke. With a damaged undercarriage and two bullets through the propeller, Frew managed to get the Sopwith back to its home aerodrome, but was written off and credited as Muller's 19th victory.

August 1917 was Muller's highest scoring month, with seven victories, and he added another in September, and two in October. Exactly a year after Muller had joined Jasta 2, he had gotten an impressive score of 27 victories and had already earned the Pour le Merite. The Blue Max, as it was nicknamed, was awarded on September 3rd, 1917. With the several other distinguished medals that had been awarded to him, he was one of the most highly decorated aces in the entire German air service, second only to Manfred von Richthofen.

After a transfer back to Jasta 2 on October 29th, he shot down number 30 on November 6th. On November 11th, 1917, Muller shot down future 7-kill ace Captain Arthur Claydon of No 32 Squadron as his 31st claim. Muller also shot down an unidentified aircraft down on the 29th. With the death of Heinrich Gontermann in late October, Muller (with 29 claims) was second only to Manfred von Richthofen as the highest scoring ace still at the front.

On October 29th, 1917, Muller was then posted to Jasta 2, opening his account with his new unit on November 6th, when he claimed a SPAD, possibly of 19 Squadron. On November 11th, he downed a DH-5 of No.32 Squadron, piloted by future 7-kill ace Lt. Arthur Claydon, who force landed.

Muller shot down four aircraft in December 1917. The last of these, on December 16th, 1917, was his fifth over a fellow or future ace, 70 Squadron's Lieutenant Kenneth A. Seth-Smith (7 kills), who survived.

When Jasta 2's leader, Walter von Bulow-Bothkamp, was killed on January 6th, Muller became the commander of the Jasta.