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A Pair of Aces by Ivan Berryman. With dozens of confirmed victories at the end of WW1, the great Austro-Hungarian ace, Godwin von Brumowski was a formidable opponent, his red Oeffag-built Albatros D.III 153.45 of Flik 41J notorious in the skies above the Piave River on the Italian Front. When flying with his fellow ace, friend and wingman, Frank Linke-Crawford, they formed a deadly partnership, the two of them frequently sharing victories as they tore through their enemies' air forces, downing fighters, bombers and balloons alike. Brumowski's confirmed total at the war's end was 35, with many more 'probables', whilst Linke-Crawford was to claim a total of 27. They are depicted here in their distinctive aircraft, carrying out a low-level patrol late in the afternoon in the Dolomites in December 1917, just weeks before Linke-Crawford left the squadron to take up his appointment as Commanding Officer of Flik 60. It is popularly believed that the falcons painted on the sides of his aircraft led to Linke-Crawford later acquiring the title 'The Falcone of Feltre'. |
Outnumbered by Ivan Berryman. On 1st February 1918, the great Austro-Hungarian ace Godwin von Brumowski found himself abandoned by his wingmen and left to fight off eight Sopwith Camels of 45 Sqn RFC single handed. On this occasion, it was he that came off the worst, managing to nurse his badly damaged Albatros D.III (Oef) 153.45 back to base, the aircraft becoming engulfed in flames at some point, probably due to a hit in the fuel tank. The fuselage of his machine was riddled with 26 bullet holes and the fabric of the wings was punctured and shredded, but he continued the fight until his guns jammed and he was forced to break away. Undaunted, the Ace was back in the air the next day, only to have these dreadful events repeat themselves just three days later, Brumowski again nursing his shattered aircraft home. |
Drachen Slayer by Ivan Berryman. The last Austro-Hungarian offensive on the Italian Front, known as the Battle of the Piave River, started on June 15th 1918 with 57 Austro-Hungarian divisions ranged against 58 Italian, 3 British and 2 French who were entrenched along the whole of the front line from the Asiago Plateau in the Alps, along the Piave river, to the marshes at the eastern end of the Venetian lagoon. After initial successes in crossing the Piave in numerous places and establishing shallow bridgeheads from Montello to the Adriatic, the Austro-Hungarian offensive was brought to an abrupt halt, not least by a change in the weather that brought torrential rain and flooding of the Piave which, fuelled by the melting snow of the Alps, swept away bridges, pontoons, barges, horses and men. As the Austro-Hungarians attempted to supply their forward lines with men, weapons, ammunition and materials, the Italian artillery, consisting of 5,500 cannons and trench mortars continued to pound them, directed by the Drachen observation balloons of the 11° Sezione which were in place close to the Italian coastline. Flik 41J's top ace Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski, flying his notorious red Albatros D.III (Oef) 135.209 replete with white skulls emblazoned on the fuselage, was on hand however, sending one of the balloons down in flames near Passerella on the fifth day of the offensive, its observer, probably Tenente M Zanini, making his escape by parachute. This was Brumowski's 33rd victory of the war and his 34th was to follow just minutes later when he shared in the destruction of an Italian SAML S.2 that was strafing troops on the ground. |
The Maestro Strikes Again by Ivan Berryman. With Albatros 153.52 written off in a crash in February 1918, Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski's final red mount was Albatros D.III (Oef) 153.209 with which he despatched an observation balloon and an Ansaldo SVA.5 on the same day on 19th June 1918, the latter belching flames before plunging into the bank of the |
Tribute to Heinrich Gontermann by Ivan Berryman. Originally in Germany's military, Heinrich Gontermann did not become an aviator until early 1916, and was not a fighter pilot until November of that year. Despite this, he is credited with 39 victories including 18 observation balloons. Scoring his first victory in November 1916, he did not score again until the next March - he is shown here in his Albatros D.III of Jasta 5 in April 1917 during which he claimed 12 victories - 5 balloons and 7 aircraft. Highly decorated with awards including the Knight's Cross and Blue Max, he was killed in a crash in the last days of October 1917 while performing aerobatics in his new Fokker Dr.I. |
Austro-Hungarian Ace by Stan Stokes. Born in Wadowice, Galicia in 1889, Godwin Brumowski entered the military and served as an officer in the Field Artillery Regiment No. 6 on the Eastern Front during WW I. Interested in flying, Brumowski joined the Luftfahrtruppen as an observer. Learning to fly on his own, he was eventually promoted to command a fighting unit which was composed of both scout and fighter aircraft. In 1916 Brumowski visited the Western Front where he studied the tactics of the German fighting units. Very impressed by what he had seen, Brumowskis goal was to command a unit similar to von Richtofens Flying Circus. Upon his return Brumowski was put in command of another fighting unit equipped with Brandenburg D1s. The D1 was a fairly quick highly maneuverable aircraft. Unfortunately it lacked synchronized machine guns, being equipped instead with a top-wing mounted gun. This gun was not accessible by the pilot in flight to clear jams, and its location also negatively affected the aircrafts performance. Brumowski designed an insignia for his flight which included a white skull on a black background. By 1917 Brumowskis superiors agreed to put the officer in charge of a true fighter group which would be equipped with Albatros D IIIs. These nimble aircraft also had twin synchronized machine guns. Taking another page out of von Richtofens book, Brumowski quickly decided that the six aircraft under his command would be painted bright red. Flying primarily against Italian opponents, Brumowski would go on to attain forty victories, the most of any Austro-Hungarian ace. He would also survive the War, but was killed in a plane crash in 1937. The Albatros D III flown by Brumowski was produced under license by Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik A.G. for the Royal and Imperial Air Service of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Although similar to their German counterparts, the Austrian Albatroses differed in several respects. Power was supplied by an excellent Austro-Daimer engine which had an output of 225-HP in the Series 253 model. The aircraft was armed with twin Schwarzlase machine guns. These guns were less reliable than their German counterparts. The Austrian engineers also re-engineered the wing structure in such a way as to minimize some of the structural problems which plagued the German models. Between early 1917 and late 1918 a total of 540 Austrian produced D IIIs were built. This was arguably the best single seat fighter to serve with the Imperial Air Service during the War. It was flown by most of the top-scoring Austro-Hungarian aces. |
Bird of Prey by Ivan Berryman. (PC) Early on the morning of 5th September 1917, five Albatros DIIIs of Jagdstaffel 2 'Boelcke' dived upon a small group of Bristol F2Bs of 48 Sqn as they patrolled the coast just north of Ostende, Belgium, resulting in a lurid dogfight that saw aircraft from both sides take heavy losses. Pictured is Ltn Franz Pernet's D.III as he lines up for his initial attack in the low morning sun. |
Oblt Friedrich Navratil by Ivan Berryman. Born of Croatian parents in Sarajevo in 1893, Friedrich Navratil served under the Austro Hungarian flag throughout his considerable military career, becoming an outstanding pilot with Flik 3J on the Italian Front. He is depicted here chasing down a Hanriot of 72A Squadriglia da Caccia over Val del Concei in August 1918 to claim his third of ten victories. Navratil's distictive Albatross D.III (Oef) 253.06 was easily identifiable by his personalised 'Pierced Heart' emblem and is unusual in sporting the then new Balkenkeuz cross, untypical of Austro-Hungarian aircraft in WW1. DHM6605. Oblt Friedrich Navratil by Ivan Berryman. |
Duel Above the Piave by Ivan Berryman. The most successful fighter ace of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force in World War One, Godwin von Brumowski was to end the war credited with 35 air victories (including 12 shared), plus a further eight unconfirmed. On 23rd November 1917, flying in company with Frank Linke-Crawford, Oblt Brumowski shared in the destruction of two Italian Nieuport scouts near the mouth of the Piave River, as depicted here, flying Albatros D.III (Oeffag)153.45 of Flik 41J bearing his personalised skull motif and all-red colour scheme applied over the original mottled factory finish. Frank Linke Crawford's Albatros can be seen circling in the distance. |
Inferno at Isola Morosini by Ivan Berryman (PC) Balloon-busting was a major part of the aerial war during the Battle of the Piave, Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski and his great friend Frank Linke-Crawford downing a handful of them between them. This was Brumowskis 22nd victory in the Sdobba Estuary, scored whilst flying Albatros D.III (Oef) 152.45. |
The Best Fighting Unit in the LFT by Ivan Berryman (PC) During 1917 under the leadership of Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski Flik 41J was to become recognized as the finest of all the Fliegerkompanie in the Austro-Hungarian Army Air Service. With the superb Albatros D.III (Oef), the Luftfahrtruppen (LFT) were equipped to take on the enemy on equal terms. |
Godwin von Brumowski by Ivan Berryman. With dozens of confirmed victories at the end of WW1, the great Austro-Hungarian ace, Godwin von Brumowski was a formidable opponent, his red Oeffag-built Albatros D.III 153.45 of Flik 41J notorious in the skies above the Piave River on the Italian Front. Enemy fighters, bombers and balloons alike fell to his guns, outclassed by both his airmanship and skills as a marksman. Brumowski's confirmed total at the war's end was 35, with many more 'probables', making him the highest-scoring pilot in the Austro-Hungarian air force. He is depicted here, standing next to 153.45 in typical flying helmet and leather coat, the balloon badge of the Luftfahrtruppen, just visible on the red collar patch of his tunic. The swirl pattern applied over the red base coat on two of his D.IIIs was a derivative of a camouflage pattern that he developed during his time flying the Hansa-Brandenberg D.1 (KD) earlier in the war, when the tresses were applied over a green finish to help his aircraft blend in to the verdant forests of the Isonzo region. Although never intended as any form of camouflage, the bright red of his three red Albatros D.IIIs, with their ghoulish skull emblems, were inspired by the German ace, Manfred von Richthofen, who Brumowski briefly met during his detachment to the Western Front with Jasta 24. |
Tribute to Julius Buckler by Ivan Berryman. Having been wounded early in World War One as a soldier on the Western Front, Julius Buckler had become a pilot with Jasta 17 by November 1916. He scored his first victory that December, one of almost 30 enemy aircraft. Frequently out of action due to wounds including simultaneous broken arms, he is seen here flying his Albatros D.III names Mops, the aircraft he used to claim his first balloon victory on 26th April 1917. He went on to score 7 balloon victories and was awarded the Blue Max. He died in 1960 aged 66. |
The Last Victory by Ivan Berryman. The terrible battles that raged between the Italian and Austro-Hungarian armies on the Piave river in Northern Italy in June 1918 had already claimed many thousands of lives on both sides, but as the Italians drove the Austro-Hungarians back, things were to take a defining turn for the worse, as torrential rain and melting snow caused the river to flood, sweeping away bridges, boats and men alike. The Italians continued to bombard their retreating enemy and rake them with machine gun fire as they tried to cross. Italian and Allied aircraft too joined in the ruthless destruction of the beaten Austro-Hungarian forces and soon only one pontoon bridge remained. On 20th June, an Italian SIA.7b attempted to bomb this final lifeline, but its efforts were thwarted by the red Albatros D.III (Oef) of Hauptmann Godwin von Brumowski who immediately downed the intruder to claim his 35th - and final confirmed victory, despite his own aircraft being hit no less than 37 times. An estimated 60,000 Austro-Hungarian troops are believed to have perished during the retreat across the Piave, surely one of WW1's most tragic episodes. |
Tribute to Erich Lowenhardt by Ivan Berryman. Erich Lowenhardt was one of the most famous German Aces of World War One. A rival of the likes of Ernst Udet and Lothar von Richthofen in number of victories, he racked up an impressive 54 victories before his death in August 1918, caused by a failed parachute when he bailed out after a collision. He is depicted here, not in his final Fokker D.VII, but in an Albatros D.III, claiming one of his tally of 9 observation balloons - this one in May 1918. The fortunate balloon observer has managed to take to his parachute to escape this time, a measure the observers were often forced to employ by the German balloon busters. |
One in the Bag by Ivan Berryman A German Albatross D-III sees off a Bristol Fighter among the clouds over the Western Front, early in 1917. The D-III was a massive improvement over the monoplanes of the time, possessing greater manoeuvrability, a higher ceiling and synchronized guns. Many German aces thought this the best fighter of the First World War. |
Brothers in Arms by Ivan Berryman. On the morning of 13th April 1917, five RE8s of 59 Sqn, RFC, took off from their base at La Bellevue on a photographic sortie, A3203 carrying a camera, with the other four flying as escorts. Spads of 19 Sqn and some 52 Sqn Fe.2s were to have joined them as fighter cover, but the rendezvous was never made and the RE8s found themselves alone. For some unknown reason, this flight of aircraft seemed to have drifted some way north of their intended target - and into the clutches of a group of Jasta 11 Albatros scouts, led by none other than Baron Manfred von Richthofen. In a relatively short combat, all five RE8s were shot down by their German opponents, one by the Red Baron himself and two by his brother, Lothar, who claimed his fourth and fifth victims, thus becoming an ace, the others being downed by Festner and Wolff in similar aircraft. For the Red Baron, this was a day of particular significance. Not only had he now scored more victories than his mentor, Oswald Boelcke, by shooting down his 41st victim, he was later to claim a further two victories that same day - his first triple. He is depicted here flying Albatros D.III Nr.2253/17. |
Close Combat - The 31st Victory by Ivan Berryman. Barely 300m above the distinctively meandering Piave River on 17th April 1918, an intense aerial battle took place between Sopwith Camels of 28 Sqn RFC and pilots of Flik 41J of the Austro-Hungarian Air Force near Arcade, north east of Venice. The Commander of Flik 41J, Godwin von Brumowski, the Austro-Hungarian 'Ace of Aces', dueled with Lieutenant W C Hargrave, flying Camel B6342, a battle in which the distinctive red Albatros D.III (Oef) 153.45, emblazoned with its identifying skull motifs gained the upper hand, sending Lt Hargrave's machine to the ground to claim victory number 31. This 'kill' was shared that day with Oblt Friedrich Navratil, the first of his 10 victories, whose aircraft can be seen in the distance. |
Oberleutnant Godwin Brumowski by Ivan Berryman. Albatros DIII of Godwin Brumowski about to shoot down a Caquot balloon. |
Josef Kiss by Ivan Berryman. (PC) Flying from Pergine airfield in Northern Italy some time in March 1918, Offz Stv Josef Kiss is depicted on patrol over the Piave in Albatros DIII (Oef) 153.186, his aircraft carrying the personalised 'medal' decoration overpainted with a white 'K'. Below him is the similar aircraft of Oblt Josef von Maier, also of Flik 55/J. Kiss was to attain a victory score of 19 aircraft destroyed before being killed in combat on 24th May 1918. |
Albatros D.III The D.III entered squadron service in December 1916, On 23 January 1917, a Jasta 6 pilot suffered a failure of the lower right wing spar.[3] On the following day, Manfred von Richthofen suffered a crack in the lower wing of his new D.III. On 27 January, the Kogenluft (Kommandierenden General der Luftstreitkräfte) issued an order grounding all D.IIIs pending resolution of the wing failure problem. On 19 February, after Albatros introduced a reinforced lower wing, the Kogenluft rescinded the grounding order.New production D.IIIs were completed with the strengthened wing while operational D.IIIs were withdrawn to Armee-Flugparks for modifications, forcing Jastas to use the Albatros D.II and Halberstadt D.II during the interim Albatros built approximately 500 D.III aircraft at its Johannisthal factory. In the spring of 1917, D.III production shifted to Albatros' subsidiary, Ostdeutsche Albatros Werke (OAW), to permit Albatros to concentrate on development and production of the D.V. Between April and August 1917, Idflieg issued five separate orders for a total of 840 D.IIIs. The OAW variant underwent its Typenprüfung in June 1917. Production commenced at the Schneidemühl factory in June and continued through December 1917. OAW aircraft were distinguishable by their larger, rounded rudders. Peak service was in November 1917, with 446 aircraft on the Western Front. The D.III did not disappear with the end of production, however. It remained in frontline service well into 1918. As of 31 August 1918, 54 D.III aircraft remained on the Western Front. In the autumn of 1916, Oesterreichische Flugzeugfabrik AG (Oeffag) obtained a licence to build the D.III at Wiener-Neustadt. Deliveries commenced in May 1917. The aircraft were officially designated as Albatros D.III(Oeffag), but were known as Oeffag Albatros D.III in Austro-Hungary, and just Oeffag D.III in Poland |
| Top Aces for : Albatros D.III | |
| A list of all Aces from our database who are known to have flown this aircraft. | |
| Name | Victories |
| Joachim von Bertrab | 5.00 |
| Adolf Schulte | 9.00 |
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