Pfalz Flugzeugwerke
Encyclopedia
Pfalz Flugzeugwerke was a World War I
German
aircraft manufacturer, located at the Speyer
airfield in the Palatinate (German: Pfalz). They are best known for their series of fighters, notably the Pfalz D.III
and Pfalz D.XII
. The company went bankrupt after the Armistice, when the French occupation forces confiscated all of the equipment, but the factory was re-used by various other companies until re-forming in 1997. Today they are a parts manufacturer referred to as PFW.
. It appears that he had built his own aircraft between 1912 and 1913, although the exact origin of the design is unclear. On June 3, 1913, the Pfalz company was registered, consisting of Alfred, his brother Ernst, and his brother-in-law Willy Sabersky-Müssigbrodt, as well as several investors: Richard and Eugen Kahn, and August Khan (unrelated).
They initially proposed to build designs from Albatros
, but their attempts at a deal amounted to nothing. Their next deal was with Gustav Otto Flugzeugwerke, building examples of his pusher
-propeller biplane design. The original example was sent to Africa on a tour, and ended up being pressed into service as a scout.
The company had always planned to set up shop at the new airfield in Speyer
, but they initially had problems securing land for a factory. The Gustav designs were actually built in the Speyer Festival Hall, which was unused at the time. It was not until February 6, 1914, that the city agreed to sell Pfalz 7,000 m² to build their factory. Construction was completed in July, only one month before the start of World War I
.
By this point, the company had arranged a license to produce Morane-Saulnier
monoplanes, which were quickly put into German service. When these became uncompetitive on the Western Front, Pfalz shifted production to the LFG Roland D.I and D.II
. The D.II was produced into late 1916, by which point it too was no longer competitive.
Instead of licensing another design, Pfalz instead licensed the previously patented Roland firm's Wickelrumpf (wrapped-fuselage) plywood
strip-covered semi-monocoque fuselage design and combined it with the new 160 hp Mercedes D.III
engine to create the Pfalz D.III
. The D.III entered service in August 1917, but was not considered a match for contemporary designs like the Albatros D.V
, and instead found a niche role in attacking observation balloon
s where its high diving speed was a major advantage. About 600 D.IIIs and slightly modified D.IIIas were built between its introduction in August and its replacement a year later. Many were still in service at that time, about 450.
Adaptations of the D.III with the new Siemens-Halske Sh.III
rotary
resulted in the Pfalz D.VIII
, which featured an incredible rate of climb (which it shared with the other Sh. III powered fighter, the Siemens-Schuckert D.IV
). The Sh. III proved to be rather unreliable due to the ersatz
engine oil available, and only a small number of D.VIIIs were built. These did see front-line use by Jasta 29 (Jasta Boelcke) at least, although it is unclear how many were built in total.
The D.VIII was also adapted to triplane configuration as the Pfalz Dr.I
for entry in the First Fighter Competition at Adlershof
in January 1918. Like the D.VIII, it was powered by the Sh. III, and therefore completely outpowered its Oberursel UR.II
powered contemporaries. Nevertheless, the Fokker Dr.I
was the winner of the contest, which is not surprising considering that it was the only aircraft entered that was designed from the outset as a triplane, as opposed to being a quickly-adapted biplane. About a dozen Dr. Is were built and used operationally for some time.
The final major production model was the Pfalz D.XII
, a development of the D.III that abandoned the sesquiplane configuration in favor of two-bay wings similar to those of the French SPAD. It entered the Second Fighter Competition in June 1918 against the famous Fokker E.V monoplane and other designs. Although generally similar to the Fokker D.VII
in looks and performance, the D.XII was widely considered to be inferior in handling characteristics and difficult to land. Nevertheless the D.XII was ordered into production, and about 800 were produced before the Armistice. Many of these survived the war and were taken as booty by the Allies. A few aircraft were eventually featured in various movies, notably Hell's Angels
and The Dawn Patrol
.
A derivative of the D.XII, the D.XIV, was not ordered into the production. Pfalz's final scout, the D.XV, participated in the Third Fighter Competition. The Idflieg
ordered the D.XV into production just before the Armistice, but it did not see operational service.
in 1932.
The new company grew quickly, starting with over 200 employees by the end of 1937, growing to 500 by the start of the war, and to 1,500 by the time the war ended. They maintained many designs during this time, including the Focke-Wulf Fw 58, Heinkel He 45
, He 46
, He 51
and He 111
, Junkers Ju 52
, and Ju 88
.
Work at the plants ended in March 1945 due to the approach of American and French troops.
introduced his famous bubblecar, the Heinkel Kabine
, in 1955, receiving a roadworthiness certificate in February 1956. He soon purchased the Speyer plants for additional production capability, adding to the major assembly line
in Karlsruhe
. Given the location at the airfield, it appears he may have been planning to start aircraft production at Speyer as well.
Over the next five years, 3,800 Heinkelkabine's were produced at the Speyer plants, reaching 50 a day. However, Heinkel's death in 1958 ended any plans for expansion into aircraft, and in 1961 the two assembly lines were sold off to Ireland and Argentina.
In 1964 the remains of Heinkel, Focke Wulf and Weser Flugzeugbau
merged to form VFW
(and for a time, VFW-Fokker). The Speyer plants were then involved in production of the Transall C-160
, building 169 of them. They also produced on parts for the UH-1 Iroquois
and CH-53 Sea Stallion
, produced under license by VFW. Some work was also carried out for other aviation companies, notably Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
(MBB), Dornier
, and the engine manufacturer MTU
.
In 1983 MBB bought the Speyer factories and turned them into a primary helicopter repair center. MBB ran into financial difficulties, and merged with Deutsche Aerospace in 1989.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
aircraft manufacturer, located at the Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
airfield in the Palatinate (German: Pfalz). They are best known for their series of fighters, notably the Pfalz D.III
Pfalz D.III
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Grosz, Peter M. Pfalz D.IIIa . Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-94841-425-1.* Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 ...
and Pfalz D.XII
Pfalz D.XII
The Pfalz D.XII was a German fighter aircraft built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke. Designed by Rudolph Gehringer as a successor to the Pfalz D.III, the D.XII entered service in significant numbers near the end of the First World War. It was the last Pfalz aircraft to see widespread service...
. The company went bankrupt after the Armistice, when the French occupation forces confiscated all of the equipment, but the factory was re-used by various other companies until re-forming in 1997. Today they are a parts manufacturer referred to as PFW.
Early history
Pfalz was the brainchild of Alfred Eversbusch, son of a foundry owner in Neustadt an der WeinstraßeNeustadt an der Weinstraße
Neustadt an der Weinstraße is a town located in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. With 53,892 inhabitants as of 2002, it is the largest town called Neustadt.-Etymology:...
. It appears that he had built his own aircraft between 1912 and 1913, although the exact origin of the design is unclear. On June 3, 1913, the Pfalz company was registered, consisting of Alfred, his brother Ernst, and his brother-in-law Willy Sabersky-Müssigbrodt, as well as several investors: Richard and Eugen Kahn, and August Khan (unrelated).
They initially proposed to build designs from Albatros
Albatros Flugzeugwerke
Albatros-Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer best known for supplying the German airforces during World War I.The company was based in Johannisthal, Berlin, where it was founded by Walter Huth and Otto Wiener on December 20, 1909. It produced some of the most capable fighter aircraft...
, but their attempts at a deal amounted to nothing. Their next deal was with Gustav Otto Flugzeugwerke, building examples of his pusher
Pusher configuration
In a craft with a pusher configuration the propeller are mounted behind their respective engine. According to Bill Gunston, a "pusher propeller" is one mounted behind engine so that drive shaft is in compression...
-propeller biplane design. The original example was sent to Africa on a tour, and ended up being pressed into service as a scout.
The company had always planned to set up shop at the new airfield in Speyer
Speyer
Speyer is a city of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany with approximately 50,000 inhabitants. Located beside the river Rhine, Speyer is 25 km south of Ludwigshafen and Mannheim. Founded by the Romans, it is one of Germany's oldest cities...
, but they initially had problems securing land for a factory. The Gustav designs were actually built in the Speyer Festival Hall, which was unused at the time. It was not until February 6, 1914, that the city agreed to sell Pfalz 7,000 m² to build their factory. Construction was completed in July, only one month before the start of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
.
World War I
Morane-Saulnier
Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier is a French aircraft manufacturing company formed in October 1911 by Raymond Saulnier and the Morane brothers, Leon and Robert...
monoplanes, which were quickly put into German service. When these became uncompetitive on the Western Front, Pfalz shifted production to the LFG Roland D.I and D.II
LFG Roland D.II
-See also:-Bibliography:* Angelucci, Enzo . World Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. London:Jane's, 1981. ISBN 0 7106 0148 4.* Donald, David . The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. London:Blitz, 1997. ISBN 1-85605-375-X....
. The D.II was produced into late 1916, by which point it too was no longer competitive.
Instead of licensing another design, Pfalz instead licensed the previously patented Roland firm's Wickelrumpf (wrapped-fuselage) plywood
Plywood
Plywood is a type of manufactured timber made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, re-usable, and can usually be locally manufactured...
strip-covered semi-monocoque fuselage design and combined it with the new 160 hp Mercedes D.III
Mercedes D.III
The Mercedes D.III, or F1466 as it was known internally, was a six-cylinder, liquid cooled inline aircraft engine built by Daimler and used on a wide variety of German aircraft during World War I. The initial versions were introduced in 1914 at 160 hp, but a series of changes improved this to...
engine to create the Pfalz D.III
Pfalz D.III
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962. ISBN 0-93385-271-1.* Grosz, Peter M. Pfalz D.IIIa . Berkhamsted, Herts, UK: Albatros Publications, 1995. ISBN 0-94841-425-1.* Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War 1 ...
. The D.III entered service in August 1917, but was not considered a match for contemporary designs like the Albatros D.V
Albatros D.V
|-See also:-Bibliography:*Bennett, Leon. Gunning for the Red Baron. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press, 2006. ISBN 1-58544-507-X....
, and instead found a niche role in attacking observation balloon
Observation balloon
Observation balloons are balloons that are employed as aerial platforms for intelligence gathering and artillery spotting. Their use began during the French Revolutionary Wars, reaching their zenith during World War I, and they continue in limited use today....
s where its high diving speed was a major advantage. About 600 D.IIIs and slightly modified D.IIIas were built between its introduction in August and its replacement a year later. Many were still in service at that time, about 450.
Adaptations of the D.III with the new Siemens-Halske Sh.III
Siemens-Halske Sh.III
Siemens-Halske's Sh.III was an 11-cylinder, air-cooled rotary engine developed in Germany during World War I, similar to the Sh.I.-Design:It shared with its predecessor the unusual design feature of having its internal workings rotating in a clockwise direction as seen from "nose-on", within the...
rotary
Rotary engine
The rotary engine was an early type of internal-combustion engine, usually designed with an odd number of cylinders per row in a radial configuration, in which the crankshaft remained stationary and the entire cylinder block rotated around it...
resulted in the Pfalz D.VIII
Pfalz D.VIII
-See also:-Bibliography:* Cowin, H. W. "German and Austrian Aviation of World War I". Osprey Publishing Ltd, 2000. ISBN 1-841-76069-2* Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen. German Aircraft of the First World War. London:Putnam, 1962....
, which featured an incredible rate of climb (which it shared with the other Sh. III powered fighter, the Siemens-Schuckert D.IV
Siemens-Schuckert D.IV
The Siemens-Schuckert D.IV was a late-World War I fighter aircraft from Siemens-Schuckert . Considered by many to be the best fighter to see action during the war, it reached service too late and was produced in too few numbers to have any effect on the war effort.-Earlier designs:Siemens-Schuckert...
). The Sh. III proved to be rather unreliable due to the ersatz
Ersatz
Ersatz means 'substituting for, and typically inferior in quality to', e.g. 'chicory is ersatz coffee'. It is a German word literally meaning substitute or replacement...
engine oil available, and only a small number of D.VIIIs were built. These did see front-line use by Jasta 29 (Jasta Boelcke) at least, although it is unclear how many were built in total.
The D.VIII was also adapted to triplane configuration as the Pfalz Dr.I
Pfalz Dr.I
The Pfalz Dr.I was a German fighter prototype of World War I. Official interest in the potential of the triplane configuration for single-seat fighters prompted Pfalz to develop the Dr.I...
for entry in the First Fighter Competition at Adlershof
Adlershof
-External links:*...
in January 1918. Like the D.VIII, it was powered by the Sh. III, and therefore completely outpowered its Oberursel UR.II
Motorenfabrik Oberursel
Motorenfabrik Oberursel A.G. was a German manufacturer of automobile, locomotive and aircraft engines situated in Oberursel , near Frankfurt , Germany. During World War I it supplied a major 100 hp-class rotary engine that was used in a number of early-war fighter aircraft designs...
powered contemporaries. Nevertheless, the Fokker Dr.I
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I Dreidecker was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918...
was the winner of the contest, which is not surprising considering that it was the only aircraft entered that was designed from the outset as a triplane, as opposed to being a quickly-adapted biplane. About a dozen Dr. Is were built and used operationally for some time.
The final major production model was the Pfalz D.XII
Pfalz D.XII
The Pfalz D.XII was a German fighter aircraft built by Pfalz Flugzeugwerke. Designed by Rudolph Gehringer as a successor to the Pfalz D.III, the D.XII entered service in significant numbers near the end of the First World War. It was the last Pfalz aircraft to see widespread service...
, a development of the D.III that abandoned the sesquiplane configuration in favor of two-bay wings similar to those of the French SPAD. It entered the Second Fighter Competition in June 1918 against the famous Fokker E.V monoplane and other designs. Although generally similar to the Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
in looks and performance, the D.XII was widely considered to be inferior in handling characteristics and difficult to land. Nevertheless the D.XII was ordered into production, and about 800 were produced before the Armistice. Many of these survived the war and were taken as booty by the Allies. A few aircraft were eventually featured in various movies, notably Hell's Angels
Hell's Angels (film)
Hell's Angels is a 1930 American war film, directed by Howard Hughes and starring Jean Harlow, Ben Lyon, and James Hall. The film, which was produced by Hughes and written by Harry Behn and Howard Estabrook, centers on the combat pilots of World War I...
and The Dawn Patrol
The Dawn Patrol
The Dawn Patrol is a 1930 World War I film starring Richard Barthelmess and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. It was directed by Howard Hawks and won the Academy Award for Best Story for John Monk Saunders.-Plot:...
.
A derivative of the D.XII, the D.XIV, was not ordered into the production. Pfalz's final scout, the D.XV, participated in the Third Fighter Competition. The Idflieg
Idflieg
The Idflieg was the bureau of the German War Office that oversaw German military aviation prior to and during World War I....
ordered the D.XV into production just before the Armistice, but it did not see operational service.
Interbellum
At the end of the war, the Pfalz factory fell into the French-occupied area, and was stripped of anything useful. On June 4, 1919, the company was re-established as A.G. Pfalz, which listed its main businesses as "shipbuilding, production, and the buying and selling of industrial goods." This company eventually went bankrupt during the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
in 1932.
World War II
On October 1, 1937 the factories once again turned to aircraft work, this time under the name Saarpfalz Flugwerke, a maintenance company. The Speyer airfield was no longer operational, so aircraft repaired there had to be transported to Mannheim-Neuostheim for flight, but the city decided to rebuild the airport over the next year and it re-opened in 1938.The new company grew quickly, starting with over 200 employees by the end of 1937, growing to 500 by the start of the war, and to 1,500 by the time the war ended. They maintained many designs during this time, including the Focke-Wulf Fw 58, Heinkel He 45
Heinkel He 45
|-See also:...
, He 46
Heinkel He 46
-See also:-Bibliography:* Kay, A.L. and Smith, J.R. German Aircraft of World War II. Naval Institute Press, 2002....
, He 51
Heinkel He 51
-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Donald, David, ed. Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London: Aerospace, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-56-5.* Green, William and Gordon Swanborough. "The Cadre Creator...Heinkel's Last Fighting Biplane". Air Enthusiast No. 36, May-August 1988. pp. 11–24. ISSN 0143-5450.*...
and He 111
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 was a German aircraft designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter in the early 1930s in violation of the Treaty of Versailles. Often described as a "Wolf in sheep's clothing", it masqueraded as a transport aircraft, but its purpose was to provide the Luftwaffe with a fast medium...
, Junkers Ju 52
Junkers Ju 52
The Junkers Ju 52 was a German transport aircraft manufactured from 1932 to 1945. It saw both civilian and military service during the 1930s and 1940s. In a civilian role, it flew with over 12 air carriers including Swissair and Deutsche Luft Hansa as an airliner and freight hauler...
, and Ju 88
Junkers Ju 88
The Junkers Ju 88 was a World War II German Luftwaffe twin-engine, multi-role aircraft. Designed by Hugo Junkers' company through the services of two American aviation engineers in the mid-1930s, it suffered from a number of technical problems during the later stages of its development and early...
.
Work at the plants ended in March 1945 due to the approach of American and French troops.
Ernst Heinkel, VFW and MBB
Ernst HeinkelErnst Heinkel
Dr. Ernst Heinkel was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, Wehrwirtschaftführer in the Third Reich, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft...
introduced his famous bubblecar, the Heinkel Kabine
Heinkel Kabine
The Heinkel Kabine was a microcar designed by Heinkel Flugzeugwerke and built by them from 1956 to 1958. Production was transferred under licence to Dundalk Engineering Company in Ireland in 1958 but the licence was withdrawn shortly afterward due to poor quality control Production restarted in...
, in 1955, receiving a roadworthiness certificate in February 1956. He soon purchased the Speyer plants for additional production capability, adding to the major assembly line
Assembly line
An assembly line is a manufacturing process in which parts are added to a product in a sequential manner using optimally planned logistics to create a finished product much faster than with handcrafting-type methods...
in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
. Given the location at the airfield, it appears he may have been planning to start aircraft production at Speyer as well.
Over the next five years, 3,800 Heinkelkabine's were produced at the Speyer plants, reaching 50 a day. However, Heinkel's death in 1958 ended any plans for expansion into aircraft, and in 1961 the two assembly lines were sold off to Ireland and Argentina.
In 1964 the remains of Heinkel, Focke Wulf and Weser Flugzeugbau
Weser Flugzeugbau
Weser Flugzeugbau GmbH, known as Weserflug, was the fourth largest aircraft manufacturer in World War II Germany.The company was founded in 1934 as a subsidiary of the ship and machine company Deutsche Schiff- und Maschinenbau AG . It began production that year at Berlin Tempelhof, and in Bremen.In...
merged to form VFW
Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke
Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke was a German aerospace company formed by the 1964 merger of Focke-Wulf and Weser Flugzeugbau GmbH...
(and for a time, VFW-Fokker). The Speyer plants were then involved in production of the Transall C-160
Transall C-160
|-See also:-References:* Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982-83. London:Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. ISBN 0-7106-0748-2.-External links:*...
, building 169 of them. They also produced on parts for the UH-1 Iroquois
UH-1 Iroquois
The Bell UH-1 Iroquois is a military helicopter powered by a single, turboshaft engine, with a two-bladed main rotor and tail rotor. The helicopter was developed by Bell Helicopter to meet the United States Army's requirement for a medical evacuation and utility helicopter in 1952, and first flew...
and CH-53 Sea Stallion
CH-53 Sea Stallion
The CH-53 Sea Stallion is the most common name for the Sikorsky S-65 family of heavy-lift transport helicopters. Originally developed for use by the United States Marine Corps, it is also in service with Germany, Iran, Israel, and Mexico...
, produced under license by VFW. Some work was also carried out for other aviation companies, notably Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm
Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm was a German aerospace company formed as the result of several mergers in the late 1960s. Among its best-known products was the MBB Bo 105 light twin helicopter...
(MBB), Dornier
Dornier
Dornier may refer to:* Claudius Dornier , German aircraft designer and builder** Dornier Flugzeugwerke, German aircraft manufacturer founded in 1914 by Claudius Dornier* Dornier Consulting, international consulting and project management company...
, and the engine manufacturer MTU
MTU
MTU may refer to:Networks and Internet* Maximum transmission unit, the size of the largest packet that a network protocol can transmit* Multi tenant unit, a telecom term referring to a building with multiple offices or apartments...
.
In 1983 MBB bought the Speyer factories and turned them into a primary helicopter repair center. MBB ran into financial difficulties, and merged with Deutsche Aerospace in 1989.