Having already found successes in the Albatros D.I and D.II models,
designer Robert Thelen sought for more in the way of maneuverability
when tackling the new Albatros D.III. This was accomplished by a new
unstaggered wing layout featuring "V" section interplane struts as
opposed to the parallel types found on previous models (and earning the
British nickname of "V-strutter" in the process). A capable fighter
platform, the D.III took to the skies in force by early 1917 and was
produced to the tune of 1,866 examples eventually finding its way into
inventories of non-German countries in the post-war world. As was the
case for most aircraft designs of The Great War, the type was soon
replaced and outclassed by more capable systems.
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