The Albatros D.V fighter was designed to replace the superb D.III fighter of January 1917. Unfortunately the D.V proved troublesome and was replaced by the D.Va that had to be used by the Fliegertruppe until the Fokker D.VII fighter came online. The type was still in service at the time of the Armistice.

Only two Albatros D.Va fighters survive. The one in the Smithsonian NASM was rebuilt from the wreckage of D.7161/17. The other is D.5390/17 that was taken as a War Trophy by the Australian Imperial Forces in Europe in December 1917, under exceptional circumstances. It was displayed in the Australian War Memorial from its opening on Remembrance Day, 11 November 1941. With time it was appreciated that despite being displayed indoors in the Aeroplane Hall, the ravages of time required a restoration. It was ‘restored’ by volunteers in 1966.

The War Memorial then undertook a professional restoration that restored the airframe to the condition it was in when it was forced down on the Western Front in 1918. down on the Western Front in 1918.

Before and during these restorations the author obtained a great number of photographs and data. It was considered that this material would be of use to restorers of vintage aeroplanes and modelers.

About the product:

• Author: Colin A. Owers
• Genre: Non-Fiction
• ISBN: 9781964637068
• Format: Soft cover
• Published Date: 6 July 2024
• Pages: 120