No.199, THE PFALZ D.XII
SPEYER'S LATE-COMER!
PETER M Grosz relates the development and wartime career of the Pfalz company's final fighter design to enter combat with German Front-Line units, 168 being in service by 31 August 1918. This excellent 1967 Profile contains over 30 period photos from the author's personal archive and features eight colourful examples on the inner covers including a five-view of D.XII 2454/18 flown by Ltn. Max Kammerer in Jasta 35. Our single copy is in good condition with some minor cover creases.
ALTHOUGH overshadowed by its contemporary, the mercurial Fokker D.VII, the 1918 Pfalz D.XII was almost its equal as an all-round combat aeroplane but its two-bay strut arrangement and the necessary extra rigging made it unpopular with the Jasta ground-crews who maintained it in service. Nevertheless, it was produced in considerable numbers serving over 20 Jagdstaffeln on the Western Front, and whilst suffering by comparison with the more numerous and faster D.VII, many pilots found it effective in combat despite its less than stellar performance. Had the D.XII received the superb BMW IIIa engine, which was prioritised for D.VII production, it would have proved a formidable opponent...