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. Though the D. XII was an effective fighter aircraft, it was overshadowed by the highly successful Fokker D. VII.

In early 1918, the Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen) distributed to German aircraft manufacturers a detailed engineering report on the SPAD S. VII, whose wing structure Idflieg considered to be well designed. Pfalz accordingly produced several Pfalz D. III derived prototypes with SPAD type wings. Unlike the earlier aircraft, the D. XII used a two bay wing cellule. Furthermore, the flush wing radiator was replaced with a car type radiator mounted in front of the engine. The prototype D. XII first flew in March 1918. Subsequently, Idflieg issued a production order for 50 aircraft. Pfalz entered several D. XII prototypes in the second fighter competition at Adlershof in May/June 1918. Only Ernst Udet and Hans Weiss favored the D. XII over the Fokker D. VII, but Udet's opinion carried such weight that Pfalz received substantial production orders for the D. XII. The aircraft passed its Typenprüfung (official type test) on 19 June 1918. Difficulties with the radiator, which used vertical tubes rather than the more common honeycomb structure, delayed initial deliveries of the D. XII until June. Leutnant Rudolf Stark, commander of Jasta 35, wrote:

Thanks to its sturdy wing and thin airfoil section, the D. XII maintained the excellent high speed dive characteristics of the earlier Pfalz D. III. Like most contemporary fighters, however, the D. XII had an abrupt stall and a pronounced tendency to spin. Furthermore, pilots consistently criticized the D. XII for its long takeoff run, heavy controls, and "clumsy" handling qualities in the air. Rate of roll, in particular, appears to have been deficient. Between 750 and 800 D. XII scouts were completed by the Armistice. A substantial number, perhaps as many as 175, were surrendered to the Allies. Of these, a few were shipped to the United States and Canada for evaluation.

During the development of the D. XII, Pfalz produced several Pfalz D. III derived prototypes with SPAD type wings and Windhoff "ear" radiators.

The overcompressed BMW IIIa engine would have provided improved performance in the D. XIIf variant. Records show that Pfalz received 84 such engines between July and October 1918, but there is no photographic evidence of any production D. XII equipped with the BMW IIIa. To cope with the increased power and weight, the D. XIV featured longer span wings and an enlarged vertical stabilizer. Both D. XIIs were eventually sold to private collectors. Today, one of these aircraft is now displayed at the Seattle Museum of Flight, after it was acquired from the defunct Champlin Fighter Museum, in Mesa, Arizona. The second is exhibited at the National Air and Space Museum, in Washington D. C.
A preserved D. XII aircraft is also displayed at the Musée de l'Air et de l'Espace in Paris. Serial 2600/18 was one of several Pfalz D. XIIs awarded to Australia in 1919 under the terms of the Armistice. Its service history is unknown. In late 1919, the aircraft was shipped from 2nd Aircraft Salvage Depot in France to England, and subsequently to Australia. It was temporarily exhibited in Melbourne and Adelaide in 1920. In 1924, the aircraft went on display in Sydney. Serial 2600/18 was removed to storage in 2001. After an extensive restoration at the Treloar Technology Centre in Canberra, the aircraft went on display at the AWM's ANZAC Hall in 2008.

Paramount Pictures property manager Louis Kinnell took one airframe to the shops of Chaffee Junior College and restored it to flying condition. This aircraft was kept at Dycer Field (Los Angeles, California) and was flown without registration for a short time in 1939.