The DFW B.I stands up among the unarmed B-Types employed by the Luftstreitkräfte during early WW1. Inheriting the previous DFW Mars’ alluring banana-shaped wing platform, the three-bay wing structure gave the aircraft really nice stable flight characteristics. Powered by a 100hp Mercedes D.I engine, they saw first-line service until 1915/16, and after that they were used as training aircraft

Future 28 victory ace and Pour le Mérite (Blue Max) holder Leutnant Walter Blume, who scored four kills with Jasta 26, then 22 as Staffelführer of Jasta 9. He survived the war and went on to work for Arado Flugzeugwerke, where he designed the Ar 95, Ar 96 and the Ar 196. In 1933 he was appointed Chief Design Engineer, and as being an early pioneer of jet propulsion, designed the Ar 234 Blitz, the world's first jet bomber. Captured by the Russians, he was forced to help in their fledgling jet programme before being released. He died in West Germany in 1964

Pilots such as the great Oswald Boelcke, Max Immelmann and others, ruled the skies from July 1915 to early 1916 during "The Fokker Scourge" with their Eindeckers (monoplanes), the first aircraft to feature synchronised machine guns that fired through the propeller

5 victory ace Hauptmann Martin Zander, the first commander of Jasta 1. Jagdstaffel 1 was formed on 22 August 1916 and existed until the end of the war. His EK2 (Iron Cross 2nd Class) ribbon is attached to the third button on his tunic, his EK1 sits atop of his pilots badge. From 10.11.1916 he was commander of the Jagdstaffelschule I (Fighter School 1) in Valenciennes. He died in 1925

The sole prototype Zeppelin-Lindau (Dornier) V1 single seat fighter, completed during the summer of 1916, was not just Claudius Dornier's first attempts at a fighter, but one of his first on any type of aeroplane. Of workmanlike, rather than elegant appearance, the finished product showed the influences of Nieuport's sesquiplane wing layout, in a British-style pusher engined airframe. Using a 160hp Mercedes D III engine, the V1, as to be expected of Dornier, employed an all-alloy structure. Sadly, someone had miscalculated the machine's dynamic, or in-flight balance. This was something the company's test pilot, Bruno Schroter, clearly suspected to be the case following his high speed taxying tests and he wanted nothing more to do with the V1. The man found to make the the aircraft's maiden flight was Oberleutnant Hans Hallen von Hallerstein, a notable military flier, who had only recently completing the test flying of the giant Zeppelin-Staarken VGO III. Tragically, Schroter's prediction concerning the aircraft's tail-heaviness proved correct and on 13 November 1916, following lift-off, the V1's nose continued to rise until the fighter stalled and fell to earth, von Hallerstein being killed in the crash

The C.XII was the last Albatros C-Type recon biplane produced in quantity which saw service in WWI. Building on the previous models in an evolutive way, nothing was radical in its design. Powered by the same 260hp Mercedes D.IVa engine of the C.X, its main distinctive feature was the elliptical-section fuselage taken from the D.V. The result was an alluring aircraft, which nevertheless had basically the same performances of the aircraft it replaced. First flown in mid-1917, they entered service late that year, remaining in use throughout 1918

The Daimler L.11 was the first aircraft wholly designed by Hanns Klemm. It was a very clean parasol monoplane powered by a geared 185hp Daimler D.IIIb. First flown in October 1918, the prototype displayed stunning performances with a top level speed of 240kph/150mph and a remarkable rate of climb. Regrettably for Klemm and Daimler, the war didn’t last long enough for it to be accepted by the Idflieg (Inspektion der Fliegertruppen/Inspectorate of Flying Troops). Its virtues sure had deserved it to be called Daimler D.III in service. A lovely no-nonsense design, notice the sophisticated swivelling wingtip surfaces that acted as aileron servo tabs. Originally the ailerons were unbalanced

The Germania DB was built by the Germania-Flugzeugwerke GmbH of Leipzig. The DB two-seat fighter utilised the efficient Walfisch (Whale) fuselage configuration which endowed the gunner, seated ahead of the pilot, with a broad forward field of fire. A two-bay biplane, the DB was powered by a 180hp Argus As III water-cooled engine, carried a single machine gun on a ring mounting in the forward cockpit and was undergoing trials in September 1915. No production of the fighter was undertaken

8 victory ace and Jasta 56 pilot Leutnant Ludwig 'Lutz' Beckmann’s Fokker Dr.I replica. Beckman joined the Luftwaffe as an Oberstleutnant and was Gruppenkommandeur of a special transport unit, IV./TG1. He flew over 200 air bridge sorties into besieged Demjansk, Russia with this unit. He was also Gruppenkommandeur of a Junkers Ju 52 unit, KGr zbV 500. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz (Knight's Cross) and died in 1965

25 victory ace and Pour le Mérite holder and Staffelkapitän of Jasta 19 Leutnant Oliver Freiherr von Beaulieu-Marconnay's Siemens Schuckert D.III, while serving in Jasta 15, March 1918. He died of wounds on 26 October 1918, and at 19 he was the youngest Blue Max holder. Of interest, when flown against the Albatros D.Va and the Fokker D.VII, the SSW D.III was the fastest of the three

Jasta 11 pilots meet Hauptmann Wilhelm Haehnelt (with cane), then commander of the Air Force of the 2nd Army. L-R: 16 victory ace Leutnant Hans Weiss, 40 victory ace Oberleutnant Lothar von Richthofen, 9 victory ace Leutnant Eberhard Mohnicke, Hauptmann Haehnelt and 80 victory ace Rittmeister Manfred von Richthofen. Location and date unknown, however it must be prior to 2 May 1918 when Weiss was KIA