Boelckes DII

Terraplane49 · 18 September 2012, 10:00 AM

One of the things I've found most perplexing while studying the man whom I consider the greatest of the German pilots of WW1 is the conflicting information about the machine he was flying at the time of his death.According to the various books which I either own or have read from elsewhere it could be anything from a standard DI to a specially built DII.As a model maker this has caused me some confusion so I decided to take a chance.Having made the Roden model of the DII with Windhoff radiators as shown in the plans for the Boelcke machine I decided,after some thought,to rebuild it with a centrally-mounted Teeves & Braun in the top wing.I have seen a model in 1/32nd scale of a machine described as Boelckes own but felt that it was likely to be one of the batch of DIIs which received wing-mounted radiators as a production-line modification.This would,it seems,have improved the handling by giving a better airflow over the tail,which,it seems to me,would make for a steadier gun-platform.Can anyone tell me if I've done the right thing?

Hans · 19 September 2012, 04:32 AM

Take a look at

http://www.theaerodrome.com/forum/ca...yone-help.html

Maybe this helps.

Terraplane49 · 19 September 2012, 01:29 PM

Thanks for the tip,Hans.Unfortunately it isn't absolutely clear due to the photo angles but I think I could make out a central radiator in the upper wing.So for the time being I'll stick with my theory as to the type being flown on Oct.28th 1916.There seems to have been a considerable number of DIIs with Teeves & Braun fittings and it seems logical that O.B. would have acquired one.