What is the deal with the German planes? The Germans have always been the makers of precision optics and instruments, so why in Oct 1917 am I flying in a Pfalz D.IIIa that only has a tachometer. The British planes are loaded with instruments while the Germans might only have one. What do you suppose was the reason? Was it cost or weight? Anyway, I await your input.

I'm an American not a German, but I like that cockpit. It needs an altimeter imho



Hard to beat the cockpit visibity!

could be like ROF.....you have to buy them?

just kidding.(now awaiting a #%&*$#)

That's a good question and one I have often wondered about myself.
Probably nothing mysterious about it just a different design philosophy I am guessing.
I notice the Nieuports I fly are kind of "German" like with minimal instruments also.
I personally like a lot of dials so I really like the Se series - feels like a Cadillac.

lol..

but in the end, the typo of instruments you really need in this planes are the engine related ones, anything else you do get a pretty good idea of by just looking outside. And the mainstay of the german fighters on the western front did not make long distance flights and stayed defensive on their part of the lines.


And you got to bear in mind that the blockade let to shortage of raw materials and food in germany, so not putting anything metal and time costly in, like precision instruments was part of the effort to keep production high.

oddly enough, this was the direct opposite in ww2, even when they knew (in the end) that their planes had a very very short life expectation and despite putting on wooden tails to save metal, the instruments then where always top notch and over done.

I am German, but not an expert at all, and can only guess here.

Maybe it's because the British had the "aggressive" mission tasks across the lines,
for which certain altitudes were given - so they needed the altimeter.

The German scouts were more interceptors.
They just followed early telephone reports about incoming aircraft, and then they
would follow the black Flak puffs, or they already saw the enemy flight.
They just had to climb to the enemy - no need for an altimeter.

Just my thoughts.

According to Capt. Eric Brown in his book "Wings of the Luftwaffe" the late-model 109G suffered from poor quality glass in the windscreen. It was lucky to have any glass at all being made in 1944. He did like the German systems including their one lever for throttle, boost control and mixture. And of course the aircraft were all 24-volt which only appeared on British aircraft after the war. The only complaint I read of his was the cannon round counter in the Me110 which was a complete waste of time and was put where the compass should be.

From "Cockpits deutcher Flugzeuge", the Alb. DVa of the Australian War Museum only shows in its original dashboard: tacho (missing), speed, fuel pressure, fuel gauge, compas . The author writes :" altimeter or watch could be added according to pilot's request."

Here is an old graphic I made with Lou's assistance - it shows how Albatros cockpits were equipped or partly modyfied.

Another point is the value of cockpit instruments in those days.

When Arthur Gould Lee got shot down twice (!) on the same day during the battle of Cambrai,
he took the clock out of his Sopwith Camel, to keep it as a souvenir from this "adventure".
The next day he received a typed order, to come an office and hand over the clock which
he had removed. Hard times?
I guess in those days tech gear just had a much higher value - things were not easily given up,
even when they were broken.

Thanks for all of the good answers and information. Since the Pfalz doesn't have an altimeter I'm trying to train my eye to determine roughly what altitude I'm flying. I'm just amazed that the German pilots could fill out their reports with any accuracy not knowing their altitude.

Aeronautical watches are from a much higher quality than ordinary watches. As they are much needed for navigation and tactical need, they have to stay perfectly reliable although under negative hinderance from thermic, magnetic, physical origin and so had a lot of value. Maybe that's why he choose to take it with him instead of the tachometer and why staff asked him to give it back !

Well, there was nobody who could prove they were wrong - right?

Good point, kaa.

Yes there was a standing order to ALL pilots of the RFC/RAF to remove the dashboard clocks (as they were called) in the event of the aircraft coming down anywhere else but their base.
Apparently, not being connected to anything, there were easily removed and highly prized as a souvenier not only by the pilots (who hoped to "win" one) but by everyone else as the were very fine, and probably expensive, time keepers.
I have read about the "remove the clock" order not only from Lee (who had to fill out forms swearing he didn't steal it from the "howling Equipment people") but also in the memoirs of a Se5 pilot forced down multiple times in 1918. Apparently one of the first questions asked of him upon his return to his field minus his Se was "Did you bring the clock back?" from the Squadron RO!

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Yes, I always got a chuckle out of that standing order. You've gone down in NML, shells falling all around, bullets whizzing over your head, and you're expected to take the time to pry the damned cockpit watch loose and bring it back.

To the original question about the lack of gauges in the German kites, it should be mentioned that a lot of the instruments built by the German firms were not designed to mount into the cockpits in the more conventional sense, i.e. bolted into a dashboard, as most German planes, (at least the scout planes), did not have dashboards per se. Delicate instruments such as altimeters were self-contained and could be quickly mounted with springs, rubber straps, or bungee cords. This also meant that they could be easily removed and stored in safer, drier places than the open air of the hangers. Add to this the fact that a lot of scout/fighter pilots flew by feel more than anything and therefore did not request the additional instruments to be installed in their mounts. IMHO, these two factors are likely the primary reasons why there are so few gauges seen in contemporary photos of WWI-era German planes.

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Lou, that sounds reasonable so I'll turn my question around. Why did the British have so many instruments?

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SOGriffin, I think it's because the Brits approached aeroplane cockpit design more like that of a car, which led them to having true dashboards with more room for permanently installed instruments. And, once you have room for such instruments you tend to fill up said room with every doodad and gewgaw you can find and/or design.

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My wife uses that same logic with her closet!

MFair Hahahaha

Lou That's the best explanation I've heard anywhere, thanks for the information.

Everybody else, thanks for your input I can now put this question to rest.

I can't criticize, I use the same logic with my library shelves.

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