Interesting reading on the Junkers D.I and all of it's phases
http://www.scribd.com/doc/225872180/Junkers-D-I
Ted
Apparently they did put a 195hpBenz Bz.IIIbo V-8 engine in the aircraft. It really was too clumsy an aircraft for dog-fighting but because it was so hard to shoot down, it was perfect for shooting observation balloons which were heavily defended.
The maiden flight (Einfliegen) of the first D.I fighter (referred to in Junkers records as the J 9/I) is believed to have been performed on May 12 1918 (not in April as commonly reported) when Junkers test pilot Krohn put the prototype through its paces, including sharp turns, inverted flight and loops with complete satisfaction. For the second Fighter Competition in May 1918, Junkers readied the J 9/I (D.I) powered with the 160 hp Mercedes D.IIIaii engine just received from the factory. Because of the higher compression ratio, the engine gave superior high-altitude performance matching that of the BMW.IIla engine. In the climb competition the J 9/I surpassed all other Mercedes-powered fighters with the exception of the Rumpler D.I. It is interesting to note that the Fokker V 21 and V 23 wooden monoplanes, also entered in the Mercedes category, weighed 853 kg and 848 kg respectively, marginally heavier than the 835 kg of the J 9/I fighter. The fighter was a striking example of Junkers engineering skill in the design and realization of light-metal construction. To complete the record, the second Junkers D.I prototype (J 9/II), powered by a 195 hp Benz Bz.IIIbo V-8 engine, made its appearance in June 1918. It also was scheduled to appear in the Second Fighter Competition, but problems with the experimental Benz engine kept the J 9/II from competing. Information regarding the flight trials is unavailable. On the final days of the Fighter Competition Front-line pilots were invited to test the various fighters. Their opinions, voiced in two conferences convened on July 6 and 14 1918, would in a large degree determine which fighters would go into production. Keeping in mind that throughout the post-war years and into the Thirties, fighter development was heavily biased in favour of the biplane, it is easy to understand why the low-wing Junkers D.I failed to receive much support. On July 6 1918 the following was recorded: 'Oberleutnants
Goering and Loerzer support the eventual development of the Junkers D.I as a special machine for attacking observation balloons. The new design embodied in the Junkers D.I is, in the opinion of all, a total failure.'
The second conference reiterated that position. But 'total failure' was too harsh a criticism for a fighter that had demonstrated superior performance and flight characteristics. The only real drawback, according to the Austro-Hungarian liaison officer, was the lack of downward vision from the cockpit. This needs explanation. Contemporary German fighter tactics favoured attacking from above in a high-speed dive and disengaging quickly to avoid entanglement with vastly superior numbers of Allied fighters. Such tactics required excellent downward visibility that in the Junkers D.I was partially blocked by the wide fuselage and the broad wing. On the plus side, the invulnerability of metal construction to ground fire (amply demonstrated by the Junkers J.I) made the Junkers D.I an ideal candidate for the always risky task of attacking heavily-defended observation balloons. Old habits die hard and the conservative Front-line fighter pilots preferred a biplane fighter or one with a wing above their head and not below it. While this information disturbed Junkers, on August 21 1918, Idflieg showing more faith than the fighter pilots, placed a second order for 100 all-metal aircraft and called down 10 Junkers D.l fighters.
And the aircraft had a success story in that it was so hardy in all types of weather that it did not require a hanger and became the basis for future aircraft from Junkers:
The development of the Junkers all-metal aircraft in World War 1 provided the foundation upon which Junkers built a successful aircraft business. The rugged and serviceable Junkers 'corrugated' aircraft provided reliable transport in the desert, Arctic and jungle regions for many years.
Author's note
The material above was adapted from
The Way to the World's First All-Metal Fighter,
by Peter M Grosz and Gerard Terry,
Air Enthusiast,
></o