Established late 1909 at Berlin-Johannisthal by Dr Walter Huth as Pilot-Flugtechnische. The name was only briefly retained. At Albatros first built biplanes and (under license) French Antoinette monoplanes, but from 1911 was building highly efficient biplanes and in 1912 turned attention also to marine aircraft. In 1912 and later Hellmuth Hirth and others broke several records on Albatros landplanes. Development benefited from participation of Ernst Heinkel who, in 1913/14, designed a large single-engined three-bay biplane, forerunner of numerous reconnaissance and multipurpose types. The C III of 1915 remained in service until early 1917 and was built by several other firms. Historic line of single-seat fighters began with D.I and D.II, in service 1916. D.III (1917) was a “vee-strutter”; and W.4 a single-seat fighter seaplane, less known than landplanes though 118 were delivered to the German Naval Air Service. The decline of Albatros land fighters was marked by the company building the Fokker D.VII in 1918. The first civil aircraft was a single-engined six-passenger L.58 high-wing cantilever monoplane of 1923; L.73 was twin-engined transport; L.75 was biplane trainer and L.79 a single-seat biplane with symmetrical wing-section specially developed for inverted flight. L.100 was low-wing monoplane; L.101 a parasol monoplane. One Albatros biplane was adapted for advanced research (water tanks for trim, cameras etc.). Aircraft manufacture ceased 1930 and the company merged with Focke-Wulf 1930/31.

Albatros Werke AG Article