Fokker E.V 153_18 (8215) EU8096 Page

ROLAND D.II (Pfal) D.2876/16 of Kampfstaffel II, Sudarmee, Galician Front, Early Summer 1917

ROLAND D.II THREE-VIEW DRAWING

This 3-view drawing is credited to J. D. Carrick or F. Yeoman and appeared in Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War compiled by W. M. Lamberton and published by Harleyford Publications Limited, page 151. Other sources for detailed drawings are listed in the bibliograpy below.

A NOTE CONCERNING THE DESIGNATION

The Roland D.II designation assumed four different forms. As originally built by Roland (sometimes referred to as LFG Roland), the designation stood at Roland D.II meaning built by Roland and powered by the Mercedes D.III 160hp motor. When a contract to build this aircraft was awarded to Pfalz, the designation for Pfalz-built aircraft was Roland D.II (Pfal). Within a short period of time, the aviation authorities (Idflieg), was concerned about the Mercedes D.III motor and decided that all of that production would be diverted to the construction of Albatros D.III fighters. This came about when Opel-Argus developed and obtained approval for their Argus D.III 180hp motor which was now specified for the Roland D.II model. Mercedes D.III motors on hand at either Roland or Pfalz were allowed to be used but no further deliveries were authorized. In the event a Roland D.II left the Roland facilities with an Argus D.III motor it was designated Roland D.IIa. If a completed model left the Pfalz facilities with the Argus D.III motor it was designated as Roland D.IIa (Pfal).

However, to accomodate the new Argus D.III motor, the front-end of the D.II had to be lengthed by approximately 8cm or so. Therefore the distinguishing characteristics between a Mercedes or Argus equipped D.II was a slight increase in the length of the fuselage for a D.IIa plus the characteristic difference of the two engines in profile. There were slight differences also in the placement and number of louvres and access panels.

The Hi-Tech kit of the Roland D.II fonforms to a Mercedes-motored model. I compared the fuselage length and configuration from drawings found in Windsock Data File 47 by P. M. Grosz (pages 18 and 19) and Roland Aircraft of WW1 by Jack Herris (pages 192 and 193).

One caveat concerns the order to Pfalz of November 1916 on page 36 of Datafile 47 which shows 60 ordered as D.II with Mercedes motor and D.IIa (Pfal) with Argus motor all falling in the serial number range D.2830-2929/16 and the other 40 as D.II (Pfal) with Mercedes motor not specifically identified within that serial number range. It would appear that, for example, a Pfalz-produced D.II with a Mercedes motor might be D.2876 but its neighbor on either side of that serial number might be a D.IIa with an Argus motor. That is what is meant by "not identified". The modeler must scrutinze text and photos to be sure which serial number to apply.

Also, the Argus D.III motor was up to 3000 meters, a bit more powerful than Mercedes D.III equipped Albatros D.III fighters. However, above 3000 meters, the Argus D.III motor lapsed into mediocrity, handling poorly on climb, manuvering, and speed. It was certainly this hindrance that caused the Roland D.II model to be eventually dismissed from front line service.

THE ROLAND D.II (Pfal) D.2876/16 TO BE BUILT

The model to be built is a Mercedes-equipped Roland D.II (Pfal) D.2876 flown by Ltn d R Hans Pippart, Kampstaffel II, Sudarmee, Galician Front, early summer 1917. The fighter forces of the Luftstreitskrafte on the Eastern Front maintained the early unit structure of a flight (or kette) of three to five fighters attached to an armee korps feldflieger abteilung. In this case, Kampstaffel II was attached to FAA 220 to provide fighter escort for corps and/or armee two-seater missions. Two other pilots are known to have served in Kampstaffel II: Ltn Leopold Anslinger and Fw Wilhelm Frickart. This profile the work of Jack Dempsey from Osprey Aces No.66. Note the extension of the white band turns black through the sky blue underside. Also, note Pfalz logos on the wheel, struts, and fin.

PHOTO OF THE MODEL TO BE BUILT

This photo is taken from Osprey Aces No.66, Balloon-Busting Aces of World War I, by Jon Guttman, photo from the archives of Greg VanWyngarden. Ltn d R Hans Pippart was assigned to FS II as the unit's leader. Six pilots were assigned including Pippart and they were Ltn d R Leopold Anslinger, Off Stv Wilhelm Frickart, Feldwebel Singer, and two others unknown.

The serial number is visible in larger, clearer images but not knowing this it would be somewhat difficult to identify this as a Roland D.II (Mercedes motor) or a Roland D.IIa (Argus motor). This clearly illustrates the frustration in many instances of trying to discern a model, a serial number, colors, a unit, and so on.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #1

The Hi-Tech kit of the Roland D.II is well molded in plastic and includes a decal sheet and PE fret. Instructions are crude and difficult to follow. This photo shows the start of this project, concentrating on the cockpit for now.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #2

The seat rest on a scrap piece of plastic instead of two scrap pieces of plastic rod suggested by the kit's instruction sheet. The seat is a replacement being a bit wider and higher than the kit-supplied one. Seatbelts were taken from an a previously-built model, painted in Vallejo 837 Pale Sand, and highlighted with Vallejo 864 Natural Steel. The fuselage former directly behind the seat was crafted from sheet plastic to eliminate an awkward view of the inside rear of the barren fuselage. The control column and rudder bar are from the kit's PE fret. The red-colored pump, metal utility box, and compass are all add-on pieces. The minor framework was added for looks and to provide a space to which items could be attached.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #3

This view shows the kit's forward cockpit former to which are glued the kit's two PE panels at mid-height. Above them are Eduard WW1 insturments variously added The front former has two knotches reserved for the later placement of the machine guns The compass, control column, seatbelts, and rudder control wires show clearly.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #4

The cockpit and engine compartments are completed and the fuselage halves are glued together. I used Deluxe Materials (UK) "Perfect Plastic Putty" to fill in the gaps. When drym, the putty was sanded down. A few gaps remained and I decided to use an old plastic model soldier technique for gap-filling. It's a simple mix of turpentine and plastic sprue. Over time, my bottle is 20+ years old, the plastic softens and mixes with the turpentine to produce a liquid plastic filling compound. I left it overnight and lightly sanded the next day. The buff paint is used to see how the seams have filled in. Also, the fuselage had rigging places drilled out.

The four pieces that make up the wings were sanded to remove flash, pre-drilled for struts and rigging, and painted in two coats of a Vallejo mix of 961 Sky Blue, a little of 989 Sky Grey, and much more of Andrea AC-01 White.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #5

Each half of the lower wing had two brass pins inserted at the wing root to match holes pre-drilled into the wing foots. Attachment of the lower wings was done with super glue and allowed to dry thoroughly. The kit's landing gear struts were replaced with brass tube and rod. Attachment to the fuselage was trial fitted and then secured with super glue.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #6

The tail unit has been reinforeced with brass rod. The landing gear axle is glued in place and wired with common copper electrial wire. The spine of the aircraft has been lightly painted in orange ochre to see how the putty and liquid plastic filler blend in. The attachment holes for the top wing brass pins are clearly evident. Note how the rear legs of landing gear struts protrude past the wing root and into the lower fuselage. The landing gear wheels are temporarily added for effect.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #7

This stage of construction shows the rather tedious task of cutting and applying the louvre vents. Around the forward part of the cowling there were 16 PE louvres that were glued in place. A little farther back are five large louvre panels plus one small access panel. The louvre panels were also added to the right side of the fuselage. Painting is discussed in the next panel.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #8

The state of the painting of the model is the first coat of 'red brown' and 'dark green' plus 'pale sky blue' undersides and landing gear. All three colors are my own acrylic mixes to approximate the two-color scheme in effect in 1916. The actual pattern is my own roughly based on photos and color profiles.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #9

All wing rigging was installed next using .005 MFT. These were gathered up and taped so as to be out of the way for the second coat of the camouflage colors. All three colors are of my own mix.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #10

The top wing was attached and wing struts glued in place. After drying, wing rigging was finished. The upper surface of the top wing was painted in the two-color green/ red brown scheme. When dry, the one pair of rudder horns were installed and the rigging completed a short time later. is stage of construction shows the rather tedious task of cutting and applying the louvre vents. Around the forward part of the cowling there were 16 PE louvres that were glued in place. A little farther back are five large louvre panels plus one small access panel. The louvre panels were also added to the right side of the fuselage. Painting is discussed in the next panel.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #11

This photo shows a major step towards completion of the model. First, the model was oversprayed in satin polyurethane for application of decals. Second, decals were applied from four different decal sets - the kit's decals disentegrated! Third, the radiator pipe to the engine was added using brass rod. Fourth, the odd looking device on the forward edge of the top wing appears to be a wind speed accumulator and is promient in photos and was scratch built from resin, plastic, and wire.

CONSTRUCTION PHOTO #12

FINISHED PHOTOS

------------------------------------------------------- finis ------------------------------------------------------

Bar, Ronny. Ronny Bar Profiles, German Fighters of the Great War, Volume 1 (Roland D.II pages 183-192). Horncastle, UK: Tempest an imprint of Morton's Books. ISBN: 9781911704089.

Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam & Company Limited, 1962.

Grosz, P. M. LFG Roland D.II - Windsock Datafile No.47. Berkhamsted, UK: Albatros Productions Ltd, 1994.

Guttman, Jon. Balloon-Busting Aces of World War I, Osprey Aces No.66. Oxford. UK. Osprey Publishing, 2005.

Herris, Jack. Roland Aircraft of WWI). The Internet: Aeronaut Books, 2014. ISBN: 9781935881209.

Lamberton, W. M., Compiler, and E. F. Cheesman, Editor. Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Los Angeles, CA: Aero Publishers, 1962.

Rosenboom, Sebastian. Leopold Anslinger: An Aviation Pioneer on the Eastern Front. Over the Front, Volume 28, number 3, autumn 2013.