Albatros D.I single-seat scout biplane with Mercedes engine. The D.I Scout ended the brief period of Allied air superiority over the Western Front in 1916 with its outstanding performance and twin synchronised machine guns. Flown in large formations or “Circuses” by pilots such as Manfred von Richthofen, the D.I and the later D.III and D.V dominated the Western Front in 1917.