Letter #4
Mr. Peter W. Gross Jan. 22nd, 1964
Pretty Brook Road
Princeton, N.J.
My Dear Mr. Gross:
Now it's about time that I write since you send me a variety of things including your last letter of Jan. 13th, with the picture of the Pfalz experimental D.D. of 1916. And don't let us call it any longer D-IV! I had never heard called it that and remember the Pfalz D-III was not yet existing when I flew this X-D.D. in the summer of 1916.
Before I answer your question in your letter #4 of Dec. 14th I must thank you for the little blue-book of the "Alte A. Adler". It gives me a lot of pleasure - so many people I knew. I may become a member of this illustrious Society, as you may see by reading the enclosed copies. I went busy; now I have to wait patiently...
Ernst Eversbusch chief designer in early summer 1916/designed the Pfalz Dr. powered by Siemens-Halske Sh-III, 160 H.P. 11 cyl., 1300 rpm geared to 1/2 prop speed. The a.c. had airfoil on horiz.stabilizer INVERTED (for recovering from inverted flight). Production of Drs. (only 10) came late in 1917.
D XI was prototype DD, 2 struter 160 HP Mercedes.
D XI went into production with BMW
DXV lower wing below fuselage,BMW, No production only 2 ships were made. One given to Udet, I was there in Speyer a few days after the armistice, on my way to Munich with my Fok.D-VIII, and not going to Strasburg to hand it over to the Allies. That very Pfalz D-XV (Udet's Pfalz) I flew in Argentina doing stunt exhibition. Mohrhauer did NOT fly this Pfalz. Read the newspaper clippings I send you on this. I have ample proof for what I state here; I would like to see the article which he had published in Illustrierte Flugwelt. It surely is annuiing me when this truth is so misrepresented; also that I was not recognized as having been a part - as it wa said in testimony by the brothers Alfred and Ernst Eversbuch, of which you have copies - in your article about the Pfalz Flugzwerks.
Back to your letter of Dec. 14. Yes I was in Sindelfingen a short time after the war but that was before Herr Klemm und Frh. von Thana. I left Argentina in Oct. 1919. I have flown a light cantilever-wing Klemm at Teterboro when I was with Fokker.
I'm sending your 6 fotos back by same mail. Please make a copy of my Pfalz demostrator EII, and X-DD,Benz (my pictures) for me.
With my best greetings and thanks.
Max Holtzem
submitted by his son, Donald M. Smith, holder of estate.
