O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)
Markische D I
Designed by Hillmann, who is seen standing against the aircraft, this single-seat fighter was an original design built by Markische Flugzeug-Werke. They were mainly sub-contractors and built 700 Rumpler C Is under licence. Engine, 195 h.p. Benz Bz IIIb.
W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters
MARK D I Germany
The Markische Flugzeugwerke of Golm in der Mark was established in 1916 for aircraft repair, the training of military pilots and the eventual licence manufacture of training biplanes. In 1918, Ing Wilhelm Hillman left the Schutte-Lanz organisation to join the Markische Flugzeugwerke, for which he designed a single-seat fighter, the Mark D I, powered by a 195 hp Benz Bz IIIb water-cooled eight-cylinder Vee engine. The D I was scheduled to participate in the second fighter competition at Adlershof in May 1918, but the first prototype was destroyed in a crash prior to the contest. A second prototype, on which the warping of the lower wing surfaces was allegedly to have been replaced by conventional ailerons, was under construction in September 1918, but work was apparently terminated with the end of hostilities. No data are available apart from a time of 14 min to climb to 16,405 ft (5 000 m).
J.Herris German Aircraft of Minor Manufacturers in WW1. Vol II (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 50)
Markische
The Markische Flugzeug-Werke G.m.b.H. company was founded in Teltow on 4 December 1913, by Herr Director Eckelmann, and in June 1914, was registered as a company.
The Company owned about 97,000 m2 of land at Golm-in-der Mark which was used as an aerodrome. A building for construction and repair occupied about 24,000 m2 where they built Rumpler C.I trainers under licence. Staff rose from 6 workmen in 1913 to 1,700 in 1917/1918.
From July 1914 to September 1916, repair work was carried out, reaching 28 repaired machines per month. The license to build 100 Rumpler C.I Mark) school machines was obtained that month. By the end of 1916 a new contract for 200 Rumplers was the first of three of which 135 were delivered that year. In January and February 1918, abut 80 new machines were delivered of the 300 ordered. About 66 were unfinished at the Armistice.
Wilhelm Hillman was an engineer with Schutte-Lanz and was in the United Kingdom to learn to fly the Sopwith Bat Boat flying boat prior to license manufacture of the type by Schutte-Lanz, but was recalled to Germany as war was imminent. He designed the only original aircraft from the Markische company, their D.I fighter.
The Markische D.I was powered by the 185 hp Benz Bz.IIIbo V-8 engine. When the company was inspected by the IAACC there were only two aircraft and 28 engines at the plant. After the war, the firm left aviation and changed its name in 1919 to Markische Industrie-Werke G. M. b. H and started repairing railway cars and manufacturing furniture.
