The Albatros D.II was designed by Messrs Robert Thelen, Schubert and Gnadic for Albatros Flugzeugwerke following complaints by fighter pilots relating to the poor upward vision available in the Albatros D.I. To solve this problem, the upper wing was moved closer to the fuselage and it was staggered forward slightly.

The Albatros D.III was designed by Robert Thelen as a successor to the D.1 and D.II series and adopted some of the advantages of the design of the allied Nieuport Scout then in service, performance being increased by the installation of an uprated Mercedes D.III engine, this being achieved by