Despite its well-known shortcomings and general obsolescence, approximately 900 D.V and 1,612 D.Va aircraft were produced at the Johannisthal and Schneidemühl factories before production was terminated in April 1918.

[1] Development proceeded at a rapid pace, the resulting D.V prototype performed its maiden flight late in April 1917.

[3] The new elliptical cross-section required an additional longeron on each side of the fuselage and the fin, rudder and tailplane initially remained unchanged from the D.III.

[4][5] Early examples of the D.V featured a large headrest but it was usually removed in service as it interfered with the pilot's field of view.

The D.V entered service with the German Air Force in May 1917 but losses attributed to structural failures of the lower wing occurred.

[5] The aviation historian Jon Guttman said "Within the month Idflieg was doing belated stress testing and concluding, to its dismay, that the D.V’s sesquiplane wing layout was even more vulnerable than that of its predecessor".

[7] The outboard sections of the D.V upper wing also suffered failures, requiring additional wire bracing and the fuselage sometimes cracked during rough landings.

[11] In May 1918, 131 D.V and 928 D.Va aircraft were in service on the Western Front; the numbers declined as the Fokker D.VII and other types replaced the Albatros in the final months of the war.

By 31 August, fewer than 400 Albatros fighters of all types remained at the front but they continued in service until the Armistice of 11 November 1918 that ended the conflict.

Cole Palen built a flying replica for his Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome (in Bavarian ace Hans Böhning's colour scheme for its rear fuselage.

One example is on display at the Royal Air Force Museum in Colindale, London, another is owned by Kermit Weeks in Florida, USA, while two others remain flying with TVAL in NZ.