The Udet U 1 was the first of a line of small, low-powered, low wing, cantilever monoplanes built in Germany in the early 1920s.

[6] Behind the engine in its aluminium cowling the fuselage was structurally rectangular in section apart from raised upper decking and was ply-covered.

It had a conventional, rather angular tail, with a fin of greater area than the rudder, though this reached down to the keel; the tailplane, mounted on top of the fuselage, was also large compared with the elevators.

[6] The U 2 had a conventional undercarriage, with pairs of outward-reaching V-struts from the lower fuselage joined at their vertices by a transverse member, to which the single axle was held by shock absorbing rubber rings.

Flown by Udet, the longer span U 10 was the fastest aircraft in the Coupe d'Italie des Avions de Tourisme held in November 1924, though criticized for its high landing speed.