Fokker D.VII

History

As the best German fighter in the First World War (1914-1918), the Fokker D.VII actually had only a short wartime career as a postwar development introduced in 1918. Pilots praised the aircraft's handling and ease of operation compared to other available types. The aircraft entered the reserve squadrons of the German Air Service ("Lufwehre") and the Navy ("Kaiserliche Marine"), completing approximately 1,000 aircraft before the armistice in November 1918.

Production continued after the war through the Fokker plant established in the Netherlands, with total production peaking at 3,300 units.

The plane was so lethal that the armistice specifically chose the Fokker D.VII fighter and forced the Germans to hand over all complete forms to the Allies when they surrendered.

The design of this efficient biplane fighter fell to Reinholdplatz, while manufacturing was taken over by Fokker-Flugaugwerke, founded by the Dutchman Anthony Fock. Fokker's company was founded in Germany and remained there until 1919, when it was relocated to neighboring Holland after the war.

The D.VII is the culmination of Platz's design from 1916. At the end of 1917, a V11 prototype with a (rather outdated) 160 hp Mercedes D.III production engine was shown, and the form was submitted to a new German competition for a new front-line fighter.

Contrary to the norm, German pilots were called in to test the aircraft, and it was the "Red Baron himself" - Manfred von Richthofen - who flew the Fokker prototype. Unfortunately for Falk, the Baron was less than happy with the man and criticised it.

Armed with this feedback, Platz went back to the drawing board to make changes to his V11, including a root extension of the vertical stabilizer and lengthening of the fuselage to facilitate better handling and dive control. With these changes, the V11 was tested again, and Richthofen expressed his approval of the aircraft, which effectively meant the end of all other competing models.

Fokker has now received production orders for 400 of the first aircraft based on the improved V11 prototype. Authorities officially named the series D.VII, and production began immediately.

At the heart of the D.VII is a traditional biplane layout in keeping with the times. The pilot, engines and wings are all forward amidships, and the fuselage has a board-side appearance. The engine is located in the forward compartment, and the two-blade wooden propeller is mounted low.

Behind and above the engine block are mounts for 2 x 7.92mm machine guns in a fixed forward position. These are further synchronized to be fired through the front rotating propeller blades.

The pilot sits in the open-air cockpit behind the cannon and has a good view of the sides, rear and overhead of his aircraft. However, the long nose - topped with a machine gun installation - combined with the upper and lower wing elements provided a distinctly intrusive view forward and up/down the sides of the aircraft - nonetheless this was still common practice at the time . The fin is conventional, with a single (curved) vertical fin and accompanying horizontal plane. The landing gear is a true "tail" approach, with two fixed main legs with wheels under the front of the aircraft and a landing gear under the tail.

Supporting main legs with wheels allow rough field work. Main wing aircraft contain a typical biplane structure with upper and lower wing sections. Horizontal struts are used for a single compartment, and the span of the wings is slightly different - higher units are wider than lower units.

The D.VII was first distributed to front-line squadrons in May 1918 - a crucial turning point in the war, by which time Manfred von Richthofen was dead. From the outset, the agile, fast fighters surprised Allied aircrews and threatened changes in air supremacy. The aircraft proved to be a powerful and agile fighter, capable of defeating many modern opponents - the Sopwith Sniper and SPAD S. XIII - with a greatly improved design - the few true airborne competitors. The D.VII lived only a short lifespan, but with its aerial help made several aces - including future Luftwaffe commander Hermann Goering. In August, the aircraft was delivered to German naval forces, and in just one battle, the pilots managed to shoot down 19 enemy aircraft without causing any casualties.

A total of 565 enemy planes fell on the D.VII pilot at this time.

Although the D.VII design may seem overwhelming, it is not a design without problems - some have the design of the aircraft, while others have poor manufacturing standards. The upper wing parts tended to lose their canvas shells at times, and the fuel tanks tended to simply snap off. Ammunition, especially phosphorus-based, can ignite under the heat of running engines. Still, the Germans were trying to change their fortunes, and the new D.VII seemed to fit the bill that was being fought for until the end of the war. War operators outside Germany included Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and the Ottoman Empire.

Manufactured at the Fokker and Albatross factories during the war (AEG also planned to build aircraft, but ultimately did not). Interestingly, Albatros ended up producing more D.VIIs than the Fokker itself, and factory-quality Albatros equipment tends to be better.

Other Fokker prototype developments related to the D.VII design include the V21 with tapered wings, the V22 with a four-bladed propeller unit, the V24 powered by the Benz Bz. IVu 240 hp and V31, it is fitted with a towing hook for towing the glider. The V34 prototype was fitted with 185 BMW IIIa production engines, but not in production. The V35 features a second cockpit and underwater fuel reserves for increased range, as well as a BMW IIIa production engine. The V36 followed, while the V38 served as a prototype for the upcoming Fokker C.I.

Serve. CI was not used in World War I, but found a buyer in Fokker, now in the Netherlands, in the postwar years. Over 250 of this brand were eventually produced.

The production model is also not limited to the Mercedes D. III engine with 160 hp, as there are also examples with a 175 hp Mercedes D. IIIa engine and a 185 hp BMW IIIa engine (up to 240 hp). used ). Once installed, they provide slightly different performance data.

After the war, a large number of D.VII stocks were taken over or changed hands by the Allies. As Germany was severely restricted from producing more war supplies, Fokker moved its factory to the Netherlands and continued production of some of its aircraft.

Its postwar reach was wider than the wartime service of operators in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

Specification

Basic

Production

Roles

Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Changes