Fokker D.VIII (Fokker E.V)

History of Fokker D. VIII (Fokker E. V)

The Fokker D. VIII was a rare monoplane of World War I and was considered one of the best fighters of the German Empire in the conflict. It offers the perfect combination of survivability, firepower and adaptability in a rugged airframe. This model appeared in the final months of the war of 1918 (the armistice was signed in November 1918), and about 295 prototypes were built by Fokker Flugzeug-Werke GmbH of the German Empire. The D.VIII is an evolution of the Fokker E.V design, which had structural wing problems due to poor construction methods.

The E.V design was modified and called D.VIII.

Externally, the D. VIII was no different from its biplane brethren, except that it lacked the traditional lower main wing arrangement common to biplanes of that era. Although the D. VIII series is classified as a monoplane fighter, it is officially known as a parasol wing design, with the wing assemblies suspended above the fuselage by struts. Its overall design is chiseled and aerodynamically shaped.

The fuselage houses the engines in a streamlined forward compartment with wing struts at the rear, as well as the cockpit and fuel storage. The pilot sits in the open-air cockpit behind the windshield, with the wing assembly mounted forward and above his position.

The tail was conventional for the time, with a single circular vertical tail and a pair of applicable horizontal planes. The landing gear is fixed and has a pair of wheels with tail skids at the rear end of the design.

Armament was conventional for the time, including a 7.92mm Spandau MG08 series machine gun placed forward. By this time, simultaneous firing via propellers was a widely accepted technical feature.

The design of the aircraft is attributed to Reinhold Platz, the engineer who built the early "V 26" prototype. The second prototype was created under the designation "V 28" and was equipped with Goebel Goe at different times of its life. III Wankel engine, 140 hp or Oberursel Ur. III rotary engine, 145 hp. "V 30" was used to designate the unpowered glider variant.

The first flight (as E.V) was recorded in May 1918, and it entered service in October of the same year.

The Fokker D. VIII proved a little underpowered overall, with the Oberursel UR-II 9-cylinder, 110-horsepower, air-cooled rotary engine. When the plane entered a climb, the engines provided "just enough" self-torque to keep the propellers at speed. Combine this with a synchronised machine gun fired through the rotating twin-blade propeller blades, and pilots don't have to shred their own propeller blades - a subtle but significant benefit to the Fokker D.VIII's ability to fly. The engine provided the stand with a top speed of 127 miles per hour and a service ceiling of 20,600 feet.

The Fokker D.VIII series made its own history by becoming the last fighter jets throughout World War I to record enemy air raids.

With the signing of the armistice of the First World War, D. VIII became history as most of Germany's combat infrastructure and weapons were dismantled and disbanded. As a result, very few around the world have survived to become museum exhibits.

Postwar operators included Belgium, the Netherlands, Poland and the Soviet Union.

Fokker D. VIII was nicknamed "Flying Razor" by the pilots of the Triple Entente.

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