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Fokker T.V

1938 WORLD WAR 2

History of Fokker Television

The Fokker originated on German soil before the First World War (1914-1918) and provided the German Empire with several notable types of fighter jets during the First World War. In 1919, the group relocated its operations to the neighbouring Netherlands and started anew. On the eve of World War II (1939-1945), the company built a variety of aircraft, most of which have been forgotten by history.

One such development became the TV bomber/destroyer bomber, which piqued the interest of the Dutch Air Force amid escalating tensions in the east.

Television originated in the early 1930s, when rumours of a possible war again in Europe threatened everyday events. The TV bomber joined another promising Dutch design already in action, the battle-hardened monoplane Fokker D. XXI, and was kicked out of the Dutch Air Force itself.

Fokker introduced a modern monoplane for the then monoplane with a crew of five including two pilots, a bombardier, a navigator, a radio operator/gunner and a professional gunner. The aircraft measures 60.5 feet in length, with a wingspan of 68.9 feet and a height of 13.8 feet.

With its twin Bristol Pegasus XXVI air-cooled radial piston engines, each producing 926 horsepower, the aircraft can handle a top speed of 260 mph, a cruise speed of 205 mph, a range of 960 miles and a close 16,400 miles of service capped at feet. The attack was carried out by a 20mm Solothurn S-18/100 cannon in the nose against incoming enemy bombers, while 4 x 7.9mm Browning machine guns in the rear, belly, beam and stern positions provided defense. The listed bomb load is 2,200 pounds when the aircraft is deployed in a traditional bombing role. For monolithic construction, Fokker returned to its tried-and-true formula of wood and steel at a time when world powers were turning to all-metal construction, promising improved viability and robustness in the field. It's worth noting that the fuel tank is not self-sealing.

Combined with the mostly wooden airframe, this proved disastrous in combat.

Although a procurement contract had been signed in December 1936, the initially completed airframe did not take off until 16 October 1937. The design resulted in a stylish aircraft with good flight characteristics and solid armament. However, the bomber-destroyer aspect was scaled back to the point where the aircraft was increasingly seen as a traditional medium-range bomber platform.

First deliveries took place between 1938 and 1939, although reliability issues with the engine had proven to be the case by this time. The problem was so obvious that when the Dutch government tried to obtain twin-engine Dornier Do 215 light bombers from Germany itself (its future enemy), the planes were limited to the first of the 16 requested. However, this effort failed when Germany invaded the Netherlands in Western Europe in the early days of World War II - the invasion began on May 10, 1940.

This certainly eliminated the prospect of getting the Do 215 bomber.

During the outbreak of the invasion, the Dutch army launched a heroic campaign to retain their sovereignty with Belgium, Luxembourg and eventually France. Existing T.V bombers have been deployed and are known to have been used directly against German forces in The Hague and Rotterdam. But the TV did not perform well overall, and after just a few days of fighting, the number of useful items quickly dwindled. In addition to unreliable engines, these planes are prone to fires due to their basic design and unsafe fuel supply. Thus, by the end of the invasion on 17 May, all TV bombers were incapacitated - leading to a decisive German victory and paving the way to Paris, France.

The German army of about 750,000 men fought against the Dutch defense of 280,000 - 22 divisions against 9 divisions.

In the grand scheme of World War II, the story of Fokker TV ended like this.