Fokker D.II

From Wings of Linen
Fokker D.II
Role Fighter
Manufacturer Fokker
Designer Martin Kreutzer
First flight April 1916[1]
Introduction July 1916[1]
Primary users Germany
Austria-Hungary
Number built 210[2]
Variants Fokker B.II
Wingspan 8.74 m (28 ft 8 in) [3]
Engine 100hp Oberursel U.I rotary
Armament fixed, sync. LMG08/15
Crew 1
Max Speed 150 km/h (93 mph) [4][5][6][3]
Climb 1,000 m (3,280 ft) in 4:00[4][6][3]
2,000 m (6,560 ft) in 8:00[6][3]
3,000 m (9,840 ft) in 15:00[3]
Service Ceiling 4,000 m (13,100 ft)[5][3]
Endurance 1:30 [4][5][3]

Though Fokker had won the love of German fighter pilots in 1915 with their Eindeckers, their early biplanes were uninspired and suffered from poor workmanship. The inline-engined Fokker D.I and D.IV and the rotary-engined Fokker D.II and D.III were substandard relative to competitors like the Halberstadt D.II and the Albatros fighters, and on 6 December 1916 all Fokker biplanes were withdrawn from front-line service due to structural failures both in static testing and in combat use.

The D.II was powered by a 100hp Oberursel U.I rotary engine and armed with a single fixed machine gun. In an unusual decision for 1916, the plane used wing-warping rather than ailerons. Their first service was in summer 1916. 210 were constructed: 181 for the Fliegertruppe; one for the Navy; and a further twenty-eight were sent to Austria-Hungary where they were known as the Fokker B.II or M17.[2][note 1]

For more information, see Wikipedia:Fokker D.II.

Timeline [note 2]

Game Data

Wings of Glory

Unofficial Stats
Availability Maneuver Damage Dmg Points Max Alt. Climb
16Q1-16Q4[note 3] P B 13 10 4
Card Links

Blue Max/Canvas Eagles

Aircraft Chart

Miniatures and Models

1:144 Scale

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

1:350 Scale

Resources

Orthographic Drawings

References

Notes
  1. Austrian records show clear delivery of six M17's followed by 24 additional planes. They were found unsuitable for front-line use and were relegated to training.[7]
  2. German numbers are from bi-monthly Frontbestand records (Effective Frontline Strength).[8]
  3. This should be 16Q3-16Q4
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Updated card
Citations
  1. 1.0 1.1 Grosz'99, p.15.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Grosz'99, p.51.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Lamberton, pp.218-219.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Gray, p.94.
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Munson, p.64.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Grosz'99, p.52.
  7. Grosz'93, p.400-401.
  8. Grosz'85, p.60 and Grosz'86, p.66.
Bibliography
  • Peter Gray and Owen Thetford. German Aircraft of the First World War. Great Britain, Putnam, 1962, 1987. ISBN 0-85177-809-7.
  • Peter M. Grosz, George Haddow, and Peter Schiemer. Austro-Hungarian Army Aircraft of World War One. Flying Machines Press, 1993. ISBN 0-9637110-0-8.
  • P.M.Grosz. Fokker Fighters D.I-IV. Albatros Publications, Ltd., 1999. ISBN 1-902207-11-4.
  • Peter M. Grosz, "Archiv -- Frontbestand". WW1 Aero, № 107, Dec 1985 and № 108, Feb 1986. Poughkeepsie, NY: World War I Aeroplanes, Inc.
  • W.M. Lamberton and E.F. Cheesman, Fighter Aircraft of the 1914-1918 War. Great Britain: Harleyford Publications Limited, 1960.
  • Kenneth Munson, Fighters 1914-19, Attack and Training Aircraft. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., 1976. ISBN 0713707607