Fokker Dr.I (Part1) Research

October 2, 2023



Fokker Dr.I History:

One of the most famous and recognizable fighters of World War I, the Fokker Dr.I was developed in response to the earlier success of the British Sopwith Triplane. The triplane design was not especially fast, but it offered great maneuverability and climb rate.

The Fokker Dr.I entered service in August 1917 and gained fame out of proportion to its small production run of 320 units, largely due to the exploits of certain legendary German aces. Werner Voss, Manfred von Richthofen, and his brother Lothar became highly publicized proponents of the type. Von Richthofen in particular, already famous as the high-scoring "Red Baron" while flying red-motif Albatros models, became most closely associated with the Dr.I. Even though most of the men in his squadron had switched to newer biplane types by early 1918, 19 of von Richthofen's final 21 combat victories came while he was flying his preferred, mostly-red Dr.I. He lost his life in Dr.I 425/17 on April 21, 1918.

The German air force ordered the Fokker Dr.I in the summer of 1917, after the earlier success of the British Sopwith triplane. The first Dr. Is appeared over the Western Front in August 1917. Pilots were impressed with its agility, and several scored victories with the highly maneuverable triplane. Von Richthofen score 19 of his last 21 victories were achieved while he was flying the Dr. I. By May 1918.

The Dr.I suffered a series of wing structural failures in the fall of 1917; one such failure claimed the life of German ace Hermann Gontermann. After a brief grounding for strengthening modifications, Dr.I operations resumed but by that time were mainly concentrated in Richtofen's squadron. Dr.I production ended in May 1918.

Armament consisted of two 7.92mm Maschinengewehr (MG) 08/15 machine guns, with interrupter gear to fire through the propeller arc. These guns were sometimes referred to as "Spandau," in reference to the arsenal where much of the German small arms development and production occurred.

Although Fokker built a total of 320 Dr. Is, none have survived. The last original aircraft, once flown by von Richthofen, was on display in a Berlin museum when it was destroyed by Allied bombs during World War II.

TECHNICAL NOTES:

Armament: Two 7.92mm Spandau LMG 08/15 machine guns

Engine: Oberursel Ur II of 110 hp or LeRhone of 110 hp

Maximum speed: 103 mph

Range: 185 miles

Ceiling: 19,685 ft.

Span: 23 ft. 7 in.

Length: 18 ft. 11 in.

Height: 9 ft. 8 in.


Weight: 891 lbs. empty; 1,291 lbs. loaded

Anthony Fokker, designer and pilot credited himself with the design of the Fokker Dr.I, but that is not entirely true. Reinhold Platz was a German aircraft designer and manufacturer in service of the Dutch company Fokker. Platz was hired by Fokker in 1912 as a welder. His first hands-on projects were to weld the frame parts for the Fokker Spin. Platz became the head designer at the Fokker factory in Schwerin in 1916, and is the one that should be credited for the design and success of the nimble little fighter.

Fokker Dr.I – The Ace’s Aircraft by Tomasz Kowalski & Marek Ryś: a brand-new release based on a rendered CAD model of the aircraft. Very good reference  material, not everything is completely accurate, but still very good overall.



Paul Leaman's book on the Dr.I is priceless for any modeler. The information contained in this book is incredible and tons of actual photographs.   


Fokker Dr.I Aces of World War 1: not so much on Richthofen, but lots of Dr.I pictures and colour plates of various markings, including most of Richthofen’s.









NEXT: (Part 2) Engine Assembly

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)