Fokker D.II

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to competitors like the Halberstadt D.II and the Albatros fighters, and on 6 December 1916 all Fokker biplanes were withdrawn from front-line service due to structural failures both in static testing and in combat use.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.

Card Links

 * Essenheim - Kissenberth (corrected)
 * Essenheim - Kissenberth

1:144 Scale

 * Shapeways: Kampfflieger, Reduced Aircraft Factory

1:285/6mm/1:288 Scale

 * Shapeways: Kampfflieger, Reduced Aircraft Factory

1:350 Scale

 * Shapeways: Kampfflieger