Germany - 1918 Fokker D.VII

A Jolly Death Machine

Fokker D.VII - 1918

Today is time for adding a bit of color to my post. There is nothing like a cheery splash of color to brighten one's day.

I have recently been going back to my library of aircraft to do different examples of the same plane. Once I have the basics done on a particular type I can go back and create different paint schemes to suit my fancy. It saves me the from the need to reinvent the wheel every time I need a new version of a bird. The shooting star theme has been used by several nations. during the Great War. Germany, Austria, Belgium and the United States have all used different interpretations of the theme.

The Fokker D.VII is widely regarded as the best German aircraft of the war. Its development was championed by Manfred von Richthofen. In January 1918, Richthofen tested the D.VII in the trials at Adlershof but never had an opportunity to fly it in combat. He was killed just days before it entered service. When introduced, the D.VII was not without problems. On occasion its wing ribs would fracture in a dive or high temperatures would cause the gas tank to explode. Even so, the D.VII proved to be durable and easy to fly. As noted by one authority, it had “an apparent ability to to make a good pilot out of mediocre material.”. When equipped with the BMW engine, the D.VII could out-climb any Allied opponent it encountered in combat. Highly maneuverable at all speeds and altitudes, it proved to be more than a match for any of the British or French fighter planes of 1918.

References

1. "Fokker D.VII", From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fokker_D.VII
2. Gray, Peter and Thetford, Owen. German Aircraft of the First World War. London: Putnam, 1962.
3. Owers, Colin. "The post-1918 career of the Fokker D.VII: Part One". Air Enthusiast, No. 60, November-December 1995, pp. 63-70. ISSN 0143 5450.
4. Owers, Colin. "The post-1918 career of the Fokker D.VII: Part Two". Air Enthusiast, No. 61, January-February 1996, pp. 52-63. ISSN 0143 5450.
5. Swanborough, Gordon and Bowers, Peter M. "United States Military Aircraft since 1908". London:Putnam, 1963.
6. Weyl, A.R. "Fokker: The Creative Years". London: Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-817-8.