Fokker Scourge
Encyclopedia
The Fokker Scourge was a term coined by the British
press in the summer of 1915 to describe the then-current ascendancy of the Fokker Eindecker
monoplane fighters of the German Fliegertruppen
over the poorly-armed Allied reconnaissance types of the period.
The early months of the First World War
saw the tentative beginnings of air-to-air combat, at first using improvised armament of pistols, rifles and free-mounted adapted machine guns of the period. The first purpose-designed fighter aircraft
included the British Vickers F.B.5
- machine gun armament was also fitted to several French types, such as the Morane-Saulnier L and N. Initially the German Air Service lagged behind the Allies in this respect with no purpose built fighting aircraft.
However, in July 1915 the Fokker E.I
became operational — this was the first type to enter service with the pioneering example of a "synchronization gear
" (often referred to mistakenly as an "interrupter gear"), the Fokker Stangensteuerung, which enabled a fixed machine gun to fire forwards through the arc of the propeller without striking its blades. Its main advantage was that the pilot was now able to take aim by pointing his aircraft at his target, a very simple and intuitive procedure, especially for the pilot of a single seat aircraft. This aircraft and its successors - also commonly known as the Eindecker
(German
for "Monoplane
") for the first time supplied an equivalent to Allied fighters.
Leutnants Otto Parschau
and Kurt Wintgens
were the pioneers in introducing the Eindecker to combat service in the late spring and early summer of 1915, and with Wintgens scoring his first three aerial victories in the first two weeks of July 1915 (unconfirmed on July 1st and 4th, first confirmed victory on the 15th, all over Morane-Saulnier L two-seaters) the period of the "Fokker Scourge" began.
pilots - notably Max Immelmann
and Oswald Boelcke
began their careers at this time.
The number of actual Allied casualties involved was relatively small compared with the intensive air fighting of 1917-18. The deployment of the eindeckers was less than overwhelming - the new type was issued in ones and twos to existing reconnaissance squadrons - and it was to be nearly a year before the Germans followed the British in establishing specialist fighter squadrons. The eindecker was also, in spite of its advanced armament, by no means an outstanding aircraft.
Nonetheless, the impact on morale of the fact that the Germans were fighting back effectively in the air war created a major scandal in the British parliament and press. The aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps
in France, especially the British Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2, were widely described as Fokker Fodder.
Fortunately for the Allies two new British fighters were already in production which were a technical match for the Fokker.The F.E.2b
and the D.H.2
were both "pushers
" and could fire forwards without gun synchronisation. The F.E.2b reached the front with No 20 Squadron in January 1916 and the D.H.2 in February. On the French front the tiny Nieuport 11
, a tractor
biplane with a forward firing gun mounted high on the top wing above the arc of the propeller, also proved a match for the German fighter when it entered service with Escadrille N.3 in January 1916. With these new types the French re-established air superiority by the closing stages of the Battle of Verdun
and the British in time for the start of the Battle of the Somme, and the "Fokker Scourge" was effectively over.
Synchronised guns nonetheless quickly became the norm. Later versions of the Nieuport, as well as most new Allied fighters, were fitted with them for the rest of the war.
had been grouped into specialist fighter squadrons, the Jagdstaffeln
, and these units were receiving the first of the new Albatros
fighters. These were once more able to turn the tables, and by the spring of 1917 were causing very high casualties in the R.F.C.
— culminating in "Bloody April
" of 1917.
In the following two years Allied Air Forces became overwhelming in both quality and quantity, and the German forces were only able to maintain limited control over a small area of the front at any time. When even this strategy seemed threatened, they started a crash programme to develop a new aircraft. The result was the famous Fokker D.VII
, leading to a short but notable second "Fokker Scourge" in the summer of 1918. The Fokker D.VII was so effective that Germany was required to surrender all of them to the victorious allies as a condition of the Armistice of Compiègne
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
press in the summer of 1915 to describe the then-current ascendancy of the Fokker Eindecker
Fokker Eindecker
The Fokker Eindecker was a German World War I monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker. Developed in April 1915, the Eindecker was the first purpose-built German fighter aircraft and the first aircraft to be fitted with synchronizer gear, enabling the pilot...
monoplane fighters of the German Fliegertruppen
Luftstreitkräfte
The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
over the poorly-armed Allied reconnaissance types of the period.
Background
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
saw the tentative beginnings of air-to-air combat, at first using improvised armament of pistols, rifles and free-mounted adapted machine guns of the period. The first purpose-designed fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
included the British Vickers F.B.5
Vickers F.B.5
The Vickers F.B.5 was a British two-seat pusher military biplane of the First World War...
- machine gun armament was also fitted to several French types, such as the Morane-Saulnier L and N. Initially the German Air Service lagged behind the Allies in this respect with no purpose built fighting aircraft.
However, in July 1915 the Fokker E.I
Fokker E.I
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Boyne, Walter J. The Smithsonian Book of Flight for Young People. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution, 1988. ISBN 0-689-31422-1....
became operational — this was the first type to enter service with the pioneering example of a "synchronization gear
Interrupter gear
An interrupter gear is a device used on military aircraft and warships in order to allow them to target opponents without damaging themselves....
" (often referred to mistakenly as an "interrupter gear"), the Fokker Stangensteuerung, which enabled a fixed machine gun to fire forwards through the arc of the propeller without striking its blades. Its main advantage was that the pilot was now able to take aim by pointing his aircraft at his target, a very simple and intuitive procedure, especially for the pilot of a single seat aircraft. This aircraft and its successors - also commonly known as the Eindecker
Fokker Eindecker
The Fokker Eindecker was a German World War I monoplane single-seat fighter aircraft designed by Dutch engineer Anthony Fokker. Developed in April 1915, the Eindecker was the first purpose-built German fighter aircraft and the first aircraft to be fitted with synchronizer gear, enabling the pilot...
(German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for "Monoplane
Monoplane
A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with one main set of wing surfaces, in contrast to a biplane or triplane. Since the late 1930s it has been the most common form for a fixed wing aircraft.-Types of monoplane:...
") for the first time supplied an equivalent to Allied fighters.
Leutnants Otto Parschau
Otto Parschau
Leutnant Otto Parschau was a German World War I Flying Ace and recipient of the Pour le Mérite, Royal House Order of Hohenzollern, and Iron Cross, First Class. He was noted as one of the pre-eminent aces on the Fokker Eindecker...
and Kurt Wintgens
Kurt Wintgens
Leutnant Kurt Wintgens was a German World War I fighter ace. He was the first military fighter pilot to score a victory over an opposing aircraft in an aircraft armed with a synchronized machine gun. Wintgens was the recipient of the Iron Cross and the Blue Max.-Background:Wintgens was born into a...
were the pioneers in introducing the Eindecker to combat service in the late spring and early summer of 1915, and with Wintgens scoring his first three aerial victories in the first two weeks of July 1915 (unconfirmed on July 1st and 4th, first confirmed victory on the 15th, all over Morane-Saulnier L two-seaters) the period of the "Fokker Scourge" began.
Results
By late 1915 the Germans had achieved air superiority, making Allied access to vital intelligence derived from continual aerial reconnaissance more dangerous to acquire. In particular the relative defencelessness of Allied reconnaissance types was exposed. The first regularly scoring German aceFighter Ace
Fighter Ace was a massively multiplayer online computer game in which one flies World War II fighter and bomber planes in combat against other players and virtual pilots...
pilots - notably Max Immelmann
Max Immelmann
Max Immelmann was the first German World War I flying ace. He was a great pioneer in fighter aviation and is often mistakenly credited with the first aerial victory using a synchronized gun...
and Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke was a German flying ace of the First World War and one of the most influential patrol leaders and tacticians of the early years of air combat. Boelcke is considered the father of the German fighter air force, as well as the "Father of Air Fighting Tactics"; he was the first to...
began their careers at this time.
The number of actual Allied casualties involved was relatively small compared with the intensive air fighting of 1917-18. The deployment of the eindeckers was less than overwhelming - the new type was issued in ones and twos to existing reconnaissance squadrons - and it was to be nearly a year before the Germans followed the British in establishing specialist fighter squadrons. The eindecker was also, in spite of its advanced armament, by no means an outstanding aircraft.
Nonetheless, the impact on morale of the fact that the Germans were fighting back effectively in the air war created a major scandal in the British parliament and press. The aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
in France, especially the British Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2, were widely described as Fokker Fodder.
Fortunately for the Allies two new British fighters were already in production which were a technical match for the Fokker.The F.E.2b
Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2
The Royal Aircraft Factory F.E.2 was a two-seat pusher biplane that was operated as a day and night bomber and as a fighter aircraft by the Royal Flying Corps during the First World War...
and the D.H.2
Airco DH.2
|-DH.2 aces:Distinguished pilots of the DH.2 included Victoria Cross winner Lanoe Hawker , who was the first commander of No 24 Squadron and ace Alan Wilkinson. The commander of No. 32 Squadron, Lionel Rees won the Victoria Cross flying the D.H.2 for single handedly attacking a formation of 10...
were both "pushers
Pusher configuration
In a craft with a pusher configuration the propeller are mounted behind their respective engine. According to Bill Gunston, a "pusher propeller" is one mounted behind engine so that drive shaft is in compression...
" and could fire forwards without gun synchronisation. The F.E.2b reached the front with No 20 Squadron in January 1916 and the D.H.2 in February. On the French front the tiny Nieuport 11
Nieuport 11
|-See also:-References:NotesBibliography* Angelucci, Enzio, ed. The Rand McNally Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft. New York: The Military Press, 1983. ISBN 0-517-41021-4....
, a tractor
Tractor configuration
thumb|right|[[Evektor-Aerotechnik|Aerotechnik EV97A Eurostar]], a tractor configuration aircraft, being pulled into position by its pilot for refuelling....
biplane with a forward firing gun mounted high on the top wing above the arc of the propeller, also proved a match for the German fighter when it entered service with Escadrille N.3 in January 1916. With these new types the French re-established air superiority by the closing stages of the Battle of Verdun
Battle of Verdun
The Battle of Verdun was one of the major battles during the First World War on the Western Front. It was fought between the German and French armies, from 21 February – 18 December 1916, on hilly terrain north of the city of Verdun-sur-Meuse in north-eastern France...
and the British in time for the start of the Battle of the Somme, and the "Fokker Scourge" was effectively over.
Synchronised guns nonetheless quickly became the norm. Later versions of the Nieuport, as well as most new Allied fighters, were fitted with them for the rest of the war.
Aftermath
Like the Fokker scourge, the period of Allied air superiority which followed it was brief. By August 1916 the fighters in the LuftstreitkräfteLuftstreitkräfte
The Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte , known before October 1916 as Die Fliegertruppen des deutschen Kaiserreiches , or simply Die Fliegertruppen, was the air arm of the Imperial German Army during World War I...
had been grouped into specialist fighter squadrons, the Jagdstaffeln
Jasta
The Jagdstaffeln were specialized fighter squadrons in the Luftstreitkräfte during World War I.-Background:...
, and these units were receiving the first of the new Albatros
Albatros D.I
|-See also:...
fighters. These were once more able to turn the tables, and by the spring of 1917 were causing very high casualties in the R.F.C.
Royal Flying Corps
The Royal Flying Corps was the over-land air arm of the British military during most of the First World War. During the early part of the war, the RFC's responsibilities were centred on support of the British Army, via artillery co-operation and photographic reconnaissance...
— culminating in "Bloody April
Bloody April
During the First World War, the month of April 1917 was known as Bloody April by the Royal Flying Corps . The RFC suffered particularly severe losses — about three times as many as the Imperial German Army Air Service over the same period — but continued its primary role in support of the ground...
" of 1917.
In the following two years Allied Air Forces became overwhelming in both quality and quantity, and the German forces were only able to maintain limited control over a small area of the front at any time. When even this strategy seemed threatened, they started a crash programme to develop a new aircraft. The result was the famous Fokker D.VII
Fokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
, leading to a short but notable second "Fokker Scourge" in the summer of 1918. The Fokker D.VII was so effective that Germany was required to surrender all of them to the victorious allies as a condition of the Armistice of Compiègne
Armistice with Germany (Compiègne)
The armistice between the Allies and Germany was an agreement that ended the fighting in the First World War. It was signed in a railway carriage in Compiègne Forest on 11 November 1918 and marked a victory for the Allies and a complete defeat for Germany, although not technically a surrender...
.