Can you identify this double rotary, double guns airplane

Romani · 10 March 2007, 03:38 PM

Double rotary, double guns... am I seeing double? I'ts a duppeldecker or I am easily duped?

This is a screen capture from a BBC DVD docummentary on the weapons of WWII, the chapter dedicated to machineguns, there's nothing more to see about this one particular machine.

The frame and the stenciling on the fuselage side and oh yeah, the streaky finish (funny how we miss the obvious clues) suggest to me a Fokker machine, but wich?

Gregvan · 10 March 2007, 04:03 PM

Hi Romani,

This is from a fairly well-known sequence shot at the Fokker factory by Tony Fokker (a dedicated cinematographer) or one of his workers. It shows a test of the guns on Fokker D.III D.3023/16. This was one of the final batch of 100 D.III fighters (serials D.2930 - 3029/16) ordered in November 1916. It displays the typical Fokker streaky finish, which seems to have been applied to a number of these late-production D.IIIs.

The Fokker D.III was equipped with the twin-row 160 h.p. Oberursel U.III rotary and did indeed mount twin machine guns.The most famous example of a D.III was Boelcke's D.III D.352/16, in which he scored the first six or so victories for Jasta 2.

Greg

Dan_San_Abbott · 10 March 2007, 04:11 PM

Romani:
It is a Fok.D.III. It was used in late 1916. A total of 210 were built: 30 July 1916, D.350/16 to D.379/16; 20 July 1916, D.1004/16 to D.1023/16; 60 August 1916, D.1580/16 to 1639/16; 100 November 1916, D.2930 to 3029/16. The Fok.D.III at least saw service with Jasta 1, 2,
5, 14, 15, 37.
Blue skies,
Dan-San

Romani · 10 March 2007, 04:16 PM

Thank you very much mister Wyngarden, is such an honor when a celebrity comes down from Olympus to enligthen us

While, we are at it, I have to praise you for your fantastic book "Early German Aces" because it fills that gap on the obscure first German biplanes in the second half of 1916. It seems as if every chronicle about WWI aviation goes straight from the Fokker Scourge to

Bloody April, from the Eindecker to the Albatros!

And no doubt that image of the streaky finish will stir that troublesome paint once more in the future!

EDIT: My thanks are extended to you Dan San, that's valuable information that will be put to use, thanks for sharing!

EDIT SOME MORE: Interesting that Fokker persevered with the double star rotary... I thought they pulled that stunt only once with the EIV and gave it up for good. Then again, if all you got is lemons, then you have to make some lemonade, I am fully understanding now the context of an statement I read once that since Fokker had no access to the inline engines used by his competitors he had to settle with rotaries and design airplanes around them. I wonder what happened for Fokker being able to put his hands on Mercedes engines wich led to the DVII... a change of official policy given the disappointment of the last models of Albatros?

Varese2002 · 18 March 2007, 03:16 AM

Quote:

I am fully understanding now the context of a statement I read once that since Fokker had no access to the inline engines used by his competitors he had to settle with rotaries and design airplanes around them

I have never seen evidence for the statement that Fokker did not have access to inline engines.
I have in my memory that Fokker favoured the rotary engines for the agility he could get from his machines (the Dr.I). Incidentally I have not looked it up but their was a Fokker triplane with an inline engine in the V series.

Kees

leo · 23 March 2007, 06:31 PM

It is my understanding that none of the airplanes equipped with the 160 HP Obereusel engine were sucessful. Weight? Cooling? Lubrication?

Fokker V6 had an inline Mercedes 120 HP engine. It was a triplane with an extended fuselage.

EdStevens · 23 March 2007, 07:02 PM

If memory serves, cooling was an issue. Placing an engine that requires air cooling behind another hot engine is just not a great idea.

Taz · 23 March 2007, 08:43 PM

Romani- Remember, Fokker owned Oberursel so had a vested interest in having the U.III succeed. He even tried one in a Triplane, Fokker V.7, WN 1830. Unfortunately we have no test data on that aircraft, but results could not have been outstanding and the aircraft was converted back to a standard Dr.I.

In Oberursel's defense, their license copies of the Greek letter Gnomes worked better than their French counterparts because the Germans extended the engine controls into the cockpit and did not have to make do with just a coupe switch.

Taz
Terry Phillips