Question about the Fokker D.VI

[Aquilius]

Hi fellows,

Is there an evidence that the production Fokker D.VI was built with Fokker Dr.I fuselages?

You can sometimes find the note that Fokker built 60 copies of the D.VI cause he had only 59 Dr.I-bodies left.
In the book “Fokker Flugzeugewerke” by P.M. Grosz & V. Koos there is no mention about. The authors tell the D.VI was a mixture of the prototypes V.9 & V.13. While the more powerful engines of the latter one were not reliable enough the 110 hp Oberursel UR.II was choosen for the production type. Fokker then delivered the D.VI with different dimensions, even smaller than the first prototyp V.9.

V.9: length: 5,90m
V.13 I & II: length: 6,35m
D.VI: length: 5,78m
Dr.I: length: 5,77m / 5,75m (factory dates / Idflieg measurement)

If you add the V.9 that was included in the D.VI series you have 60 Fokker D.VI delivered. (Seven more were send to Austria-Hungary in August where they were fittet with Steyr-LeRhône engines.)
Dimensions look very close. The small differences might come from the way in wich the measurement is made. For the length of the D.VI is noted “in-flight position”. And if you don’t lift the tail there might come out a shorter distance.

In addition there were possibly some differences with the rudder and/or the engine cowling. But does someone know where this assumption or maybe ‘fact’ comes from?


Cheers

Aquilius

[YavorD]

One should keep in mind the significant structural changes required (two-spar lower wing, upper wing struts, etc.) in comparison with a Dr.I fuselage.
Reasons to cut D.VI production can be appearance of the E.V, as well as the slow delivery of the Oberursel Ur.III engine (the same for Goebel and Siemens-Schuckert) and reduction of the requirements for rotary-engined fighter-training. This is my own speculation, of course!
Regards,
Yavor

[Dan_San_Abbott]

Hello Aquilius:
At the time of building the Fok.D.VI, the Fok.DR.I were in service. The Fok.D.VI fuselages while simular, were different. Each D.VI fuselage was newly built, none were reworked Fok.DR.I fuselages. Further, Idflieg would not have permitted Fokker Flugzeugwerke to do so. The original contract from Idflieg was for 300 Fok.D.VI aircraft, the quantity was reduced to 60. The Fok.D.VI was a parallel effort as a backup to the Fok.D.VII. When the D.VII proved to be a winner, the D.VI was not needed and the quantity was reduced. When Fokker receiced the contract for the Fok.E.V, those 240 werke nummern were assigned to the Fok.E.V
Blue skies Aquilius,
Dan-San

[Aquilius]

Yavor, Dan-San, thanks for your answers!

I know that the further production was dropped in favour of the new E.V. Probably the rather low output was indeed reasoned by the slow supply of engines. 60 machines from April to August is not that much, even with the mass production of the D.VII. (and it might have worked faster if the bodies were complete already - of course an unlikely practice)

And we may probably never know why Fokker resized a type he got a contract for?

Thanks again for your statements!


Cheers

Aquilius