Allied Units vs. Fokker Dr.I

Hello, all,

Could someone let me know which were the main Allied fighter units that first encountered the Fok. Triplane, both initially in late summer '17 and then again in the Fall/Winter of 17/18 when the Dr.I was re-introduced after grounding?

Thanks,
A-h

[Testerchild]

Hi Air-Hed,

I don't suppose this was the very first loss to a Fokker Triplane, but on 6th September 1917 at 3.35 pm, 20 squadron met up with one southeast of Boisinghe (near Ypres) that was leading five Albatros scouts. I believe this was Werner Voss. The Triplane latched onto the tail of F.E.2d ‘B1895’ and set it alight. Lt. Pilkington and Air Mechanic Matthews were both killed. The German machines did not then get into a dog-fight with the other F.E.'s in the patrol, but immediately made off east.

Source is the 20 squadron Record book for 1917, held at the National Archives at Kew.

Hope it helps.

Bob

[Taz]

Air-hed- The first unit to be detrimentally involved with a Fokker Triplane was 6 Sqdn, RFC, who lost an R.E.8 to MvR in F.I 102/17 on 1 Sept 1917. MvR also shot down Lt Bird of 46 Sqdn in a Sopwith Pup on 4 September. Werner Voss shot down ~ 10 aircraft using F.I 103/17. These victories were from several units, British and French, and began on 3 September and ended on the morning of 23 September. He was shot down the same day in an afternoon fight with 56 Sq. Wolff was shot down in F.I 102/17 on 15 September by MacGregor of 10 Sq RNAS. After 23 September virtually no Fokker Triplanes, Dr.Is this time, were seen at the front (a few possibly in the last week of Oct) until after new wings were fitted and the grounding was lifted in winter 1917/18. MvR did not score another Triplane victory until 18 March 1918.

See the Forum Aces section for more info.

For later meetings, here is a web site I have found valuable that shows the locations of all the Jastas on any given date. Line this up with Entente information and you have a pretty good idea who was fighting whom. You probably already know this, but primarily Dr.I equipped units included Jastas 2(B), 4 (late), 5 (late), 6, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 19, 26, 27, and 36. Done from memory so may have missed a few. Dr.Is also were passed on to other units in ones or two as D.VIIs became available in the Dr.I equipped units. Jasta 4 and Jasta 5 both got hand-me-down Dr.Is.

http://patriot.net/~townsend/WW1AirMap/


Taz
Terry Phillips

Richthofen's first Dr.I victory in the year 1918 was his victory number 64 and it was 12 march 1918.

[Taz]

Finn- Right you are. I only had one source at work, Paul Leaman's Dr.I book and it has a typo I missed. It says 64th on 18 march, 65th on 13 March and 66th on 18 March. Obviously a typo.

Taz
Terry Phillips

[castiglione]

Were any French units engaged against the Dr. I?

[Taz]

castiglione- Both JG I and JG II had frequent encounters with the French. Frank Baylies, an American flying with G de C 12, was shot down by Dr.Is of Jasta 19 and that is just one I can remember off the top of my head.

Taz
Terry Phillips