superb data charts, Daryl!
superb data charts, Daryl!
I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!
Monse thank you, you are really helping here!
I have corrected the R deck, the Ares one has 18 cards, nexus one has 22.
Let me read your analysis in piece and correct it. It may take a day or two.
So shall i let the service time represent both D III and D II? Both engines seems to have had 120 hp and there were no other changes.
Wrong ! The NEXUS R deck has 20 cards; ARES added a pair broad side slips and their R deck has 22 cards.
This is what the app says about the R deck - And that combination would make it a P deck...What stands out about this deck?
Note: The Ares variant of this deck includes a pair of non-steep broad sideslips (across the narrow side like in P deck) instead of two pairs of the standards sideslips, so the card count is 18.
Last edited by flash; 01-24-2021 at 13:34.
Sapiens qui vigilat... "He is wise who watches"
Last edited by monse; 01-24-2021 at 15:24.
R deck was corrected.
The Halb service time was updated and some additional info added to the text. Thanks Simon!
Yes, please see https://linen.miraheze.org/wiki/German_Usage_Charts. Of course, for low-usage planes it's harder to guess the numbers from the chart, but you can always ask me for more detail.
The German data is taken from the Frontbestand data, which is a count of all the planes at the front which they put together every two months. It does not include training and reserve aircraft. Unfortunately the data for October 1918 was either never gathered or was lost... it would have been interesting to see how things changed in the final months.
I'd like to see a Fokker D chart, by number operational, similar to the Halberstadt one above.
The graphs really highlight the relative numbers, and the dates of appearance and disappearance, of the subject planes, and the Fokker D.I, D.II and D.III seem to me to be hopelessly entangled....
I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!
112 D.Is, with the inline 120hp Mercedes D.II were built (90 for the army, six for the navy, and 16 for Turkey); 181 D.IIs (rotary 100hp Uberursel U.I); 210 D.IIIs (rotary 160hp Oberursel U.III, like the Fokker E.IV), with twin guns and -- in the last batch -- ailerons rather than wing-warping. The inline-engined D.IV never really made it into combat: production errors, tests and redesigns, and other problems led to it being obsolete and banned from the front by the time it was finally ready.
The Frontbestand data does show some small anomalous use of the D.II and D.III in 1918, but I have to think those were non-combat aircraft.
Grosz's Fokker Fighters D.I~D.IV is a good reference on these, if you can find it.
FOKKER D.I - D.II - D.III - D.IV
Here is a summary of these different versions, from the website Their Flying Machines.
These informations are extracted from three different sources, which explains the various planes built numbers for a same version.
FOKKER D.I
one machine gun
in line engine 120 hp
introduction : June 1916 (or July August)
withdrawal : December 1916
number built : 25 (two sources) / 120
FOKKER D.IV
two machine guns
in line engine 150 hp
introduction : 2 in first line August 1916
withdrawal : non available
number built : 33 (2 sources) / 44
FOKKER D.II
one machine gun
rotary engine 80 ou 100 hp
introduction : July August 1916
withdrawal : late Fall 1916
number built : 120 / 181
FOKKER D.III
two machine guns
rotary engine 160 hp
introduction : August 1916
withdrawal : late Fall 1916
number built : 159 / 210
If FOKKER D-types would be added to the Aircraft Database, they could be gathered in just one designation : Fokker D.I - D.II - D.III - D.IV
introduction (light blue) : June July August 1916
front line activity (dark blue) : September October November 1916
withdrawal (light blue) : December 1916
number built : from 340 to 555 (according to various sources)
Or they can be splited according to their engine type :
Fokker D.I - D.IV
see above for the activity time
number built : from 58 to 164
Fokker D.II - D.III
see above for the activity time
number built : from 279 to 391
FOKKER D.I / D.IV
http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft25490.htm
[V. Kondratyev Aircraft of the First World War]
The first Fokker biplane fighter, the Fokker DI, appeared in June 1916.
Engine - in-line "Mercedes" D.II water-cooled 120 hp. The radiators are reinforced along the sides of the fuselage. Armament - one synchronous machine gun LMG 08.
The flight data of the machines turned out to be very mediocre, so they made only 25 copies, eight of which were sent to Turkey. The rest entered the 2nd Fighter Squadron (Jasta 2), causing negative reviews from its pilots.
The Fokker D.IV, was soon developed, equipped with a 160-horsepower Mercedes D.III engine (or a 150-horsepower Benz Bz-III) and armed with two machine guns.
D.IV was created almost simultaneously with the "Albatross" DI, however, the Fokker machine in many ways lost to its competitor due to the worst aerodynamics. As a result, the Albatros became the main front-line fighter in Germany, and the D.IV was built in only 33 copies. Several of them were sent to Austria-Hungary, seven or eight more were bought by Sweden.
[O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)]
The Fokker D.I was an uninspired and singularly mediocre aeroplane and only passed into comparatively limited production, because little else was available to replace the outdated E III on the Western Front.
On the Western Front the D I soon began to encounter doughtier opponents, and could not compete in manoeuvrability and climb with the lighter and more nimble rotary-engined Nieuports the Allies were bringing into use. Hence it soon fell into disrepute with the pilots who had to fly it, and it was relegated to the Eastern Front and to non-operational duties. Some machines were sold to the Austro-Hungarian authorities. In a final endeavour to extract the utmost use from the type, Fokker slightly modified and enlarged it and re-engined it with the 160 h.p. Mercedes D III, in which guise it was designated D IV (M 21). Performance increase, however, was only marginal, and the engines could be - and were - put to much better use by the Albatros firm in their D I type.
With the installation of the 160 h.p. Mercedes D III power plant and a slight increase in overall dimensions, the D IV had an improved performance and the level speed increased slightly, but it still lacked the manoeuvrability expected of a fighter. As the Albatros D types became available in increasing numbers, the Fokker D Is and IVs lapsed into the obscurity of non-operational duties with the Fliegerschulen (Flying Schools). Total production of D I was twenty-five and of D IV thirty-three.
With the formation of the Jagdstaffeln in the summer of 1916 the majority were inevitably equipped with a heterogeneous collection of single-seaters transferred from the escort duties with the various Fl. Abt. units. One such to have some Fokker biplanes on its establishment was Jasta 2 and Leut. Grafe from this unit was surprised in a D I by Capt. Albert Ball, V.C., on 21st September 1916, when he closed with it among clouds some 5,000 ft. over the Bapaume Cambrai road. He was able to approach, apparently completely unobserved, and put in an attack from below at exceedingly close range. He plainly saw his tracers entering the Fokker in the region underneath the engine and pilot's seat, and the machine disappeared into the clouds in a side-slipping dive. The subsequent crash was not observed, and Capt. Ball was not credited with this victory. However, it was eventually established that the Fokker did crash about a kilometre east of Bapaume and that the pilot was killed.
TECHNICAL DATA
**Description: Single-seat fighting scout.
**Manufacturer: Fokker Flugzeug-Werke G.m.b.H. (Fok.).
**Power Plant:
** One 120 h.p. Mercedes D II 6 cylinder in-line water-cooled engine (D I).
** One 160 h.p. Mercedes D III 6 cylinder in-line water-cooled engine (D IV).
**Dimensions:
** Span, 9.05 m. (29 ft. 8 3/8 in.). Length, 5.7 m. (18 ft. 8 1/2 in.). Height, 2.25 m. (7 ft. 4 5/8 in.). Area, 22 sq.m. (238 sq.ft.). ( D.I.)
** Span, 9.7 m. (31 ft. 10 in.). Length, 6.3 m. (20 ft. 8 in.). Height. 2.45 m. (8 ft. 0 1/2 in.). Area, 21 sq.m. (227 sq.ft.). (D IV.)
**Weights:
** Empty, 463 kg. (1,019 lb.). Loaded, 671 kg. (1,476 lb.). D I.
** Empty, 606 kg. (1,333 lb.). Loaded, 841 kg. (1,850 lb.), D IV.
**Performance: Maximum speed, 150 km.hr. (93-75 m.p.h.), D I; 160 km.hr. (100 m.p.h.), D IV. Initial climb, 1,000 m. (3,280 ft.) in 5 min., D I; 1,000 m. (3,280 ft.) in 3 min., D IV. Duration, 1 1/2 hr.
**Armament:
** D I one fixed Spandau machine-gun forward.
** D IV two fixed Spandau machine-guns forward. (Usually not more than one gun was fitted to obtain improved performance)
[W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters]
The Fokker D.I began to arrive at the Front in July-August 1916, 90 being built for the German Fliegertruppen, six for the Marine-Landflieger and 16 for the Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrttruppen by which the fighter was designated B III. In addition, MAG (Magyar Altalanos Gepgyar) in Hungary built eight.
Fokker D.IV : two were at the Front on 31 August 1916, but saw no combat service. The performance of the D IV proved disappointing by comparison with contemporary types and the Idflieg considered that supplies of the 160 hp Mercedes should be assigned to other types. Production was, in consequence, restricted to 40 aircraft for the Fliegertruppen, one being experimentally fitted with a refined engine cowling and large propeller spinner. In addition, four D IVs were built for Sweden where they arrived in March 1918.
FOKKER D.II
http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft25491.htm
[V. Kondratyev Aircraft of the First World War]
In parallel with the creation of a biplane fighter with a water-cooled engine, the Fokker Flyugzeugwerk company was working on a fighter of a similar design, equipped with a rotary engine.
The M.19 prototype with the 100-horsepower Oberursel UI first flew in August 1916. Except for the powerplant, it was identical to the DI Fokker, but the lighter aircraft had better performance. In September, the aircraft was launched into production under the index D.II, with 120 built.
[O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)]
Although apparently later than the D.I (M 18z) in order of factory numerical sequence, the Fokker D.II would in fact appear to have preceded it, having been evolved from the M 17z prototype, from which it differed mainly in the rudder shape.
**Appearance of the D.II during 1916 was before the establishment of the Jagdstaffeln, and it was issued to the Fl. Aht. units as a replacement for the E.II and E.III monoplanes used in escort and protection duties, and as such did not form the exclusive equipment of any unit. Even later in the summer of that year, when the Jastas came into being, Fokker D.IIs, and the subsequent D.III, together with Halberstadt D.II and D.III, only formed partial equipment of the first units to be formed.
The airframe of the D.II was very similar to that of the D.I, being slightly smaller in span but greater in length. With the 100 h.p. Oberursel U I rotary engine, the D.II was a considerably lighter machine and in consequence more maneuverable, although its speed and climb performance showed no great improvement.
Description: Single-seat fighting scout
Manufacturer: Fokker Flugzeug-Werke G.m.b.H. (Fok)
** D.II
Power Plant: 100 h.p. Oberursel U.I
** 9 cylinder rotary engine
Dimensions:
** Span 8.75 m. (28 ft. 8 1/2 in.)
** Length 6.4 m. (21 ft. )
** Height 2.55 m. (8 ft. 4 3/8 in.)
** Area 18 sq.m. (194 sq.ft.)
Weights:
** Empty 384 kg. (844.8 lb.)
** Loaded 576 kg. (1,267.2 lb.)
Performance:
** Max speed 150 km.h. (93.75 m.p.h.)
** climb to
** 1,000 m. 4 min.
** 4,000 m. 24 min.
** Duration 1 1/2 hr.
Armament: One fixed Spandau machine-gun
** synchronized to fire
** through airscrew
[W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters]
The M17 was flown with both the 80 hp seven-cylinder Oberursel U O and 100 hp nine-cylinder Oberursel I rotaries.
Twenty of the 80 hp single-bay M 17s were supplied to the Austro-Hungarian Luftfahrttruppen and assigned the designation B II, a further 42 being built by the MAG (Magyar Altalanos Gepgyar).
It began arriving at the Front in July-August 1916, 181 being delivered.
FOKKER D.III
http://flyingmachines.ru/Site2/Crafts/Craft29997.htm
[V. Kondratyev Aircraft of the First World War]
Strengthening the airframe structure, installing a 160-horsepower two-row Oberursel U.III engine and a second synchronous machine gun turned the D.II into a D.III modification, the serial production of which continued from November 1916 until February 1917. This aircraft was produced in the amount of 159 pieces. Most of them were goshed by roll, but the last 50 examples (factory designation M.19K) received ailerons on the upper wing of the "Fokker" type D.IV.
The Fokkers D.III fought on the fronts of the First World War until about the fall of 1917, but due to the lag in flight data from the Albatross and the low reliability of the engines, they were not popular with pilots and ground personnel.
[O.Thetford, P.Gray German Aircraft of the First World War (Putnam)]
However, results were still not up to expectations, as the basic design of the whole D.I to D.IV series was little more than indifferent and the U III engine continued to be as unreliable as it had been in the E.IV monoplane.
A D.III used by Oswald Boelcke, D.III 352/16, in which he recorded his twentieth victory.
The total production of all D.II and D.III types was some 291 machines; the findings of the Inter-Allied Commission set up after the war recorded the collective total of D.I to D.IV machines serving at the Front in the autumn of 1916 as being 100 aircraft.
[W.Green, G.Swanborough The Complete Book of Fighters]
A total of 210 was delivered to the German Fliegertruppen, late production examples supplanting wing warping with ailerons for lateral control, and 10 aileron-equipped D IIIs (including the prototype) were supplied to the Netherlands where they arrived in October 1917.
The D III reached the Front in August 1916, but primarily as a result of the unreliability of its U III engine was rapidly relegated to home defence duties.
Awesome, Daryl, many thanks indeed!
I can't Rep you again so soon, but I'll get back to you.
Got a copy, purchased last month - lots of data, but after a while, all the numbers start to merge into each other...
It's so much better to view the data in graphic form.
The aforementioned Grosz tome says on page 51 that limited numbers of Fokker D.IIs and D.IIIs "appeared at Armee Flug Parks and operational units to provide practice in flying rotary-engined aircraft in preparation for the arrival of Fokker, Pfalz and Siemens-Schuckert rotary engine fighters".The Frontbestand data does show some small anomalous use of the D.II and D.III in 1918, but I have to think those were non-combat aircraft.
Last edited by Flying Helmut; 01-26-2021 at 09:51.
I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!
Thanks very much for all that, Monse!
Rep!
This research business is fascinating stuff!
My current research into Jasta 2 has Leutnant Winand Grafe shot down in a rotary engined biplane (a Fokker D.III) by a BE12 from 19 Squadron flown by 2Lt V.R. Stewart on the same day!
Ball's encounter is mentioned but not credited - and still unconfirmed, whilst the BE12 was credited with Grafe's demise...
Norman Franks' "Jasta Boelcke" by Grub Street Press (and also an Osprey or two. including 'Aviation Elite 26 'Jagdstaffel Boelcke'')
D.I, D.III, who knows?
Last edited by Flying Helmut; 01-25-2021 at 16:14.
I laugh in the face of danger - then I hide until it goes away!
Thank you Daryl and Simon, i will compare it with the data i used from Cyril's pdf and correct them where needed.
The Fokker D.I-D.II-D.III-D.IV don’t appear in Cyril’s Chronological Timeline.
I have sent him the datas and he has just included them in his pdf.
Hi
Thanks again monse for your valuable research
About Spad VII it disappears in December 1917 from the Honza App , If we refer to several French or English Specialized Magazines like Osprey , Batailles Aeriennes etc it will be produced until the end of the war , will remain in 1st line alongside the Spad XIII !
Reserved Aviation Group (GAR)
at the beginning of 1918, to later become
officially the Air Division under command
direct from Duval, which has since become general.
The GAR will first emerge in the form of two groups that bear the name of theirrespective leaders, Commanders Ménard and Féquant.
Each group is made up of three groups (GC), each comprising four "escadrilles" hunting drills of 15 devices, for a total of 360 Spad VII and XIII fighters ready to pounce on the enemy on any point of the front where Duval will send them.
These six combat groups represent more than half means French hunting which counts in total eleven combat groups on March 1, 1918.
Pierre Cardon : This French Ace to 5 wins preferred in 1918 the Spad VII to the Spad XIII for its reliability despite its lighter armament
Edit : Pics and maps
Last edited by Spad VII; 01-27-2021 at 10:18.
Thanks for these valuable documents about the SpadVII, Bruno.
So did they even start withdrawing Spads VIIs or did they keep producing them till the end?
From Windsock Datafile - 8 - Spad 7 :
The Spads 7 had to serve on long after the arrival of the twin gun Spad 13.
The Spad 7 fought until the war’s end.
From Aircam Aviation Series - 9 - Spad Scouts VII XIII :
Spad XIII were issued to Squadrons either as replacement for Spads VII or as new equipment.
Fortunately, production of the Spad VII did not cease ; indeed during the first quarter of 1918, a total of 1220 Spads VII were built compared with some 630 Spads XIII.
Last edited by monse; 01-27-2021 at 05:45.
The last victory of Paul Tarascon French Aces 12 Victories
From SPA 62 with a SPAD VII n°72xx
(Albatros ) le 17 Juillet 1918 "July /17/1918 " at Villers-Coterets
Sources et Photos : Albin Denis and http://www.as14-18.net/Tarascon
So i marked a withdrawal after the first quarter of 1918 till the end of the war.
Useful web site but old phone broke so now have to start over to add my collection. Couldn't see that there was a login or account for data retention?
I added a 3 months introduction period for SE5. 56 squadron used them in march 1917 already.
A quote describing Robert Little was added. I am reading a good Bloody April book which has tons of original quotes.
Still using that great app on my cellphone.
Voilŕ le soleil d'Austerlitz!
I am glad you like it guys. I have been slowly improving it
Thanks Dave. It looks the first instance was delivered around April 7, but it had some ridiculous design flaws crews had to change or cut off completely. Like you had your butt protected by an armor plate, seat could be pumped up to better handle the Lewis gun and the canopy that was impossible to see through. So the SE5 we know has been developed during April by the desperate crews.
Just read how Robert Little lured 7 Albs III into anti aircraft fire just maneuvering around with his Sopwith Triplane. Unbelievable, considering Richthoffen was there.
The first SE5 arrived at the Squadron 15th March, the squadron got their orders on 31st & left for France on April 7th where much of the work to make them combat ready commenced on April 9th, being completed on the 20th ready for their first patrol on 22nd.
(According to Opsrey's Aviation Elite Units - No 56 Sqn RAF/RFC).
Sapiens qui vigilat... "He is wise who watches"
From April 7th to the 23rd, we spent much of our time remodelling the SE5. When delivered, it had a sizeable canopy installed on the fuselage to assist one in correcting a jam of the Vickers machine gun. We also had a Lewis machine gun mounted on a clutter on the top wing. The idea of the canopy was to give one a little protection while working on a jam, but it was impractical. When you’re in combat and your guns jam, the best thing to do is to get the hell out of there if you want to keep your health! We had a sheet of armour steel, about an inch thick, under the seat in the cockpit. It was supposed to prevent some nasty character from shooting up your behind! There was also a lever that would raise your seat so that it would be easier to get at the Vickers gun. We modified the SE5 by removing the canopy, eliminating the armour plate, and tossing out the seat-raising lever and mechanism. As a result, we got approximately 7 mph additional speed, which was well worth while. If I’m not mistaken, in those days it did about 110 mph over the ground; this was about 10 mph faster than the V-strutter Albatros – and that’s what mattered!70 Second Lieutenant Reginald Hoidge, 56 Squadron, RFC
I updated the SE5 service dates again.
Simon, what is wrong with those? I checked them and found the information there.
I did the following changes to the model database today:
1. I renamed the Special Packs to what they really were (Heavy Bombers 1, Heavy Bombers 2, ...)
2. I added the two missing Gothas from the Heavy Bombers 2 packs (2014). They were a straight reprint of the same aircraft from the Heavy Bombers 1 (2012), and so the slipped under my radar.
3. I added a note to the Navarre's and Ball's Nieuport 16 about how they were released and sold.
Thanks keep up the good work.
Jan, here are in bold the exact model name, as they appear on the sticker of the airplane packs boxes (WOW and WOG), compared to their designation on the WW1 App (picture below)
HALBERSTADT D.III
- WGF106A (green and brown) : Camouflage
AIRCO DH.4
WINGS OF WAR
- WOW116B (american model) : American Expeditionary Force
AIRCO DH.4
WINGS OF GLORY
- WOG204A (american model) : 50th Squadron AEF
RUMPLER C.IV
WINGS OF WAR
- WOW149A (green and blue) : MFFA 2
- WOW149B (lozenges camo) : 8267/17
- WOW149C (green and brown) : 8012/17
RUMPLER C.IV
WINGS OF GLORY
- WGF211A (lozenges camo): Luftstreitkräfte 8231
- WGF211B (green and purple) : Luftstreitkräfte 8256
Ah i understand. Simon that marking under the aircraft type is not a label from the package, it is the pilot or squadron or a general subsumption of the particular aircraft.
The serial number (if any) is inside, under "Historical note".
I have never introduced the package labels, although i understand they probably would help a bit to collectors.
Absolutely fantastic! Will be using this without a doubt! It’s the Ace of all Aces of apps ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I added a "just the aircraft from my collection" filter to the Scenario Builder. Someone at BGG has suggested it and i really like that idea.
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