Fokker D.VII Country: Germany Type: Fighter Manufacturer: Fokker Service: 1918 - 1919 First Flight: January 1918 Production: 1700

The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 1,700 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself superior to existing Allied fighters, leading to a second Fokker Scourge. The Armistice ending the war specifically required Germany to surrender all D.VIIs to the Allies at the conclusion of hostilities.

The Fokker D.VII saw continued widespread service with many other countries in the years after World War I. The Polish deployed approximately 50 aircraft during the Polish-Soviet War. The Dutch, Swiss, and Belgian air forces also operated the D.VII. The aircraft proved so popular that Fokker completed and sold a large number of D.VII airframes that he had smuggled into the Netherlands after the Armistice. As late as 1929, the Alfred Comte company manufactured eight new D.VII airframes under licence for the Swiss Fliegertruppe.

General characteristics