The Fokker D.VI was a German fighter aircraft built in limited numbers at the end of

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The D.VI served in the German and Austro-Hungarian air services.

Design and development

In late 1917, Fokker-Flugzeugwerke built two small biplane prototypes designated V.13. These aircraft combined a set of scaled-down D.VII wings with a

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

and

empennage The empennage ( or ), also known as the tail or tail assembly, is a structure at the rear of an aircraft that provides stability during flight, in a way similar to the feathers on an arrow.Crane, Dale: ''Dictionary of Aeronautical Terms, third ed ...

closely mirroring those of the earlier Dr.I.Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 103. The first prototype utilized an 82 kW (110 hp)

Oberursel Oberursel (Taunus) (, , in contrast to " Lower Ursel") is a town in Germany and part of the Frankfurt Rhein-Main urban area. It is located to the north west of Frankfurt, in the Hochtaunuskreis county. It is the 13th largest town in Hesse. In ...

Ur.II rotary engine, while the second featured a 119 kW (160 hp)

Siemens-Halske Sh.III The Siemens-Halske Sh.III was an 11-cylinder, air-cooled counter rotary engine developed in Germany during World War I. The engine was a development of the earlier 9-cylinder Siemens-Halske Sh.I. Design The Siemens-Halske Sh.III was an 11-cyli ...

bi-rotary engine.Weyl 1965, p. 262. Fokker submitted both prototypes at the Adlershof fighter trials in late January 1918.Weyl 1965, p. 264. At that time, Fokker reengined the first prototype with the 108 kW (145 hp) Oberursel Ur.III.Weyl 1965, p. 264. Pilots found the V.13s to be maneuverable and easy to fly.Weyl 1965, p. 269. ''

Idflieg The Idflieg (''Inspektion der Fliegertruppen'' - "Inspectorate of Flying Troops") was the bureau of the German Empire that oversaw German military aviation prior to and during World War I. Founded in 1911, the Idflieg was part of the ''Fliegert ...

'' issued a production contract after the V.13s were ultimately judged to be the best rotary powered entries of the competition.Weyl 1965, p. 269.

Operational history

The new aircraft, designated D.VI, passed its ''Typenprüfung'' (official type test) on 15 March 1918.Weyl 1965, p. 271. The production aircraft utilized the Oberursel Ur.II, which was the only readily available German rotary engine. ''Idflieg'' authorized low level production pending availability of the more powerful Goebel Goe.III.Weyl 1965, p. 271. Deliveries commenced in April and ceased in August, after only 59 aircraft had been completed.Gray and Thetford 1962, p. 102. Seven aircraft were delivered to the Austro- Hungarian Air Service ( ''Luftfahrtruppen''). In service, the D.VI was hampered by the low power of the Oberursel Ur.II.Weyl 1965, p. 271. Moreover, the lack of

castor oil Castor oil is a vegetable oil pressed from castor beans, the seeds of the plant ''Ricinus communis''. The seeds are 40 to 60 percent oil. It is a colourless or pale yellow liquid with a distinct taste and odor. Its boiling point is and its den ...

and the poor quality of "Voltol," an

ersatz An ersatz good () is a substitute good, especially one that is considered inferior to the good it replaces. It has particular connotations of wartime usage. Etymology ''Ersatz'' is a German word meaning ''substitute'' or ''replacement''. Altho ...

lubricant, severely reduced engine life and reliability. The D.VI remained in frontline service until September 1918, and continued to serve in training and home defense units until the

Armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from t ...

Variants

* V.13/1 : First prototype, powered by a 108 kW (145 hp) Oberursel Ur.III rotary engine * V.13/2 : Second prototype, powered by a 119 kW (160 hp)

rotary engine

Operators

; * ''Luftfahrtruppen'' ; * ''

Luftstreitkräfte The ''Deutsche Luftstreitkräfte'' (, German Air Combat Forces)known before October 1916 as (The Imperial German Air Service, lit. "The flying troops of the German Kaiser’s Reich")was the air arm of the Imperial German Army. In English-langu ...

'' ; *

Royal Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force (, ), is the air force branch of the Military of Hungary, Hungarian Defence Forces. The primary focus of the present Hungarian Air Force lies in defensive operations. The flying units operate are organised into a single ...

- Postwar. ; *

Romanian Air Corps The Romanian Air Corps or Aviation Corps (RAC) () was the air arm of the Romanian army until the formation of the Romanian Air Force. It was established on 1 April 1913 as the Military Aeronautics Service () and subordinated to the Engineer Insp ...

- 6 captured during the war of 1919.

Specifications

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Gray, Peter and Owen Thetford. ''German Aircraft of the First World War''. London: Putnam, 1962. * * Taylor, Michael J. H. ''Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation''. London: Crescent Books, 1993. . * Weyl, A.R. ''Fokker: The Creative Years''. London: Putnam, 1965. . {{Authority control 1910s German fighter aircraft D 06 Rotary-engined aircraft Biplanes Aircraft first flown in 1918