1916. German First World War airmen (from left to right): Technical Officer and Lieutenant Konstantin Krefft, Dutch Aircraft Designer 'extraordinaire' Anthony Fokker "The Flying Dutchman", First Lieutenant Kurt "Wolf Cub" Wolff (also known as "Gentle Little Flower"), and lastly, Fokker's good friend, Captain (or Rittmeister) Manfred von Richthofen "The Red Baron" himself.
Anthony Fokker (1890-1939) was a Dutch aviation pioneer, aviation entrepreneur, aircraft designer, and aircraft manufacturer. He produced fighter aircraft in Germany during the First World War such as the Eindecker monoplanes, the Dr.1 triplane and the D.VII biplane.
At the age of twenty, Anthony built his first own aeroplane, 'de Spin' (the Spider)
In 1912, age 22, Anthony Fokker moved to Johannisthal near Berlin where he founded his first own company, Fokker Aeroplanbau. In the following years he constructed a variety of aircraft. He relocated his factory to Schwerin where it was renamed Fokker Flugzeugwerke GmbH, and later shortened to Fokker Werke GmbH.
Despite Fokker's frantic efforts to also sell aircraft to the Netherlands, the Dutch government was only interested in French and English aircraft. That made Fokker finally decide to stay in Germany.
the Germans gave him all the space and appreciated his work.
At the outbreak of World War I the German government took control of the factory. Fokker remained as director and alleged designer of many aircraft for the Imperial German Army Air Service (Luftstreitkräfte), including the Fokker Eindecker and the Fokker Dr.I, the triplane made famous in the hands of friend and ace such Manfred von Richthofen (the Red Baron).
THE RED BARON
Fokker had had the strategy for some time to make as many friends as possible among fighter pilots.
He saw them as his most important customer and not the German state, as most competitors did.
Thanks to these personal contacts, the young Fokker knew exactly what type of aircraft pilots wanted. "And when the boys were not on duty, Fokker took them to Berlin. There he treated them to drinks, snacks and nice ladies."
In 1917, Von Richthofen and Fokker spent time together at the front near Kortrijk, Belgium. The Red Baron was already a major war hero in Germany by that time..
Fighter pilots as Von Richthofen were seen as Knights of the Skies. But von Richthofen was by no means chivalrous. "Fighting heroically was exactly what he didn't do. He looked for pilots who weren't paying attention and went after them as quickly as possible. He operated in a cool, calculating manner."
As with his previous aircraft, Von Richthofen had his triplane painted red. To stand out even more and to frighten the enemy. "But it also worked like a red rag to a bull. All the enemies tried to take him down and they finally succeeded."
On April 21, 1918, the Red Baron was fatally hit. He was flying over the front in northern France at the time. His plane had been pierced with bullets from the air and from the ground. Investigators never agreed on who was responsible for the fatal shot.
Von Richthofen's last words, according to an Australian medic: "Kaputt." ("Broken down")
Following WW1, Fokker was able to move out of Germany, which now no longer was that promising economically or industrially. He was able to move much of his aircraft making equipment and inventory out of Germany to Holland. There he established an aircraft factory. However, he realized that the future of the aircraft industry, at least in the near term, was in the United States. So in 1922 he moved to the U.S. with the intent to start building aircraft there. He founded the Atlantic Aircraft company which, at that time, became General Aviation Corporation, the biggest aircraft building company in the world.
He also became an American citizen.
Fokker died at age 49 in New York in 1939 from pneumococcal meningitis, after a three-week-long illness. In 1940, his ashes were brought to Westerveld Cemetery in Driehuis, the Netherlands, where they were buried in the family grave.
Colour and restoration by Jake
Colourised PIECE of JAKE
