Allied Aircraft Downer
Tiny, under-powered and badly constructed, yet for Germany the Fokker Dr. I Triplane was a wonder weapon. Even before he first flew the Dr. I, Baron Manfred von Richtofen, who is also known as The Red Baron, was bragging about the Dr I’s qualities .He wanted one though it would be his death. His first flight in the Dr.I on September 1, 1917 he scored his 60th kill .All of his subsequent 20 victories up until his death were won in the triplane.
Fokker was happy to supply new machines but German industry couldn’t produce enough Dr.I engines. Rotaries were scavenged from downed allied aircraft. Furniture makers built the Dr. I’s wooden wings which, along with the body, occasionally broke up in combat. Despite these problems, the majority of German aces flying the triplane could down most allied aircraft.
