Fokker D.XXI
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The Fokker D.XXI fighter was designed in 1935 for use by the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army (KNIL) air service. As such, it was designed as a cheap but small and rugged plane, which had respectable performance for its time of conception.
Although the order by the KNIL was cancelled, the Royal Netherlands Air Force (KLu) placed an order of 36 planes, which were all delivered in time to participate in the war against the Germans in May of 1940. The Fokker D.XXI, although much slower and more lightly armed than the Bf 109, performed surprisingly well in dogfights, due to its good maneuverability. Nonetheless, the numerical disparity of the KLu compared to the Luftwaffe resulted in the destruction of all Dutch Fokker D.XXI fighters during the war.
The Fokker D.XXI performed better and for much longer in the Finnish Air Force, which had acquired a number of the fighters prior to the start of the Winter War. Against the planes of the Soviet Air Force, the Fokker was more evenly matched, and its rugged design with a radial engine and fixed undercarriage made it very suitable for Finnish conditions. Later in the war, as newer models of Soviet fighters appeared, the Fokker D.XXI was too underpowered and lightly armed (with only four .30 caliber machine guns) to compete.
