Fokker G.I

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The Fokker G.I was a Dutch heavy twin-engined fighter plane comparable in size and role to the German Messerschmitt Bf 110 and the British Mosquito.

The G.I was designed in 1936 by Fokker head engineers Beeling and Schatzki; the design and building the prototype took just 7 months. At its introduction at the Paris Air Show of 1936, even before its first flight, the G.I was a sensation due to its heavy armament of 8 machine guns in the nose and 1 in a rear turret; it was given the nickname Reaper, or le faucheur in French. Its twin-engine, twin-boom design was later used for the Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

Fokker G.I

The G.I was intended for the role of air cruiser, i.e. patrolling the air space and denying it to enemy planes, especially bombers; a role seen as important at the time, by the followers of Giulio Douhet's theories on air power. The Fokker G.I could also be used for ground attack and light bombing missions (it could carry a bomb load of 400 kg). It was intended for a crew of three (a pilot, a bombardier and a rear gunner), but all Dutch G.Is had the bombardier's seat removed, since they were not used in their ground attack role.

Like all Fokker aircraft of the period (and many aircraft by other constructors as well), the G.I was of mixed construction; the front of the central pod and the tail booms were built around a welded frame, covered with aluminium plating. The back of the central pod, however, as well as the wings, had a wooden frame, covered with triplex, a technique also used in Fokker's successful passenger aircraft at that time.

The G.I had its first flight at Welschap, Eindhoven on March 16, 1937. It went well, but subsequent test flights uncovered some problems with the design. Firstly, its Hispano-Suiza engines used too much oil. They were replaced by Pratt & Whitney R-1535 engines that were less powerful, but much more reliable. Furthermore, the eight machine guns in the nose made the plane difficult to manage at take-off and landing. This problem was never solved satisfactorily.

Besides the Dutch air force, several foreign air forces showed an interest in the G.I. The aircraft was originally built to a French Air Force specification, but the French preferred French-built aircraft such as the Dewoitine D.520.

The Spanish air force ordered 36 aircraft; after the mobilisation of 1939, these were taken over by the Dutch air force. The Dutch had difficulties finding armament for these aircraft, and in 1940, only four of them were combat-ready.

The Danish ordered 12 G.Is for use as dive bombers. These were delivered, but subsequently captured by the Germans during Operation Weserübung before they could be assembled.

Other interested countries were Sweden (17 ordered), Estonia (6 ordered), Belgium, Turkey, Hungary and Switzerland. Due to the German attack on the Netherlands, no aircraft were delivered to these countries.

[edit] Service in World War 2

The Royal Netherlands Air Force (KLu) ordered 36 G.Is with Bristol Mercury VIII engines (the standard engine used by the Dutch air force), in order to equip two squadrons.

When Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, 23 of these G.Is were ready, with four more R-1535-equipped aircraft originally intended for Spain. The German invasion started with an attack on the Dutch airfields; one squadron was almost completely destroyed on the ground, but the other scored thirteen kills. By the end of the day, however, only one G.I was in fighting condition.

Several G.Is were captured by the Germans and used as trainers for Me-110 crews. There are no cases known of German G-Is participating in combat.

In 1941, a Fokker test pilot and an engineer managed to fly a G.I to England. It was used by Miles Aircraft to test the wooden wing for the English climate.

There are no surviving G.Is today. Only a replica in the Dutch Air Force Museum in Soesterberg remains.