The legendary Fokker Eindecker, armed with a machine gun synchronized to fire through the propeller, made its 1st official kill on the 1st day of August 1915. It was an 80hp Oberursel U.0 (license built 80hp Gnome) powered wing warping Fokker E.1 13/15 flown by Max Immelmann and marked the beginning of the “Fokker scourge”. Inspired by the capture on 18 April 1915 of Roland Garros and his Morane-Saulnier Type L Parasol fitted with a forward firing machine gun (using armoured deflector plates to protect the propeller from ‘serious’ bullet damage) the Germans set about coming up with their own version.
Legendarily, the 25 year old Anthony Fokker created his own interrupter gear in just 48 hours after being inspired by the capture of Garros, but this is undoubtedly a myth. A mechanical interrupter gear had been patented in 1913 by Hans Schneider of LVG but it was not until Fokker perfected it, or a similarly inspired design, that it worked sufficiently well enough to be employed in combat. Lawsuits filed by Schneider against Fokker continued up until September 1933.
- 27cm x 21cm
- 141 high quality injection moulded parts.
- 64 all new parts including engine, early production Fokker E.1 fuselage and short span wings.
- 19 part highly detailed 7 cylinder 80 hp Oberursel U.0 engine.
- Optional high and low mounted wings.
- Optional Parabellum LMG 14 and lMG 08 "Spandau" armament.
- 21 photo-etched metal detail parts.
- Optional propellers and coamings.
- Fine in scale rib tape details.
- Full rigging diagrams.
