Fokker Eindecker in action - Aircraft No. 158

Squadron/Signal Aircraft in Action #1158

by D. Edgar Brannon, Joe Sewell (Illustrator), Randle Toepfer (Illustrator)

This book covers Fokker's early years and his production of various versions of / the Fokker Eindecker series, the E.I, E.II, E.III, and E.IV. These aircraft / introduced a new dimension to warfare - air combat. / / "Fokker Eindecker In Action," by D Edgar Brannon - 50 Pages / / / ** Don Greer J Sewell & R Toepfer / **Brief history lesson (Antony Fokker and his early years) / **Black and White photographs w/captions (brief description of each picture) / **Diagrams and specifications of the different planes / **Includes photos of Fokker monoplanes (M.6, M.5, and the M.8 (AI) / **Planes flown by the German Navy / 2/6/96sk

50 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1996

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg]

With this, the 158th in the Squadron/Signal "In Action" Series, the 50 photo-filled pages and the colour central plate discuss THE Seminal "Dogfighter" Interceptor- OF THEM ALL. The Fokker Eindecker (Singlewing) is the first plane to be used as a pure fighter - the first to have a synchronized Machine Gun firing forward through the propeller, the first "Weapon of Aces". This is the plane in which Immelman and Boelke invented the Immelman turn ( a way in which the pursued fighter can turn to get behind its pursuer), and the plane that started the Fokker Legend/company. It's a compelling read.

Fokker understood the key to fighter production almost instinctively- nobody had really done it before. But he realized the best most reliable powerful engine you have, simple aiming of the whole aircraft to aim a weapon, and a minimalist airframe can be the basic building blocks of a dominant weapon in the air. In 1915/16- when the Allies were still mainly using aircraft for reconnaissance , the Germans with their "Hunter-Killer' plane had a real advantage. Fokker would play with stronger engines and the dimensions of the Eindecker quite a bit before moving on to add wings and make his other WWII famous planes, but you can see his mind work here as the Photos and line drawings tell a story of technology growing- as more power required weight and weight requires new sizings, all the while keep some distinctive elements- like tail shape that will remain in all his era fighters.

For the interested Junior reader- this is a great choice, as it has no adult themes and no gore- but a well told pictorial story that any reader over 10 can appreciate. For the Gamer/Modeller/Military Enthusiast, this is a real great resource. The Germans/Austro-Hungarians. and the Turks all flew this type, so scenarios/dioramas can certainly be spawned here. My father was a WWI Aircraft enthusiast, and Fokker's wonders were his favourites- so learning about this seminal aircraft was real joy- especially with the story well told. A good addition to any WWI library.

[Baustman]

This Fokker Eindecker edition is just as well done as all the other Squadron-Signal aircraft volumes, of which I have read many. It is highly informative and well-illustrated. I hope to read some of the harder-to-obtain books in this series.

[Jack Hwang]

A little short on the action part. Good description of the airplanes.