Fokker Dr I Aces of World War 1

Germany’s leading ace, the great ‘Red Baron’, had been killed at the controls of a Dr I. This is the story of the aces that flew this iconic machine.

The revolutionary triplane design adopted by Fokker was inspired by Sopwith's Triplane. Here, the Dr I is examined in detail, including 40 profiles along with scrap views and planforms of a remarkable craft which saw the "Red Baron" killed at the controls.Undoubtedly the most famous fighter type to see service on either side during World War I, the Fokker Dr I was a revelation when it entered service on the western front in 1917. Manfred von Richthofen's JG I 'circus' was the first Jasta to completely re-equip with the new fighter, and in the skilled hands of its numerous aces, the Dr I proved a formidable opponent. The Dr I remained in service on the Western Front until replaced by the superior Fokker D VII in May 1918. Just weeks prior to that, however, Germany's leading ace, the great 'Red Baron', had been killed at the controls of a Dr I.