ISR Tour: Fokker Dr. I

ISR Audio Tour Part 1

The Germans used basically the same rotary aircraft engine as the French and the British, because they licensed it before the war. As the Fokker Triplane’s Oberursel engine became harder to replace later in the conflict, the German ace Josef Jacobs used Foreign Materiel Acquisition (FMA) to solve the problem. He offered a case of champagne to any soldiers that brought him an allied rotary engine from downed enemy aircraft in good condition. The ace not only had a good stock of engines, but the Sopwith Camel’s 130-horsepower Clerget rotary and propeller combination gave the Dr. I 20 additional horsepower, resulting in increased speed and performance. Even one of Jacobs’ American victims expressed astonishment at the speed of his Fokker.