Fokker Dr.I

(Wings of the Great War WW12002)

Notes: Designed in response to the highly maneuverable Sopwith Triplane, the Fokker Dr.I was first flown in 1917 and was one of the most successful and recognizable combat aircraft of WWI, attributing much of its fame to the German WWI ace Manfred von Richthofen -- the iconic "Red Baron". Light weight, small size and three wings made the aircraft highly maneuverable and deadly in the hands of an expert pilot but very unforgiving of less experienced pilots. Common for airplanes of that era, a fixed crankshaft configuration allowed the entire engine to spin with the propeller, creating strong gyroscopic forces that adversely affected the airplane's handling under power.
Lothar von Richthofen transferred to the German Air Service in 1915 and was assigned to Jasta 11 on March 6, 1917. Lothar scored 24 victories in 47 days and was credited with shooting down English Ace Albert Ball on May 7, 1917. Wounded on March 13, 1918, he crash landed his Fokker Dr.I after being shot down by Australian ace, Geoffrey Hughes. In the summer of 1918, Lothar returned to duty and achieved ten more victories by the end of the war. Scoring his final victory on August 12, 1918, he shot down a Sopwith Camel flown by English ace, John Summers. The following day, Lothar was seriously wounded for the third time when his Fokker D.VII was shot down over the Somme by another Sopwith Camel.