Fokker's Use Of Airplanes In Ww1

The conflict between Austria and Serbia quickly let to a full on war. World War I was only supposed to last a few weeks. Instead it lasted from 1914 - 1918. The war brought death and destruction, but it also brought new weapons that proved useful for war. For example, the Germans began to use poison gas. The Germans also began to see the importance of airplanes as a weapon for war. The German Army supported the development of airplanes by providing research programs and funding, but also hindered it by being skeptical of new designs. The German Army supported the development of the airplane by providing research programs and constant funding. The German Army Research Unit, the Chief of the German General Staff, the German Military Archives

Fokker experiences this hinderance first hand. He is asked by the Germans to work with Hugo Junkers and make a new innovative airplane. Fokker comes up with some new ideas for the airplane wing structure, but Junkers wouldn't do it because that wasn't what he was used to building. Fokker again sees airplane development hindered when he designs an airplane with a never before seen wing design. His idea is shot down because the Germans are skeptical of the futuristic design. They believe it's too ahead of its time. Fokker does show that the Germans hindered airplane development, but he may not be the most reliable source to tell us this. He is one side of the story, his designs may have been dangerous. He will though, be biased and stick with his designs and say the Germans hinder development because he is angry his designs got shot down. Others who believe the Germans didn’t help with airplane development were an early 1908 Annual Report on Aviation and the German Aircraft Manufacturer Trade Association. The annual reports early technological view does not say that the Germans hindered development, but they do say that the Germans didn’t do a great deal to help it either. The annual report is from before the war, and it explains that the army saw no interest in airplanes because they had not seen one that was fit for war. Their interest was not sparked until during the war. The trade association also believes the German Army did little for airplane development. They explain that more was done for airplanes before the war, and during the war more time was spent on bombing, photography, and radiotelegraphy. Since the 2nd phase of the Industrial Revolution occurred in Germany, and that's the period of time when the airplane was invented, you can see where they are coming from. The U.S. Army Air Force disagrees though. With their business point of view, they regretfully point out