Paul Jay

WHEN IT APPEARED over the Western Front in mid-1915, the Fokker Eindecker came as a complete and devastating surprise to the Allies. Their observation aircraft (the primary military use for airplanes until then) quickly became the favorite victims for this new breed of German fighter pilots who came to dominate the sky over the trenches. Yet, as innovative as its applications were, the Eindecker, itself, was a composite of features, few of which were original. Anthony Fokker borrowed attributes from French designs, such as the all-flying stabilator and the all-moving vertical fin. He also incorporated an incredibly complex and draggy "bird-cage" landing gear.