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Typenumber G.1.
Type of aircraft
Fighter
Country The Netherlands
Date 1935
Wingspan 16.50m
Height 3.35m
Wing Area: 35.70m
Length 10.38m
Crew 2-3
Empty Weight: 3150kg
Max
.Weight:
4800kg
Armament 4*mg7.9mm
Enginetype 2 * P&W R-1535-SB4-G
Engine
power
825hp
Speed (max) 443km/h
Range: 1400km

G.1 Jachtkruiser

Nederland zorgde voor een sensatie op de Parijse Luchtvaart Salon van 1936. De FK-55 jager en de G.1. jachtkruiser waren revolutionaire ontwerpen, maar de FK-55 kwam niet verder dan een prototype.

De G.1. maakte op 16 maart 1937 zijn eerste vlucht vanaf Welschap. De LuVA bestelde al snel daarna 36 stuks. De tweemotorige jachtkruiser was zowel geschikt als jager en als 'bewakingsvliegtuig', een taak waarvoor de Fokker T.5. ook was ontworpen.

De Fokker G.1. is ontworpen als een jachtvliegtuig met meerdere taken. De bewapening van dit vliegtuig was zwaar. Acht mitraileurs van 7,9 mm in de neus van het vliegtuig en het achterste bemanningslid had ook een mitraileur van 7,9 mm beschikbaar.

De Fokker G.1. is dus een multirol zware jachtkruiser. Dit wil zeggen dat dit vliegtuig bestemd was om meerdere rollen als jachtvliegtuig te vervullen. Twee van deze rollen zijn jachtbommenwerper (grondsteun) en jachtvliegtuig (onderscherper van vijandelijke vliegtuigen).

Dit vliegtuig had een bemanning van 2 of 3 personen. Vlieger, Radio operator en staartschutter.

Het vliegtuig was gebouwd van een mix van hout en metaal. Het eerste prototype vloog in 1937.

De eerste produktieorders kwamen van de Spaanse Republikeinen, deze zijn echter nooit geleverd i.v.m het embargo tegen de strijdenende partijen van de Spaanse burgeroorlog.

De Nederlandse Luchtvaartafdeling van het Leger heeft een aantal van deze vliegtuigen besteld. Een aantal zijn er vernietigd.

De Luchtvaarafdeling heeft er 36 besteld van het type mercury (G1A). Later heeft men nog een aantal vliegtuigen van het type wasp (G.1.B) verkregen.

De bewapening stond uit acht voormitrailleurs en een mitrailleur in een doorzichtige puntkoepel in de staart. Dit was de plek van de staartschutter. Met zijn snelheid van bijna 500 km/u was de G.1. een gelijkwaardige tegenstander van de Duitse jagers.

De G.1.A kwam in de herfst van 1938 ter beschikking van de LuVA. In april 1940 kocht het Ministerie van Defensie nog 26 G.1.B jagers, bestemd voor Finland, maar vanwege de mobilisatie getroffen door een exportverbod. De G.1.B had een zwakkere motor, de Wasp, dan de G-1A die een Mercury had.

In België werden mitrailleurs voor deze G.1.'s gekocht. Op moment van levering konden echter slechts drie G.1.B's met een voorbewapening van vier mitrailleurs worden uitgerust. Zij namen op het laatste moment nog deel aan de strijd. Een aantal van de andere G.1.'Wasps' viel in handen van de Duitsers.

Aantallen G1-A
Fokker leverde in totaal 36 G1-As aan de LuVA. Ze hadden de nummers 300 t/m 335.

De 301, 304, 305, 308, 310, 317, 318, 321, 322, 325, 331, 332, en 332 vormden 4 JaVA op Bergen.

De 313, en 317 stonden ter reparatie in een hangar op vliegveld Bergen.
De 302, 309, 311, 312, 315, 319, 328, 329, 330, 334 en 335 vormden 3 JaVA op Waalhaven.

De 303 stond gereed in een Schipholloods en werd naar Buiksloot gevlogen.
De 306 was afgeschreven na een botsing met een D-XXI op 6-1-1940 bij Purmerend; neergestort en verbrand.

De 307 stond op De Vlijt op Texel.
De 323 (40%) en de 327 (90%) waren in reparatie bij de Fokker-fabriek.

De 316 stond op Waalhaven of Soesterberg.
De 314 stond op Waalhaven.

De 300, 320, 324 en 326 konden niet worden gelokaliseerd.

Aantallen G1-B
De 26 'Finse G-1s' hadden de nummers 341 t/m 365

De 341 stond 50% gereed in de Fokker-fabriek.
De 342, 343, en 346 stonden op Schiphol. Daar op 13 mei gevechtsklaar gemaakt met 4 mitrailleurs in de neus. Een dag later in Duitse handen gevallen.

De 344, 351, 353, 358, en 359 stonden - 70%-90% gereed - in de Fokker fabriek.

De 345 en 348 waren op 7 mei 1940 overgevlogen naar Ockenburg. Vielen daar in Duitse handen.
De 347, 349, 350, 352, 354, 355-357, 360-361, stonden op Waalhaven.

De 362-364 stonden opgeslagen in een Amsterdams pakhuis; de 365 was daar in onderdelen aanwezig.

Verliezen

12 G-1A vliegtuigen gingen op de grond verloren.
9 G-1A vliegtuigen gingen door gevechtshandelingen verloren.
1 G-1A vliegtuig ging op andere wijze verloren.
1 G-1B vliegtuig ging op andere wijze verloren.

 

Fokker G.1

Fokker G.1 Prototype

Legendary fighter


A legendary aeroplane was the Fokker G.1.

Two versions were built: The G.1 originally produced in series for Spain, and a larger three-seat version for the Dutch airforce. In the end both types were used exclusively by the Dutch LVA. In total 62 were build.

The small number of operational G.1's did well in the very brief fighting of May 1940. Surviving G.1's were later used by the Luftwaffe.

The Fokker G.1. was known to be of the best aircraft of its type and was therefore ordered by different countries.

The G.1. was designed and built in a record breaking time of 7 months under the supervision of ingenieurs Beeling and Schatzki, two senior designers of Fokker. Work started in March 1935 after receipt of a configuration from the French Airforce for a two engine heavy fighter that was supposed to utilize French equipment: Hispano Suiza engines, instruments, and a landing gear to be delivered by Olaer.

The French interest disappeared after several French designs appeared. Fokker thought the design had potential and continued development under own supervision as project 129.

Designed as 'air cruiser', this was a twin-boom, twin-engined fighter aircraft. It was made before the second world war and used by the Dutch Air force in 1937.

The aircraft received a twin boom configuration, something which was not new, but caused great sensation with the public. In the fuselage there was room for the crew and for the armament. Like all designs of Fokker in that period of time it was of a mixed construction.
The front of the cockpit was build around a steel tubular frame covered with removable aluminium panels.

This frame was attached to the frontal wingspar. The armament in the nose, the prototype had 2 23 mm cannons with 100 shells and 2 7,9 mm machineguns with 550 cartridges, was connected to this frame.

 

Copyright ©   Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid

Fokker G.1

The rear part of the cockpit was consisted out of a wooden frame covered with triplex. The many small windows in the rear part of the fuselage where made out of Perspex and hung in a Dural framework. The belly of the fuselage had two large doors with perspex windows, helpful for observations.
There was also a bomb bay in the design that could contain 400 kg of bombs. The rear part of the fuselage ended in a beautiful conical turret that could turn completely around its axis, giving the gunner a full 360 deg aim. The machine gun could be aimed by opening perspex panels running the full length of the turret.

The wingspars went through the cockpit, right behind the pilot, and fore the compartment of the gunner. In the wing, between fuselage and engine nacelles, there was room for the fuel tanks; 550 liter, with a reserve of 150 liters.

The wing edges, on both sides of the engine, contained the oil tanks. The outer parts of the wings where also made out of wood covered with triplex, that was glued together the same way Fokker did with his successful range of passenger planes. All control flaps where made out of a Chromemolyb-denumsteel frame covered with linen.

The tail booms where made out of aluminum except for the gear compartments. From the firewall on the whole engine bonnet en and struts where made out of aluminum. For propulsion of the prototype the choice was made for the Hispano Suiza 80-02 radial engine (750 hp), that gave the G-1 a top speed of 470 km/u.

Directly behind the gear compartments the twin boom was made out of aluminum again. The horizontal stabilizer, between the tail booms was made out of aluminum and had the tail wheel in the middle.


Prototype


The prototype of the G.1. had registration number X-2, this number denominated as a prototype of Fokker. Not many people know that at least 5 planes have used this registration number.

The aviation salon of Paris
Even before the first flight of the G.1. Fokker sent its G.1. to the aviation salon of Paris. He expected a lot of interest for the creation of his designers. This expectation proved right and became true: the G.1. was the sensation of the show.
The prototype was hung under steel cables between planes of Polish and Russian contenders. The plane got several nicknames on this show that pointed to the heavy armament in the nose: the French called the G.1."le Faucheur", which means "Mower" and the British called the plane "Reaper". There is some doubt if the French came up with that name them selves; a lot of people think that Fokker made that name up himself.

The first flight of the G.1. was made form Welschap airfield, near Eindhoven, on 16 March 1938. It was the unknown Czech pilot Maresc, main flier of the Tsjechian government and senior pilot of the manufacturer Avia, that made the maiden flight with the prototype with registration code X-2, and painted in the well known green with medium blue belly.
The flight went without flaws and after 20 minutes the pilot landed again.

For the audience the G.1. was a spectacular promising plane that had minor problems. After 4 testflights this proved not to be true. On the fifth test flight problems occurred with one of the Hispano Suiza engines. Due to overheating the engine broke down and threw out several parts through the exhaust pipes. One of the tail booms got damaged. Before this incident it was already well known that the Hispano engines where badly designed; they used far too much oil.

 

A quick and dirty solution was to ad extra oil coolers that where placed on sticks underneath the engines. This solution was not very elegant and finally Fokker did choose another engine, the Pratt & Wittney Jr. SB4-G This engine produces less power but was much more reliable. For the Dutch aviation department other engines where mounted; the more powerful Bristol Mercury VIII motoren, that where also used in the Fokker D.21.

The nose section of the G.1. caused problems too. The armament chosen by the Dutch air force, 8 machine guns for so-called 'water-can fire', proved to very problematic during landings. Due to this heavy armament the plane became nose-heavy and several G-1’s ground looped during landing.

A good solution for this problem has never been found though in 1939 a plan was made to give the G.1. Wasp a different setup.

In this design 4 of the machineguns where relocated to the bomb bay firing from underneath the pilot. In use the machineguns proved to be very unreliable partly due to the low temperatures at high altitude.

This sensitivity for subzero temperatures has been solved by using a different lubricant. Despite that the armament kept on causing problems; firing them on the ground was no problem, but in the air usual 2 or 3 of them jammed. This problem has never been solved.

With its heavy armament and clean lines, the G.1. was the best aircraft the Dutch air force had in May 1940.
It was fitted with eight machine-guns in the front and one machine-gun in the rear to defend an attack from behind the aircraft.