The First World War - Fokker Eindecker E Iii

The Fokker Eindecker incorporated a synchronization mechanism to interrupt the machine gun fire when the propeller was in the line of fire. This gave the Eindecker a distinct advantage against other aircraft of the time and led to the period known as the Fokker Scourge.

The Eindecker was designed by Anthony Fokker during the early part of 1915. When a Morane-Saulnier was captured and examined by the German authorities it was discovered to have a rudimentary interrupter gear backed up by steel wedges on the propeller to enable a machine gun to fire through the propeller with out destroying it. Fokker was one company given the task of copying it. Fokker went one further and designed his own reliable method that was incorporated into the Eindecker aircraft.

The Eindecker wasn't particularly responsive, relying on warping the wings to roll, or that suited to the fighter role but combined with the new synchronization gear it became a winner. In the hands of a few notable pilots like Oswald Boelcke and Max Immelmann, it established dominance over the Western Front in 1915 and ushered in a period known as the 'Fokker Scourge', that would last until early 1916 when the Allies fielded new types like the D.H.2 and Nieuport 11.

A total of 270 aircraft were produced, many serving on secondary fronts after they had been withdrawn from the Western Front in early 1916.