1/48 Eduard Fokker D.VII 'Bi-Ba-Bo'

[ProfSparks]

Hi All

 

Standard 1/48 Eduard Fokker D.VII, with MicroSculpt lozenge and Techmod decals for Fok.DVII.503/18, flown by Sgt. pilot Antoni Bartkowiak of 15th Fighting Squadron.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WIP here

 

I have some MicroSculpt lozenge and Techmod decals remaining, free to a good home as I doubt I'll be using them again.

 

 

Comments and suggestions welcome

 

Cheers

Steve

 

[swralph]

Very nicely finished.

[303sqn]

Fokker Aircraft DVII No. 76141/18, a late production machine, was manufactured at the Fokker factory. The fighter was delivered from Berlin to Poznan by a German pilot on September 17, 1919. First thing the same day its purchase was completed. The aircraft was equipped with a 160 hp Mercedes DIII engine (No. fabr.36723), and its armament was a pair of LMG 08/15 machine guns.

 

Shortly after arriving in Poznan the aircraft was ssigned to the Pilot School at Ławica, where it became the personal machine of instructor Adam Haber-Włyński - one of the best Polish pilots. The aircraft of an instructor was supposed to be a bit different than the rest. On the initiative of the students there appeared a splendid personal emblem on Włyńiski's plane. How did this came about is explained by Julian Jasinski, between 1919 - 20 students at Pilot School.

 

“Adam Haber-Włyński had at hisexclusive disposal of the Fokker DVII and three mechanics who carefully maintained the aircraft. Mundek Dumnicki, student of the School and graduate of the Cracow Academy of Arts, painted on Adam's Fokker Adam splendid naked doll BI-BA-BO. It was a surprise for him and he was delighted.

 

In October 1919, Adam Haber-Włyński was invited to Warsaw. He was in the capital to show you how to fly a Fokker. Włyński went together with the commander of Air Station Ławica, Major Tadeusz Grochowalski with his Fokker No 8430/18. Both aircraft (dismantled) reached Warsaw by rail on 17th October. After a few days stay in the capital demonstrating their aircraft in flight, both pilots returned to Poznan.

 

At the end of November Włyński received a new Fokker, Poznań "registration number - 503/18. The pilot exploited strength of the machine, demonstrating to the students wonderful acrobatics, which were performed always at an altitude of 150-200 m. Usually the start looked in such a way that Haber was giving , full throttle to his Fokker directly before the hangar, leaning to the right (pilot liked to start on the right wheel!), instantly gave the up and out into the air . Here's eyewitness account of this show, which took place at the beginning of 1920, by the already mentioned Julian Jasinski:

 

“Then rises Haber and turning to Rayskiego and the rest announced: invitation to all to immediately go to the hangar. “I'll show you how to make a cork-screw”. (...) Fokker rose to about 200 meters and and headed in the direction of the standing group at the airport. Slightly descending, Adam accelerates the machine and pulling up makes two full rotations going up. As we, all, all mouths were open, this was yet it was not”.

 

In March l920 the Haber-Włyński went to Paris as a test pilot of Polish Military Purchasing Mission. His Fokker remained of course in Poznan.

 

On 13 April 1920, the commander of the 15th Fighter Squadron Ltn. Jerzy Dziembowski in a report to the head of the air force asked to allocate Fokker 503/18 to his squadron, which was preparing to transfer to the Bolshevik front. Consent was received and 24 April one of the unit's pilots, Sergeant Antoni Bartkowiak, moved the machine from Poznan to Bydgoszcz, where at this time 15 Squadron was stationed.

 

Five days later. after receiving the assignment to fighting on the front of the Ukrainian 6th Army, 15th Fighter Squadron Bydgoszcz by rail for the airfield designated operational in Wapniarce (the railway line Zhmerynka - Odessa). Among the nine Fokker DVIIs, taken to the front, was also the plane 503/18 with a personal emblem of Adam Haber-Włyński. Still mounted on the machine was kaemy 08/15, which the mechanics had not had time to replace with Vickers wz.09, which was considered to be better and have rearmed in Bydgoszcz other Fokkers of the squadron.

 

After assembling the aircraft on the airstrip in Wapniarce, Fokker BI-BA-BO was constantly used by Sgt. Bartkowiak. The pilot took part in several combat flights against Bolshevik armored trains (in May) and against cavalry (in July and August 1920).

 

During one of the flights in July 1920, Bartkowiak attacked a squadron of Budionny's cavalry. After felling a few riders with aimed shots he noticed the ememy's banner. The pilot shot dead the enemy, and catching sight of the a field suitable for landing near the abandoned banner, he decided to capture it. After descending the plane was, however, strafed by machine-gun fire from a nearby village, and the pilot because of the significant risk (need to run under fire quite a distance from the aircraft to the banner and back) at the last minute gave up his intention which he later often regreted.

 

In August 1920, 15 Squadron Fokkers actively participated in the defense of the city. On August 15, in the afternoon, four machines from the squadron took off to fight the Bolshevik cavalry. This time, the Fokker 503/18 was flown by a friend of Sgt. Bartkowiak - see Joseph Hendricks. After locating the enemy the airmen attacked them at low level. During this attack Hendricks aircraft was hit in the engine (it streaked across a cylinder), and the pilot had to land between the battle lines in Busko-Zdrój. Despite heavy machine-gun fire Lt. Hendricks was able to retreat to his own lines, and after getting to the train station in Krasne informed, by telephone, the squadron commander about the incident and asked for help. In the evening, the truck arrived at Busko with squadron mechanics who wanted to remove the damaged plane and take it to the city. Unfortunately, muddy and hilly terrain, and above all intense fire from the Bolsheviks thwarted it. In this situation and with the anticipated withdrawal of Polish troops in the direction of Lwow Lt. Hendricks decided to destroy the fighter. He crawled over to it and cut out with a knife, as a souvenir, theemblem BI-BA-BO after setting fire to the machine. That was the end, slain on the battlefield, of one of the most famous Polish aircraft from the war of 1920.

After the retreat of the Bolsheviks from Lvov Polish soldiers found the burned remains of the Fokker, and the commander of 15 Squadron wrote the report of damage to the machine. Until the loss of aircraft No. 503/18 had flown in the 15th Fighter Squadron 24 hours and 45 minutes.

 

[John Masters]

Lovely.  The world is a better place because of the Eduard Fokkers, regardless of scale.

[ProfSparks]

Thanks @303sqn, excellent background info.

 

 

Cheers

Steve