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Fokker G.I

Fokker · Fixed Wing / Heavy Fighter / Destroyer · Netherlands · Interwar (1919–1938)

Fokker G.I — Fixed Wing / Heavy Fighter / Destroyer
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The Fokker G.I (often informally called Le Faucheur — "The Reaper" — by Belgian and French pilots who saw it at the 1936 Paris Air Salon) was a Dutch twin-engine, twin-boom heavy fighter / interceptor / ground-attack aircraft developed by Fokker and produced from 1937 to 1940. The design was striking for its era: a centrally-mounted gondola housing pilot and gunner with a forward-firing battery of eight 7.92 mm machine guns, two outrigger booms each carrying a Bristol Mercury VIII radial engine, and a tail unit linking the booms. The configuration was unusual for the late 1930s but anticipated similar twin-boom layouts on the Lockheed P-38 Lightning (1941) and the de Havilland Vampire (1943). Approximately 62 G.I airframes were built before the German invasion of the Netherlands halted production.

The G.I's combat record is brief and overwhelmingly defined by the Battle of the Netherlands (10–14 May 1940). On the morning of 10 May, of 36 G.Is delivered to the Royal Netherlands Air Force, only 23 were airworthy — most of the rest were destroyed in their hangars at Bergen and Waalhaven during the opening Luftwaffe raid. Of the 23, eight were further destroyed on the ground that day at Bergen-on-Sea before they could take off. The 15 surviving G.Is fought across the next four days and shot down approximately 14 Luftwaffe aircraft (a mix of He 111s, Ju 88s, Bf 109s, Bf 110s, and Ju 52 transports), at the cost of all but one airworthy G.I. The lone survivor was destroyed on the ground on 14 May. A handful of incomplete G.Is at the Fokker factory were captured intact and pressed into Luftwaffe service as twin-engine trainers and target-tugs through the war.

The G.I is approximately 11.5 m long with a 17.2 m wingspan; empty weight 3,330 kg, MTOW 4,790 kg. Twin Bristol Mercury VIII radials produced 830 hp each (the Pratt & Whitney R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior was used in some Mercury-shortage variants). Maximum speed approximately 475 km/h (295 mph) at 4,000 m. Service ceiling 9,000 m. Range approximately 1,500 km. Distinctive features include: twin-boom configuration with engines outboard, central two-seat gondola; battery of eight 7.92 mm FN-Browning machine guns in the gondola nose (the heaviest forward-firing armament of any 1940 European fighter); rear gun position with one or two flexible 7.92 mm machine guns covering the upper hemisphere; provision for 400 kg of underwing bombs in the ground-attack role. The G.I was the only frontline Dutch heavy fighter at the moment of greatest need — its production was simply too small and its dispersal too poor to alter the campaign's outcome.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Fokker G-I Reaper is a Dutch twin-engine heavy fighter from the 1930s. It first flew in 1937 and was the Royal Netherlands Air Force's main fighter when Germany invaded in May 1940. The G-I has an unusual twin-boom design with two tails connected by a horizontal bar, like a Lockheed P-38 Lightning.

The G-I has two Bristol Mercury engines, each making 830 horsepower. Top speed is 295 mph, faster than most cars on a highway. The plane is 38 feet long with a 56-foot wingspan, smaller than a school bus. The crew pod sits between the two booms, with a pilot and gunner inside.

The G-I was meant as a heavy fighter, with eight machine guns in the nose plus bombs. Heavy fighters were popular in the 1930s, but they turned out to be too slow and big against single-seat fighters like the Bf 109. Still, Dutch G-Is fought hard against the Germans in May 1940. About 26 G-Is got rid of 17 German planes before the Netherlands surrendered.

Only 36 G-Is were built. After the Dutch surrender, some were captured and used by Germany for training. None survive today. The G-I is remembered as a brave but outclassed defender of the Netherlands in 1940. Its twin-boom shape was unique among European fighters.

Fun Facts

  • The G-I has a twin-boom design with two tails, like a Lockheed P-38 Lightning.
  • Top speed is 295 mph, faster than most cars on a highway.
  • Only 36 G-Is were built, all for the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
  • About 26 Dutch G-Is got rid of 17 German planes in May 1940.
  • The G-I carries eight machine guns in the nose for heavy firepower.
  • No G-Is survive today; all were lost in the war.
  • Germany captured some G-Is and used them for training pilots.

Kids’ Questions

What is a twin-boom design?

A twin-boom plane has two long sticks (booms) sticking back from the wing, each with a tail at the end. The body sits in the middle between the booms. This shape was popular in the 1930s and 1940s. The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is the most famous twin-boom fighter. The G-I, P-38, and a few others used this shape, but it never became common.

What is a heavy fighter?

Heavy fighters were big twin-engine planes meant to escort bombers and fight off enemy fighters. They had more guns and longer range than single-engine fighters but were slower and less agile. By 1940, heavy fighters were losing to lighter, faster fighters like the Bf 109. The G-I was a heavy fighter that ran into this problem.

Why didn't any survive?

Most G-Is were destroyed during the German invasion of the Netherlands in May 1940. The few that survived the war were captured by Germany and worn out in training, then scrapped. None made it to peacetime preservation. The Dutch air force museum has parts and models of the G-I, but no complete original.

Variants

G.IA (Mercury VIII, Dutch primary 1938-1940)
Initial Dutch production variant. Bristol Mercury VIII engines (830 hp each). 36 built. Operated by Royal Netherlands Air Force at Bergen and Waalhaven; heavy Battle of the Netherlands combat 10–14 May 1940.
G.IB (R-1535 Twin Wasp Junior export)
Pratt & Whitney R-1535-engined export variant. ~26 built before May 1940. Some delivered to Spanish Republic / Finland; remainder captured by Germany at Fokker factory in 1940 and pressed into Luftwaffe trainer / target-tug service.
Captured Luftwaffe G.I (1940-1944)
Roughly 18 captured by Germany at Fokker factory in May 1940; converted to Luftwaffe twin-engine pilot trainers and target-tugs. Final service use ~1944.

Notable Operators

Royal Netherlands Air Force / Luchtvaartafdeeling (former)
Sole frontline combat user. 36 G.IAs in service May 1940; 23 airworthy on 10 May, 15 surviving the early-morning Luftwaffe raid. Claimed ~14 Luftwaffe kills 10–14 May 1940 before complete annihilation by 14 May.
Luftwaffe (former, captured airframes)
~18 G.IBs captured at Fokker factory in May 1940. Pressed into service as twin-engine trainers and target-tugs through 1944. No combat use by Germany.
Foreign / export (former)
Small Spanish Republic and Finnish orders for G.IB variants. Spanish examples never delivered (war ended); a few Finnish examples reached service for limited Continuation War flying.
Preservation / museums
No surviving G.I airframes. A full-scale static replica is displayed at the Militaire Luchtvaart Museum, Soesterberg (Netherlands). The replica is built around a small number of original wartime components recovered from 1940 wreckage sites.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the G.I called 'The Reaper'?

The nickname Le Faucheur ("The Reaper") was applied informally by Belgian and French aviation press during the 1936 Paris Air Salon, where the G.I prototype was displayed in matt-black paint with the eight-gun battery prominently visible. The black paint and bristling gun installation gave the aircraft a sinister appearance that French and Belgian journalists translated as la mort qui vole ("flying death"). Fokker's marketing department subsequently embraced the nickname for export sales literature. Inside the Royal Netherlands Air Force the aircraft was simply de Jachtkruiser ("the cruising fighter").

Why were so many G.Is destroyed on 10 May 1940?

Concentration on a small number of airfields and inadequate dispersal. Of 36 in-service G.Is, all 36 were based at just two airfields — Bergen-on-Sea (in the north) and Waalhaven (near Rotterdam). The Luftwaffe's opening dawn raids on 10 May 1940 specifically targeted Dutch airfields with He 111 bombers and strafing Bf 110s, knowing that destroying parked aircraft was easier than fighting them. Only 15 of 36 G.Is were able to take off that day; the rest burned in their hangars or on the apron. Dispersal to forward strips would have sharply reduced the losses — but Dutch pre-war doctrine had concentrated maintenance facilities at the two main bases for cost reasons.

How does the G.I compare to the P-38 Lightning?

The configurations are visually similar but the design philosophies and performance differ. P-38 Lightning: 1941 service entry, Allison V-1710 inline engines (~1,475 hp each), turbocharged, single seat, four 12.7 mm + one 20 mm centre cannon, ~10,000 built, heavy Pacific and European combat. G.I: 1938 service entry, Bristol Mercury radials (~830 hp each), naturally aspirated, two-seat with rear gunner, eight 7.92 mm rifle-calibre MGs, ~62 built, brief 1940 combat. The G.I is closer in concept to the Whirlwind (RAF, 1940) — a small twin-engine destroyer fighter that was overtaken by single-engine designs. The P-38 was a generation ahead in engine power and altitude performance.

Did any G.Is escape capture?

One. On 14 May 1940, just before the Dutch surrender, a single G.IA (registration 311) attempted to escape from Schiphol to England. It was attacked en route by Bf 109s and forced to crash-land in friendly Belgian territory near Knokke. The aircraft was captured by advancing German forces shortly after. No G.I reached Allied territory intact. Several Dutch pilots evacuated to Britain via Belgium and France and subsequently flew Spitfires and Hurricanes with No. 320 (Dutch) Squadron RAF.

Why did Fokker not build a G.II?

The German occupation. Fokker began design work on a G.II with more powerful engines (Wright R-1820 Cyclones) and improved armament in late 1939, but the May 1940 invasion ended Dutch independent aviation development for the duration of the war. The Fokker factory was placed under German control and produced Junkers Ju 88 components and Bücker Bü 181 trainers under licence until Allied bombing destroyed the works in 1944.

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