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Fokker T.V

Fokker · Fixed Wing / Medium Bomber · Netherlands · Interwar (1919–1938)

Fokker T.V — Fixed Wing / Medium Bomber
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The Fokker T.V was a Dutch twin-engine medium bomber developed by Fokker for the Royal Netherlands Air Force (Luchtvaartafdeeling) and produced from 1937 to 1939. The T.V was Fokker's principal interwar bomber and the only modern bomber the Netherlands possessed at the moment of the German invasion in May 1940. Just 16 T.Vs were ordered and delivered before production stopped — by 10 May 1940 only 9 were in frontline service. The T.V was used in a desperate, doomed bombing campaign during the five-day Battle of the Netherlands and was annihilated alongside almost the entire pre-war Dutch combat aircraft inventory by the time of the surrender on 14 May 1940.

The T.V was a low-wing cantilever monoplane of mixed construction — fabric-covered wooden wing, fabric-and-metal-covered welded steel-tube fuselage — typical of mid-1930s Fokker practice and badly out-of-date by 1940 against the all-metal stressed-skin construction of contemporary German, British, and American bombers. Powered by two Bristol Pegasus XXVI radials of approximately 925 hp each, the T.V achieved approximately 415 km/h (258 mph) maximum speed at 4,000 m and could carry a 1,000 kg internal bomb load. Defensive armament was a single 20 mm Solothurn S 18-350 cannon in a Netherlands-developed nose mount and three 7.92 mm machine guns (dorsal, ventral, and tail). Crew was five (pilot, navigator/bombardier, radio operator, dorsal gunner, tail gunner). The T.V was modern enough for a 1937 first-flight bomber, but the airframe and powerplant gave little development room and Fokker's resources were too thin to produce more than the 16-airframe pre-war batch.

The T.V's combat use was tragic. On 10 May 1940 the surviving in-service T.Vs were ordered to attack the Maas River bridges at Maastricht, the Moerdijk bridges, and the captured Waalhaven airfield south of Rotterdam. Bombing accuracy was poor (1930s-era visual bomb-aiming with no fighter escort), and Luftwaffe Bf 109s and ground flak destroyed several T.Vs over the targets. By 13 May 1940 only one or two T.Vs were still flying; the last in-service airframes were destroyed on the ground or burned during the Dutch surrender on 14 May. No T.V escaped the Netherlands intact.

For Kids — a shorter, friendlier version

The Fokker T-V was a Dutch twin-engine bomber from the late 1930s. It first flew in 1937 and entered Dutch Air Force service in 1938. Only 16 Fokker T-Vs were built before production stopped in 1939. The T-V was the only modern bomber the Dutch had when Germany invaded in May 1940.

The T-V is 53 feet long with a 69-foot wingspan, longer than a school bus. Two Bristol Pegasus radial engines each make 925 horsepower. Top speed is 258 mph, faster than most cars on a highway. The plane carried up to 2,200 pounds of bombs.

The T-V had a unique nose: a 20mm Solothurn cannon mounted forward to attack ground targets and other planes. No other 1940 bomber had a cannon in the nose like this. Three machine guns covered the rear, top, and bottom of the plane.

When Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, only 9 T-Vs were ready for combat. The T-Vs flew brave bombing missions against German river bridges. All 9 were lost in the 5-day Battle of the Netherlands. The Netherlands surrendered on May 14, 1940.

Fun Facts

  • Only 16 Fokker T-Vs were built between 1937 and 1939.
  • The T-V was the only modern bomber the Dutch had in May 1940.
  • The T-V is 53 feet long, longer than a school bus.
  • Top speed is 258 mph, faster than most cars on a highway.
  • The T-V had a 20mm cannon in the nose, unique among 1940 bombers.
  • Only 9 T-Vs were ready when Germany invaded in May 1940.
  • All 9 T-Vs were lost during the 5-day Battle of the Netherlands.

Kids’ Questions

Why so few built?

Fokker was a small company building planes in the Netherlands. The Dutch military had little money in the 1930s and could only order 16 T-Vs. By comparison, Germany built thousands of bombers in the same years. The Netherlands was completely outnumbered in May 1940.

What did they do in May 1940?

When Germany invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940, only 9 T-Vs were operational. Dutch crews flew them bravely against German troops at river bridges, especially at Maas and Moerdijk. The crews knew they had little chance, but they fought to delay the German advance. All 9 T-Vs were lost in 5 days.

Why a cannon in the nose?

Most 1940 bombers had only machine guns. The Dutch wanted a more-powerful weapon to attack ground targets and other planes. Fokker put a 20mm Solothurn cannon in the nose. This was unusual: no other 1940 bomber had a cannon up front. The cannon worked well, but with only 16 T-Vs built, it had little impact on the war.

Variants

T.V (Bristol Pegasus XXVI, 1938-1940)
Sole production variant. 16 built. Royal Netherlands Air Force frontline service from 1938 to 14 May 1940. Bristol Pegasus XXVI radials (~925 hp each). 1,000 kg internal bomb load. 20 mm Solothurn cannon in glazed nose.

Notable Operators

Royal Netherlands Air Force / Luchtvaartafdeeling (former)
Sole operator. 16 T.Vs delivered; 9 in frontline service on 10 May 1940. Conducted bombing missions against Maastricht and Moerdijk bridges and Waalhaven airfield 10–13 May 1940; the entire fleet was destroyed in combat or on the ground by 14 May 1940.
Preservation / museums
No surviving T.V airframes. The Militaire Luchtvaart Museum (Soesterberg, Netherlands) displays a small number of recovered components from 1940 wreckage sites. No replica has been built.

Frequently Asked Questions

What missions did the T.V fly during the Battle of the Netherlands?

Three principal targets in five days. (1) Maas River bridges at Maastricht (10 May 1940) — the Netherlands high command ordered T.Vs to bomb the captured bridges to delay the German advance; multiple T.Vs were lost to flak and Bf 109 interception, and the bridges were not destroyed. (2) Moerdijk road and rail bridges (multiple sorties 11–12 May) — failed attempt to deny German access across the Hollandsch Diep waterway; bombing accuracy was inadequate against the narrow bridge structures. (3) Waalhaven airfield (south of Rotterdam, 11 May) — captured airfield being used by Luftwaffe transport operations supporting the airborne assault; T.V attacks caused damage but did not deny the airfield. By 13 May 1940 most T.Vs had been destroyed.

Why did the T.V have a 20 mm cannon in the nose?

An unusual Netherlands doctrine. The T.V's nose-mounted 20 mm Solothurn S 18-350 cannon — a heavy weapon by 1940 standards — was intended for forward-firing strafing of ground targets and surface ships, not for aerial defence. Netherlands bomber doctrine envisioned a dual role: medium-altitude bombing on outbound legs, low-altitude strafing of opportunity targets on return legs. No other 1940 European bomber carried fixed forward-firing heavy cannon in the same configuration. In practice the cannon was rarely useful — T.Vs were heavily engaged by Luftwaffe fighters and ground flak before they could establish strafing runs, and bombing missions had to be flown straight-and-level over the Maas and Moerdijk targets.

How does the T.V compare to the He 111 or the Wellington?

Far smaller and less powerful. Heinkel He 111 (1936 service): all-metal stressed-skin construction, ~7,300 built, twin Jumo 211 inlines, 2,000 kg bomb load, heavy Luftwaffe service through 1944. Vickers Wellington (1938 service): geodesic stressed-skin construction, ~11,461 built, twin Bristol Pegasus / Hercules, 2,000 kg bomb load, RAF Bomber Command core 1939-1942. T.V: mixed wood-and-steel-tube construction, 16 built, twin Pegasus XXVI, 1,000 kg bomb load, five days of frontline use. The T.V represents what a small national air force with limited industrial capacity could field in 1940 — adequate against any opponent except modern Luftwaffe fighters, which is exactly what it faced.

Did any T.V crew survive the campaign?

A handful. Of approximately 80 T.V aircrew (16 airframes × 5 crew) at the start of the Battle of the Netherlands, postwar records identified roughly 20-25 survivors — the rest were killed in action, captured, or unaccounted for. Several survivors evacuated to Britain via France and joined No. 320 (Dutch) Squadron RAF, which initially operated Avro Ansons before transitioning to North American B-25 Mitchells.

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