Fokker ‘Ontwerp 203’

Little is known about the fact that in 1940 a new D.VII design was made. The story about this Fokker ‘Ontwerp’ (Design) 203 can be read in ‘Luchtvaartkennis’ nr. 3/2001, written by F. Gerdessen. I have mad e translation from this article.

A D.VII for Hermann Göring in 1940
Fokker Ontwerp 203 by Frits Gerdessen

Who looks at the drawings of Fokker ‘Ontwerp’ 203, may think: this looks like a D.VII. That is a right conclusion.
Right after the occupation of the Netherlands, Friedrich Wilhelm Seekatz, manager at Fokker, wanted to give a present to Hermann Göring (which he knew from World War 1): a D.VII.
However, that D.VII had to be build. Some designers worked on the project from May to July 1940. At the 30th July the project was cancelled. It was not possible to build an original D.VII. The originally used engines (160 hp Mercedes and 180 hp BMW) where not available anymore. That is why a 240 hp Argus AS 10 E engine was projected. This made for a different nose design.
The profile of the wings was changed. Originally this had a flat underside, but now it was a little curved. The incline of the ailerons was dropped. At first a tailwheel was drawn (sketch 3169), but the next drawing (sketch 3170) shows a tail skid. The landing gear was in design similar to that of the D.16, D.17 and C.10, without a horizontal axle.
A special problem was the design of the fuselage. In World War 1, when Göring flew the D.VII, he was a slim young man. His shape had changed however, so that it was impossible for him to fit in a D.VII. A wider fuselage had to be designed. It is remarkable that this is not shown at the performance figures. 90 kg for a pilot with parachute must have been too little.
After ‘Ontwerp” 203 came 204, also a single engined aircraft. Probably a more modern design was considered. The 204 (sketch 3343) is smaller than the 203, with tapered wings. Technical specifications for the 204 are not known. Measurements were: span 8,00 m, length 7,10 m, height 2,60 m.

Technical specifications for ‘Ontwerp 203’

Span 8,40 m
Length 7,30 m
Height 2,85 m
Wing 21,80 m2
Empty weight 735 kg
Pilot + parachute 90 kg
Gas + oil 125 kg
Total weight 950 kg
Maximum speed 220 km/h
Cruise speed 170 km/h
Endurance 510 km
Climb to 1000 m 3,2 min
Climb to 2000 m 7,2 min
Climb to 3000 m 12,2 min
Climb to 4000 m 20 min
Ceiling 5200 m
Maximum ceiling 5700 m