Fokker C.V
Encyclopedia
Fokker C.V was a Dutch
light reconnaissance
and bomber
biplane
aircraft manufactured by Fokker
. It was designed by Anthony Fokker
and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam.
s. The aircraft became an export success for Fokker, it was sold and/or license manufactured in Bolivia, China, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the Soviet Union and the US. Sweden purchased two different versions to use as models for their license manufacturing of the reconnaissance version S 6 and a fighter version J 3.
during World War II
. After the Dutch surrender, the aircraft were taken over by Luftwaffe and used on the Eastern front until 1944.
used both C.V-Ds and C.V-Es. One C.V-E was purchased in 1927, with delivery 20 September, and a further 13 were purchased on 17 March 1934, arriving in the winter of 1935. During the Winter War
, Sweden donated three more C.V-Es. Two C.V-Ds were also flown from Norway to Finland at the closing stages of the Norwegian Campaign. These were interned and turned over to the FAF. The aircraft were used as reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft between 20 September 1927 and 14 February 1945. During the Winter War, the Finnish C.Vs flew 151 reconnaissance and harassment bombing sorties without suffering any losses. The Continuation War
saw the C.Vs flying an unknown number of sorties and suffering one aircraft loss.
) under licence in 1927 as the Romeo Ro.1. It was used by the Aviation Corps of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) as an observation and ground attack aircraft. Well liked in the civilian market, it was selected for use by Air Marshal Italo Balbo
, as superior to the Breda A.7
and Ansaldo A.120. It entered service in 1927, in Italian Libya
against the local rebels. It was used both for reconnaissance and light attack. It was convertible as a three-seat machine, or as a light attack aircraft (two machine-guns), or as a very long range aircraft with an auxiliary fuel tank that increased the endurance from five to twelve hours. The last version had a 410 kW (550 hp) engine instead of 321 kW (430 hp) and produced until 1934, a total of 456, but it was outdated and too slow for the standards of the mid-1930s. Although this was only an army observation aircraft, it still had a quite powerful engine and performance. In 1933, there were 40 squadrons, of seven machines each, related to the Italian Army, with 238 Ro.1s as the main aircraft force. It was the most numerous Italian aircraft in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
.
The Norwegian Army Air Service
bought its first C.V-Ds and C.V-Es in 1926. The two versions were designated as long-winged (-E) and short-winged (-D) Fokkers. The initial purchase agreement with Fokker included license production rights, and in the period 1929-1931, 27 C.V-Ds were manufactured at the NoAAS' aircraft factory at Kjeller
. After the production of C.V-Ds ended, a further 15 C.V-Es were followed between 1932 and 1939. In total, the NoAAS operated 72 Fokker C.Vs, 40 of which were license built in Norway. When the Germans invaded Norway
on 9 April 1940, 40 Fokker C.Vs were still in Norwegian service. The C.Vs were based on several air bases in different parts of the country and mostly saw service as reconnaissance and light transport aircraft. Although the planes were hopelessly outdated as combat aircraft, they still saw extensive and successful service in the bomber role during the April-June 1940 Norwegian Campaign
, supporting Norwegian ground troops fighting on the Narvik front.
. The four aircraft were flown to Sweden in 1928. They proved suitable and an agreement for licence production was made and a further four C.V-E and six C.V-D were purchased, the latter designated J 3A. Seven C.V-D ordered from CVM were built as C.V-E, as by 1929 it was clear the type was unsuitable as a fighter, but still they were designated J 3B.
In 1931, the J 3B were redesignated S 6, the J 3 and J 3A S 6A. Ten C.V-E with Nohab My VI engines instead of Jupiter VI engines were given the designation S 6B.
The S 6 became the prime liaison aircraft for the Swedish Air Force. It was used for fire spotting, aerial photographing and liaison duty in conjunction with the Army. At the outbreak of World War II, there were 36 aircraft left in service. They would continue until being replaced by Saab 17
s from 1942. CVM manufactured 17 S 6 between 1929 and 1932. Some were fitted with floats and designated S 6H.
In 1945, the SwAF sold three S 6s to Svensk Flygtjänst to be used for aerial application over forrest. Two other were sold to Skåneflyg in 1947. One is preserved and can be seen in the Swedish Air Force Museum
. Lieutenant Einar Lundborg rescued the Italian General
Umberto Nobile
in 1928, with a S 6B, equipped with skis. Nobile was on an ice shelf after his airship Italia
had crashed on its way to the North Pole.
After trials in 1927, Swiss authorities had 48 C.V.-E licence-built in Switzerland for use by the Swiss Air Force
(then the Swiss Army Air Corps). 24 machines were built at K+W Thun
and 24 at Doflug Altenrhein. The aircraft were in service from 1933 to 1940 and were armed with bombs, two pilot machine guns and a double machine gun for the observer. The Swiss Air Force used their C.Vs as target tugs until 1954, after their retirement from frontline service.
, the Germans requisitioned a number of Danish Fokker C.V.-Es. Some of these aircraft were used by the Estonian volunteer-manned Nachtschlachtgruppe 11 (Night Ground Attack Wing 11) at Rahkla in 1944. NSGr. 11 used its C.V-Es on the Eastern Front
to carry out disruptive harassment night bombing sorties against the Russian front lines. These operations were carried out in response to similar nocturnal operations by Soviet light aircraft, such as the Po-2
biplanes. Two of the C.V-Es of the NSGr. 11 were flown to Sweden in October 1944 by four Estonian defectors, and one of them was handed back to the Danes by the Swedes in 1947.
Republic of China
Germany
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
light reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
and bomber
Light bomber
A light bomber is a relatively small and fast class of military bomber aircraft which were primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance....
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
aircraft manufactured by Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
. It was designed by Anthony Fokker
Anthony Fokker
Anton Herman Gerard "Anthony" Fokker was a Dutch aviation pioneer and an aircraft manufacturer. He is most famous for the fighter aircraft he produced in Germany during the First World War such as the Eindecker monoplanes, the Fokker Triplane the and the Fokker D.VII, but after the collapse of...
and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam.
Development
The C.V was constructed in the early 1920s by Anthony Fokker. The aircraft was intended as a twin-seated reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. When shown to the public in 1924, the C.V was the first multi-role aircraft and it was manufactured in a variety of versions; the customer could choose from five different wing constructions (which varied in wing span). The radial engines could give between 336-723 kW (450-970 hp). The landing gear could be changed from wheels to pontoonPontoon (boat)
A pontoon is a flotation device with buoyancy sufficient to float itself as well as a heavy load. A pontoon boat is a flattish boat that relies on pontoons to float. Pontoons may be used on boats, rafts, barges, docks, floatplanes or seaplanes. Pontoons may support a platform, creating a raft. A...
s. The aircraft became an export success for Fokker, it was sold and/or license manufactured in Bolivia, China, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, the Soviet Union and the US. Sweden purchased two different versions to use as models for their license manufacturing of the reconnaissance version S 6 and a fighter version J 3.
Operational history
The Dutch Air Force used the C.V in front line service against the German LuftwaffeLuftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. After the Dutch surrender, the aircraft were taken over by Luftwaffe and used on the Eastern front until 1944.
Use in Finland
The Finnish Air ForceFinnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
used both C.V-Ds and C.V-Es. One C.V-E was purchased in 1927, with delivery 20 September, and a further 13 were purchased on 17 March 1934, arriving in the winter of 1935. During the Winter War
Winter War
The Winter War was a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet offensive on 30 November 1939 – three months after the start of World War II and the Soviet invasion of Poland – and ended on 13 March 1940 with the Moscow Peace Treaty...
, Sweden donated three more C.V-Es. Two C.V-Ds were also flown from Norway to Finland at the closing stages of the Norwegian Campaign. These were interned and turned over to the FAF. The aircraft were used as reconnaissance and light bomber aircraft between 20 September 1927 and 14 February 1945. During the Winter War, the Finnish C.Vs flew 151 reconnaissance and harassment bombing sorties without suffering any losses. The Continuation War
Continuation War
The Continuation War was the second of two wars fought between Finland and the Soviet Union during World War II.At the time of the war, the Finnish side used the name to make clear its perceived relationship to the preceding Winter War...
saw the C.Vs flying an unknown number of sorties and suffering one aircraft loss.
| Type | Number | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| C.V-E | 1 | Bristol Jupiter engine; FO-39 |
| C.V-E | 13 | Pegasus engine; FO-65 to -77 |
| C.V-E | 3 | Mercury engine, gift from Sweden; FO-19, -23 & -80 |
| C.V-D | 2 | Panther engine, interned Norwegian aircraft; FO-65 & -66 |
Use in Italy
The C.VE was built in Italy by OFM (Officine Ferroviarie Meridionali, later IMAMImam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
) under licence in 1927 as the Romeo Ro.1. It was used by the Aviation Corps of the Regio Esercito (Italian Army) as an observation and ground attack aircraft. Well liked in the civilian market, it was selected for use by Air Marshal Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo
Italo Balbo was an Italian Blackshirt leader who served as Italy's Marshal of the Air Force , Governor-General of Libya, Commander-in-Chief of Italian North Africa , and the "heir apparent" to Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.After serving in...
, as superior to the Breda A.7
Breda A.7
|-See also:...
and Ansaldo A.120. It entered service in 1927, in Italian Libya
Italian Libya
Italian Libya was a unified colony of Italian North Africa established in 1934 in what represents present-day Libya...
against the local rebels. It was used both for reconnaissance and light attack. It was convertible as a three-seat machine, or as a light attack aircraft (two machine-guns), or as a very long range aircraft with an auxiliary fuel tank that increased the endurance from five to twelve hours. The last version had a 410 kW (550 hp) engine instead of 321 kW (430 hp) and produced until 1934, a total of 456, but it was outdated and too slow for the standards of the mid-1930s. Although this was only an army observation aircraft, it still had a quite powerful engine and performance. In 1933, there were 40 squadrons, of seven machines each, related to the Italian Army, with 238 Ro.1s as the main aircraft force. It was the most numerous Italian aircraft in the Second Italo-Abyssinian War
Second Italo-Abyssinian War
The Second Italo–Abyssinian War was a colonial war that started in October 1935 and ended in May 1936. The war was fought between the armed forces of the Kingdom of Italy and the armed forces of the Ethiopian Empire...
.
Use in Norway
Norwegian Army Air Service
The Norwegian Army Air Service ' was established in 1914. Its main base and aircraft factory was at Kjeller. On 10 November 1944 the NoAAS was joined with the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service to form the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
bought its first C.V-Ds and C.V-Es in 1926. The two versions were designated as long-winged (-E) and short-winged (-D) Fokkers. The initial purchase agreement with Fokker included license production rights, and in the period 1929-1931, 27 C.V-Ds were manufactured at the NoAAS' aircraft factory at Kjeller
Kjeller
Kjeller is located near Lillestrøm in the municipality of Skedsmo, Norway. It is located 25 kilometers north of Oslo.-The name:The Norse form of the name was probably Tjaldir. This is then the plural of tjald n 'tent'...
. After the production of C.V-Ds ended, a further 15 C.V-Es were followed between 1932 and 1939. In total, the NoAAS operated 72 Fokker C.Vs, 40 of which were license built in Norway. When the Germans invaded Norway
Operation Weserübung
Operation Weserübung was the code name for Germany's assault on Denmark and Norway during the Second World War and the opening operation of the Norwegian Campaign...
on 9 April 1940, 40 Fokker C.Vs were still in Norwegian service. The C.Vs were based on several air bases in different parts of the country and mostly saw service as reconnaissance and light transport aircraft. Although the planes were hopelessly outdated as combat aircraft, they still saw extensive and successful service in the bomber role during the April-June 1940 Norwegian Campaign
Norwegian Campaign
The Norwegian Campaign was a military campaign that was fought in Norway during the Second World War between the Allies and Germany, after the latter's invasion of the country. In April 1940, the United Kingdom and France came to Norway's aid with an expeditionary force...
, supporting Norwegian ground troops fighting on the Narvik front.
Use in Sweden
In 1927, the Swedish Air Force purchased two C.V-Ds (J 3) and two C.V-E (S 6) to serve as models for the eventual license manufacturing of the aircraft by CVMCVM
CVM may refer to:* Christian Vision for Men a UK registered charity that connects men to Jesus and the church to men* Center for Veterinary Medicine* Climate Vulnerability Monitor* Cervical Vertebral Malformation, a form of Wobbler's Syndrome in horses...
. The four aircraft were flown to Sweden in 1928. They proved suitable and an agreement for licence production was made and a further four C.V-E and six C.V-D were purchased, the latter designated J 3A. Seven C.V-D ordered from CVM were built as C.V-E, as by 1929 it was clear the type was unsuitable as a fighter, but still they were designated J 3B.
In 1931, the J 3B were redesignated S 6, the J 3 and J 3A S 6A. Ten C.V-E with Nohab My VI engines instead of Jupiter VI engines were given the designation S 6B.
The S 6 became the prime liaison aircraft for the Swedish Air Force. It was used for fire spotting, aerial photographing and liaison duty in conjunction with the Army. At the outbreak of World War II, there were 36 aircraft left in service. They would continue until being replaced by Saab 17
Saab 17
-References:* Jane, Fred T. “The Saab-17.” Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II. London: Studio, 1946. ISBN 1-85170-493-0....
s from 1942. CVM manufactured 17 S 6 between 1929 and 1932. Some were fitted with floats and designated S 6H.
In 1945, the SwAF sold three S 6s to Svensk Flygtjänst to be used for aerial application over forrest. Two other were sold to Skåneflyg in 1947. One is preserved and can be seen in the Swedish Air Force Museum
Swedish Air Force Museum
The Swedish Air Force Museum is located at Malmen Airbase in Malmslätt, just outside of Linköping, Sweden. Malmen is where Baron Carl Cederström, nicknamed the "Flyer Baron" founded his flying school in 1912. Malmen Airbase is home to the Royal Swedish Airschool operating SAAB 105 jettrainers...
. Lieutenant Einar Lundborg rescued the Italian General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile
Umberto Nobile was an Italian aeronautical engineer and Arctic explorer. Nobile was a developer and promoter of semi-rigid airships during the Golden Age of Aviation between the two World Wars...
in 1928, with a S 6B, equipped with skis. Nobile was on an ice shelf after his airship Italia
Airship Italia
Airship Italia was a semi-rigid airship used by Italian engineer Umberto Nobile in his second series of flights around the North Pole.-Design and specifications:...
had crashed on its way to the North Pole.
| Name | |Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
||
| S 6 | Fokker C.V-E | 30 | 6 Fokker C.V-E and 24 CVM Fokker C.V-Es, Jupiter VI engine 336 kW (450 hp) |
| S 6A | Fokker C.V-E | 8 | 7 Fokker C.V-E and 1 CVM Fokker C.V-E, Jupiter VI engine 336 kW (450 hp) |
| S 6B | CVM C.V-E | 10 | 1934-45, NOHAB NOHAB NOHAB was a manufacturing company in the city of Trollhättan, Sweden.The company was founded by Antenor Nydqvist, Johan Magnus Lidström and Carl Olof Holm in 1847 as Trollhättans Mekaniska Verkstad as a manufacturer of turbines for hydraulic power plants... My VI engine 447 kW (600 hp) |
| S 6H | C.V-E | ? | CVM Fokker C.V-E (Hydro) with pontoons |
| J 3 | Fokker C.V-D | 2 | 1927-30, designation change to S 6A in 1931 |
| J 3A | Fokker C.V-D | 6 | 1929-30, designation change to S 6A in 1931 |
| J 3B | CVM C.V-D | 6 | 1930-45, designation change to S 6 in 1931 |
Use in Switzerland
Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
(then the Swiss Army Air Corps). 24 machines were built at K+W Thun
Thun
Thun is a municipality in the administrative district of Thun in the canton of Bern in Switzerland with about 42,136 inhabitants , as of 1 January 2006....
and 24 at Doflug Altenrhein. The aircraft were in service from 1933 to 1940 and were armed with bombs, two pilot machine guns and a double machine gun for the observer. The Swiss Air Force used their C.Vs as target tugs until 1954, after their retirement from frontline service.
Luftwaffe C.V-Es
During their occupation of DenmarkOccupation of Denmark
Nazi Germany's occupation of Denmark began with Operation Weserübung on 9 April 1940, and lasted until German forces withdrew at the end of World War II following their surrender to the Allies on 5 May 1945. Contrary to the situation in other countries under German occupation, most Danish...
, the Germans requisitioned a number of Danish Fokker C.V.-Es. Some of these aircraft were used by the Estonian volunteer-manned Nachtschlachtgruppe 11 (Night Ground Attack Wing 11) at Rahkla in 1944. NSGr. 11 used its C.V-Es on the Eastern Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
to carry out disruptive harassment night bombing sorties against the Russian front lines. These operations were carried out in response to similar nocturnal operations by Soviet light aircraft, such as the Po-2
Polikarpov Po-2
The Polikarpov Po-2 served as a general-purpose Soviet biplane, nicknamed Kukuruznik for maize; thus, 'maize duster' or 'crop duster'), NATO reporting name "Mule"...
biplanes. Two of the C.V-Es of the NSGr. 11 were flown to Sweden in October 1944 by four Estonian defectors, and one of them was handed back to the Danes by the Swedes in 1947.
C.V
- C.V-B - (or C.Vb) strategic reconnaissance aircraft, 18 built
- C.V-C - (or C.Vc) light reconnaissance and bomber aircraft. Users: the Netherlands 6, Bolivia 5*C.V-D - (or C.Vd) light reconnaissance, bomber and escort fighter. Users: Finland 2, Denmark 49, Hungary 68 (Ds and Es), the Netherlands 119 (VIs, Ds and Cs), Norway 27, Sweden 2, Switzerland 3, Germany 15 (Ds and Es)
- C.V-E - (or C.Ve) Light bomber version. Users: Finland 17, Denmark 31, Hungary 68 (Ds and Es), the Netherlands 18, KNIL 20, Germany 15 (Ds and Es), Norway 46, Sweden 51, Switzerland 61
- C.V-W - Two-seat floatplane version of the C.V-C. One built
- IMAM Ro.1 and Ro.1-bis - Italian licence manufactured light bomber version; 349 manufactured
- Budapest 9 - About 100 Fokker C.Vs were built by Manfred Weiss under licence in HungaryHungaryHungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
- Budapest 11 and Budapest 14 - Built by Manfred Weiss under license in Hungary
C.VI
- C.VI - light reconnaissance aircraft with Hispano-Suiza engine, 33 converted from C.V-D
C.IX
- C.IX - strategic reconnaissance variant of C.V-E with Hispano-Suiza 12N engine; five built for Netherlands, one exported to Switzerland
Operators
Republic of China- Finnish Air ForceFinnish Air ForceThe Finnish Air Force is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions...
Germany
- LuftwaffeLuftwaffeLuftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
Kingdom of Italy (Napoleonic)
- Regia AeronauticaRegia AeronauticaThe Italian Royal Air Force was the name of the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946...
- Ro.1 and Ro.1-bis
- The Royal Hungarian Air Force used its C.Vs in the warSlovak-Hungarian WarThe Slovak–Hungarian War or Little War , was a war fought from March 23 to March 31/April 4, 1939 between the First Slovak Republic and Hungary in eastern Slovakia.-Prelude:...
with Slovakia
- ML-KNILRoyal Netherlands East Indies Army Air ForceThe Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force was the air arm of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the Dutch East Indies from 1939 until 1950...
- Norwegian Army Air ServiceNorwegian Army Air ServiceThe Norwegian Army Air Service ' was established in 1914. Its main base and aircraft factory was at Kjeller. On 10 November 1944 the NoAAS was joined with the Royal Norwegian Navy Air Service to form the Royal Norwegian Air Force....
(1926–1940)
- Swedish Air ForceSwedish Air ForceThe Swedish Air Force is the air force branch of the Swedish Armed Forces.-History:The Swedish Air Force was created on July 1, 1926 when the aircraft units of the Army and Navy were merged. Because of the escalating international tension during the 1930s the Air Force was reorganized and expanded...
- (S 6)
- Swiss Army Air Corps
- United States NavyUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
- A single Ro.1 was purchased for the use of the US Naval Air Attaché in 1928