The D.VII was first issued to frontline squadrons in May of 1918 - a critical junction in the war and, by this time, Manfred von Richthofen was already dead. From the outset, the nimble, fast fighters took Allied aircrews by surprise and threatened a change in air supremacy. The aircraft proved strong and agile fighters, able to best many modern opponents through a much improved design - the Sopwith Snipe and SPAD S.XIII were some of its few true aerial contenders. The D.VII lived a short service life but helped to make several aces in its time aloft - including future Nazi Luftwaffe chief Hermann Goring. In August, the aircraft was delivered to German naval units and in one engagement alone airmen managed to down nineteen enemy aircraft with no loss to their own. By this time, 565 enemy aircraft had fallen to D.VII pilots in all.
Despite the seemingly unstoppable nature of the D.VII design, it was not a design devoid of issues - some owning to design of the aircraft and others to poor manufacturing standards. The upper wing element was prone to losing its canvas skin at times and fuel tanks held the propensity to simply break away. Ammunition, particularly phosphorus-based, could ignite under the heat of the running engine. Nevertheless, the Germans were hard-pressed to change their fortunes and the new D.VII seemingly fit the bill ad fought on until the end of the war. Wartime operators beyond Germany went on to include the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire. Manufacture came from Fokker and Albatros factories during the war (AEG was slated for manufacture of the aircraft as well but ultimately did not). Interestingly, Albatros ended up producing more D.VIIs than Fokker itself while factory quality tended to be better from Albatros plants.
Other Fokker prototype developments related to the D.VII design included the V21 with its tapered wings, the V22 with its four-bladed propeller unit, the V24 powered by a Benz Bz.IVu of 240 horsepower output, and the V31 which installed a tow hook for pulling a glider. The V34 prototype installed the BMW IIIa series engine of 185 but did not see serial production. The V35 incorporated a second cockpit and underslung fuel reserve for improved ranges as well as the BMW IIIa series engine. The V36 followed suit while the V38 served as the prototype to the upcoming Fokker C.I. The C.I failed to see service in World War 1 but found takers in the post-war years from Fokker, now based in the Netherlands. Over 250 of this mark were eventually produced.
Production models were also not limited to using the Mercedes D.III engines of 160 horsepower for there were also examples fielded with the Mercedes D.IIIa engines of 175 horsepower and the BMW IIIa engine of 185 horsepower (up to 240 horsepower possible). These provided slightly different performance figures when fitted.
After the war, large stocks of the D.VII were taken on by the Allies or passed on to others. Since Germany was heavily restricted from making more war goods, Fokker relocated his works to the Netherlands and took sections of his aircraft to continue production. Its post-war reach was more wide-reaching than its wartime service for operators emerged in Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Finland, Hungary, the Netherlands, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, the Soviet Union, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States.
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