The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1919-10-12
Hollander Commissioned by
Huns to Build Airplanes;
He Did
! WAR OFFICE BUTTEl IN
Instead of Following Up
Early Successes, Berlin
Said Cut Expenses


DAYS when the Germans for a time
had the mastery OF the air. To u,
AN IL WAS only a name, and gloomy
one. A. II. G. Fokker IN the rea
nIl name as | find It written down
In my notebook by the young man
himself The first Impression ! got
from him In our long talk was that
though he made millions OF msrks
\ from the Germans, he would give
hllf OF them to prove to the world
that he was never anti-allyr-
Il am a Hollander, you know
ne explained Il was making air
planes before the war broke out. and
when the Germans asked me TO make
'llrplanes for them | could oniy agree
90 do no. II was purely a financial
matter. We are having an airplanc
exposition here I'm Amsterdam this
month. and | find that all the Eng
lsh flying men who come here are
good sportsmen. They don't hold
any grudge against me for making
alrplanes for the Germans. but the
Frenchmen, they will never forgive
me- fear, My machine brought
down too many Frenchmen, and they
don't like my name.
Huns Didn't Spare Expenses.
How was It that your machines
were better than the allied machines
for a time"7 asked.
why the Germans gave me carte
blanche to spend money. he said.
Il invented the system OF shooting
through the propeller and that gave
the Germans tremendous adNan-
tage over the allies until the allies
began to shoot through their pro
a E,..s -
ing through the floor OF the air
plane car. and the surprise was dead
a. TO the allies until they followed
suit increased speeds from time
~ time. and every chance in that di-
i,ciion gave the Germans a tempo
rry superiority.
with my fast propeller shooting
machines, Immelmann was able To
work out his new system OF clote
fighting. He discovered the prin-
ciple that the dcadliest and surest
alrplane fighting Is at close range
,yIth n faster machine than your op-
ronents II took the allies a long
time 10 solve lmmelmann's system
lut they got IT nt last. and became
g4 good as Immelmann himself AT
ir'. 4
War Lost In the Air.
1t seems to me that the allies
permitted Germany TO do all the
pioneering in air fighting They let
Germany set the pace in all improve
rcnts in the line for time, put
Germany was whipped In the ar
In the summer OF 1913. That was
one big reason why the Gernan
army had to quit ! had pullt S'oou
,trplanps for the Germans To use
m Inc spring drive, but the allieshad
live TO our one. a think the yer
mans lost the war In the air. Every
dly the Americans were delivering
hundreds OF machines, and we hau
reached the limit OF production. The
American supply was unlimited hh"
We knew it.,
FokEer had told me that he made
ID lot@nf money In the war. but, ne
added. Il have lost lot ot II la''-
r one Of my factories In Germany
d. no,y making pianos Another y
making motor bonts and fiddles ana
things and the third factory IN
which made the machinery tor
shooting through propelIers' mas
been closed. | cannot make any
more airplanes there under the peace
t-eaty arrangements. Peace hne i
ail MY plans for stahlliEing ar
pnncs The whole business mas
come 10 a dead stnndsill. ana u VIII
remain there. fear, unul govern
mcpfs take Il up and MAINTAIN II
10000 II. =. Machine PlannedQ
won know there Is no limit To
what can be done with airplRneS'
uroyidinp the money Is furthcomlns'
have plans now for 10000 horse
u1wrr airplane. | have thrown away
Am my plans for stabiliZing aero
planes. we have found that II you
make them right they VIII s'Aol''1e
themselves,
er4l more years how far would INC
.irplapcs have developed | asked
Fukker. His answer revealed Wh'l
hr lssur,SI me had been a great
military secret .,....
wa would have put the artillery
ulf ~ commission. We Woull M.
made tho big guns as old fashioned
Is .pcars'. he exclaimed. II was
laid The fault OF the army red mpe
.u Ucrlin that u was not oesun
sooner. Il was Ike this. IN ls'1
Tho army authorities asked me !
ruuId make "A very cheap aHplahe,
with A very cheap engine. capnp'e ~,
Tying about four hours, which 'pulu
Doe stecred through the air by WIZ
frss waves They intended 20 io"u
each one OF these alrplanes win
huge houS and send them INTO ,he
t.r undcr the control ~ one fNbl
man. who would herd them throuEh
the sky bv wireless Ike a ROCK OF
sheen. lie would be able 10 steer
them ~ he pleased, and send mem
down 10 earth IN just exactly the
spot he selected.
Fukkcr ToId to Build Cheap t'iane.
The German IDEA was that II WIS
tremendous waste 20 send shel7
through the air by means OF eNP'"
lives Their idea was 10 put HN
their explosives into shells and ih"h
move the shells 90 their destination
D.. gasoline power. They had really
'.st faith IN the ufe 81 big guns
The Rig Bertha which fired shrl
rs miles on 20 Paris was prohahN
partly Intended 10 delude the allies
into believing that the Germans were
developing their big guns Instead ~
IHruaring 10 discard them. ana "
they had not got tangled up In Their
own red tape they would have r"n
dered the big guns useless before
lfs armistiCe came. l prepared IN"
plans they asked for I found 'hai
ys could MAKE use % old engines
.Nlt were noS reliable for fighting
planes All We asked of an engine
VAS that it should Nv FOR about four
hours ~ the most. ~ course. each
mn- 81 these airplanes with its en-
r.Hr would be blown up when the
O.. LH.H -