A Conversation for Famous Air Crash Victims - Part 1: Aviators
Roland Garros
Al Johnston Started conversation Nov 30, 2006
Good article, but on a point of pedantry, Garros wouldn't have been flying a Fokker - the dutchman supplied his aircraft to the Germans.
In fact Garros had deflector plates fitted to his Moraine-Saulnier Type L when he was shot down and captured on 18/4/15. The Germans gave Fokker the job of copying the deflectors so their pilots too could fire straight ahead.
Fokker quickly realised that the deflectors were crude, dangerous and ruined the aerodynamic efficiency of the propeller, so he came up with a much better idea: interrupter gear that stopped the machine gun from firing while a propeller blade was in the way. Fitting this to his new E1 monoplane enabled German pilots like Boelcke and Immelmann to virtually clear the skies of Allied aircraft: the famous "Fokker Scourge".
Roland Garros
Icy North Posted Nov 30, 2006
Thanks, Advocatus Diaboli
It was a while since I wrote it, so I'm not sure whether it's my mistake or whether I researched someone else's. Your explanation seems to make sense. I'll give it a week (in case there are any other comments) and then I'll get it updated.
Icy
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Roland Garros
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