Fokker T.VIII Dutch Floatplane

Fokker T.VIII

The Fokker T.VIII was a twin-engined torpedo bomber and aerial reconnaissance floatplane designed and manufactured by Dutch aviation company Fokker.

It was developed in the late 1930s as a more-capable successor to the Fokker T.IV. While the Dutch Naval Aviation Service had originally desired for its use in both the home waters and in the Dutch East Indies, the Second World War broke out as production was ramping up to meet these needs. In addition to its service in the Netherlands, both the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Luftwaffe would operate small numbers of the type.

The aircraft went into production almost immediately following the type’s first flight in 1938; a total of eleven T.VIIIs entered service with the Netherlands Naval Aviation Service. Initial operations were dominated by trials and training missions, aiming to familiarise Dutch personnel with the aircraft’s operation. By September 1939, the month during which the Second World War broke out, the type was used to patrol Dutch territorial waters, intending to guard against violations of Dutch neutrality by the forces of either side. On 13 September 1939, a T.VIII was attacked by a German Dornier Do 18 flying boat; the aircraft was destroyed while attempting to land and the crew captured by the Germans; this incident led to a change in Dutch aircraft markings from the red, white, and blue roundel to an orange triangle so that Dutch aircraft would be more readily distinguishable from either their British or French counterparts.

Having anticipated a German invasion of the Netherlands, military planners had already directed that the T.VIIIs be dispersed prior to May 1940. Immediately following the German invasion in 1940, nine aircraft were relocated to bases in France; while some reconnaissance missions were flown early on, these were soon suspended in the face of German aerial superiority. On 22 May 1940, these aircraft escaped to the United Kingdom; notably, one T.VIII was used to aid in the escape of two members of the Dutch Cabinet. Those aircraft that reached Britain would form the nucleus of No. 320 (Netherlands) Squadron RAF, Coastal Command, based at Pembroke Dock in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. The unit performed numerous convoy escort and anti-submarine patrols, aiming to detect and attack Germany raiding forces. It was also used for espionage operations as a liaison aircraft for contacting members of the Dutch resistance on the continent. Eventually, a lack of spares meant that these aircraft become unserviceable and were retired; their Dutch crews were transferred to newly-procured Lockheed Hudson light bombers.

The Germans also acquired a number of T.VIIIs, having captured multiple partially-completed airframes that had still been under construction at the Fokker factory. They were ordered to be completed for use by the Kriegsmarine; once finished, each example received an evaluation at Travemünde before delivery to Germany. German-operated T.VIIIs largely saw use in the Mediterranean Sea, where they performed numerous reconnaissance, air-sea rescue and anti-submarine missions.

Early on 6 May 1941 four men – former Lieutenant Govert Steen and Corporal Evert Willem Boomsma, both of the Army Aviation Brigade, along with Fokker technician Wijbert Lindeman, and former Dutch Army Lieutenant Jan Beelaerts van Blokland – swam out to the Fokker T.VIIw TD+CL moored on the Minervahaven on the IJ in Amsterdam. At dawn they managed to take off (Steen, a fighter pilot, had never flown the type before) and flew to England, evading British anti-aircraft fire, and landing at Broadstairs, Kent. Beelaerts van Blokland and Lindeman joined the Princess Irene Brigade, with Beelaerts van Blokland becoming its commander during operations in Normandy, while Steen joined No. 129 Squadron RAF, flying 79 sorties before being shot down and killed on 5 June 1942.