Anthony Fokker...

[Lucky13]

Why did the British turn him down, when he offered them his services before WWI?
Makes you wonder what if......

 

[davebender]

From what I've read he was something of a shady character. Maybe the British Government felt the same way and decided they could do without another such an individual.

 

[Marcel]

From what I've read he was something of a shady character. Maybe the British Government felt the same way and decided they could do without another such an individual.

he was a character allright.
But was he really turned down by the British? I've read the notion about this a couple of times, but don't remember to have read it in his biography. All stories about this seem to be superficial, so I'm suspecting a made up story instead of a solid fact. I cannot imagine Fokker to go to the UK while he was already established in Germany. But I might be wrong

 

[s1chris]

I'd say due to the lack of focus and the resistance to recognise the importance of the aircraft in the British armed forces. Being a force still firmly believing in horse as the main source of recon let alone the thought of air attack. I'd say with hindsight they would have snapped him up. Have a read of the book called "no empty chairs" illustrates pretty well the thoughts on aircraft use in the British war machine before and during the start of WWI.

 

[Marcel]

But why would Antony want to go to the british?