Little is known that a number of DC-2 and DC-3 were built in Europe by Fokker between 1934 and 1940. This was the result of a licensing agreement Donald Douglas had signed with Anthony Fokker in 1933. As a result Fokker sold 39 Douglas DC-2 in Europe between 25 August 1934 and 12 July 1937. The type was then succeeded by the DC-3, of which 13 would be assembled by Fokker before the outbreak of WW II. Recent research learned however that Fokker delivered a 14th DC-3 in the opening days of WW II which is apparently missing from official documents. The reason for this probably is that archives were destroyed during the May 1940 German invasion of Holland.
Anthony Fokker, the well-know Dutch aircraft manufacturer who in the Thirties was building his own popular family of conventional (of wood and fabric) airliners, had met Donald Douglas in 1933 at Santa Monica while having a look at the prototype DC-1 and both men became friends. Realising that the days of the wooden airplane were over, but not having having himself the experience for introducing the new technology in time to compete with the new all-metal generation of aircraft (Boeing 247, DC-2, Lockheed 10) becoming available , Fokker acquired the licensing and sales rights for the DC-2 for Europe. The contract was signed on 15 January 1934.
Under the terms of the agreement no aircraft were to be produced in the Netherlands, but Fokker, acting as sales agent for Douglas, would import disassembled aircraft, re-assemble them and deliver them to European airlines. The arrangement was that the aircraft were built and test-flown by Douglas at Santa Monica. They then flew to New York Idlewild, where the wings were removed and the aircraft crated for transport by sea. The aircraft would arrive at Rotterdam, where they would be re-assembled, test-flown and delivered to the customer.
The first such Fokker DC-2 was delivered on 25 August 1934 and left New York aboard the Dutch vessel SS Statendam on 11 September 1934. The aircraft had been purchased by Dutch national airline KLM and was the first DC-2 to be exported. The aircraft had initally been registered in the United States as NC14284. It was re-registered PH-AJU in the Netherlands and named "Uiver". This aircraft was used in the 1934 London-to-Melbourne race, in which it was jointly entered by KLM and Douglas. PH-AJU was soon used on KLM's long-haul route colonial route linking Amsterdam with Batavia (now Djakarta) in the then-Dutch Indies.
Fokker-built aircraft were given a Fokker serial number, beginning with the first aircraft sold to KLM. Thus DC-2-115A c/n 1317 became Fokker no 1.
All following Fokker aircraft were delivered to KLM, Swissair, Lufthansa, Aero linee Italiane, LAPE of Spain, LOT of Poland, CLS of Cecoslovakia, and one each to the Austrian and the French governments.
In 1935 the Airspeed Company of Portsmouth, England, took an interest in selling the DC-2 in Britain and the British Empire. As a result the company increased its capital with a new share issue, following an agreement with Fokker. Under the terms of the agreement Airspeed would sub-contract assembly of the DC-2 from Fokker and Airspeed-built aircraft were assigned the design number AS.23, the first aircraft being registered G-ADHO. There is no record of any DC-2 sold, however, and eventually the contract was cancelled and so was the registration G-ADHO from the British register.
The agreement with Fokker was rewarding for Douglas as it opened the European market. KLM became a pace-setter overnight. Following its succes with the DC-2, the airline placed an order for no fewer then eleven DC-3s in 1936 with option on another 13. By June 1937 KLM flew the DC-3 on its long-haul route to Batavia, where it replaced the DC-2. Soon the DC-3 was so succesful that the Dutch government abolished the airmail surcharge.
By October 1937 KLM flew three times weekly to Batavia. By 1939 its DC-3s flew as far as Sydney (Australia) and the airline was seriously thinking of a daily service to Batavia.
Other European airlines in turn introduced the DC-3 on their networks after the KLM example, including ABA of Sweden, CLS of Czecoslovakia, Swissair, Sabena of Belgium and LARES of Romania. But World War II soon put an end to commercial air transport. Flying was seriously restricted in September 1939 as the warring nations closed their airspace. All civil flying was eventually cancelled in May 1940 when the German offensive in the West began.
Like the DC-2, all DC-3 destined for Europe were built and test-flown at Santa Monica, flown to New York Idlewild to be disassembled and put aboard a ship as deck cargo (under protective canvas). Initially they arrived in the ports of Rotterdam (Holland) and of Cherbourg (France). But soon ships sailed to Amsterdam and Antwerp (Belgium) for economical reasons. Those airplanes arriving in Rotterdam were transported to nearby airport at Waalhaven. (Waalhaven no longer exists. Zestienhoven airfield was built later as a replacement.) The airport at Waalhaven bordered the harbor, where they were re-assembled and radio equipment added, test-flown by Fokker test pilots and delivered to the customer. Later, aircraft arriving in Amsterdam harbor would be transported to the Fokker plant at Amsterdam Schiphol airport. As Cherbourg was abandoned for economical reasons, ships carrying non-KLM DC-3s sailed to Antwerp (Belgium). They were towed through the city to Antwerp airport at Deurne at night, where Fokker mechanics, who had travelled from Schiphol, would re-assemble them, Fokker test pilots would test-fly them and eventually deliver to European airlines. In all 14 DC-3s were assembled at Antwerp Deurne airport, including the following :
c/n 1947, registered SE-BAA, to ABA (Sweden) in 1937; c/n 1973, registered OK-AIH, to CLS (Czecoslovakia) in 1937; c/n 1985, registered YR-PIF, to LARES (Romania) in 1937; c/n 1986, registered YR-PAF, to LARES (Romania)in 1937; c/n 2023, registered OK-AIE, to CLS (Czecoslovakia) in 1938; 2024, registered OK-AIF, to CLS (Czecoslovakia) in 1938; c/n 2054, registered HB-IRO, to Swissair (Switzerland) in 1938; c/n 2093, registered OO-AUH, to SABENA (Belgium) in 1939; c/n 2094, registered OO-AUI, to SABENA (Belgium) in 1939; c/n 2095, registered OK-AIG, to CLS (Czecoslovakia) in 1939; c/n 2121, registered HB-IRE, to Swissair (Switzerland) in 1939; c/n 2132, unknown Swedish registry, to ABA in 1939, c/n 2133, registered SE-BAF, to ABA (Sweden) in 1939; c/n ?, registered EI-ACA, to Aer Lingus (Ireland) in 1940.
EI-ACA was the last DC-3 to be assembled in Europe. The official history of Aer Lingus mentions the fact that the aircraft, having landed at Brussels airport coming from Antwerp to be repainted in orange (neutrality color imposed in 1939 by the British on all non-belligerent aircraft) and officially handed over to Aer Lingus, left Brussels "with little time to spare... as the German advance was drawing near".
