In 1939, Dutch military aviation has only a handful of modern fighters. Fokker, in Amsterdam, is juggling several aircraft: the D.XXI, a monoplane already outdated but simple to produce; the G.I, a heavy and ambitious twin-engine aircraft; and the D.XXIII, a twin-engine prototype that is still unproven.
Funds are tight and military orders are weak. Every guilder invested in one program is a guilder taken away from the others.
Eighteen months out from a possible invasion, Fokker must decide: bet on the promise of a new aircraft, gamble on the twin-engine, or secure the production of what already exists.
Which fighter should Fokker concentrate its limited resources on before the war?
Fokker favored the series production of the D.XXI, already available, rather than committing its limited funds to the D.XXIII (which would remain a prototype) or staking everything on the G.I. In May 1940, the few operational D.XXI aircraft fought courageously but were outclassed by the German Messerschmitt Bf 109, and Dutch aviation was crushed within a few days.
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