Fokker's chief designer Reinhold Platz had been working on a series of experimental planes, the V series, with thick cantilever wings instead of thin wings with external wire bracing.  V stood for Verspannungslos, meaning cantilever. This created a structurally stronger wing with greater lift and more docile stalling behavior. The V4 came into production as the Fokker Triplane and the V11 became the Fokker D VII.

(picture courtesy of Brome County Historical Society, Canada)

In January 1918 a competition to select a new fighter was held at Adlershof and Fokker sent in the V.11 along with several other prototypes. Manfred, Freiherr von Richthofen flew the V.11 and found it tricky, unpleasant, and directionally unstable in a dive.  Fokker immediately modified it by lengthening the fuselage and adding a fixed fin in front of the rudder.  Von Richthofen and others then described it as the best plane of the Adlershof competition.  It offered excellent performance from the outdated Mercedes engine, yet was safe and easy to fly. When fitted with BMW 185ps engine it could out climb and out dive all allied fighters.