* The burden of air combat for Nazi Germany's Luftwaffe fell mainly to two fighter aircraft: the Messerschmitt "Bf 109" and the Focke-Wulf "Fw 190". Of the two, the Fw 190 was the more advanced and potent aircraft, and served not only in air-to-air combat, but as a fighter-bomber; a close-support aircraft; and photo-reconnaissance platform. This document provides a short history of the Fw 190.
* Professor Kurt Waldemar Tank started out in the aviation industry in 1924 as an engineer at the Rohrbach company, changing jobs in 1930 to work for Willy Messerschmitt in Augsburg. The Messerschmitt concern fell on hard times in 1931, and so Tank left to join the Focke-Wulf company in Bremen, where he became technical director.
Tank designed a number of aircraft for Focke-Wulf, including the "Fw 200 Kondor" long-range airliner, which would be used as an ocean patrol aircraft in the war. Although the Kondor would be a terrible nuisance to the Allies in the conflict, they would be even more threatened by one of his later creations: the radial-engine fighter known as the "Fw 190".
* In the spring of 1938, the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was filling up the ranks of the Luftwaffe as the service's first-line fighter. The Bf 109 was an excellent aircraft and had not yet reached its full potential, but the German Air Ministry (ReichsLuftMinisterium / RLM) wanted to hedge their bets and have an alternate fighter in case future improvement of the Bf 109 ran out of steam sooner than expected.
The RLM issued a request for such an advanced fighter. The Focke-Wulf company responded with a number of designs based on the Daimler-Benz "DB 601" 12-cylinder inverted-vee water-cooled engine, which was to be the main production engine for the Bf 109. The RLM rejected these designs since they didn't offer that much new over the Bf 109, which was to be allocated all DB 601 production anyway.
Tank had a different idea, a design that featured a "BMW 139" two-row 18-cylinder air-cooled radial engine with 1,156 kW (1,550 HP). Tank's choice was contrary to the general preference of German fighter designers for inline water-cooled engines. He chose the BMW radial engine because he believed it offered high reliability, greater horsepower in the long run, and was in principle available to support volume production of a new type of aircraft. The RLM was interested in Tank's concept, and in the summer of 1938 the ministry awarded Focke-Wulf an initial contract for three prototypes, followed by authorization of a fourth in the spring of 1939. The RLM's enthusiasm for the type was so great that the manufacture of 40 pre-production aircraft was authorized as well, even before any of the machines had flown.
* The "Fw 190 V1" (V1 meaning "Versuchs 1 / Prototype 1") flew from the Bremen airport on 1 June 1939 with test pilot Hans Sander at the controls. Tank himself, a skilled pilot and definitely a "hands-on" engineer, performed some of the test flights. He gave the machine the name "Wuerger (Butcher Bird / Shrike)". Early test flights demonstrated some problems, including leakage of carbon monoxide fumes into the cockpit; failure of the landing gear to lock in place after being raised; and engine and cockpit overheating. The first two problems were quickly resolved, but the overheating troubles proved harder to fix.
The V1 machine originally featured a three-bladed variable-pitch propeller with an oversized prop spinner. The spinner fitted flush to the edge of the engine cowling for streamlining, with a central duct surrounding a ten-bladed fan for airflow, but this configuration didn't cool the rear set of cylinders very well. The oversized prop spinner was replaced by a conventional prop spinner, though the overheating problem lingered.
The cockpit overheating remained a serious nuisance. Temperatures reached up to 55 degrees Celsius (130 degrees Fahrenheit) and Sander complained that sitting in the cockpit "was like having your feet in a fire!" Unfortunately, the canopy couldn't be opened in flight to cool off, since the open canopy created disruptive turbulence over the tail.
The difficulties did not disguise the fact that the new fighter was fast, powerful, and agile. Sander demonstrated the V1 at the Luftwaffe flight test center at Rechlin in early July 1939, including a show for Reichsmarshal Hermann Goering, who was so enthusiastic that he endorsed mass production of the type, saying it should be "turned out like hot rolls!" Luftwaffe test pilots were also enthusiastic about the new machine, stating that it handled better than the Bf 109.
However, the BMW 139 engine was clearly unsatisfactory. Even before the initial flight of the V1 prototype, the decision had been made to go to a different engine. Although the "V2" prototype was too near completion to be modified, the BMW 139-powered "V3" and "V4" prototypes were both canceled, with prototype construction moving on to a "V5" prototype with an air-cooled 14-cylinder two-row "BMW 801" engine providing 1,195 kW (1,600 HP), fitted with a 12-blade cooling fan.
* The BMW 139-powered V2 prototype performed its first flight in October 1939. It had the oversized prop spinner and was the first Fw 190 to be armed, with two MG 17 7.9-millimeter machine guns fitted in the cowling in front of the cockpit, and an MG 17 fitted in each wing root, for a total of four guns. Unfortunately, after only 50 hours of test flights, the crankshaft of the BMW 139 engine broke and the aircraft crashed.
The V5 performed its first flight in April 1940. The BMW 801 engine provided more horsepower than the BMW 139, but it was also heavier, and to maintain center of gravity the cockpit of the V5 was shifted back along the fuselage. That reduced the cockpit overheating problem and provided greater space in the nose for armament. The weight increase was substantial, 635 kilograms (1,400 pounds), leading to higher wing loading and reduced agility. As a result, following a collision with a ground vehicle in August 1940 that sent the V5 back to the factory for major repairs, the aircraft was rebuilt with larger wings and a modified tailplane, to be redesignated "V5g" (where "g" stood for "grosser / bigger"). The new wing provided much better handling.
* By this time, the Luftwaffe was evaluating pre-production "Fw 190A-0" aircraft with BMW 801 engines, following initial deliveries of this subvariant in March 1940. The first seven A-0s had the original short-span wing, with the larger wing that had been evaluated on the V5g fitted on the eighth, to then become production standard.
Although the BMW 801 engine was a major improvement over the BMW 139, the service evaluation was plagued by engine failures and fires, to the extent that pilots were reluctant to fly the Fw 190A-0s very far from their airfields. Arguments and finger-pointing between Focke-Wulf and BMW became as hot as the engines, and the RLM even threatened to cancel the program. Focke-Wulf and BMW, threatened, then put their differences aside as best they could and focused on getting the engine problems under control.
After 50 modifications to fix the engine problems, the Fw 190 was approved for series production in mid-1941, with several factories tooling up to build the machines. Deliveries of the first formal production model, the "Fw 190A-1", began in June 1941. 100 were built.
BACK_TO_TOP* The Fw 190A-1 was a tidy, muscular, sturdy, aggressive-looking aircraft, powered by a "BMW 801C" engine with 1,195 kW (1,600 HP) driving a three-bladed variable-pitch propeller, featuring a low-mounted wing and taildragger landing gear. The flight control surfaces provided large area for high maneuverability, and used an unusual system of control connections. Traditionally, aircraft flight surfaces had been moved by a system of wires and pulleys connected to the cockpit controls, but the wires tended to stretch over time, leading to slack. The Fw 190 replaced the longer connections with a system of pushrods to correct this problem.
The landing gear had been designed to be stronger than required by the aircraft's expected maximum take-off weight to give some margin for future weight growth. The main gear hinged in the wings to retract towards the fuselage, giving the aircraft a wide, comfortable track for ground handling, while the tailwheel was semi-retractable. However, the tailwheel configuration and the big radial engine gave the pilot a terrible forward view while taxiing, leading to accidents. Pilots would learn to taxi with a ground crewman sitting or lying on the wing to give them directions.
The Fw 190 was one of the first aircraft to feature a one-piece plexiglas canopy to give the pilot all-round vision. The canopy slid backwards to open. The canopy proved very difficult to jettison in an emergency at high speeds, and so an ejection mechanism was designed to pop the canopy up into the airstream, where it would be pulled off by the draft.
Armament consisted of four MG 17 7.9-millimeter machine guns, with two in the top of the engine cowling and one in each wing root. All four guns were synchronized to fire through the propeller arc. The cockpit was fitted with armor plate for pilot protection.
Performance and maneuverability of the "Anton", as Luftwaffe pilots called the A-series, were excellent, though the machine did have a few eccentricities that caused problems for inexperienced pilots, and its performance fell off at altitudes above 6,000 meters (20,000 feet). The reliability of the BMW 801 engine also remained unsatisfactory for the moment.
The Fw 190 was designed in a modular fashion, to allow dispersal of sub-assembly production among many different manufacturers, as well as simplify maintenance by permitting rapid replacement of aircraft assemblies in the field. The Fw 190 was very well thought out from all points of view. Tank, who had been in the cavalry during World War I, called the Fw 190 a "cavalry horse", built to endure rough field conditions, as opposed to other fighters built mostly with performance in mind, which he called "racehorses". German engineering is inclined to sophistication, sometimes to the detriment of practicality; Tank was a pragmatist, and the Fw 190 reflected that mindset.
* The British Royal Air Force (RAF) first encountered the Fw 190A-1 in air combat over the coast of northern France in September 1941. The new German aircraft was more than a match for the Spitfire V. British intelligence was initially puzzled by reports of the new German fighter, with some speculation that the type might actually be a captured French Curtiss Hawk 75 or the Bloch 151 fighter, both of which were radial-engine machines with a vague resemblance to the Fw 190. By the end of the year, the British had no doubt that they were up against something much more formidable.
The dogfights demonstrated to the Germans that the Fw 190A-1's four 7.9-millimeter guns lacked killing power. The Focke-Wulf design team was aware that the Fw 190's armament was inadequate, having settled on the four machine guns due to temporary difficulties in obtaining heavier armament -- and in fact the A-1 was basically regarded as an operational evaluation type, not entirely fit for real combat.
The next A-series subvariant, the "Fw 190A-2", replaced the MG 17 machine gun in each wing root with a more potent Mauser belt-fed MG 151/20 20-millimeter cannon with 200 rounds per gun, providing a total armament of two machine guns and two cannon. Replacement of the wing-root machine guns with the cannon required addition of a shallow blister on the top of the wing near the fuselage.
Many of the A-2s were fitted with an MG FF 20-millimeter cannon, a copy of the Swiss Oerlikon design, in each wing outboard of the landing gear, for a powerful total armament of two machine guns and four cannon. The MG FF was drum-fed, with 55 rounds per drum. Some sources state that the MG FF, not the MG 151/20, was also used in the wing root station, but this appears to be incorrect. Admittedly the mix of cannon types was a bit odd -- all the more so because the two cannon used incompatible ammunition -- but the same odd combination would be used in the next subvariant, the A-3, and is well documented. In addition, pictures of what is described as the A-2 show a long-barreled cannon in the wing root position, consistent with the MG 151/20, which was about half again as long as the MG FF.
The A-2 also featured an improved "BMW 801C-2" engine. Deliveries of the A-2 began in the fall of 1941. All the fighters were sent to the English Channel front for the moment, since Luftwaffe fighter pilots had been intimidated by the Spitfire V and wanted to put the RAF in their place.
* In February 1942, Fw 190s of Adolf Galland's JG-26 squadron escorted the battle cruisers SCHARNHORST and GNEISENAU on their famous "Channel Dash" from France to the Baltic, with the Focke-Wulf fending off attacks by RAF Hurricanes and Spitfires, and shooting down all of a flight of six Swordfish torpedo-bombers that courageously pressed their attack despite the odds.
By spring, Focke-Wulf had shifted production to the next version of the Anton, the "Fw 190A-3". The A-3 featured an uprated "BMW 801D-2" engine with 1,270 kW (1,700 HP), plus the four wing cannon as production standard, and minor cowling modifications. The BMW 801D-2 was the first really reliable engine variant, largely eliminating the engine problems that had dogged the Fw 190, and would be retained in later A-series production. Following initial production, the A-3's FuG 7 HF radio was switched to the FuG 16 VHF radio, with more power and longer range.
The Fw 190 was proving such a menace to the RAF that a risky commando mission named Operation AIRTHIEF was planned to steal one from a French airfield, but the mission was called off because on 23 June 1942, Oberleutnant Armin Faber got a little confused and landed his A-3 on an RAF airfield by mistake. Flight evaluation of the captured Focke-Wulf showed it to have weaknesses -- just not very many. The RAF rested their hopes in matching the Fw 190 with the new "Spitfire IX", which was a Spitfire V hastily fitted with a new "Merlin 61" engine featuring a two-stage supercharger.
The Spitfire IX went into service in July 1942. The RAF hoped to give the Luftwaffe a bloody nose during the "practice invasion" at Dieppe in August 1942, which was partly intended to lure the Fw 190s up to fight. Unfortunately, the Dieppe operation was badly planned and executed, and the Fw 190s were more than willing to accept the RAF's challenge, inflicting disproportionate losses on the Spitfires. One Fw 190 pilot, Josef Wurmheller, shot down seven Spitfires in one day over Dieppe.
The Spitfire IX did help even the odds over the long run, but Focke-Wulf was still churning out better versions of the Butcher Bird. The "Fw 190A-4" went into production in late 1942, the primary improvement being the addition of an "MW 50" water-methanol power boost system for the BMW 801 engine. The MW 50 injected water into the engine's cylinders to raise the engine's redline limit for a short period of time. The methanol was mainly intended as anti-freeze. The A-4 also introduced a small but distinctive modification in the form of a short radio aerial wire mast mounted on top of the tailfin. This item would be retained in later production. The A-4 was the first Fw 190 subvariant to see real service on the Eastern Front.
In April 1943, the production lines began turning out the next subvariant, the "Fw 190A-5", which was almost indistinguishable from the A-4 but added a longer engine mounting to increase strength and reduce vibration. The new mounts stretched the aircraft by about 15 centimeters (six inches) and became production standard.
* These new subvariants were produced in a number of modifications, the details of which are a confusing subject. Some of the modifications were straightforward: for example, the "Trop (Tropicalized)" modification provided engine sand filters and a survival kit for desert warfare.
However, in most cases, the subvariant modifications were provided initially in the form of factory upgrade kits, known as "Umruest-Bausaetz" and given "U"-series modification codes; and then field upgrade kits, known as "Ruestsaetze" and given "R"-series modification codes -- and the variations are bewildering. For example, the tropicalized A-4 was an "Fw 190A-4/Trop"; the "Fw 190A-3/U1" featured a factory upgrade kit with a bomb rack for use a fighter-bomber ("Jagd-Bomber" or "Jabo"); and the "Fw 190A-4/U4" featured two cameras in the rear fuselage for service as a reconnaissance-fighter.
Documenting the subvariant modifications is troublesome, not merely because there were so many of them, but because the same modification code might have a different meaning when applied to different subvariants, and aircraft were sometimes fitted with multiple upgrade kits. Poking around in the subject in detail is a headache. In any case, the upgrade kits reached full expression with the A-5, with at least sixteen different modifications, though no more than half actually saw combat. Modifications did see operational service included:
* In the Jabo role, the Fw 190 could carry a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) bomb, or combinations of other stores, such as fragmentation bombs or cluster bombs. A 1,000-kilogram (2,200-pound) SB 1000 bomb could be carried if one of its tailfins was removed, though it was a cumbersome load. Jabo Fw 190s armed with 250-kilogram (550-pound) bombs were used to make "hit-and-run" daylight attacks on British towns in 1942 and 1943. Most of these were nuisance attacks on coastal towns in ones or twos, but on 31 October 1942, 30 Fw 190s hit Canterbury in reprisal for RAF raids on German cities.
The Fw 190 bomber-destroyers provided an important component of the Reich's air defense system after the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) began daylight raids in late 1942. The Luftwaffe quickly learned that USAAF B-24s and B-17s were not easy targets, as both bombers could soak up many hits before going down and had heavy defensive armament.
At first, Luftwaffe pilots used "tail-chase" tactics, but then it was realized that the bombers were much more vulnerable to fire from the front, and also had weak forward defensive armament. The result was a switch to "head-on" attacks, which allowed the fighters to exploit these weaknesses. The high relative speed of the interceptors as they passed through the bomber formations from front to back also complicated the lives of American gunners. However, on the other side of the coin the head-on attacks gave Luftwaffe pilots little time to score hits or to react to a looming head-on collision. The new tactics were much more effective for good fighter pilots, but less effective for mediocre ones.
Despite this, Fw 190s smashed up a raid on Regensburg and Schweinfurt on 14 October 1943 so badly that the Americans gave up daylight bombing over Germany until the long-range P-51B/C Mustang escort fighter came into service. Even when escorts arrived, the Fw 190 was never a pushover for any Allied pilots, anyplace, anywhere. A tale circulated during the later years of the war that when an overenthusiastic American manufacturer printed an advertisement that displayed an Fw 190 to mock it with the caption: "Who's Afraid Of The Big Bad Wulf?" -- they got a copy of the ad sent back to them in the mail along with a letter signed by everyone in a bomber unit that said: "We are."
Many Luftwaffe pilots racked up large numbers of kills, particularly on the Eastern front. The Luftwaffe's fourth highest scoring pilot, Oberleutnant Otto Kittle, who scored 267 victories, got 220 of his kills in Fw 190A-4s and A-5s, making him the high scorer with the type. Other German aces, including Walter Nowotny, Heinz Baer, Herman Graf, and Kurt Buhligen, each scored over a hundred kills in the Fw 190.
The Fw 190 was also pressed into service as a night fighter against RAF bombers, using "Wilde Sau (Wild Boar)" tactics championed by Major Hajo Hermann. Although the Fw 190s used in Wilde Sau sorties had few or no optimizations for night fighting, the glare of fires below and searchlights highlighted the attackers, allowing the fighters operating above the bomber stream to see target aircraft beneath them. After the British started dropping "window" (chaff) to jam German radars in July 1943, Wild Sau suddenly acquired a new importance and priority. Wilde Sau was effective but troublesome, since getting back to base and landing in the dark, particularly in poor weather, was difficult and dangerous. By early 1944, the Luftwaffe had been able to compensate for an extent to Allied radar countermeasures, and the Wilde Sau squadrons were generally returned to day combat.
BACK_TO_TOP* As is often the case with aircraft that evolve through a long series of variants, the Fw 190 suffered from "weight creep", and so a new, bigger, lighter wing was designed, going into production in the "Fw 190A-6" subvariant in June 1943. The new wing featured standard fit of an MG 151/20 cannon in the wing root and the outer wing, replacing the MG FF in that position, for a total of four cannon, along with the MG 17 machine guns in the cowling. The A-6 was primarily designed for the battlefield close-support role, and also featured increased armor. This was referred to as the "Schlacht" or "Battlefield" mission; the term is sometimes mistranslated as "Slaughter", but that is "schlachten", a different word.
In Schlacht operations, the Fw 190 carried such warloads as eight SC-50 50-kilogram (110-pound) bombs, with four on the wings and four on the centerline rack, and also the AB-250 250-kilogram (550-pound) cluster bomb canister. The AB-250 could be filled with a range of submunitions, such as SD-2 two-kilogram (4.4-pound) anti-personnel fragmentation "butterfly bombs", or SD-4 four-kilogram (8.8-pound) hollow-charge anti-armor bomblets. The cannon of the Fw 190 also proved effective in attacks on ground targets, and the aircraft was rugged enough to take punishment as well as dish it out. The Fw 190 would gradually become the backbone of the Schlacht force, displacing the antiquated and overly-vulnerable Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
As with the A-5, upgrade kits were developed for the A-6. However, while the A-5 was fitted with factory upgrade kits, the focus for the A-6 was field upgrade kits, so that the aircraft could be adapted on the front line to different roles as the tactical situation demanded.
* The primary improvement in the "Fw 190A-7", which went into production at the end of 1943, was the replacement of the two 7.92-millimeter MG 17 machine guns in the cowling with 13-millimeter MG 131s, with a new gunsight provided as well. While most of the Anton subvariants were built in quantities of hundreds, only about 80 A-7s were built, with the aircraft configured as bomber destroyers, fitted with underwing rockets or additional cannon packs.
The next subvariant, the "Fw 190A-8", turned out to be the most heavily produced of all Fw 190 subvariants, with over 1,300 built. It was essentially an A-7 with the option for either GM-1 nitrous-oxide engine boost for high-altitude operation, or an additional internal fuel tank, as well as many detail improvements.
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FOCKE-WULF FW 190A-8:
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wingspan:
10.5 meters (34 feet 5 inches)
wing area:
18.3 sq_meters (197 sq_feet)
length:
8.96 meters (29 feet 5 inches)
height:
3.96 meters (13 feet)
empty weight:
3,470 kilograms (7,650 pounds)
max loaded weight:
4,900 kilograms (10,800 pounds)
maximum speed:
657 KPH (408 MPH / 335 KT)
service ceiling:
10,300 meters (33,800 feet)
range:
800 kilometers (500 MI / 435 NMI)
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A range of different modifications of the A-8 were implemented, employing the full range of factory and field update kits. The "R1" and "R2" were bomber destroyers with heavy underwing armament, while the "R3" was a tank destroyer with a long-barrel, high-velocity MK 103 cannon mounted in a fairing under each wing. The MK 103 apparently proved a bit too hefty and powerful for the Fw 190, and that fit did not proceed beyond evaluations.
The "R8" was an improved bomber destroyer, nicknamed the "Sturmbock (Battering Ram)", with armor protection for the pilot and around the front of the engine, plus an MK 108 30-millimeter cannon in each outboard wing position instead of an MG 151/20. The armor allowed the Sturmbock to close in on a bomber and then kill it with the MK 108 cannon, using tail-chase tactics.
There were other experiments with heavily-armed bomber destroyers, but the increasing presence of escort fighters presented the Luftwaffe with a nasty dilemma. If the Fw 190's armor and firepower were increased to deal with the bombers, the Focke-Wulf would then find itself outclassed in air combat with Allied fighters. If its armor and armament were reduced, the Fw 190 could hold its own, but it would then find it difficult to take on bombers.
As a result, the Luftwaffe established the "Sturmgruppe" tactic, in which a mass of Fw 190s Sturmbocks would attack a bomber formation from behind, while they were protected from Allied escort fighters by Bf 109Gs optimized for dogfighting. Sturmgruppe pilots often wore "whites of the eyes" jacket patches, with two white crescents set side-by-side, to indicate their dedication to point-blank attacks. The first Sturmgruppe missions were conducted in July 1944 and proved devastating. However, the USAAF quickly got wise, sending escort fighters in the lead of the bomber formation to pounce on Sturmgruppe formations and break them up, and the scheme gradually ceased to be effective.
* In fact, by the fall of 1944 the decline of the Luftwaffe was obvious. Hobbled by a lack of fuel and well-trained pilots, completely outnumbered by Allied fighters, the Luftwaffe made fewer and fewer sorties, and with those flights the rewards continued to diminish while the losses increased. They fought on until the end, but all they could do was delay the inevitable.
German factories continued to produce Fw 190s as best they could, but the A-8 turned out to be the last full production Anton. The "Fw 190A-9" was apparently built in some numbers, being an A-8 with a BMW 801 TS engine providing 1,490 kW (2,000 HP), but records are not clear on details. Some sources claim the A-9 was fitted with an armored wing leading edge for service as a "Rammjaeger", knocking down bombers by ramming them. Home defense squadrons had been encouraged to use this tactic late in the war with earlier Fw 190 subvariants, though it appears few pilots did so.
The "Fw 190A-10", was to be a Jabo subvariant that was to feature an improved BMW 801TS or BMW 801TH engine. It never got out of prototype evaluation.
BACK_TO_TOP* The "Fw 190B" and "Fw 190C" were experimental variants that did not reach production, and are discussed later. The "Fw 190D" was a production Fw 190 derivative with an inline engine, which did reach production and is also discussed later. The "Fw 190E" was to be a specialized reconnaissance variant, but modifications of Fw 190As proved adequate for this role, and the Fw 190E never even reached the prototype stage.
The "Fw 190F" series did see service in numbers. The Fw 190F was essentially an Anton tweaked as battlefield close-support aircraft, or "Schlachtjaeger", with armor plate under the engine and cockpit for protection against ground fire, stronger landing gear to support greater take-off loads, and other modifications. The type was difficult to distinguish from an Fw 190A, and in fact the series prototype was the "Fw 190A-5/U17", a modification optimized for the Schlacht role. Although their optimizations for the Schlacht role hampered performance somewhat, Schlacht Focke-Wulfs were still dangerous adversaries in air combat and racked up their own long lists of kills.
The "Fw 190F-1" subvariant was based on the Fw 190A-4. Only a small number were built, for evaluation purposes. The F-1 had reduced gun armament, with two MG 17 7.92-millimeter machine guns in the cowling and a 20-millimeter cannon in each wing, for a total of four guns. In compensation, it had racks under the fuselage for carriage of one 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) bomb or four 50-kilogram (110-pound) bombs, plus an optional rack under each wing for a single 250-kilogram (550-pound) bomb or two 50-kilogram bombs.
The "Fw 190F-2" was a derivative of the A-5 and featured a new "bulged" canopy to improve pilot vision, with the first of this series rolling off the production line in early 1943. The "Fw 190F-3" was similarly derived from the A-6, with first deliveries in the summer of 1943.
Work on "F-5", "F-6", and "F-7" subvariants was abandoned near the end of 1943 to allow focus on the G-series, discussed later, but the F series was revived in 1944 as the "F-8", based on the A-8. The F-8 was the most heavily produced of the F-series, reaching service in the fall of 1944. It was much like the F-3, but had underwing stores racks as standard, an improved bomb-release system, and MG 131 13-millimeter cannon in place of the cowling-mounted MG 17s. The F-8 was followed by the "F-9", which had a turbocharged BMW 801TS engine providing 1,490 kW (2,000 HP) and optional MW 50 water-methanol boost, but this subvariant did not reach service.
* The "Fw 190G" was a long-range Jabo variant, built in parallel with the F-series, and generally similar except for the deletion of cowling guns to decrease weight and extend range. In fact, the G-series actually entered production before the Fw 190F, initially seeing action in North Africa at the end of 1942. Like the F-series, the G-series were basically equivalent to A-series aircraft modified for the Schlacht role. The "G-1" was based on the A-4, while the "G-2" was based on the A-5. The "G-3" was a bit more of a custom item, with an autopilot and a fuel injection system. The G-8 was based on the A-8.
BACK_TO_TOP* Although the BMW 801 radial engine was very powerful, as well as very rugged, its high-altitude performance was poor. Since the GM-1 water-methanol boost system provided only a modest improvement in high-altitude performance, Kurt Tank's engineering team decided to see what might be done with water-cooled inline inverted vee-12 engines, including the Junkers Jumo 213 and the more powerful Daimler-Benz 603.
The "Fw 190B" series of prototypes Focke-Wulf's first attempts to build a high-altitude version of the Butcher Bird; they featured test fits of the DB 603 engine, as well as the BMW 801 with GM-1 nitrous oxide boost. Some of the prototypes were also used to evaluate a pressurized cockpit, but these tests did not go well. Since the Fw 190B didn't quite have the high-altitude reach that the RLM desired, the effort was abandoned in late 1942.
Focke-Wulf then concentrated on an improved high-altitude fighter variant, the "Fw 190C", with the DB 603 inline engine. Following an initial prototype adapted from an Fw 190B, six Fw 190C prototypes were built. They featured a DB 603 inline engine, an annular radiator that gave the engine some appearance of a radial installation, and a four-bladed propeller. The six final prototypes featured an elaborate turbocharger installation, with two fitted with a Hirth 9-2281 turbocharger and four with a DVL TK-11 turbocharger.
The turbocharger scheme had some similarities to that on the US Republic P-47 Thunderbolt but wasn't as clean, resulting in a large assembly on the belly that gave the type the nickname "Kangaruh (Kangaroo)", since it suggested a kangaroo's pouch. The program was finally abandoned in the fall of 1943, the turbocharger system having proved unreliable.
* Tank's engineering team was also working on another inline-powered variant, the "Fw 190D", in principle for the high-altitude fighter role. The Fw 190D was fitted with a Jumo 213A-1 engine providing 1,325 kW (1,775 HP), or 1,670 kW (2,240 HP) for short periods with MW 50 water-methanol boost.
Development began in the spring of 1942, with prototype development based on modifications of Fw 190A-0 fighters, the first of six flying in March 1942. These machines were given a rear fuselage extension to compensate for the lengthened nose, which had been stretched to fit the Jumo 213 engine, and were armed with twin MG 17 machine guns in the cowling and an MG 151/20 cannon in each wing root. Some problems were encountered, but the type seemed promising enough for the RLM to authorize the construction of "Fw 190D-0" pre-production prototypes in late 1943. These machines were similar to the development prototypes, but were based on Fw 190A-7 airframes.
In the meantime, Tank was moving forward on the first full-production subvariant, the "Fw 190D-9". Exactly what happened to the "D-1" through "D-8" subvariant codes is a bit of a puzzle. In any case, the D-9 went into production in June 1944, with initial service deliveries in August.
The D-9 different from the prototypes in having a bigger tailfin to improve yaw stability; two MG 131 13-millimeter cannon replacing the two MG 17 guns in the cowling; and a belly rack for carriage of a 500-kilogram (1,100-pound) bomb, as well as an optional stores rack under each wing. An MW 50 water-methanol boost system could also be installed. After initial production, the type was fitted with a bulged canopy to give better all-round vision. A range of modification kits were provided for the type.
Tank made it plain that he regarded the Jumo-powered Fw 190D-9 as an "interim solution", leading Luftwaffe pilots to believe that they were going to get an indifferent and clumsy lashup. Once they got their hands on the machine, they found out that the "Dora-Nine", as they called it, was a superb aircraft. It was faster, climbed more rapidly, and handled better than an Anton, and almost certainly the best piston fighter to be fielded in numbers by the Luftwaffe. The Dora-Nine proved to be a nasty handful for American P-51Ds and late-mark RAF Spitfires. Tank was just being fussy.
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FOCKE-WULF FW 190D ("DORA-NINE"):
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wingspan:
10.5 meters (34 feet 5 inches)
wing area:
18.3 sq_meters (197 sq_feet)
length:
10.19 meters (33 feet 5 inches)
height:
3.36 meters (11 feet)
empty weight:
3,490 kilograms (7,695 pounds)
normal loaded weight:
4,300 kilograms (9,480 pounds)
max speed at altitude:
685 KPH (425 MPH / 370 KT)
service ceiling:
12,000 meters (39,400 feet)
range:
840 kilometers (520 MI / 450 NMI)
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The Dora-Nine was produced in good numbers, but Nazi Germany was falling apart by that time; there were few pilots, there was little fuel. Many of the Fw 190D-9s built never saw combat, and in any case they were too few to have any influence on the course of the war. Those that did see action were often used as "top cover" for airfields operating the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter, whose poor acceleration made it highly vulnerable during landings.
Focke-Wulf still continued to work on other subvariants of the D-series, though none of these others ended up being built in any numbers, if at all. For example, the "D-12" deleted the two MG 13 cannon in the cowling and replaced them with an MK 108 30-millimeter cannon firing through the propeller spinner, plus a more powerful Jumo 213F engine with 1,535 kW (2,060 HP).
* Tank continued to tweak the inline-powered designs, resulting in the "Ta 152" series, with work along this line begun in late 1942. The "Ta" stood for "Tank", in honor of his contributions to the Reich. A confusing variety of different Ta 152 variants were considered or built in prototype form in 1943 and 1944, converging on two types, the short-wing "Ta 152C" and the long-wing "Ta 152H", where the "H" stood for "Hoehenjaeger (High Altitude Fighter)."
The Ta-142C very much resembled the Dora-Nine, but featured a modified fuselage with the wing moved forward. While early "Ta 152A" and "Ta 152B" prototypes were fitted with different models of the Jumo 213 engine, the Ta 152C featured the DB 603 engine. Armament was an MK 108 or MK 103 cannon firing through the prop spinner, along with two MG 151/20 cannon in the cowling and one in each wing root. Only about five Ta 152Cs were completed, the first flying in November 1944, the decision having been made to focus on the Ta 152H.
The Ta 152H was, as its name suggests, intended for the high-altitude interceptor role. It featured a modified fuselage like that of the Ta 152C, as well as extended wings with a span of 14.5 meters (47 feet 7 inches), and a Jumo 213E engine with a three-speed supercharger and 1,400 kW (1,880 HP). It was armed with an MK 108 cannon firing through the propeller spinner and an MG 151/20 cannon in each wing, and was fitted with a centerline stores rack.
Initial service delivery of the Ta 152H was in November 1944. Only about 150 Ta 152Hs were completed. They saw very limited combat, when fuel could be found to fly them. A turbocharged "Ta 153" series was also considered, but never got out of the development stage.
Despite the fact that Tank regarded the DB 603 as the best possible inline powerplant option for his fighter -- and some sources claim the DB 603-powered Fw 190 prototypes had excellent performance if the turbocharger problems were ignored -- no DB 603 powered variant reached production. That may have been due to limited availability of the engine, which did enter mass production and was built in the thousands, but was heavy and allocated to twin-engine aircraft like the Me-410 and the Do-335.
* A total of over 20,000 Fw 190s of all types was built during the war. The type saw limited foreign service:
A number of Fw 190s survive today on static display in various museums around the world, but it does not appear that any are flying at this time. The "FlugWerke" group of Munich does sell a flight-worthy replica in kit form, however, and War Aircraft Replicas of Tulsa, Oklahoma, sells homebuild plans for a half-scale Fw 190
BACK_TO_TOP* Given the large number of Fw 190s built, unsurprisingly there were many odd experiments and offshoots of the type:
* Development prototypes:
* A-series ("Antons"):
* F-series and G-series:
* Other variants:
* Sources include:
* Revision history:
v1.0.0 / 01 may 02 v1.0.1 / 01 jun 02 / Review & polish. v1.0.2 / 01 jun 04 / Review & polish. v1.0.3 / 01 mar 07 / Review & polish. v1.0.4 / 01 mar 09 / Review & polish. v1.0.5 / 01 feb 11 / Review & polish. v1.0.6 / 01 dec 12 / Review & polish. v1.0.7 / 01 nov 14 / Review & polish. v1.0.8 / 01 oct 16 / Review & polish. v1.0.9 / 01 sep 18 / Review & polish. v1.1.0 / 01 jul 20 / Review & polish. v1.1.1 / 01 may 22 / Review & polish. v1.1.2 / 01 apr 24 / Review & polish.BACK_TO_TOP
