Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Explained

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed Würger (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the German: [[Jagdwaffe]] (Fighter Force) of the German: [[Luftwaffe]]. The twin-row BMW 801 radial engine that powered most operational versions enabled the Fw 190 to lift larger loads than the Bf 109, allowing its use as a day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and to a lesser degree, night fighter.

The Fw 190A started flying operationally over France in August 1941 and quickly proved superior in all but turn radius to the Spitfire Mk. V, the main front-line fighter of the Royal Air Force (RAF), particularly at low and medium altitudes. The 190 maintained its superiority over Allied fighters until the introduction of the improved Spitfire Mk. IX. In November/December 1942, the Fw 190 made its air combat debut on the Eastern Front, finding much success in fighter wings and specialised ground attack units (German: [[Organization of the Luftwaffe (1933–1945)#Geschwader|Schlachtgeschwader]] – Battle Wings or Strike Wings) from October 1943.

The Fw 190A series' performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 6,000 m [20,000 ft] and above), which reduced its effectiveness as a high-altitude interceptor. From the Fw 190's inception, there had been ongoing efforts to address this with a turbosupercharged BMW 801 in the B model, the much longer-nosed C model with efforts to also turbocharge its chosen Daimler-Benz DB 603 inverted V12 powerplant, and the similarly long-nosed D model with the Junkers Jumo 213. Problems with the turbocharger installations on the -B and -C subtypes meant only the D model entered service in September 1944. These high-altitude developments eventually led to the Focke-Wulf Ta 152, which was capable of extreme speeds at medium to high altitudes (755 km/h [408 kn; 469 mph] at 13,500 m [44,300 ft]).[1] While these "long nose" 190 variants and the Ta 152 derivative especially gave the Germans parity with Allied opponents, they arrived too late to affect the outcome of the war.

The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots. Some of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter aces claimed many of their kills while flying it, including Otto Kittel, Walter Nowotny and Erich Rudorffer. The Fw 190 had greater firepower than the Bf 109 and, at low to medium altitude, superior manoeuvrability, in the opinion of German pilots who flew both fighters. It was regarded as one of the best fighter planes of World War II.[2]

Early development

Genesis

Between 1934 and 1935 the German Ministry of Aviation (RLM) ran a contest to produce a modern fighter for the rearming Luftwaffe. Kurt Tank entered the parasol-winged Fw 159 into the contest, against the Arado Ar 80, Heinkel He 112 and Messerschmitt Bf 109. The Fw 159 was hopelessly outclassed and was soon eliminated from the competition along with the Ar 80. The He 112 and Bf 109 were generally similar in design but the 109's lightweight construction gave it a performance edge the 112 was never able to match. On March 12, 1936, the 109 was declared the winner.

Even before the Bf 109 had entered squadron service, in autumn 1937 the RLM sent out a new tender asking various designers for a new fighter to fight alongside the Bf 109, as Walter Günther had done with Heinkel's follow-on to the unsuccessful He 100 and He 112. Although the Bf 109 was an extremely competitive fighter, the Ministry was worried that future foreign designs might outclass it, and wanted to have new aircraft under development to meet these possible challenges. Tank responded with a number of designs, most powered by a liquid-cooled inline engine.

However, it was not until a design was presented using the air-cooled, 14-cylinder BMW 139 radial engine that the Ministry of Aviation's interest was aroused. As this design used a radial engine, it would not compete with the inline-powered Bf 109 for engines, when there were already too few Daimler-Benz DB 601s to go around. This was not the case for competing designs like the Heinkel He 100 or twin-engined Focke-Wulf Fw 187, where production would compete with the 109 and Messerschmitt Bf 110 for engine supplies. After the war, Tank denied a rumour that he had to "fight a battle" with the Ministry to convince them of the radial engine's merits.

Design concepts

At the time, the use of radial engines in land-based fighters was relatively rare in Europe, as it was believed that their large frontal area would cause too much drag on something as small as a fighter. Tank was not convinced of this, having witnessed the successful use of radial engines by the U.S. Navy, and felt a properly streamlined installation would eliminate this problem.

As to the rest of the design philosophy, Tank wanted something more than an aircraft built only for speed. He outlined the reasoning:

Engine

The hottest points on any air-cooled engine are the cylinder heads, located around the circumference of a radial engine. In order to provide sufficient air to cool the engine, airflow had to be maximized at this outer edge. This was normally accomplished by leaving the majority of the front face of the engine open to the air, causing considerable drag. During the late 1920s, NACA led the development of a dramatic improvement by placing an airfoil-shaped ring around the outside of the cylinder heads (the NACA cowling). The shaping accelerated the air as it entered the front of the cowl, increasing the total airflow, and allowing the opening in front of the engine to be made smaller.

Tank introduced a further refinement to this basic concept. He suggested placing most of the airflow components on the propeller, in the form of an oversized propeller spinner whose outside diameter was the same as the engine. The cowl around the engine proper was greatly simplified, essentially a basic cylinder. Air entered through a small hole at the centre of the spinner and was directed through ductwork in the spinner so it was blowing rearward along the cylinder heads. To provide enough airflow, an internal cone was placed in the centre of the hole, over the propeller hub, which was intended to compress the airflow and allow a smaller opening to be used. In theory, the tight-fitting cowling also provided some thrust due to the compression and heating of air as it flowed through the cowling.[3]

The eventual choice of the BMW 801 14-cylinder radial over the more troublesome BMW 139 also brought with it a BMW-designed cowling "system" which integrated the radiator used to cool the motor oil. An annular, ring-shaped oil cooler core was built into the BMW-provided forward cowl, just behind the fan. The outer portion of the oil cooler's core was in contact with the main cowling's sheet metal. Comprising the BMW-designed forward cowl, in front of the oil cooler was a ring of metal with a C-shaped cross-section, with the outer lip lying just outside the rim of the cowl, and the inner side on the inside of the oil cooler core. Together, the metal ring and cowling formed an S-shaped duct with the oil cooler's core contained between them. Airflow past the gap between the cowl and outer lip of the metal ring produced a vacuum effect that pulled air from the front of the engine forward across the oil cooler core to provide cooling for the 801's motor oil. The rate of cooling airflow over the core could be controlled by moving the metal ring to open or close the gap. The reasons for this complex system were threefold. One was to reduce any extra aerodynamic drag of the oil radiator, in this case largely eliminating it by placing it within the same cowling as the engine. The second was to warm the air before it flowed to the radiator to aid in warming the oil during starting. Finally, by placing the radiator behind the fan, cooling was provided even while the aircraft was parked. The disadvantage to this design was that the radiator was in an extremely vulnerable location, and the metal ring was increasingly armoured as the war progressed.

Landing Gear

In contrast to the complex, failure-prone fuselage-mounted main gear legs of the earlier Fw 159, one of the main features of the Fw 190 was its wide-tracked, inwards-retracting landing gear. They were designed to withstand a sink rate of 4.5m/s, double the strength factor usually required. Hydraulic wheel brakes were used. The wide-track undercarriage produced better ground handling characteristics, and the Fw 190 suffered fewer ground accidents than the Bf 109. (The Bf 109's narrow-track, outwards-retracting landing gear hinged on its wing root structure to help lower weight, but this led to inherent weakness and many failures and ground loops.) The Fw 190's retractable tail gear used a cable, anchored to the "elbow" at the midpoint of the starboard maingear's transverse retraction arms, which ran aftwards within the fuselage to the vertical fin to operate the tailwheel retraction function. The tailwheel's retraction mechanical design possessed a set of pulleys to guide the aforementioned cable to the top of the tailwheel's oleo strut, pulling it upwards along a diagonal track within the fin, into the lower fuselage;[4] this mechanism was accessible through a prominently visible triangular-shaped hinged panel, on the left side in the fin's side sheetmetal covering.[5] On some versions of the Fw 190 an extended tailwheel oleo strut could be fitted for larger-sized loads (such as bombs or even a torpedo) beneath the fuselage.

Control systems

Most aircraft of the era used cables and pulleys to operate their controls. The cables tended to stretch, resulting in the sensations of "give" and "play" that made the controls less crisp and responsive, and required constant maintenance to correct. For the new design, the team replaced the cables with rigid pushrods and bearings to eliminate this problem. Another innovation was making the controls as light as possible. The maximum resistance of the ailerons was limited to 3.5kg (07.7lb), as the average man's wrist could not exert a greater force. The empennage (tail assembly) featured relatively small and well-balanced horizontal and vertical surfaces.

The design team also attempted to minimize changes in the aircraft's trim at varying speeds, thus reducing the pilot's workload. They were so successful in this regard that they found in-flight-adjustable aileron and rudder trim tabs were not necessary. Small, fixed tabs were fitted to control surfaces and adjusted for proper balance during initial test flights. Only the elevator trim needed to be adjusted in flight (a feature common to all aircraft). This was accomplished by tilting the entire horizontal tailplane with an electric motor, with an angle of incidence ranging from −3° to +5°.

Another aspect of the new design was the extensive use of electrically powered equipment instead of the hydraulic systems used by most aircraft manufacturers of the time. On the first two prototypes, the main landing gear was hydraulic. Starting with the third prototype, the undercarriage was operated by push buttons controlling electric motors in the wings, and was kept in position by electric up and down-locks. The armament was also loaded and fired electrically. Tank believed that service use would prove that electrically powered systems were more reliable and more rugged than hydraulics, electric lines being much less prone to damage from enemy fire.

Wing loading and Canopy

Like the Bf 109, the Fw 190 featured a fairly small wing planform with relatively high wing loading. This presents a trade-off in performance. An aircraft with a smaller wing suffers less drag under most flight conditions and therefore flies faster and may have better range. However, it also means the aircraft has a higher stalling speed making it less maneuverable, and also reduces performance in the thinner air at higher altitudes. The wings spanned and had an area of . The wing was designed using the NACA 23015.3 airfoil at the root and the NACA 23009 airfoil at the tip.

Earlier aircraft designs generally featured canopies consisting of small plates of perspex (also known as Plexiglas) in a metal "greenhouse" framework, with the top of the canopy even with the rear fuselage; this was true of the IJNAS Mitsubishi A6M Zero, whose otherwise "all-around view" canopy was still heavily framed. This design considerably limited visibility, especially to the rear. The introduction of vacuum forming, led to the creation of the "bubble canopy" which was largely self-supporting, and could be mounted over the cockpit, offering greatly improved all-round visibility. Tank's design for the Fw 190 used a canopy with a frame that ran around the perimeter, with only a short, centerline seam along the top, running rearward from the radio antenna fitting where the three-panel windscreen and the forward edge of the canopy met, just in front of the pilot.

Wilde Sau

From mid-1943, Fw 190s were also used as night fighters against the growing RAF Bomber Command offensive. In mid-1943, one of the earliest participants in the single-engine, ground controlled, night-fighting experiments was the Nachtjagdkommando Fw 190 (Night Fighter Command Fw 190), operated by IV. Gruppe (4 Group), Jagdgeschwader 3, (Fighter Wing 3, or JG 3). The main Nachtgeschwader (Night Fighter Wings) were keen to adopt a new fighter type as their twin-engine fighters were too slow for combat against increasing numbers of de Havilland Mosquito night fighters and bombers. Nachtjagdgeschwader 1 (NJG 1) and NJG 3 kept a pair of Fw 190s on standby to supplement the Messerschmitt Bf 110 and Junkers Ju 88. The considerable performance advantage of the Fw 190 over the other two types was more than offset by the difficulties of operating at night. Few, if any, aerial successes can be attributed to these operational tests.

One of the first purpose built units to use Fw 190s in this role was Stab/Versuchskommando Herrmann, a unit specifically set up in April 1943 by Major Hajo Herrmann. Herrmann's unit used standard A-4s and A-5s borrowed from day fighter units to intercept bombers over or near the targeted city, using searchlights and other visual aids to help them find their quarry. The first use of "Window" by the RAF during the Battle of Hamburg in July 1943, rendered the standard nightfighter Himmelbett procedures useless and brought urgency to the development of Herrmann's Wilde Sau ("Wild Boar") technique, pending the development of new nightfighting strategies. Instead of restricting the Fw 190s to ground control interception protocols, the Fw 190s were given a free hand to over-fly bombed areas to see if they could locate bombers using the ground fires below. These tactics became an integral part of the nightfighter operations until May 1944.

St/V Herrmann was expanded to become Jagdgeschwader 300 (JG 300, or Fighter Wing 300), JG 301 and JG 302. All three units initially continued borrowing their aircraft from day fighter units. The day fighter units began to protest at the numbers of their aircraft which were being written off because of the hazards of night operations; the numbers soared with the onset of winter, with pilots often being forced to bail-out through being unable to find an airfield at which to land safely. Crash landings were also frequent. Eventually all three Wilde Sau units received their own aircraft, which were often modified with exhaust dampers and blind-flying radio equipment. Another unit was Nachtjagdgruppe 10 (NJGr 10), which used Fw 190 A-4/R11s through to A-8/R11s; Fw 190s modified to carry FuG (Funkgerät) 217 or FuG 218 radar mid-VHF band equipment.

The Sturmböcke

The appearance of United States Army Air Forces heavy bombers caused a problem for the German fighter force. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress in particular was especially durable, and the armament of the Bf 109 and Fw 190 were not adequate for bomber-destroyer operations. The B-17's eventual deployment in combat box formations provided formidable massed firepower from a hundred or more Browning AN/M2 .50 caliber (12.7 mm) machine guns. In addition, the Luftwaffes original solution of Zerstörer twin-engine Messerschmitt Bf 110G bomber destroyers, while effective against unescorted Allied bomber formations, lacked maneuverability and were eviscerated by the USAAF's fighter escorts in late 1943 and early 1944.

Two of the former Wilde Sau single-engined night fighter wings were reconstituted for their use, such as Jagdgeschwader 300 (JG 300—300th Fighter Wing) and JG 301. These units consisted of Sturmböcke. However, JG 3 also had a special gruppe (group) of Sturmböcke.

The Fw 190, designed as a rugged interceptor capable of withstanding considerable combat damage and delivering a potent "punch" from its stable gun platform, was considered ideal for anti-bomber operations. Focke-Wulf redesigned parts of the wing structure to accommodate larger armament. The Fw 190 A-6 was the first sub-variant to undergo this change. Its standard armament was increased from four MG 151/20s to two of them with four more in two underwing cannon pods. The aircraft was designated A-6/R1 (Rüstsatz; or field conversion model). The first aircraft were delivered on 20 November 1943. Brief trials saw the twin cannon replaced by the MK 108 30mm autocannon in the outer wing, which then became the A-6/R2. The cannons were blowback-operated, had electric ignition, and were belt fed. The 30mm MK 108 was simple to make and its construction was economical; the majority of its components consisted of just pressed sheet metal stampings. In the A-6/R4, the GM-1 (nitrous oxide) Boost was added for the BMW 801 engine to increase performance at high altitude. For protection, 30mm of armoured glass was added to the canopy. The A-6/R6 was fitted with twin heavy calibre Werfer-Granate 21 (BR 21) unguided, air-to-air rockets, fired from single underwing tubular launchers (one per wing panel). The increased modifications, in particular heavy firepower, made the Fw 190 a potent bomber-killer. The A-7 evolved in November 1943. Two synchronized 13 mm (.51 inch) MG 131 machine guns replaced the twin cowl-mount synchronized 7.92 mm (.318 inch) MG 17 machine guns. The A-7/R variants could carry two 30 mm MK 108s as well as BR 21 rockets. This increased its potency as a Pulk-Zerstörer (Bomber Formation Destroyer). The A-8/R2 was the most numerous Sturmbock aircraft, some 900 were built by Fiesler at Kassel with 30 mm MK 108s installed in their outer wing panel mounts.

While formidable bomber-killers, the armour and substantial up-gunning with heavier calibre firepower meant the Fw 190 was now cumbersome to maneuver. Vulnerable to Allied fighters, they had to be escorted by Bf 109s. When the Sturmgruppe was able to work as intended, the effects were devastating. With their engines and cockpits heavily armored, the Fw 190 As attacked from astern and gun camera films show that these attacks were often pressed to within 100 yds (90 m).

Willy Unger of 11.(Sturm)/JG 3 (11 Staffel (Squadron) of Sturmgruppe (Storm group) JG 3) made the following comments:

Richard Franz commented:

The number of heavy bombers destroyed by the Fw 190 is impossible to estimate. However, below is a list of the top scoring Sturmbock pilots:

NameTotal victory claimsHeavy bomber claimsB-17 claims
78 Est. 36 unknown
192 Est. 34 Unknown
57 32 Unknown
128 30 Unknown
102 26 21
63 26 21
24 21 13
32 25 19
55 24 18
Alwin Doppler29 25 16
Werner Gerth 27 22 16
140 23 15
36 22 15
38 22 Unknown
221 21 11
Emil-Rudolf Schnoor32 18 15

Variants

See main article: List of Focke-Wulf Fw 190 variants.

First prototypes (BMW 139)

Fw 190 V1:(civil registration D-OPZE), powered by a BMW 139 14-cylinder two-row radial engine. D-OPZE first flew on 1 June 1939.
  • Fw 190 V2: Designated with the German: Stammkennzeichen alphabetic ID code of FL+OZ (later RM+CB) the V2 first flew on October 31, 1939, and was equipped from the outset with the new spinner and cooling fan. It was armed with one German: [[Rheinmetall|Rheinmetall-Borsig]] MG 17 machine gun and one synchronized MG 131 machine gun in each wing root.
  • Fw 190 V3:Abandoned
  • Fw 190 V4:Abandoned

    • Later prototypes (BMW 801)

    Fw 190 V5:Fitted with the larger, more powerful 14-cylinder two-row BMW 801 radial engine. This engine introduced a pioneering example of an engine management system called the German: Kommandogerät (command-device) designed by BMW, who also designed the 801's forward cowling with its integral oil cooling system: the German: Kommandogerät functioned in effect as an electro-mechanical computer which set mixture, propeller pitch (for the constant-speed propeller), boost, and magneto timing.
  • Fw 190 V5k: (German: kleine Fläche – small surface) The smaller span initial variant re-designated after the longer span wing was fitted. The V5 first flew in the early spring of 1940. The weight increase with all of the modifications was substantial, about, leading to higher wing loading and a deterioration in handling. Plans were made to create a new wing with more area to address these issues.
  • Fw 190 V5g: (German: große Fläche – large surface) In August 1940 a collision with a ground vehicle damaged the V5 and it was sent back to the factory for major repairs. This was an opportune time to rebuild it with a new wing which was less tapered in plan than the original design, extending the leading and trailing edges outward to increase the area. The new wing had an area of, and now spanned . After conversion, the aircraft was called the V5g for German: große Fläche (large surface). Although it was slower than when fitted with the small wing, V5g was much more manoeuvrable and had a faster climb rate. This new wing platform was to be used for all major production versions of the Fw 190.

    • Fw 190 A

    Fw 190 A-0: The pre-production Fw 190 A-0 series was ordered in November 1940, a total of 28 being completed. Because they were built before the new wing design was fully tested and approved, the first nine A-0s retained the original small wings. All were armed with six MG 17 machine guns – four synchronised weapons, two in the forward fuselage and one in each wing root, supplemented by a free-firing MG 17 in each wing, outboard of the propeller disc.
    Fw 190 A-1: The Fw 190 A-1 was in production from June 1941. It was powered by the BMW 801 C-1 engine, rated at for take-off. Armament included two fuselage-mounted MG 17s and two wing root-mounted MG 17s (with all four MG 17s synchronized to fire through the propeller arc) and two outboard wing-mounted 20 mm MG FF/Ms.
    Fw 190 A-2:The introduction of the BMW 801 C-2 resulted in the Fw 190 A-2 model, first introduced in October 1941. The A-2 wing weaponry was updated, with the two wing root-mounted MG 17s being replaced by 20 mm MG 151/20E cannon.
    Fw 190 A-3: The Fw 190 A-3 was equipped with the BMW 801 D-2 engine, which increased power to at takeoff. The A-3 retained the same weaponry as the A-2.
  • Fw 190 A-3/German: Umrüst-Bausatz 1 (/U1): (W.Nr 130 270) was the first 190 to have the engine mount extended by, which would be standardized on the later production A-5 model.
  • Fw 190 A-3/U2: The A-3/U2 (W.Nr 130386) had RZ 65 rocket launcher racks under the wings with three rockets per wing. There were also a small number of U7 aircraft tested as high-altitude fighters armed with only two 20 mm MG 151 cannon, but with reduced overall weight.
  • Fw 190 A-3/U3: The A-3/U3 was the first of the German: Jabo (German: cat=no|Jagdbomber), using an ETC-501 centre-line bomb rack able to carry up to of bombs or, with horizontal stabilising bars, one standard Luftwaffe drop tank. The U3 retained the fuselage-mounted MG 17s and the wing-mounted 20 mm MG 151 cannon, with the outer MG FF being removed.
  • Fw 190 A-3/U4: The A-3/U4 was a reconnaissance version with two RB 12.5 cameras in the rear fuselage and a EK 16 gun camera or a Robot II miniature camera in the leading edge of the port wing root. Armament was similar to the U3, however, and the ETC 501 was usually fitted with the standardized Luftwaffe drop tank.
  • Fw 190 A-3a: (a=German: ausländisch – foreign) In autumn 1942, 72 new aircraft were delivered to Turkey in an effort to keep that country friendly to the Axis powers. These were designated Fw 190 A-3a, designation for export models and delivered between October 1942 and March 1943.
    • Fw 190 A-4: Introduced in July 1942, the A-4 was equipped with the same engine and basic armament as the A-3.
  • Fw 190 A-4/German: [[Rüstsatz]] 6 (/R6): Some A-4s were fitted with a pair of under-wing German: cat=no|Werfer-Granate 21 (BR 21) rocket mortars, and were designated Fw 190 A-4/R6.
  • Fw 190 A-4/U1: The A-4/U1 was outfitted with an ETC 501 rack under the fuselage. All armament except the MG 151 cannon was removed.
  • Fw 190 A-4/U3: The A-4/U3 was very similar to the U1, and later served as the prototype for the Fw 190 F-1 assault fighter.
  • Fw 190 A-4/U4: The A-4/U4 was a reconnaissance fighter, with two Rb 12.4 cameras in the rear fuselage and an EK 16 or Robot II gun camera. The U4 was equipped with fuselage-mounted MG 17s and 20 mm MG 151 cannon.
  • Fw 190 A-4/U7: The A-4/U7 was a high-altitude fighter, easily identified by the compressor air intakes on either side of the cowling. Adolf Galland flew a U7 in the spring of 1943.
  • Fw 190 A-4/U8: The A-4/U8 was the German: Jabo-Rei (German: Jagdbomber Reichweite, long-range fighter-bomber), adding twin standard Luftwaffe drop tanks, one under each wing, on VTr-Ju 87 racks with duralumin fairings produced by Weserflug, and a centreline bomb rack. The outer wing-mounted 20 mm MG FF/M cannon and the cowling-mounted MG 17 were removed to save weight. The A-4/U8 was the precursor of the Fw 190 G-1.
  • Fw 190 A-4/R1: The A-4/R1, was fitted with a FuG 16ZY radio set with a Morane "whip" aerial fitted under the port wing. These aircraft, called German: Leitjäger or Fighter Formation Leaders, could be tracked and directed from the ground via special R/T equipment called Y-German: Verfahren|cat=no (Y-Control). More frequent use of this equipment was made from the A-5 onwards.
    • Fw 190 A-5: The A-5 was developed after it was determined that the Fw 190 could easily carry more ordnance. The D-2 engine was moved forward another as had been tried out earlier on the service test A-3/U1 aircraft, moving the centre of gravity forward to allow more weight to be carried aft.
  • Fw 190 A-5/U2: The A-5/U2 was designed as a night German: Jabo-Rei and featured anti-reflective fittings and exhaust flame dampers. A centre-line ETC 501 rack typically held a bomb, and wing-mounted racks mounted drop tanks. A EK16 gun camera, as well as landing lights, were fitted to the wing leading edge. The U2 was armed with only two 20 mm MG 151 cannon.
  • Fw 190 A-5/U3: The A-5/U3 was a Jabo fighter fitted with ETC 501s for drop tanks and bombs; it too featured only two MG 151s for armament.
  • Fw 190 A-5/U4: The A-5/U4 was a "recon" fighter with two RB 12.5 cameras and all armament of the basic A-5 with the exception of the MG FF cannon.
  • Fw 190 A-5/U8: The A-5/U8 was another German: Jabo-Rei outfitted with SC-250 centreline-mounted bombs, under-wing 300-litre drop tanks and only two MG 151s; it later became the Fw 190 G-2.
  • Fw 190 A-5/U9: Test installation of the A-7 modifications.
  • Fw 190 A-5/U12: A special U12 was created for bomber attack, outfitted with the standard MG 17 and 20 mm MG 151 but replacing the outer wing 20 mm MG-FF cannon with two underwing gun pods containing two 20 mm MG 151/20 each, for a total of two machine guns and six cannon.
  • Fw 190 A-5/U14: Was able to carry a torpedo (Stkz TD+SI White 871).
  • Fw 190 A-5/R11: The A-5/R11 was a night fighter conversion fitted with FuG 217 German: Neptun|cat=no (Neptune) radar equipment with arrays of three dipole antenna elements vertically mounted fore and aft of the cockpit and above and below the wings. Flame-dampening boxes were fitted over the exhaust exits. A total of 1,752 A-5s were built from November 1942 to June 1943.
    • Fw 190 A-6: The A-6 was developed to address shortcomings found in previous "A" models when attacking U.S. heavy bombers. A structurally redesigned and lighter wing was introduced and the normal armament was increased to two MG 17 fuselage machine guns and four 20 mm MG 151/20E wing root and outer wing cannon with larger ammunition boxes.
  • Fw 190 A-7: The A-7 entered production in November 1943, equipped with the BMW 801 D-2 engine, again producing and two fuselage-mounted MG 131s, replacing the MG 17s.
  • Fw 190 A-8: The A-8 entered production in February 1944, powered either by the standard BMW 801 D-2 or the 801Q (also known as 801TU). The 801Q/TU, with the "T" signifying a German: Triebwerksanlage unitized powerplant installation, was a standard 801D with improved, thicker armour on the BMW-designed front annular cowling, which still incorporated the BMW-designed oil cooler, upgraded from on earlier models to . Changes introduced in the Fw 190 A-8 also included the C3-injection German: Erhöhte Notleistung emergency boost system to the fighter variant of the Fw 190 A (a similar system with less power had been fitted to some earlier German: Jabo variants of the 190 A), raising power to for 10 minutes. The 10 minute emergency power may be used up to three times per mission with a 10 minute cooldown in "combat power" between each 10 minute use of emergency power.[6]
  • Fw 190 A-8/R2: The A-8/R2 replaced the outer wing 20 mm cannon with a MK 108 cannon.
  • Fw 190 A-8/R4: The A-8/R4 featured GM1 nitrous boost to the standard BMW 801 D/Q engine. GM1 (nitrous oxide) injection increased power for short amounts of time, up to 10 minutes at a time. A 20 minute supply was usually carried.
  • Fw 190 A-8/R8: The A-8/R8 was similar to the A-8/R2, but fitted with heavy armour including canopy and windscreen armour and cockpit armour.
  • Fw 190 A-9: First built in September 1944, the Fw 190 A-9 was fitted with the new BMW 801S rated at ; the more powerful 801F-1 was still under development, and not yet available.
  • Fw 190 A-10: Late in the war, the A-10 was fitted with larger wings for better maneuverability at higher altitudes, which could have allowed additional calibre, long-barreled MK 103 cannon to be fitted.

    • A total of 13,291 Fw 190 A-model aircraft were produced.

    A-6, A-7, and A-8 were modified for Sturmböcke bomber-destroyer operations.

    High-altitude developments

    Tank started looking at ways to address the altitude performance problem early in the program. In 1941, he proposed a number of versions featuring new powerplants, and he suggested using turbochargers in place of superchargers. Three such installations were outlined

    Fw 190 V12: (an A-0) would be outfitted with many of the elements which eventually led to the B series.
  • Fw 190 V13: (W.Nr. 0036) first C-series prototype
  • Fw 190 V15: (W.Nr. 0036) second C-series prototype
  • Fw 190 V16: (W.Nr. 0036) third C-series prototype
  • Fw 190 V18: (W.Nr. 0036) fourth C-series prototype
  • Fw 190 B-0: With a turbocharged BMW 801
  • Fw 190 B-1: This aircraft was similar to the B-0, but had slightly different armament. In its initial layout, the B-1 was to be fitted with four MG 17s and two 20 mm MG-FFs. One was fitted with two MG 17s, two 20 mm MG 151s and two 20 mm MG-FFs. After the completion of W.Nr. 811, no further Fw 190 B models were ordered.

    • V-12 Engine

    Fw 190 C: With a turbocharged Daimler-Benz DB 603, the tail of the aircraft had to be lengthened in order to maintain the desired centre of gravity. Four additional prototypes based on the V18/U1 followed: V29, V30, V32 and V33.
  • Fw 190 D: The Fw 190 D (nicknamed Dora; or Long-Nose Dora (German: "Langnasen-Dora") was intended as the high-altitude performance version of the A-series.
  • Fw 190 D-0: The first D-0 prototype was completed in October 1942 with a supercharged Junkers Jumo 213 including a pressurized cockpit and other features making them more suitable for high-altitude work.[7]
  • Fw 190 D-1: Initial production
  • Fw 190 D-2: Initial production
  • Fw 190 D-9: The D-9 series was rarely used against heavy-bomber raids, as the circumstances of the war in late 1944 meant that fighter-versus-fighter combat and ground attack missions took priority. This model was the basis for the follow-on Focke-Wulf Ta 152 aircraft.
  • Fw 190 D-11: Fitted with the up-rated Jumo 213F series engine similar to the Jumo 213E used in the Ta-152 H series but minus the intercooler. Two MK 108 cannons were installed in the outer wings to complement the 20 mm MG 151s in the inboard positions.
  • Fw 190 D-12: Similar to the D-11, but featured the MK 108 cannon in a Motorkanone installation firing through the propeller hub.
  • Fw 190 D-13: The D-13 would be fitted with a 20 mm MG 151/20 motor cannon.

    • Ground attack versions (BMW 801)

    Fw 190 F: The Fw 190F configuration was originally tested in a Fw 190 A-0/U4, starting in May 1942, fitted with centre-line and wing-mounted bomb racks.
  • Fw 190 F-1: Renamed A-4/U3s of which 18 were built
  • Fw 190 F-2: Renamed A-5/U3s, of which 270 were built according to Focke-Wulf production logs and Ministry of Aviation acceptance reports.
  • Fw 190 F-3: Developed under the designation Fw 190 A-5/U17, which was outfitted with a centreline mounted ETC 501 bomb rack. The Fw 190 F-3/R1 had two additional ETC 50 bomb racks under each wing. The F-3 could carry a 66-Imp gal (300 liter) drop tank. A total of 432 Fw 190 F-3s were built.
  • Fw 190 F-4 to F-7: designations used for projects.
    • Fw 190 F-8: Based on the A-8 Fighter, having a slightly modified injector on the compressor which allowed for increased performance at lower altitudes for several minutes. Armament of the Fw 190 F-8 was two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in the wing roots and two MG 131 machine guns above the engine. It was outfitted with an ETC 501 Bomb rack as centerline mount and four ETC 50 bomb racks as underwing mounts.
  • Fw 190 F-8/U1 : long range German: Jabo, fitted with underwing V.Mtt-Schloß shackles to hold two of the Luftwaffe's standardized drop tanks. ETC 503 bomb racks were also fitted, allowing the Fw 190 F-8/U1 to carry one SC 250 bomb under each wing and one SC 250 bomb on the centreline.
  • Fw 190 F-8/U2 : prototype torpedo bomber, fitted with an ETC 503 bomb rack under each wing and a centre-line mounted ETC 504. The U2 was also equipped with the TSA 2 A weapons sighting system that improved the U2's ability to attack seaborne targets with a 700kg (1,500lb) BT 700.
  • Fw 190 F-8/U3 : heavy torpedo bomber was outfitted with an ETC 502, which allowed it to carry one BT-1400 heavy torpedo (1400kg (3,100lb)). Owing to the size of the torpedo, the U3's tail gear needed to be lengthened. The U3 also was fitted with the 2,000 PS BMW 801S engine, and the tail from the Ta 152.
  • Fw 190 F-8/U4 : created as a night bomber, was equipped with flame dampers on the exhaust and various electrical systems such as the FuG 101 radio altimeter, the PKS 12 automatic pilot, and the TSA 2 A sighting system. The U4 was fitted with only two MG 151/20 cannon as fixed armament.
  • Fw 190 F-8/R3 : project with two underwing mounted 30mm MK 103 cannon.
  • Fw 190 F-9: based on the Fw 190 A-9, equipped with a new bulged canopy as fitted to late-build F-8s and A-8s, and four ETC 50 or ETC 70 bomb racks under the wings. According to Ministry of Aviation acceptance reports, 147 F-9s were built in January 1945, and perhaps several hundred more from February to May 1945. (Data for these months is missing and probably lost.)
  • Fw 190 G: The Fw 190 G was built as a long-range attack aircraft (Jagdbomber mit vergrösserter Reichweite – abbreviated German: JaBo Rei). Following the success of the Fw 190 F as a German: Schlachtflugzeug (close support, or "strike aircraft"), both the Luftwaffe and Focke-Wulf began investigating ways of extending the range of the Fw 190 F. Approximately 1,300 Fw 190 Gs of all variants were new built.
  • Fw 190 G-1: The G-1 was renamed from A-4/U8 German: Jabo Reis. Initial testing found that if all but two wing root mounted 20 mm MG 151 cannons (with reduced ammunition load) were removed, the Fw 190 G-1 (as it was now called) could carry a or bomb on the centreline and up to a bomb under each wing.
  • Fw 190 G-2: The G-2 was renamed from Fw 190 A-5/U8 aircraft, similar to the G-1; the underwing drop tank racks were replaced with the much simpler German: V.Mtt-Schloß fittings, to allow for a number of underwing configurations.
  • Fw 190 G-3: The G-3 was based on A-6 with all but the two wing root mounted MG 151 cannons removed. The new V.Fw. Trg bombracks, however, allowed the G-3 to simultaneously carry fuel tanks and bomb loads
  • Fw 190 G-3/R1 : The G-3/R1 replaced the V.Fw. Trg racks with a pair of German: Waffen-Behälter WB 151/20 conformal cannon pods; each mounting a pair of Mauser MG 151/20 autocannon, giving the G-3/R1 – with its existing pair of wing-root mounted, synchronized MG 151/20 autocannon, a total of six such ordnance pieces.[8]
  • Fw 190 G-3/R5 : The G-3/R5 was similar to the R1, but the V.Fw. Trg racks were removed, and two ETC 50 racks per wing were added.
  • Fw 190 G-8: The G-8 was based on the Fw 190 A-8, using the same "bubble" canopy as the F-8 and fitted with underwing ETC 503 racks that could carry either bombs or drop tanks.
  • Fw 190 G-8/R4 : The G-8/R4 kit was a planned refit for the GM 1 engine boost system, but never made it into production.
  • Fw 190 G-8/R5 : The G-8/R5 kit replaced the ETC 503 racks with two ETC 50 or 71 racks.

    • Trainer versions

    Fw 190 A-5/U1: Several old Fw 190 A-5s were converted by replacing the MW 50 tank with a second cockpit. The canopy was modified, replaced with a new three-section unit that opened to the side. The rear portion of the fuselage was closed off with sheet metal.
  • Fw 190 A-8/U1: A similar conversion to the A-5/U1.
  • Fw 190 S-5: A-5/U1 trainers re-designated.
  • Fw 190 S-8: A-8/U1 trainers re-designated. An estimated 58 Fw 190 S-5 and S-8 models were converted or built.

    • Combat history

    See main article: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 operational history.

    The Fw 190 participated on every major combat front where the Luftwaffe operated after 1941, and did so with success in a variety of roles. The Fw 190 first tasted combat on the Western Front in August 1941, where it proved superior to the Mk V Spitfire. The Spitfire's main advantage over the Fw 190, and the Bf 109 as well, was its superior turn radius. Beyond that, the Fw 190 outperformed the Spitfire Mk. V in most areas, such as roll rate, speed, acceleration, and dive performance. The addition of the Fw 190 to the Jagdwaffe allowed the Germans to fight off RAF attacks and achieve local air superiority over German skies until the summer of 1942, when the improved Spitfire Mk. IX was introduced. In June 1942, Oberleutnant Armin Faber of JG 2 landed his Fw 190 A-3 at a British airfield, allowing the RAF to test the Mk. IX against the 190 and learn tactics to counter it.

    Production

    A Focke-Wulf plant east of Marienburg was bombed by the Eighth Air Force on 9 October 1944. In addition, one of the most important sub-contractors for the radial-engined Fw 190s was AGO Flugzeugwerke, which from 1941 through to the end of the war produced enough Fw 190s to earn it major attention from the USAAF, with the AGO plant in Oschersleben being attacked at least five times during the war from 1943 onwards.

    Production[9]
    Variant Number Production dates
    Fw 190 A-1 102 1941 June – 1941 October
    Fw 190 A-2/A-3909 1941 October – 1943 August
    Fw 190 A-4 975 1942 June – 1943 August
    Fw 190 A-5 1,752 1942 November – 1943 August
    Fw 190 A-61,052 1943 May – 1944 March
    Fw 190 A-7 701 1943 November – 1944 March
    Fw 190 A-8 6,655 1944 February – 1945 February
    Fw 190 A-9 930 1944 September – 1945 February
    Total (including prototypes
    and pre-production aircraft)     		13,291 —
    Fw 190 F-1/F-2(A-4) 18 & 271 1942 May – 1943 May
    Fw 190 F-3(A-5) 432 1943 May – 1944 April
    Fw 190 F-8(A-8) 6,143 1944 March – 1945 February
    Fw 190 F-9(A-9) 415 1944 September – 1945 February
    Total 7,279 —
    Fw 190 G-1(A-4) 1831942 August – 1942 November
    Fw 190 G-2(A-5) 235 1942 July – 1943 May
    Fw 190 G-3(A-6) 214 1943 June – 1943 December
    Fw 190 G-8(A-8) 689 1943 August – 1944 February
    Total approx. 1,300 —
    Fw 190 D-9 1,805 1944 August – 1945 April
    Fw 190 D-11 20 1945 February – 1945 March
    Fw 190 D-13 1 1945 April – 1945 April
    Total 1,826 —
    Fw 190 S-5 converted from A-5 or built c. 20 1944 late
    Fw 190 S-8 converted from A-8 or built c. 38 1944 late
    Total 58 —
    Ta 152 V/H-0 44 1944 December – 1945 January
    Ta 152 H-1 25 1945 January – 1945 April
    Total 69 —
    Total (all variants) 23,823 —

    Surviving aircraft and modern replicas

    See main article: List of surviving Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. Some 28 original Fw 190s are in museums or in the hands of private collectors around the world.

    In 1997 a German company, Flug Werk GmbH, began manufacturing new Fw 190 models as reproductions. By 2012, 20 had been produced, most flyable, a few as static display models, with airworthy examples usually powered by Chinese-manufactured Shvetsov ASh-82 twin-row, 14-cylinder radial powerplants,[10] which have a displacement of 41.2 litres, close to the BMW 801's 41.8 litres, with the same engine cylinder arrangement and number of cylinders.

    The nearly intact wreck of an Fw 190 A-5/U3 (German: Werknummer 151 227) that had crashed in a marsh in a forest near Leningrad, Soviet Union, 1943 was located in 1989. After restoration in the US, the Fw 190 flew again (with the original BMW 801 powerplant) on 1 December 2010. Following the successful test flight, the aircraft was then trucked up to the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum in Everett, Washington, where it was reassembled in April 2011 and returned to airworthy condition.

    At least five surviving Fw 190A radial-engined aircraft are known to have been assigned to the Luftwaffe's JG 5 wing in Herdla, Norway. More German fighter aircraft on display in museums in the 21st century have originated from this unit than from any other Axis Powers' military aviation unit of World War II.

    The Turkish Air Force retired all of its Fw 190A-3 fleet at the end of 1947 mostly because of a lack of spare parts. It is rumored that American-Turkish bilateral agreements required retiring and scrapping of all German-origin aircraft, although that requirement did not exist for any other country. According to the Hürriyet Daily News, all of the retired Fw 190s were saved from scrapping by wrapping them with protective cloths and burying them in the soil near the Aviation Supply and Maintenance Center at Kayseri. All attempts to locate and recover the aircraft have been unsuccessful, which suggests the story is probably a hoax or myth.[11]

    Operators

    References

    Bibliography

    Further reading

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: Focke Wulf Ta 152 . Air & space . Smithsonian . 27 December 2019 . 27 December 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191227022638/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/focke-wulf-ta-152-h-0r11 . dead .
    2. Web site: National Interest . Nazi Germany's Focke-Wulf FW-190: The Best Fighter Aircraft of World War II?. August 11, 2017.
    3. Price 2000, p. 6.
    4. Web site: フォッケウルフ190の尾輪. www5a.biglobe.ne.jp.
    5. Web site: 傑作機、Fw190の尾輪です . Miyama . T. . biglobe . ne . ja . January 31, 2014.
    6. Web site: Leistungssteigerung bei der Fw 190 mit 801 D durch motorseitige Maßnahmen . 29 June 2022.
    7. http://www.csd.uwo.ca/Elevon/baugher_other/fw190d.html "Focke-Wulf Fw 190D"
    8. Web site: Royal Museum of the Armed Forces in Brussels, Belgium – photo of surviving German WB 151/20 conformal gunpod. landmarkscout.com. April 26, 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20170822014131/https://www.landmarkscout.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/WB-151-Dual-Canon-Pack-Wing-mount.jpg?x78904. August 22, 2017.
    9. Focke-Wulf FW 190 Vol. 1-Vol. 4 (Monografie 01-Monografie 06) by Krzysztof Janowicz
    10. http://www.flugwerk.de/html/page.php?GID=19&SID=4 "Die FW 190 aus dem Flugwerk"
    11. Web site: Over 50 missing warplanes found buried in central Turkey: Report. Hürriyet Daily News. 14 October 2016 . 26 April 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180426004119/http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/over-50-missing-warplanes-found-buried-in-central-turkey-report--104962. 26 April 2018.
    12. Gordon and Komissarov 2008, p. 91.
    13. Gordon and Komissarov 2008, p. 100.

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