Focke-Wulf Fw 190 (Wurger)

History

When the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter/fighter-bomber became the legendary German fighter of WWII (1939-1945), the Luftwaffe deployed a powerful 'double whammy', including the classic Focke-Wulf Fw 190' Wurger'" ("Brock") aircraft, which formed the second component of this air lethality. Most observers considered the Fw 190 to be the best German fighter in service throughout the war, as it served in The famous British Supermarine Spitfire V, for ultimate air superiority, Fw 190 production reached over 20,000 by the end of the war - a few hundred less than the total Spitfire production, and in the equally famous North American P-51" There were thousands before the Mustang.[/p ]

With such numbers, the Fw 190 was deployed in a variety of battlefield variants to fulfill a variety of roles - from fighter/fighter-bomber and general-purpose bomber interception to ground attack and torpedo bombardment. The series' first flight took place on June 1, 1939, just a few months before the official start of World War II (September 1).

An introduction followed in August 1941 and its debut in 1942. While Luftwaffe examples remained operational only until the end of the war in 1945, the Turkish Air Force - which received some Fw 190s from Germany during the conflict - did not fly until 1949. /p]

Despite its short lifespan, the Fw 190 made an undeniable impression on observers during and after the war. In fact, even renowned American pilot and aviation pioneer Chuck Yeager said the Fw 190 was the only aircraft that could rival the post-war German-designed P-51D Mustang.

The development of the Fw 190 also forced the British to keep developing their own Spitfire fighters, which eventually gave birth to the Spitfire IX brand, which rivaled the latest Fw 190.

The origins of the Fw 190 stem from an attempt by the Luftwaffe in 1937 to pair their new Bf 109 fighter with an interceptor-oriented form. Focke-Wulf focused on the Kurt Tank (1898-1983) convinced of the merits of a streamlined fighter with a radial piston engine to compete with all inline fighter types known at the time - including Germany's own Bf 109. In addition, with the inline Compared to the complexity required for the liquid cooling function of jet-engine fighter jets, radial aircraft offer simpler manufacture and operation.

Additionally, there is a consensus that two front-line fighters will compete for a single stock of the Daimler-Benz DB601 inline engine, so the choice of a radial engine for the new Focke-Wulf-Jager is radial in nature and any powerplant competition will revolve around Pass Messerschmitt products.

Fw 190 in action

The first combat action of the Fw 190 took place in February 1942, when nimble small fighters were called in to cover the retreat of several famous German naval battleships that had fled to friendly ports in order to protect themselves. The attacking British torpedo bombers were quickly dispatched as they attempted to sabotage and sink German ships, giving a sense of the firepower and capabilities inherent in the new German design.

The Fw 190 proved so agile and fast that it could tangle with all known Allied fighter types at the time. In August 1942, out of anger at the invading Allies, the Fw 190 was used during the Dieppe landing, a disastrous venture for the enemy - 97 RAF were claimed during the operation Aircraft, and Fw 190 their part perfect.

As the war progressed, the Fw 190 was in constant contact with incoming enemy bombers, and the weapon was upgraded with more guns and support for underwing missiles. Only when Allied combat escorts gained greater range would a network of floating defenses follow the formation to and from targets deep in German-held territory.

Bomb racks were eventually installed under the fuselage and under the wings of the Fw 190 to extend the front into a fighter-bomber form suitable for attacking ground targets.

At the end of the war, the combat airfields were pushed further towards Berlin, forcing the Fw 190s to play an increasingly ground attack/support role as German air supremacy waned in recent days. Regardless, the beleaguered German aircraft crews continued to fight with their Fw 190s despite mounting casualties and the arrival of jet fighters.

The Allied bombing campaign eventually cut off the number of available Fw 190s for good, and the loss of pilots only made things worse for Germany. In the end, the Hunter came into play and was eventually destroyed on multiple fronts beyond its controlthough it ended only with the official surrender of Germany itself.

The total output benefits the entire Fw 190 line and provides type saw service on all fronts committed by the German military. Despite the superior usability and overall performance of the competing Bf 109, pilots tend to rate the Fw 190 higher between the two German fighters - showing so much respect for the product. The Fw 190 fought in the Mediterranean, East and West during wartime, and was usually undiscovered by the Allies for most of 1941 and 1942.

That all changed when a German pilot accidentally landed his Fw 190 at a British airfield - giving the Allies much of the information they needed as investigations and investigations into the new German fighter followed. The Allies will now understand the problems they face and work feverishly to deal with them.

Fw 190 Walk

During the design phase of the aircraft, German engineers opted for a rather unique design form on the Fw 190 product, if traditional in nature. As usual, the radial piston engine was mounted in the tubular front part of the aircraft, while the cockpit was mounted only in the tail. The location of the cockpit made the early Fw 190 generally relatively poor visibility due to the higher front dash, the raised fuselage spine at the rear, and the lower position of the wing main aircraft.

The tail is conventional, with a single, small-surface vertical tail and low-mounted horizontal plane. The main-wing aircraft is located in the forward part of the ship and has a straight design with truncated wingtips. The landing gear is in a typical trailing arrangement, with the main legs clamped under the wings. Ground walking is a bit challenging for novice pilots due to the cockpit visibility, but the wide track of the main legs helps this to some extent.

The engine drives a three-bladed propeller assembly at the front, covered by a large spinner in the middle. Compared to the competing Bf 109, the Fw 190 was a completely different way to meet the needs of a German fighter.

Variant - Prototype

The Fw 190 series started with the "BMW 139" prototype in the Fw 190 V1 and Fw 190 V2. The pair consisted of a BMW 139 twin-row 14-cylinder radial-piston engine producing 1,529 horsepower in a streamlined hood, and the V1 first flew on June 1, 1939. The V2 followed on October 31, 1939, with a new spinner assembly and a new fan.

This pilot model is equipped with 2 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns and 2 x 13mm MG 131 machine guns (called when they fall into the arc of the rotating propeller blades) at the root of the wing. Despite the plans, the V3 and V4 prototypes were eventually abandoned.

The Fw 190 V5 prototype was equipped with the new BMW 801 14-cylinder twin-row radial piston engine, which provided more power. An engine management system was also installed in the cockpit, one of the first to use such a feature on a fighter, and it helped control engine boost and propeller pitch as needed. The Fw 190 V5k offered a shortened wingspan and first flew in early 1940, but reflected that the new wing - plus the stated V5 add-on - was built for a more difficult-to-operate fighter than originally envisaged.

This led to the Fw 190 V5g prototype, which featured an extended wing that provided greater agility than the previous V5k, but became slightly slower overall. The wing of this design was officially used on the upcoming Fw 190A fighter.

Fw 190A model

The A-type series began in 1940 with the pre-production Fw 190A-0 model. Nine of these early production aircraft still used the V5k's "winglet" approach, as the long-wing version was incomplete. The standardized armament became 6 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns, two of which were mounted on the fairing, two at the root of the wing, and two on the wing itself.

Of the six machine guns, the bonnet and wing root machine guns fired synchronously through the rotating propeller blades - the outboard wing guns were located on the outside of the propeller arc. The brand's 28 aircraft were eventually completed.

In June 1941, the Fw 190A-1 series was introduced, these aircraft were equipped with the BMW 801 C-1 series 1,560 hp radial engine. The brand's armament has changed slightly as the two outboard MG-17 machine guns were replaced by 2 x20mm MG-FF/M cannons.

The Fw 190A-2 received the BMW 801 C-2 series radial engine in June 1942, with changes including the replacement of the wing root machine guns with 2 x 20mm MG 151/20E machine guns.

The Fw 190A-3 designation contains several sub-variants. The A-3 model introduced the 1,677-horsepower BMW 801 D-2 radial engine, along with the same machine gun/cannon armament as the A-2 model.

Sub-variants of the brand include the Fw 190A-3/U1 with extended engine mounts, the U2 variant with missile launcher rails under the wing, the U3 in fighter-bomber form (centerline, up to 1,100 lb gun) and U4 Scout Fw 190 The U3 adopted the standard armament of earlier Fw 190 models, but lost its MG FF outboard cannon. For the U4 reconnaissance version, 2 RB 12.5 series cameras are mounted on the rear fuselage, a box camera is mounted on the port wing, and the fuselage is equipped with an external ejectable fuel tank for extended missions.

Fw 190A-3a were 72 aircraft supplied to the Turkish Air Force to move the country in support of the Axis powers. Turkey eventually remained neutral for most of the war, then sided with the Allies in the final months. The aircraft entered Turkish inventory in October 1942.

Then there is the Fw 190 A-4 brand, which includes more sub-variants. Introduced in July 1942, the product line continued the form and function of the previous A-3 model, now adding water-ethanol performance to the engine.

The Fw 190A-4/R6 gained underwing equipment for firing rocket mortars, while the A-4/U1 lost the machine gun and retained the cannon and bomb equipment. The U3 brand said it ultimately influenced the prototype of the upcoming Fw 190F-1 production model.

The U4 became a reconnaissance aircraft with a camera and a combination of machine gun and cannon weapons. The U7 is a high-altitude fighter profile with additional compressor air intakes on either side of the fairing, while the U8 is a long-range fighter-bomber profile with underwing drop tanks and centerline bomb racks. As a weight saving measure, the latter model lost the fairing-mounted machine gun and the outboard 20mm machine gun.

The R1 completes the A-4 model series, serving as a dedicated "formation leader" in front of the flying group, equipped with tracking and steering equipment specific to that role.

The Fw 190A-5 is an improved, slightly modified form of the Fw 190. It still uses the same BMW D-2 series radial engine, but its mount has been moved forward by about 6 inches to accommodate the better balance of the fuselage. The original brand was the Fw 190A-5/U2, which played a night fighter-bomber role with a centerline bomb rack, underwing fuel tanks and 2 x 20mm artillery armament.

The U3 is another fighter-bomber variant that shares the armament of the U2. The U4 was deployed on a reconnaissance mission and as usual was equipped with cameras and relied on full cannon armament. The U8 uses a centerline bomb rack with underwing fuel tanks and armament centered on a 2 x 20mm MG 151 cannon.

The U9 is a testbed affecting the upcoming Fw 190A-7 model series. The U-12 was designed to command Allied bombers by adding armament, with 2 x 7.92mm MG-17 machine guns mounted on the nose hood, 2 x 20mm MG-151 cannons at the root of the wings, and 2 x 20mm machine guns under the wings The Combat 151/20 machine gun pod remained outside the propeller arc.

The November 1942 R11 took on the night fighter role and was equipped with a "Neptune" radar system - these shapes could be identified by their protruding antennae.