Focke-Wulf Fw 190
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed Würger (lit. '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.
History
Along with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the Jagdwaffe (Fighter Force) of the 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 (Wilde Sau tactics).
The Fw 190 A-8/R2 "Sturmbock" was heavily armored, the Fw 190 A-9 achieved 2000 hp and 656 km/h with its BMW 801 S engine. The fastest fighter of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 series was the Fw 190 D-9 (also known as the "Long Nose"), which reached a top speed of 714 km/h at an altitude of 7,000 m. However, the most powerful aircraft technically related to the Fw 190 was the Focke-Wulf Ta 152, which was even faster at 718 km/h at an altitude of 10,700 m.
Production
Anton "Toni" Hackl, Egon Mayer, Heinz Bär, Hans Ehlers and Walter Loos were other well-known fighter aces with the Bf 109 and the Fw 190.
A 0.40 km2 (99-acre) Focke-Wulf plant east of Marienburg was bombed by the Eighth Air Force on 9 October 1944.[1] 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.
| Variant | Number | Production dates |
|---|---|---|
| Fw 190 A-1 | 102 | June–October 1941 |
| Fw 190 A-2/A-3 | 909 | October 1941 – August 1943 |
| Fw 190 A-4 | 975 | June 1942 – August 1943 |
| Fw 190 A-5 | 1,752 | November 1942 – August 1943 |
| Fw 190 A-6 | 1,052 | May 1943 – March 1944 |
| Fw 190 A-7 | 701 | November 1943 – March 1944 |
| Fw 190 A-8 | 6,655 | February 1944 – February 1945 |
| Fw 190 A-9 | 930 | September 1944 – February 1945 |
| Total (including prototypes and pre-production aircraft) | 13,291 | — |
| Fw 190 F-1/F-2 (A-4) | 18 & 271 | May 1942 – May 1943 |
| Fw 190 F-3 (A-5) | 432 | May 1943 – April 1944 |
| Fw 190 F-8 (A-8) | 6,143 | March 1944 – February 1945 |
| Fw 190 F-9 (A-9) | 415 | September 1944 – February 1945 |
| Total | 7,279 | — |
| Fw 190 G-1 (A-4) | 183 | August–November 1942 |
| Fw 190 G-2 (A-5) | 235 | 1942 July – 1943 May |
| Fw 190 G-3 (A-6) | 214 | June–December 1943 |
| Fw 190 G-8 (A-8) | 689 | August 1943 – February 1944 |
| Total | ~1,300 | — |
| Fw 190 D-9 | 1,805 | August 1944 – April 1945[2] |
| Fw 190 D-11 | 20 | February–March 1945 |
| Fw 190 D-13 | 1 | April 1945 |
| Total | 1,826 | — |
| Fw 190 S-5 converted from A-5 or built | ~20 | Late 1944 |
| Fw 190 S-8 converted from A-8 or built | ~38 | Late 1944 |
| Total | 58 | — |
| Ta 152 V/H-0 | 44 | December 1944 – January 1945 |
| Ta 152 H-1 | 25 | January–April 1945 |
| Total | 69 | — |
| Total (all variants) | 23,823 | — |
