Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-13
Though the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was considered one of the world’s finest fighters in 1937, Germany’s Reich Air Ministry (RLM) called for a complementary design, which would overlap the Bf 109 and preserve Germany’s qualitative edge. While most German companies submitted fighters with inline engines, Focke-Wulf, led by their chief designer, Kurt Tank, submitted a radial-engined design. The RLM initially rejected Tank’s design, as radial engines were thought to cause too much drag; Tank countered that both the US and Japanese Navies routinely operated radial-engined fighters. The RLM relented, and the first Fw 190V-1 prototype flew in June 1939.
Tank had intended his design to be a heavy “warhorse” compared to the thin “pony” of the Bf 109, though it was roughly the same size. While the Fw 190 was indeed heavier than the 109, it actually had better performance below 20,000 feet, with better horizontal speed, higher roll rate, and better visibility, as it used a “blown” frameless canopy rather than the heavily-latticed canopy of the Bf 109. Pilots also liked the roomier cockpit and especially the wide-tracked landing gear. Tank’s tight cowl idea was somewhat flawed, however: on its first flight, waste heat from the BMW 801 engine raised cockpit temperatures to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat was mitigated by installing a cooling fan behind the propeller and later air scoops behind the cowling, but it was not until field modifications were made on production Fw 190As that it was finally cured; until then, engine temperatures remained a chronic problem and at least one 190 was lost when its machine gun ammunition detonated. Controls were made as light as possible, and used rods rather than pulleys, and along with electrically-boosted controls, this gave the Fw 190 superb responsiveness, though it had a high stall speed and would become unresponsive below 127 mph.
Problems with the engine led to the Fw 190 not entering significant strength until mid-1941, but when it did enter service, it came as a rude shock to Allied fighter pilots: the Fw 190 could outmanuever the Spitfire, it was faster, and it had a much heavier armament of 20mm cannon and 13mm machine guns. Moreover, due to its radial engine, it was more durable. As 190s began to rack up kills, Supermarine launched a crash program to produce the Spitfire IX, which at least was equal to the 190, but it was not until the introduction of later marks of the Spitfire, the Tempest, and the P-47 and P-51 that the Western Allies had a fighter that could match the 190. Soviet pilots also had difficulty fighting the 190 in much lighter Yak-1s, and even radial-engined Lavochkin La-5s and 7s only offered parity. Though Focke-Wulf hoped it would replace the 109—an opinion shared by many Luftwaffe pilots—the 190’s performance fell off dramatically above 20,000 feet, where the 109 was still effective. Still, the duo seemed well-matched, with 190s attacking targets below that altitude, and 109s above it.
The Fw 190’s heavy armament also made it ideally suited to attacking the bomber boxes of American B-17s and B-24s, which were heavily defended. Head-on attacks were effective, but could not always be done. Fw 190s operating in Defense of the Reich were often equipped with Werfergranate 21 rocket-boosted mortars or R4M rockets to attack heavy bombers. Some Sturmbocke units were switched to Wilde Sau (Wild Boar) visual nightfighters against British bombers, while the uparmored Fw 190A served as the basis for the successful Fw 190F/G fighter bombers.
The Focke-Wulf 190 was doomed, however: despite its performance, it could not be produced quickly enough in a nation being continuously bombed. Luftwaffe pilot quality declined throughout 1944 as well. When Germany was overrun in May 1945 and World War II in Europe ended, the Fw 190 had turned in an admirable performance, but most of the over 18,000 produced either were shot down, burned by their pilots to avoid capture, or scrapped by the Allies. Only 26 survive in museums today, though in 1997, Flugwerk of Germany began limited production of new-build Fw 190As; ironically, these are powered by the same Russian engines that powered the La-7.
In an attempt to improve the Fw 190As performance above 20,000 feet, Focke-Wulf began work on a variant, designated Fw 190D, with an inline Junkers Jumo 213A engine that offered better performance and higher speed; to further increase this, a booster kit that increased manifold pressure and a water-methanol injection system was introduced as well. To counter the greater torque of the Jumo engine, the rear fuselage was stretched, which had the added effect of improving the already good vision to the rear of the Fw 190A. This, along with the longer nose added to accommodate the Jumo, led to the design being nicknamed Langnasen Dora (Long-Nosed Dora) by both Luftwaffe and Allied pilots.
The hoped for improvement above 20,000 feet was in vain, as the Dora was still regularly outperformed, especially by the improved P-47M, and the redesign of the fuselage lowered its manueverability and roll rate. However, the increased speed meant that the Dora was good at slashing tactics—diving on an opponent, firing with its cannon, and converting speed to altitude in a zoom climb. Since by the time the Dora was introduced—September 1944—Luftwaffe pilots were having to fight their way through dense Allied fighter cover, more often than not the Doras were involved fighting fighters, not attacking bombers. In the hands of a competent pilot, however, the Fw 190D was equal to anything in the Allied inventory.
This Fw 190D is a rare bird indeed--it is one of only four Doras left in the world, and the only D-13. Werknummer 836017 was surrendered to the USAAF in 1945, taken to the US, and test flown until 1948. It went through a few museums before being bought and restored by Doug Champlin for his Fighter Museum. When the Fighter Museum closed in 2001, the aircraft was acquired by the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington. It is in theory flyable (and still has an intact Jumo engine), but because of its rarity, the FHC has decided it will not be flown. It is painted in a variation of standard late-war Luftwaffe mottled gray camouflage. It also carries commander's stripes and the ace of spades emblem of JG 26.
Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-13
Though the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was considered one of the world’s finest fighters in 1937, Germany’s Reich Air Ministry (RLM) called for a complementary design, which would overlap the Bf 109 and preserve Germany’s qualitative edge. While most German companies submitted fighters with inline engines, Focke-Wulf, led by their chief designer, Kurt Tank, submitted a radial-engined design. The RLM initially rejected Tank’s design, as radial engines were thought to cause too much drag; Tank countered that both the US and Japanese Navies routinely operated radial-engined fighters. The RLM relented, and the first Fw 190V-1 prototype flew in June 1939.
Tank had intended his design to be a heavy “warhorse” compared to the thin “pony” of the Bf 109, though it was roughly the same size. While the Fw 190 was indeed heavier than the 109, it actually had better performance below 20,000 feet, with better horizontal speed, higher roll rate, and better visibility, as it used a “blown” frameless canopy rather than the heavily-latticed canopy of the Bf 109. Pilots also liked the roomier cockpit and especially the wide-tracked landing gear. Tank’s tight cowl idea was somewhat flawed, however: on its first flight, waste heat from the BMW 801 engine raised cockpit temperatures to 131 degrees Fahrenheit. Heat was mitigated by installing a cooling fan behind the propeller and later air scoops behind the cowling, but it was not until field modifications were made on production Fw 190As that it was finally cured; until then, engine temperatures remained a chronic problem and at least one 190 was lost when its machine gun ammunition detonated. Controls were made as light as possible, and used rods rather than pulleys, and along with electrically-boosted controls, this gave the Fw 190 superb responsiveness, though it had a high stall speed and would become unresponsive below 127 mph.
Problems with the engine led to the Fw 190 not entering significant strength until mid-1941, but when it did enter service, it came as a rude shock to Allied fighter pilots: the Fw 190 could outmanuever the Spitfire, it was faster, and it had a much heavier armament of 20mm cannon and 13mm machine guns. Moreover, due to its radial engine, it was more durable. As 190s began to rack up kills, Supermarine launched a crash program to produce the Spitfire IX, which at least was equal to the 190, but it was not until the introduction of later marks of the Spitfire, the Tempest, and the P-47 and P-51 that the Western Allies had a fighter that could match the 190. Soviet pilots also had difficulty fighting the 190 in much lighter Yak-1s, and even radial-engined Lavochkin La-5s and 7s only offered parity. Though Focke-Wulf hoped it would replace the 109—an opinion shared by many Luftwaffe pilots—the 190’s performance fell off dramatically above 20,000 feet, where the 109 was still effective. Still, the duo seemed well-matched, with 190s attacking targets below that altitude, and 109s above it.
The Fw 190’s heavy armament also made it ideally suited to attacking the bomber boxes of American B-17s and B-24s, which were heavily defended. Head-on attacks were effective, but could not always be done. Fw 190s operating in Defense of the Reich were often equipped with Werfergranate 21 rocket-boosted mortars or R4M rockets to attack heavy bombers. Some Sturmbocke units were switched to Wilde Sau (Wild Boar) visual nightfighters against British bombers, while the uparmored Fw 190A served as the basis for the successful Fw 190F/G fighter bombers.
The Focke-Wulf 190 was doomed, however: despite its performance, it could not be produced quickly enough in a nation being continuously bombed. Luftwaffe pilot quality declined throughout 1944 as well. When Germany was overrun in May 1945 and World War II in Europe ended, the Fw 190 had turned in an admirable performance, but most of the over 18,000 produced either were shot down, burned by their pilots to avoid capture, or scrapped by the Allies. Only 26 survive in museums today, though in 1997, Flugwerk of Germany began limited production of new-build Fw 190As; ironically, these are powered by the same Russian engines that powered the La-7.
In an attempt to improve the Fw 190As performance above 20,000 feet, Focke-Wulf began work on a variant, designated Fw 190D, with an inline Junkers Jumo 213A engine that offered better performance and higher speed; to further increase this, a booster kit that increased manifold pressure and a water-methanol injection system was introduced as well. To counter the greater torque of the Jumo engine, the rear fuselage was stretched, which had the added effect of improving the already good vision to the rear of the Fw 190A. This, along with the longer nose added to accommodate the Jumo, led to the design being nicknamed Langnasen Dora (Long-Nosed Dora) by both Luftwaffe and Allied pilots.
The hoped for improvement above 20,000 feet was in vain, as the Dora was still regularly outperformed, especially by the improved P-47M, and the redesign of the fuselage lowered its manueverability and roll rate. However, the increased speed meant that the Dora was good at slashing tactics—diving on an opponent, firing with its cannon, and converting speed to altitude in a zoom climb. Since by the time the Dora was introduced—September 1944—Luftwaffe pilots were having to fight their way through dense Allied fighter cover, more often than not the Doras were involved fighting fighters, not attacking bombers. In the hands of a competent pilot, however, the Fw 190D was equal to anything in the Allied inventory.
This Fw 190D is a rare bird indeed--it is one of only four Doras left in the world, and the only D-13. Werknummer 836017 was surrendered to the USAAF in 1945, taken to the US, and test flown until 1948. It went through a few museums before being bought and restored by Doug Champlin for his Fighter Museum. When the Fighter Museum closed in 2001, the aircraft was acquired by the Flying Heritage Collection in Everett, Washington. It is in theory flyable (and still has an intact Jumo engine), but because of its rarity, the FHC has decided it will not be flown. It is painted in a variation of standard late-war Luftwaffe mottled gray camouflage. It also carries commander's stripes and the ace of spades emblem of JG 26.