So good was the Bf 109 considered in 1937 that many experts in Germany thought there was no need to consider a successor. A successor was however ordered. Dubbed Wurger or "Butcher Bird" it was designed at Focke-Wulf Bremen by a team under Kurt Tank. The Fw 190 which flew on 1st June 1939 was at the time the most advanced fighter in the world. Apparently unknown to Allied Intelligence it burst on to the scene in Northern France in the summer of 1941. At first RAF Intelligence officers concluded that the Radial Engined Fighters must be captured Curtiss Hawk 75's but it was soon realised that they were in a different class entirely. When a flyable example fell in to RAF hands in June 1942 the Fw 190 was held in even greater respect. The original BMW 139 Engine in the prototype was prone to overheating and it took several modifications to resolve this issue but once fitted with the more powerful BMW 801 series engine most of these issues had been ironed out. The neat Airframe was designed for rapid manufacture in dispersed facilities , a factor that was important when, by 1943, 190 production was taking place at 24 seperate locations. The need for simple maintenance was also designed for from the start, as was a wide Landing Gear, neat frameless canopy and virtually all electric systems. This was an exceptional machine to handle and without the shortcomings of the later Bf 109 variants. Combined with excellent Combat protection , heavy armament and the ability to carry offensive loads far greater than the limits for any other WW2 single engined fighter and indeed some Heavy Bombers. One has to question the continued production of Bf 109's which outstripped 190 production for the whole war. The Fw 190A version was the first to carry the outstanding new MG151 Cannon as well the old MG FF and Machine Guns. The cockpit was especially modern and impressive, and the fan cooled engine was controlled by an automatic system which in emergency could allow an override boost to be selected for even greater temporary performance. Later versions of the 190 usually had special power boost systems such as MW50 using Methanol-Water or GM-1 using Nitrous Oxide. As early as March 1942 tests were exploring the 190's suitability as a Fighter/Bomber and the result was a range of special variants such as thw Fw 190F close support series which replaced Ju 87 Stukas, and the 190G Long Range Attack version. Field Conversion Kits were also produced that could be used to turn 190's in to any variant as demands needed. So versatile was it that it took on many varied roles including Dive Bombing, Tank Busting, Bombing with the Heaviest Bombs, Reconnaissance, Rocket Firing, Missile Guidance, Anti-Bomber Attacks with Special Weapons, Night Fighting & Anti Shipping Attacks. Fundamental lack of High Altitude performance led to attempts to fit a Turbo Charger or New Engine, and in August 1944 the Long Nosed Fw 190D-9 entered service with a liquid cooled inline engine. This would prove an exceptional High Altitude Fighter but there were never enough of them to stem the ever growing tide of US 8th Force Heavy Bombers & by this stage escorting P51 Mustangs. Sheer weight of numbers on the allied side turned the tide and the Luftwaffe could no longer keep pace as they lost many good pilots & aircraft which they could not replace as the war neared it's end. Left to Right. Fw 190A's in Flight & Fw 190F
Fw 190D-9, Nicknamed "Dora Neun" by Luftwaffe Pilots. In the latter stages of the European Conflict, Kurt Tank designed the last incarnation of the 190. Designated Ta 152 after it's designer it was the ultimate version of this superb fighter, especially at High Altitude, it had a pressurised cockpit.
Ta 152H captured by the British at the end of the war. This was the High Altitude version. And the Ta 152C which was used at Lower Altitudes.
