Focke-Wulf FW-190A-4/U3 Wurger

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Quick Link 2 Fighter Ace Screenshots 3 Fighter Ace Ratings 4 Fighter Ace Performance 5 Historical Statistics 6 Strengths 7 Weaknesses 8 History 9 Sources 10 See Also 11 Quick Link

Quick Link

• Fighter Ace Flight Museum: WWII US / GB / SU / GE / JP / Jets and Post WWII // Planes Inventory (text list)
• Fighter Ace Plane Physics: Speeds / Accelerations / Climb Speeds / Star Ratings
• Fighter Ace Weapons: Guns / Rockets / Bombs / Torpedoes

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Screenshot by JG51 Nevermiss	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 4

Speed: 7

Maneuverability: 5

Firepower: 5

Climb Rate: 7

Ground Attack: 3

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	334	356	364	405	411@ 20997	180 mph	0:59	2:45	5:51
mph WEP	345	367	375	413	418@ 20997'
kph	537	573	585	651	661@ 6400m	290 kph
kph WEP	555	591	603	665	673@ 6400m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: July 1942

Primary Guns: 2x MG17 7.9mm machine guns with 1000 rpg in cowl

Secondary Guns: 2x MG151/20 20mm cannon with 250 rpg in wing roots

Ordnance: 4x 121 lb (55 kg) or 2x 551 lb (250 kg) or 2x 475 lb (215 kg) drop tank

Engine(s): 1x BMW-801D-2 radial rated for 1,700 hp at sea level (1,770 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 828 lbs (375 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 950 lbs (430 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 312 mph (502 kph) at sea level, 418 mph (673 kph) at 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

Ceiling: 34,775 ft (10,600 m)

Loaded Weight: 8,770 lbs (3,978 kg)

Wing Area: 197 sq ft (18.3 sq m)

Wing Loading: 44.5 lbs/sq ft (217.4 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Speed: With a top speed over 400 mph at altitude, the FW-190A-4 was the fastest thing in the skies over France in 1942.

Boost: The liberal amount of MW50 power boost available (five 10-minute sessions) allows its speed to be maintained throughout most of the flight.

Roll Rate: Although the Spitfire could out-turn the 190 on the level, the 190s greater roll rate gave it the edge in maneuvering.

Weaknesses

Turn Rate: With its high wing-loading the Würger can’t turn with planes like Spitfire or Kittyhawk.

High Altitude Performance: Above 20,000 feet the Würger is outclassed by the Spitfire.

Ordnance Versatility: With only wing racks, the A-4 can has to choose between drop tanks and bombs and cannot choose a lighter load like the later A-8 and F-8 models could.

History

The Luftwaffe had barely begun receiving their new Bf-109Bs when discussions about a possible successor started appearing. Many in the Luftwaffe hierarchy felt such a project would be a waste of time because of the vast superiority of the 109 over the fighters of other nations. But updated intelligence about the various British and French fighter projects, including the Hurricane, combined with the teething problems of the new 109s to convince everyone that it would be wise to design a backup.

As with other designers, Kurt Tank preferred the streamlined shape afforded by using a high-performance in-line engine, but both the Daimler-Benz 601 and the Junkers Jumo 211 were already in short supply. So he turned to the unpopular radial engine design. The 18-cylinder BMW-139 then under development was already putting out more power than either the DB-601 or Jumo-211 were projected to create in two years time and the engine showed great development potential. Further there were no immediate needs for the engine, so production wouldn't impact any other projects.

Tank's design was a small, compact plane built to minimal dimensions around the engine. It utilized a special, ducted spinner that was designed to provide increased airflow to the engine and reduce drag. In order to reduce overall length, the engine was mounted as close to the main spar as possible, with the cockpit immediately behind the forward bulkhead.

Because of this proximity to the engine and because the canopy had to be kept closed during ground tests and during flight, the temperature in the cockpit rose as high as 131 degrees and exhaust leakage forced the use of oxygen during all testing. Meanwhile, BMW was having problems with getting the promised power out of the 139 and had turned their attention to their new 801 design.

After a series of discussions between the military and the two manufacturers it was decided to convert the 190 design to accept the new engine. Despite the similar dimensions of the two engines the 801 was 350 lbs. heavier and thus an extensive redesign of the plane was required. The most visible change was that the cockpit was moved aft to compensate for the CG changes brought about by the heavier engine. This had the ancillary effect of eliminating the cockpit overheating problem and providing sufficient room between the engine and cockpit to allow for the installation of guns in the cowl.

Meanwhile, the V-1 and V-2 prototypes using the 139 engine had rolled off the assembly line, the latter being armed with a pair of 7.92mm machine guns in the wing roots. The plane proved to be capable of 369 mph in level flight and earned praise from the test pilots for its excellent handling characteristics. The V-2 prototype also had the special ducted fan installed, but the engine still overheated and tests proved that it had only a marginal effect on drag, so it was abandoned. The V-3 and V-4 prototypes were likewise abandoned due to the engine change.

The V-5 prototype with the new BMW-801C engine arrived at RLM for testing in April 1940 and without armament it was 25% heavier than the V-2 had been. Although the engine put out an impressive 1,600 hp, the wing loading had risen from 38 to 47 lbs./sq.in., with a commensurate rise in weight per horsepower. The climb rate and maneuverability were thus severely impaired over what had once been a promising design.

But Tank had foreseen this and a new wing of increased area was already in the works. When a taxiing accident damaged the V-5's wing, the opportunity was taken to replace it with the new wing. FW-190A-0s were already in production and the new wing was applied starting with the eighth aircraft produced. The A-0 and A-1 models were armed with a pair of 7.92mm machine guns in the cowl and another pair in the wing roots. This was augmented in the field by installing a 20mm MG-FF cannon in each wing outboard of the landing gear.

The A-2 was equipped with the much more reliable BMW-801C-2 engine and was the first to be equipped with the MG-151/20 cannons with 200 rpg in the wing roots. The two machine guns with 1000 rpg were retained in the fuselage. The ammo canisters for the cannons were also located in the fuselage. Most A-2s were retrofitted with outboard MG-FF to increase firepower. The A-2 proved to be immediately superior to the Spitfire Vs it was facing and JG 26 was completely converted to the 190 by early 1942.

The BMW-801D-2 was almost identical to the C-2, but its compression ratio had been raised from 6.5 to 7.1:1 and the two supercharger ratios were also modified. The result was an increase to 1,700 hp at sea level and an increase in top speed to 418 mph at 21,000 feet. The A-3, equipped with the 801D-2 took over the production line and was the first to be fitted with Umrüst Bausätze factory conversion kits. These allowed various configurations to be easily fitted at the factory, producing the first bomb carrying 190s.

With the addition of the MW50 methanol-water injection system as standard equipment, the A-4 began to roll off the assembly line. The MW50 system provided greater power below the rated altitude by acting as an anti-detonant, which allowed greater boost pressure to be used without destroying the engine. As with the A-3, the A-4 had several Umrüst Bausätze kits, including the U3 Jabo kit, which included the bomb/drop tank racks under the wings and additional pilot and engine armor. Although shipped with the outboard MG-FF from the factory, these were almost always removed in the field to improve performance. This version eventually led to the development of the FW-190F-1, the first of the dedicated ground attack variants.

The Erprobungsstaffel 190 received its first Fw 190 A-0s in March 41. After initial flighttesting in Germany, II/JG 26 received some Fw 190s for evaluation under realistic combat conditions at Maldeghem/Belgium. There the pilots experienced so much trouble with the engines (frequent overheating) that the RLM considered a cancelation of the Fw 190. After about 50 modifications, the Fw 190 was eventually accepted for service and at the end of July 41, the first A-1s began to arrive at Moorseele/Belgium, where 6./JG 26 began to convert from the Bf 109 E-7. By 1 Sept the entire 2nd Gruppe had converted, and the first encounter between the Fw 190 A-1 and RAF fighters took place shortly afterwards when a Schwarm from 6./JG 26 patrolling over Dunkirk sighted a numerically superior force of Spitfire Vs, shooting down three of them without own losses.

The first major operation of the Fw 190 was during Operation Cerberus, the Channel Dash on 12 Feb 42, where 16 A-2s of III/JG 26 together with Bf 109 F-4s provided continuous top cover for the German warships. Meanwhile the German government had honoured an arms agreement negotiated with the Turkish government in 1941 by supplying 75 A-3s, the first of these fighters reached Turkey in Feb 42 (in service until 1948).

By the end of May 42 the 2 fighter groups of Luftflotte 3 facing the RAF across the channel, JG 26 and JG 2, consisted mainly of Focke-Wulfs. On 23 June 42 1st Lieutenant Arnim Faber mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and landed with his Fw 190 A-3 at Pembrey in the belief that it was a Luftwaffe base. The fighter was promptly pitted in mock combat against the new Spitfire IX and appropriate tactics against the German fighter were developed.

On 19 Aug 42 both Focke-Wulf A-4 fighters and A-4/U1 fighter-bombers of JG 2 and JG 26 participated in the fightings over Dieppe, the latter flying numerous sorties against the landing craft and support vessels. By Sept, the two existing FW Jabo (fighter-bomber)-Staffeln, now equipped with the A-4/U3, were performing small-scale, low-level fighter-bomber attacks over southern England. One additional group, JG 1, based in north-western Germany, converted to the Fw 190 before the end of 1942. By the end of the year also the first Geschwader on the Eastern Front, JG 51, had converted except for one wing to the Focke-Wulf.

1943 saw a gradual build-up of Fw 190 strength for the defence of Germany proper where they were also used in Wilde Sau (Wild Sow, unfettered night pursuit) operations. In Feb a special fighter-bomber Gruppe, the SKG 10 ‘Schnellkampfgeschwader’ had been formed with A-4/U8s. In the early 43 it began attacks on southern England and in July it fought the Allied invasion in Sicily whereafter it returned to northern France. Apart from several Focke-Wulf equipped fighter units located in France, some Focke-Wulfs saw service along the Atlantic and Biscay coasts in conjunction with Ar 196s as part of the Fliegerführer Atlantik’s battle against RAF Coastal Command’s anti-submarine patrols. Wfr.Gr.21- (A2A rockets) equipped A-4/R6 and -5/R6s were used for the first time in the Schweinfurt raid on 14 Oct 43.

Sources

Filley, Brian; FW 190A, F, and G In Action; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, TX; 1999.

Green, William; Warplanes of the Third Reich; Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY; 1970.

See Also

Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau G.m.b.H.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II

Quick Link

• Fighter Ace Flight Museum: WWII US / GB / SU / GE / JP / Jets and Post WWII // Planes Inventory (text list)
• Fighter Ace Plane Physics: Speeds / Accelerations / Climb Speeds / Star Ratings
• Fighter Ace Weapons: Guns / Rockets / Bombs / Torpedoes