The Focke-Wulf Fw190 Würger (or 'Shrike' - known also as the 'Butcher Bird') was one of the classic fighters of WWII, designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s. Tank decreed that "it was not to be a racehorse, but a cavalry horse". Using the air-cooled, 14-cylinder two-row radial BMW 801 engine (of eventually 1,677 hp), the Fw190A had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109. The '190 was used by the Luftwaffe in a wide variety of roles, including day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and, to a lesser degree, night fighter. From 1941 the Fw190 wrested air superiority away from the RAF, until the introduction of the vastly improved Spitfire Mk.lX in July 1942. The Fw190 was well liked by its pilots - some of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter aces claimed a great many of their kills while flying it.
No comments:
Post a Comment