Focus On… Focke Wulf – Fw 190 A-5

At the outset of World War II, the Luftwaffe had only a single modern front-line fighter aircraft in mass production – the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Dramatically advanced for its time, the Bf 109 was immediately earmarked as the primary single-engine fighter of the Luftwaffe. However, as demand for warplanes increased, so did the strain on producing the various components that were used to make it, specifically the Daimler-Benz 601 V-12 engine that powered it. The Luftwaffe realised that they would need a second fighter design that did not rely on the production efforts and materials used for the 109. The solution to this problem was to be presented by Kurt Tank and Focke-Wulf in 1939.

Tank was Focke-Wulf’s lead aeronautical engineer and had led the design team in the initial contract tender that lost to the 109 (with the earlier Fw 159). Tank’s next design incorporated the BMW 801 14-cylinder radial engine and a completely unique design ethos. Rather than a delicate sleek airframe, this new design was a tough workhorse – a heavily armed aircraft that could still perform in the worst of conditions with devastating results.

The Fw 190 first saw service over the English Channel in 1942 and was immediately recognised as a serious threat to allied air power. When the Fw 190 was first encountered in combat, so different was its design and intent that Allied pilots were challenged to understand how to effectively counter it. While the Fw 190 sported an average turn radius and turn rate, it introduced a new standard in its rate of roll. This was unique for the day and gave the Fw 190 the ability to change the direction of its turn much faster than the allied fighters of the day. This superior roll rate allowed its pilots to deploy new tactics like the “Boom and Zoom” and “Rolling Scissors”. These high-speed manoeuvres did not rely on tight turning abilities, but rather on energy management and rolling performance. The Focke Wulf 190’s unique design and performance profile had helped to usher in a new set of air combat tactics and doctrine.

In World of Warplanes, the Fw 190 shines as an “energy” fighter. Don’t be lured into a flat turn fight with any other fighter – you’re doomed if you do. Instead, use the 190’s speed and brutal firepower (upgradable to four 20mm cannons and two 13.2mm machine guns) to hit hard, hit fast, and then recover. Employ its fantastic roll rate to change your turn vector (direction) faster than your opponent to escape a pursuit.

Our series on the Focke-Wulfs continues. Stay tuned for it, pilots!