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FockeWulf

Oberleutnant Oskar Romm, a member of the Luftwaffe Experten, flew his final mission while piloting a Focke-Wulf FW 190D-9

by Till Daisd August 3, 2023

Oberleutnant Oskar Romm, the Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 3, was one extremely skilled Luftwaffe pilot who ended his war flying the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9

One of Germany’s top fighter aircraft during World War Two, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, flew for the first time on June 1, 1939. It first saw action in September 1941 over northwest France and quickly established its dominance over the Mark V Spitfire, Britain’s greatest fighter at the time.

Most Fw 190s were “A” series models with BMW radial engines. But, towards the end of 1943, the more effective “D” series, propelled by the more powerful Jumo 213 inline, liquid-cooled engine, began to engage US bombers in combat. The Fw 190D-9 had to have a 20-inch portion of its fuselage added slightly ahead of the tail because the larger engine elongated its nose.

The Fw 190D-9 was one of the few fighter types to reach service in World War 2 that had been designed after hostilities began, as Robert Forsyth explains in his book Fw 190D-9 Defence of the Reich 1944-45.

Oberleutnant Oskar Romm, the Gruppenkommandeur of IV./JG 3, was a highly skilled Luftwaffe pilot who finished his war flying the D-9. His personal victory score by the end of April 1945 was 92, with the most recent one coming on March 21 when he shot down one of several Il-2s that had attacked the Prenzlau base of his Gruppe. During the raid, a few Focke-Wulfs were able to take to the skies, and D-9 pilots Feldwebel Oskar Bösch and Leutnant Karl-Alfred Schulte each claimed two more Shturmoviks as their 16th and 3rd claims.

After this incident, Romm continued to fly missions, but five weeks later he would encounter his match over a frontal region where Soviet forces had recently made a breakthrough, as he recalled (Price, At War, pg. 132-133):

‘My last combat mission was on 24 April 1945, to the south of Stettin, when, with my wingman, I attacked a formation of Russian Shturmovik ground-attack aircraft. I selected full emergency power, and with our superior speed, we went right through the Russian fighter escort without difficulty. I was just about to open fire on one of the Ilyushins when my cooling gills suddenly opened automatically. The oil and coolant temperature gauges showed that the engine was overheating. Either my engine had been hit by enemy fire or it had suffered a failure. I broke off the action by rolling over onto my back and pulling away in a steep dive. The Russian fighters endeavoring to follow were soon left behind and abandoned the chase.’

Oskar-Romm — Oberleutnant Oskar Romm was
awarded the Knight’s Cross on
Feb. 26, 1944, when his
the score stood at 76 and by war’s
end he was credited with 92
aerial victories.

Sparks and exhaust smoke trailed behind Romm’s “Dora” as he steered it southwest, back toward the German frontline. The engine was broken and overheated. ‘As the last of the lubricating oil burned away between the aluminum pistons and the steel cylinder block,’ he recalled, ‘the engine burst into flames.’ Romm had returned to territory controlled by the Germans, but he was too low to bail out. A short while later, the Jumo cut out, and the Fw 190D-9 crashed to the ground 20 kilometers northwest of Prenzlau, close to Brüssow. He remembered how the plane:

‘. . . proceeded to smear its pieces all over the landscape. However, the same rugged construction that had saved my life in earlier emergency landings proved itself once again.’

Romm sustained a broken skull, facial lacerations, a concussion, and other minor injuries despite the D-9’s tough construction. Thankfully, soldiers at a nearby divisional headquarters noticed his landing and radioed his location to the local Luftwaffe leadership. After that, the soldiers dragged the fighter pilot out of his aircraft and transported him to their headquarters, where an army doctor tried his best to take care of him.

Romm was taken from the crash site a short time later by members of IV./JG 3 under the direction of an officer from the Stabskompanie. He was first taken to a Luftwaffe hospital in Wismar, and then four days later he was taken to a hospital on the Timmendorfer-Strand on the Baltic coast close to Travemünde. He had won the war.

Fw 190D-9 Defence of the Reich 1944–45 is published by Osprey Publishing and is available to order here.

Photo by: Gareth Hector via Osprey Publishing and EN Archive

August 3, 2023 0 comment

History

Why the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 German fighter aircraft caused stir in the RAF in 1941

by Till Daisd January 4, 2023

written by Till Daisd

In September 1941, the Fw 190 entered combat over northwest France and quickly established its dominance over the Mark V Spitfire, Britain’s greatest fighter at the time

One of Germany’s top fighter aircraft during World War II, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, flew for the first time on June 1, 1939. It first saw action in September 1941 over northwest France and quickly established its dominance over the Mark V Spitfire, Britain’s greatest fighter at the time.

‘The Fw 190 was a much more modern aircraft than the Bf-109, and had superior agility at low level than the Bf-109 E and F models,’ Arthur Major an aviation expert explains on Quora. ‘The fact it was powered by an air-cooled radial engine also made it more resistant to battle damage than contemporary fighters powered by liquid-cooled engines (this is the same reasoning that the US Navy used in selecting their aircraft).’

In addition to being superior to the Spitfire Mk V at the time of its release, the Fw 190 was also highly-liked by Luftwaffe pilots for its sturdiness and capable ground handling as well as its performance (the wide track undercarriage contributed to this).

Major goes on:

‘As to the rest of the design philosophy, Kurt Tank wanted something more than an aircraft built only for speed. Tank outlined the reasoning:

‘The Messerschmitt 109 and the British Spitfire, the two fastest fighters in the world at the time we began work on the Fw 190, could both be summed up as a very large engine on the front of the smallest possible airframe; in each case, armament had been added almost as an afterthought. These designs, both of which admittedly proved successful, could be likened to racehorses: given the right amount of pampering and easy course, they could outrun anything. But the moment the going became tough they were liable to falter. During World War I, I served in the cavalry and in the infantry. I had seen the harsh conditions under which military equipment had to work in wartime. I felt sure that a quite different breed of fighter would also have a place in any future conflict: one that could operate from ill-prepared front-line airfields; one that could be flown and maintained by men who had received only short training; and one that could absorb a reasonable amount of battle damage and still get back. This was the background thinking behind the Focke-Wulf 190; it was not to be a racehorse but a Dienstpferd, a cavalry horse.

‘Kurt Tank’s design philosophy was well warranted, and the Fw-190 turned out to be one of the best fighters in the war, serving continuously throughout and being adapted for a multitude of missions, including fighter, fighter/bomber, night fighter and as the basis for multiple experimental weapons, including rockets, guided missiles and even 30mm recoilless cannon arranged to fire upwards when triggered by the shadow of an American bomber overhead.

‘The aircraft also underwent continuing improvements, including upgrades from machine guns to automatic cannons, improved engines, and eventually replacing the radial engine with the Junkers Jumo engine (Fw 190D) and massive aerodynamic improvements to create the Ta 152, which had the potential to become one of the “ultimate” piston engine fighters, although too little, too late.

‘With regard to 1941, the RAF was indeed concerned, as the Fw 190 was wresting air superiority from the RAF over the English Channel and impeding the ability to “lean forward” into occupied Europe.’

Here’s why the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 German fighter aircraft created panic in the RAF when it appeared in late 1941 — A captured German Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8 (W.Nr. 681497, “White 11”) of 5./JG 4 at St. Trond airfield, Belgium, circa 1 January 1945.

Major compares the Fw 190A and Spitfire V:

‘The British were keen to test captured Fw 190As during the war. The performance of the German fighter series had caused concern to RAF Fighter Command. Against the Spitfire V, the Fw 190 was found to be better in all respects with the exception of turning radius. At 2,000 ft, the Fw 190 was 25 to 30 mph faster; at 3,000 ft it was 30 to 35 mph faster. Its lowest speed advantage was 20 mph faster at 15,000 ft. At all altitudes, it remained the faster fighter. The Fw 190 was also faster in the climb. If a Fw 190 was engaged by a Spitfire V, it could use its superior roll rate to enter a dive in the opposite direction. Its dive speed would enable it to clear the Spitfire. In defensive mode, the Spitfire could evade an attack if caught at low speed only by using its advantage in turning circles. If traveling at maximum speed when engaged, the Spitfire could gain speed in the dive, forcing a longer chase, and drawing the Fw 190 further away from its landing ground.

‘Air Marshal Sholto Douglas expressed concerns that the Merlin-engine Spitfires were coming to the end of their developmental life, whereas the Fw 190 was only just beginning its career. At the time, he feared the enemy held the technological edge. Douglas determined that the Fw 190 was superior to the Spitfire V and also concluded that the Spitfire IX was also inferior in the climb and acceleration owing to negative G carburation. Douglas’ fears would prove overly pessimistic. The Spitfire IX would prove a clear match for the Fw 190A and the Griffon-engined Spitfire XIV would hold the edge on the type. In 1942 several tests were conducted by RAF pilots at the Royal Aircraft Establishment.’

Major comes to the following conclusion:

‘So initially, the Fw-190 was a superior aircraft to the RAF’s fighter fleet, and concern was well warranted until the Spitfire was improved to meet the new threat. Like everything else, there was a constant dance between the Allies and Axis as each side strove to improve their capabilities and abilities. Focke Wulf was able to surprise the RAF in 1941, and had a good, solid platform to build upon for the rest of the war.’

Photo by U.S. Air Force

January 4, 2023 0 comment

History

How the development Spitfire Mk IX was influenced by a captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190A

by Till Daisd December 25, 2022

written by Till Daisd

‘Fighter pilots of every nationality thought the Spitfire Mk IX was the best close-in fighter of them all,’ AVM ‘Johnnie’ Johnson.

The following article contains excerpts from Adam Lunney’s book We Together, 451 and 453 Squadrons at War.

Reginald J. Mitchell created the Supermarine Spitfire, first as a private project with a strong focus on the aim to give a higher performance than had been previously accomplished by the F.7/30 design. The parallel development of the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon engines became an essential element of the Spitfire story, along with a further drive to maximize the capabilities of those engines.

The Mk I, Mk V, Mk VII, Mk IX, and Mk XIV were the most significant marks numerically, with the Mk V (Merlin 45) and Mk IX (with Merlin 61 and two-speed/two-stage supercharger) accounting for more than half of the overall output.

The capture of an Fw 190A belonging to JG26 on Jun. 23, 1942, led to the production of the Type 361 Mk IX Spitfire. This was equipped with a 60-series Merlin engine, a stronger airframe, and a four-bladed propeller. There were several variations created, including a high-level version with extended wingtips and a low-level version with clipped wings. A slightly longer nose was required for the 6o-series Merlin, but this was not a problem, and the better engine more than made up for any concerns.

For improved performance, these 6o-series Merlins also featured a two-speed, two-stage supercharger, along with greater settings and customization options. A further ten gallons of fuel could be carried by aircraft, extending its range slightly, and 5,665 of them were made. A and B were once used to distinguish between the wing armaments on early Spitfires, but for the Mk IX, they stood for the installation of various Merlin models.

How a captured Focke-Wulf Fw 190A led to the development of the Spitfire Mk IX, the best close-in fighter of WWII — Spitfire Mk IXs

In July 1942, the 64 Squadron became the first operational squadron to have Mk IXs. For the benefit of those piloting the Mk IX, it took the place of the Mk V, which the Focke-Wulfs were outperforming in the cross-Channel fighter sweeps that both sides were conducting. As a result, the Luftwaffe was caught off guard multiple times. They were expecting an Mk V performance but ended up facing an Mk IX, and it is difficult to tell the difference between the two until you are well within shooting distance.

The German pilots were thus faced with a choice: risk a thrashing by presuming they were up against the lesser Mk Vs and finding out the truth after it was too late, or cautiously regard all Spitfires as Mk IXs. The Allies, however, had no such problems because an Fw 190 and Bf 109 looked very different from one another, and combat could be avoided if the Allies’ pilots were in a weaker position.

An Mk IX equipped with a 61-series Merlin was flown against the captured Fw 190A in the same month. The test revealed that the Spitfire was typically superior, although by a narrow margin, at various altitudes, where the speed difference was less than 10 mph. Due to its greater acceleration, the Fw 190A was marginally better in a climb but not noticeably so, although it was better in a dive, especially in the beginning.

The role of the Fw 190A was far superior to that of the Mk IX, and the overall maneuverability was superior, except in the case of turning circles, where the Mk IX could get inside the Fw 190A for the all-important killing shot. However, one of the Spitfire’s most recognizable characteristics was its ability to turn, which skilled Luftwaffe pilots would have undoubtedly avoided at all costs in any event. Allied pilots were forewarned to expect this maneuver since the Fw 190A had the ability to escape a Spitfire by performing a flick-roll in the opposite direction to the angle of attack and then diving away.

All Spitfire pilots received a directive in August 1942 outlining how to handle the new threat while flying. The instruction in paragraph two of the document stated: “To defeat this aircraft and to avoid casualties on our side, our aircraft must fly as fast as possible whenever they are in the combat zone.” The document recognized that pilots had previously been instructed to economize and save fuel ‘but it is essential, as soon as they are liable to be detected, that they open up to maximum power for duration flying’.

Pilots were advised to avoid cruising when there was a chance of engagement since the Spitfire’s acceleration is quite poor. After more safety advice, the instruction concluded, ‘when in the vicinity of Huns, fly maximum everything and in good time’. A notice distributed to Spitfire Mk V pilots in the Middle East titled ‘Who’s Afraid of the Little Focke Wulf’ a notice given to Spitfire Mk V pilots in the Middle East, echoed these directives and emphasized the Spitfire’s superior turning performance over the Focke-Wulf: ‘The Spitfire V’s only tactical advantage over the F.W. 190 in the air is its ability to turn in a smaller circle, but that’s a lot’.

In January 1943, the first Mk IXs were delivered to squadrons stationed in the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The Mk IX had the ability to carry bombs and was frequently used as a fighter bomber, but it was not allowed to do so in conjunction with a centerline bomb or the 90-gallon “jet” or “slipper” tank. This restriction was lifted in September 1944, but only if the Mk IX was fitted with Mk VIII wheels and tyres and could only take off at a maximum weight of 8,700 lb from a smooth surface. The directive also warned pilots that dive-bombing was still “limited to straight and level flight with the drop tank,” and that the drop tank should be ejected before attempting it.

Many pilots appear to view the Mk IX as the pinnacle of Spitfire evolution. Fighter pilots of all nationalities believed the Spitfire Mk IX was the best close-in fighter of them all, according to AVM ‘Johnnie’ Johnson, who stated that. In a letter to AVM Johnson, another pilot was cited as saying: “I flew most of the various marks of Spitfires, but I felt sort of invincible in the Spitfire Mk IXB. It was a beautiful aeroplane and I was very happy to fly and fight with her.’

We Together, 451 and 453 Squadrons at War is published by Mortons Books and is available to order here along with many other beautiful aviation books.

Photo by Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK via Wikipedia, Crown Copyright

December 25, 2022 0 comment