5 Things You Never Knew About the Focke-Wulf 190

[@michaelbatson1879]

From what I have read, Georg-Peter Eder was credited with 78 kills, 68 on the Western front. I also read that 36 of those kills were 4 engine bombers. He also flew the Me 262 and was credited with 12 kills in that aircraft. He was awarded the Knights Cross with Oakleaves. He survived the war and died in March 1986.

[@absolutechad9735]

Absolute hero

[@patrickmccrann991]

4 engine bomber kills under the Luftwaffe system did not mean they were shutdown. There were several degrees to a bomber kill under their system. Many Allied officers scoffed at the "kill" numbers credited to German pilots during the war, but learned later that Germany had even a harder system for credits than the Allies.

[@dub2536]

RIP!

[@roblouw3038]

Wow - that is very impressive - attacking frontally greatly minimized the fire that bombers could bring to bear on approaching fighter bomber interceptors especially when it flew past and above its very difficult to hit a moving target flashing overhead at more than 500km/h not including the forward speed of the bomber then moving away at it's top speed - yes, the bf109 was too lightly armoured to attack those long range Allied bombers - Galland was speechless when the Me262 was introduced that Hitler decided that only every 12th Me262 produced would be used for intercepting long range Bombers as the Me262 was so good at destroying bombers that if all the Me262 production had been used in the role it was actually designed for Galland reckoned that the Luftwaffe could have deployed more than 200 Me262's per day, flying say 3 sorties each per day, which is 600 Me262's up in the air every day against the bombing raids the Bomber raids would have ended very soon after such deployment...strange but true...

[@madcat4633]

@@patrickmccrann991 And that is not entirely true. There was just one degree: shot down. Luftwaffe didn't have "shared kills" or strafing runs counting as kills. What they did have tho, was a differentiation between "kills" (the numbers you can look up) and "kill points". Those "kill points" were there to make some kind of scoring board for getting a medal. You got points for damaging a bomber so it fell out of formation and points for the killing blow. But those points were only for adwarding medals. Not for the tally on the tailplane. Someone credited with 36 kills had infact downed 36 bombers (at least the Luftwaffe thought so. Overclaiming and Over-crediting was a thing for all air forces during the war. // And the Germans knew it, too)

[@SecNotSureSir]

What struck me about the FW-190, is the video of a British Spitfire pilot that test flew the first captured FW-190 and his remarks about it: “where the spitfire purred, the Focke-wulf snarled”.

[@johnholt890]

Spitfire IX still trumped it pretty quickly though.

[@sandordula5207]

@@johnholt890 - There is a long debate way back about it. A fav topic in the documentaries.

[@FrhbdthcsCcvhfcbfchfc]

Mamiek Prakoso

[@richardcaves3601]

​@user-fx6cr3ze4k262 was a piece of crap. Poor metallurgy, crap engines that lasted 10 hours c/f meteors and vampires that lasted 1000 hours. Meteors and vampires were two weeks out from mass production in May 45, and Winkler Brown tested both then flew 262. German aircraft was way inferior. P51s and P47s shot them down. Even Galland said meteor was better.

[@britcitjudge3886]

​@user-fx6cr3ze4kbut they lost the war twice

[@12pagani]

I still think this plane has one of the baddest nicknames in the war, the butcher bird. The name just suits it so damn well. Truly a great design and an iconic warbird

[@adamrodgers2377]

Yup it had a cool nickname for sure, I would put the F-4U CoursAir in a tie though with Whistling Death. 🤙🏼

[@nickmitsialis]

That's just the German nickname for a bird called a 'Shrike'. An interesting little critter that fed on insects, other birds, small rodents and reptiles. It had a 'charming' habit of impaling future meals on thorns and tree branches. The 'hanging meat' image is where the 'butcher bird' nickname was derived from. Of course, the FW was still a lethal bird of prey in a small, compact package, so THAT fits, too.

[@FrhbdthcsCcvhfcbfchfc]

Mamiek Prakoso

[@mareksoucek4514]

​@@nickmitsialis funfact. In German and English, the name of the bird sounds badass, but in my language (czech) it's sound super adorable: Ťuhýk "tyuheek" 😂😂 imagine getting killed and in heaven/hell it would be like: Hey, Hans, how did you die? I got killed by this beast named after strong and fast horse Mustang. What about you Adolf? I got killed by the machine that was on fire even when taxing called Spitfire. And you Josef? I don't wanna say...

[@nickmitsialis]

@@mareksoucek4514 In Valhalla it doesn't matter; your old enemies are now your comrades too! Just like in 'Reap The Wild WInd' by Ultravox: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZa1aoKqfrSUoMU

[@nicholasconder4703]

One rather interesting story from WW2. In an American 8th Air Force mess hall in England a poster had been put up showing a waist gunner aiming his machinegun towards the viewer with the caption "Whose afraid of the big bad Wulf?". In large letters beneath the poster someone wrote, "WE ARE!"

[@tanamly]

Such stupid posters ! The soldier who wrote it showed his humanity, which should have never been undermined in the first place especially since if the Germans had been reasonable and not headed by a scumbag, militarily they would have actually won and forced landslide victories. No one knew this first hand better than the poor souls who were sent out to face those facts, and that ought to have been respected.

[@drstrangelove4998]

🤣

[@Raz.C]

As I understand WWII fighter issues (and I don't have a particularly good grasp on any of them), bombers weren't particularly worrisome to fighter aircraft. A fighter didn't have to worry overmuch about the gunners in an enemy bomber shooting them down, unless they tried to fly in formation with those bombers. Fighter escorts were a MUCH bigger problem than the turreted guns of a bomber. Turrets were good at discouraging fighters (ie- discouraging them from flying straight behind a bomber and shooting until it went down), but not very good at stopping them. Hells, even after the americans joined the war in Europe, the Luftwaffe was still shredding allied air forces until the MASSIVE weight of numbers overwhelmed the Germans and caused the Luftwaffe to cease to be a threat. SO, the caption "Who's afraid of the big bad Wulf?" is a lot of bluster, whereas the retort "WE ARE!" is realistic and believable.

[@nicholasconder4703]

@@Raz.C You have to remember that the poster in question would have been a propaganda poster, so it would obviously be made in the hopes of boosting morale. Equally obvious is that it didn't work.

[@MWcrazyhorse]

The Wolf was the nickname for Hitler. So that's a bit of a self own there.

[@chuck.reichert83]

The landing gear of the BF-109 was intentionally designed that way to allow for easier field repair, as you could easily replace wings in the field, not to mention tow them behind trucks. Yes the narrow undercarriage took skill to land, but the design was brilliant if you look at what it's role was.

[@crown7639]

Yeah it’s all about give and take. Pretty much any design choice on any vehicle is done for a reason. Even the widely criticized ones.

[@SoloRenegade]

the FW190 was far easier to field repair

[@paulkerr782]

I read somewhere that around 50% of all Bf- 109 hull losses were due to landing accidents relating to the narrow gear

[@chuck.reichert83]

@@paulkerr782 those numbers were elevated by inexperienced pilots. The BF-109 was designed to be a home defense, short range fighter. Losses during the Battle of Britain diminished experienced pilots at an unrecoverable rate. The aircraft did not have loitering capability, durability, or range. Good when you can retrieve your pilot, bad when your pilot goes on a one way mission. Equipment is replaceable. Experience is not.

[@chuck.reichert83]

@@SoloRenegade in what ways? Hits to the fuselage requires major overhaul no matter the airframe. Wing surface area is usually the largest target on an aircraft. Wings can be replaced easily on a BF-109, but not on a FW-190. The radial of A variants of the FW-190 was more durable than the liquid cooled V of the Dora's. Logistics to support the BF-109 variants was easier as well.

[@tomwoggle9411]

Kurt Tank was in fact anything but set on using a radial engine for the Fw-190. The one and only reason why the Fw-190 has a radial engine is that the DB 601 (and then the DB-605) engine used in the Bf-109 wasn't available in sufficient numbers. The only German engine powerful enough and available in large enough quantities suitable for a second mass produced fighter was the radial BMW-801 engine used in bombers. Kurt Tank simply had make do with what was available, and he came up with a pretty brilliant little fighter.

[@sigeberhtmercia767]

Can't help but note the comparison with the Hawker line of fighters which had to find alternatives to the Merlin/Griffin engines.

[@Wolf-hh4rv]

Bang on . He didn’t chose a radial. There are so many faults with the narrative.

[@FrhbdthcsCcvhfcbfchfc]

Mamiek Prakoso

[@antoniomanuelrodrigues-sz7lb]

​@@sigeberhtmercia767 Griffon engine. !!

[@professortill8592]

This is my understanding too.

[@tsubadaikhan6332]

Fun Fact about Fokker Wulf - Australia ended up with a large Airforce during WW2 to fight the Japanese. Our Chief Aeronautical Engineer was Fred David. Guys that worked with him said he was a Genius that could both design or repair anything. Without him turning around repairs on our P40's and sending them back to Papua New Guinea, we probably would have lost it, extending the War a couple of years. Only Fred David was born Fredrich Davide, a German Jew who worked for Fokker Wulf before escaping to Australia in the 30's. So Fokker Wulf kind of set the Japanese back too... He actually designed a plane in Australia that looked a hell of a lot like the 190.

[@Leon_der_Luftige]

It's Focke, not Fokker.

[@trolleysparks3941]

Love the ‘stories’. That one is worth a slow sip on a good beer, just super. Many thanks.

[@Caktusdud.]

Interesting

[@smokeonthewater5287]

@@Leon_der_Luftige Yes Fokker is a totally different Dutch manufacturer.

[@SVW1976]

I met the Fockers once.

[@bertblue9683]

Even in '43 I'm definitely sure Peter Eater regretted his name. Outstanding presentation. You deserve millions of subscribers. Earned mine

[@TJ3]

Thank you!

[@raulcarmello1163]

🤣🤣🤣

[@Stormoak]

The name can be only funny in english translation. I am very sure his name was Peter Esser. Esser is a traditional medieval german name for a family of wagon builders. Translating personal names can be misgiving

[@paoloviti6156]

@@StormoakThe actual name was Georg-Peter "Schorsch" Eder (8 March 1921 - 11 March). He is credited with 78 aerial victories achieved in 572 combat missions, including 150 combat missions with the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. This figure includes 10 aerial victories on the Eastern Front, and further 68 victories over the Western Allies, including 36 four-engined bombers. Quite a pilot!

[@mattalley7646]

Agreed and subscribed!

[@kirkmooneyham]

Very good video, but something of great interest was missed. The engine control of the FW-190 was ahead of its time. Unlike most aircraft of the era, which had multiple levers for mixture, throttle, etc, the radial on the -190 had all of it tied together into one lever for the pilot to worry about. Took time for the ground crews to get it adjusted correctly after an engine change, but it certainly simplified things for the pilot in combat.

[@Tacticaviator7]

Well it was probably ignored since many German planes of that time used those mechanical computers for engine control.

[@Suo_kongque]

@@Tacticaviator7 this one was the most advanced of them.

[@Suo_kongque]

@@Tacticaviator7 I’m being serious. The Kommandoräte was extremely advanced, even when compared to the mechanical computers of the Daimler Benz engines

[@frosty3693]

The engine choice was in a big part a desire to not use the DB600 series engines as they were needed in other planes. Kurt Tank was originally an electrical engineer so he knew using electric controls where ever possible would save weight and make repairs easier. The radial engine also permited the whole power unit, engine, exhaust, supercharger and carburetor all one unit, called the power egg, that could quickly be replaced in the field. (that is why you see some pictures of FW190s with different color cowlings than the rest of the plane. Another innovation is they made an analog (without the digtal part) FADEC (full authority digital engine control) engine control system to make operating the engine much easier. Normally there is a air intake control, fuel mixture, turbo control, prop speed control and cowl flap control that all are managed separately and often at the same time. A FADEC system, just one lever.

[@Rickinsf]

The engine on the FW190 could be swapped out within an hour, or so I"m told.

[@andreasarnoalthofsobottka2928]

There were one handle engine controls for all german aero engines (Bramo, Jumo, DB, BMW) available.

[@jeremypnet]

There were power eggs for inline engines too. Rolls Royce had one for the Merlin and Griffon.

[@AcceptYourDeath]

Yeah I think it is somewhat wrongly presented here. It was less a stroke of genius but rather the only engine he would get for later production. All inline engines we're reserved already.

[@PassportToPimlico]

An interesting fact about both the 190 and 109 was that they had a hatch so that a member of ground crew could be carried when the squadron had to move locations. The downside of this was that if the aircraft got into any trouble, the pilot could bail out but his passenger could not.

[@jesusizquierdo3831]

what? where was this hatch?

[@PassportToPimlico]

@@jesusizquierdo3831 It was the radio access hatch and seems to be an emergency procedure. One German pilot, looking to surrender to the Western Allies took his engineer with him but shot down a Russian bomber on the way.

[@francescoguzzetta]

​@@jesusizquierdo3831 squared hatch on the left side of the fusolage.

[@vornamenachname989]

​@@PassportToPimlicoWait, so he tried to get over to the American side of the war with his engineer and blasted a Russian bomber on the way?

[@emmano6340]

​@@vornamenachname989 Exactly

[@albertaaardvark966]

I was lucky enough to see the recovered FW190 fly when I visited the museum in Everitt Washington a few years back. Not many of these left a d to see it fly was a real treat.

[@adamrodgers2377]

Man that had to be cool!!! I have been lucky enough to see a BF-109 up close and then fly. I have had the opportunity to see a Spitfire, P-40, P-47, Mustang, F-4U CoursAir, Wildcat, Hellcat, and I'm embarrassed that I forget the name of this but it was the U.S Navys Dive Bomber and the BF-109. I would LOVE to see a Butcher Bird one day. I wish they had brought back more of these and they all wont chopped up for scrap because of the History of them, not the crap most of the "Woke" Sheep will blather on about because the Aircraft can't help what "Side" it was on or what symbol is painted on it. I would love for my Daughter to see one as well. She loves going to the Airshows around home 😀

[@Ryan57Garr]

It had enough space for a passenger. Photographers would occasionally ride inside the fuselage of a Fw 190 by climbing in through the radio access hatch and then take air-to-air photographs from it. The feature was also used to transport crew and civilians right after the Normandy invasion.

[@SchützenGewehr]

My favorite Luftwaffe aircraft due its beautiful design and perfect roll rate I love flying this plane in war thunder

[@jackd1582]

Roll rate 💫💫💫💫💯

[@crazymoose9875]

FW 190, "the butcher bits" looks like a muscle, bad ass warbird, great vid TJ, Thanks from Lima-Perú!!!

[@lemonite1489]

Other tidbits on the 190. It used a ducted cowling similar to the A6M Zero. The engine was pushed back from the front of the cowling paired with a bigger nose cone. That gap allowed for impellers to create more air flow throughout the engine while providing a more streamlined nose. The 190 also was the first fighter with a central electric system that allowed for easier, faster start process and a more simplified cockpit. Another fact, the canopy design was simplified and acted as one piece, this made it easier and safer to bail out of a stricken aircraft while providing better visibility 360 deg.

[@iansmith5174]

One export customer for the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was Turkey; a neutral nation during WWII. This meant that Fw 190s of the Turkish Air Force served alongside planes that would have otherwise been their wartime enemies; including Spitfires, Hurricanes, and P-40 Warhawks.

Yeah the Turkish Air Force During WW2 was like the British Museum of Air Forces ahahahah

[@jimc6687]

Specifically, the Curtis Seahawk, TJ but really any reconnaissance aircraft of WW II that saw a ton of action! These planes were absolutely the unsung heroes of the war and I feel none more so than their great service covering the vastness of the Pacific Ocean! Jim C.

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

I have a vid presentation suggestion, if you haven't made it already, the P-40 N. Not any P-40, but the P-40 N model. ...They made a mock up P-40C, with twin engines in 1942 that was overlooked, then history forgot. Worth a look at. Imagine that with modern turbo props and counter rotating paddle props.

[@rubiksmanbv7934]

Why is this man so damn underrated, you deserve MILLIONS of subscribers for all the effort that you put into these ❤!!

[@TJ3]

Thank you :)

[@m.r.3912]

Some more efforts to get the pronunciation of german words right would be wellcome

[@coolsurfer1785]

T3 thank you historian

[@alitlweird]

Because this subject is very esoteric to most people.

[@jamesmooney5348]

Nazi's don't need highlighting. They were a murderous evil army/people who fought for rewards they now receive in hell where they belong. This guy speaks too highly of them!

[@Nativeat1YT]

Gotta be the last aircraft allied bomber crews wanted to see in early 1944. Great Video as usual from TJ!

[@TJ3]

Thanks Native!

[@patttrick]

I thought that the FW was designed for medium altitude .Bombers fly high I would have thought that the109 would have been better

[@fredericklee4821]

Soooooooooooo why are the CGI graphics shown without the swatstika on the tail?

[@Nativeat1YT]

@@fredericklee4821 it's not CGI its a video game.

[@mrcat5508]

@@Nativeat1YTit’s waaarthunderrrrrrrr

[@janrobertbos]

Kurt Tank was a truly brilliant designer.....................

[@christineshotton824]

In many ways the FW-190 was WWII's F-16. A multi-role tactical fighter.

[@mrcat5508]

Yeah no.

[@nilanjangupta763]

That would be the P-47 Thunderbolt.

[@mrcat5508]

@@nilanjangupta763 indeed

[@mrcat5508]

@@nilanjangupta763 well except it was expensive by fighter standards for the time, while the f 16 is relatively cheap

[@christineshotton824]

@@nilanjangupta763 P-47 was much more like an F-15E.

[@44madison]

Wonderful video! As an aviation enthusiast, I am always up for learning about planes and building my knowledge on WWII aircraft. Can you please cover the Fairchild PT-19 next? I'd enjoy seeing a video on the Ryan PT-22 and also the Stearman biplanes.

[@nikkiann-marie2634]

It’s always interesting to look at how seemingly huge the 190a’s looked to the 190d’s(at least to me they do in dcs and war thunder representations). Like if you look at the a-8 vs the d-9. Yet they served the same purpose really.

[@hashteraksgage3281]

The dora was optimized for higher altitudes and had better preformance and aerodynamics, while the Anton carried more weapons and was better for lower altitudes

[@sirbader1]

The 190A is noticeably smaller than a 190D. The D isn't as wide, but thats offset by the increased length.

[@hoppie8693]

@@sirbader1 Fuselage width of A and D is basically identical disregarding the supercharge bulges on A and charger intake on D. If included, D is wider. Since they utilize the same fuselage and wing in regards to dimensions, the widest point is at the front of the wing root, identical on both. The only real difference in dimension is fuselage length through longer engine cowling, fuselage plug and slight extension of vertical stabilizer in front of the rudder.

[@sirbader1]

@@hoppie8693 True, but the intake is only noticeable from certain angles, giving it a narrowed appearance a large percentage of the time.

[@hoppie8693]

@@sirbader1 Sure, it might look narrower than A. Just saying that it actually isn't.

[@andraslibal]

I remember seeing the FW 190 in the Royal Airforce Museum. They were the David vs the Goliaths of the Allies.

[@kenneth9874]

It started out with the positions reversed

[@andraslibal]

@@kenneth9874 it was never reversed the Germans were always the underdogs vs the British and French Empire. Not to mention the Soviets or the US. It is just the underdog story that the Allies like to tell but Germans always fought with less ... they just were better. For a while. Until numbers won.

[@kenneth9874]

@@andraslibal keep telling yourself that

[@billsanders5067]

I read an article in an aviation magazine some years ago. After the war, several Fw 190's were shipped to the U.S. The navy got their hands on several and had gun cameras installed. They were flown in simulated combat mauvers against the F6 Hellcat, the Corsair F4 and the F8 Bearcat. In the hands of equally experienced pilots, it came out even. Against the F8, the Fw 190 got smoked every time.

[@Vtwin60]

Amazing when comparing a plane that debuted in 1941 vs an end of war 1945 model isn't it? Fwiw the version compared to F4u1 and Hellcat was a rebuilt A8. Fw190 a3 and a5 were lighter and more agile air to air.

[@zenonelealainen3750]

The Fw 190 actually came into combat use in august 1941, not in late 1942.

[@cc9999-p9w]

Excellent video. Great script, exciting images, realistic action. Entertaining and informative at the same time. Best use of KZbin.

[@TJ3]

Thank you very much!

[@ukasz-zm9qc]

Realistic action? What are you talking about? These shots from games where bombers are shot down in short bursts from cannons are highly unrealistic. Watch some Reich Defense guncams for comparison. You can often see that bombers are shot at for several seconds and, even though damaged, they still fly.

[@bkucinschi]

Kurt Tank, the designer of FW190 while in the employment of Mustachio Adolf, went after the war to design jet powered fighters for Macho Peron in Argentina.

[@pat36a]

It's sad that the Museum in Washing state is having issues, seems they fell off the map since It's owner and founder passed. They were in the process of restoring the only flying Stuka, had all the major Airframe done, and were starting final assembly .

[@jonathanhansen3709]

I heard a former B-17 pilot, who had flown out of Britain, during the war, say, in the chow hall of his squadron, someone had written near the exit, “Who’s Afraid of the Bad Focke Wulf?”, in parody to a popular song at the time. He said every pilot in the group scribble their name below it!

[@Beemer917]

My Father was a teenaged apprentice at a metal treatment and grinding shop in Denmark during the war. The shop was forced to do the hardening and grinding work on camshafts for for V12 aircraft engines for the german Reich. They did several parts and then Germans who had their own inspection teams and even a heavy to make sure their orders were followed. My father found out, after a while that the Danes had put water into the oil bath that hardened the camshafts. The water would lay in the bottom of the oil bath and make the last bering journal on the cam shaft glass hard instead of tough hard. The Germans tested the hardness between the journals and lobes so as not to leave a hardness testing mark on a bering surface.After the war it was found out that this shop had accounted for many German fighter planes lost because of engine failure. The failure would happen when the engine was put under high stress. The engine would actually function quite well and run normally until it was heavily loaded then the final journal on the camshaft would fail. This sabotage was never discovered during the war.

[@ardshielcomplex8917]

Water floats on top of Oil unless the Oil is water soluble.

[@wrathofatlantis2316]

​​​@@ardshielcomplex8917That immediately struck me as odd too... Another thing is the breakdowns NOT being traced to a specific shop DURING the War, but AFTER the War: The Luftwaffe alone burned thousands of tons of documents at the end, so tracing failures outcomes AFTER is far less likely, especially if that was not accomplished DURING... Some of these sabotage stories are undoubtedly true, but keep in mind a lot of people started to tote guns and parade around like they were tough partisans, immediately AFTER the Germans had left... I was told all of France was literally awash in murderous partisans in the days following the Germans departure. As many as 100 000 French people are said to have been their victims in one way or another, this in the span of a few months. Post-facto heroism is a common WWII staple.

[@SCS10000]

ja ja Christian .. og sukker i beton'en til Karup, Vandel og Skrydstrup startbaner ... og vand i mælken til tyskerne .. og .. og .. og .. Det er ammestuehistorier hele bundet. Noget helt andet er Skavenius medløberi med Tyskerne mht. Frikorps Danmark, HIPO korpset .. og .. og .. og, Og hele banden på Christiansborg slap unden så meget som en reprimande, mens tusinder af unge danske mænd blev berøvet alle rettigheder .. mange post mortem af de samme som blot år forinden havde opfordret dem til at deltage på tysk side .. den lille lde Axel Larsen som den værste!!

[@bobsakamanos4469]

Makes sense. Most oils, including mineral oil, is less dense than water. Synthetic oil even less dense. I'd like to know what oil would not float on water in WWII germany.

[@davidjulian8536]

@@ardshielcomplex8917 Er, no, unless you've come here from a parallel universe where oil has a specific gravity greater than 1. Are you, by any chance, a flat earther as well?

[@reidveryan9414]

It was also designed to be able take on more weight as development progressed, something that the 109 was not the best at.

[@bobsakamanos4469]

The A-3 with a wing loading of 43+ lb/sq ft didn't have a lot of room for growth without compromising some performance like turn radius, climb etc

[@ranulf8477]

When the british pilots first saw the Focke Wulf, they thought that its some kind of american plane captured by the germans when they defeated france. It was so powerfull against their Spitfires and they had no idea that germany had invented and build it.

[@loddude5706]

Great video. Maybe feature big flying boats one day? - Sunderland, PBY, Japan's H8K & the ever graceful Dornier Do 24? Given their all-nations air-sea rescue work & very long anti-sub patrols, their coffee pots must have heard some stories : )

[@robertsandberg2246]

Yes! And maybe the Boeing 314 Clipper, and it's military role. Also, the emergency round the world flight a Pan Am crew made after the outbreak of the war in the Pacific. I can't describe how much I love that plane!

[@bkucinschi]

P47 Thunderbolt was equally rugged due to its air-cooled engine.

[@laurentiu.panait2536]

Thanks for this documentary on the FW 190, "Butcher Bird" cool narration. Wish this chanel the best! It left me a tear at the end.

[@yrjo5050]

Or was It ”Murder Bird” ?

[@SwordFighterPKN]

I've always loved the lines of this plane!

[@olskool3967]

WW2 German tec. fascinates me! it is amazing how smart and resourceful these people were.

[@gbsb202]

Great Clip. But u did forget to mention, that the 190 was in opposite to the most fighter planes of the time except the p-47, a „boom and zoom“ fighter plane, which it was perfectly build for and made it even more deadly and one or even the best fighter plane of ww2. Because of this it was not as liked as the bf 109 by the German pilot, who didn’t got used the the different approach to the enemies. But when used probably it was with the use of the boom and zoom speed advantage better then the most fighters in turning and speed in air combat, even against all other allied fighter planes. (Source: A German fighter pilot I knew who served in ww2 till the end and even was assigned to fly the me 262 in 1945).

[@meusana3681]

another fun fact about the 109. The 20mm cannon actually sat waaay back in the cabin between the pilot's legs. I can't imagine the sound inside the cabin when that thing fired.

[@smokeonthewater5287]

Guns make noise mostly from the muzzle, not from the lock.

[@roachallthetime]

The gun was covered by a metal bulkhead as well so I doubt it was noisy at all especially with the engine running.

[@meusana3681]

@@roachallthetime Interesting. I guess having an exposed breach would also be a bit of a safety hazard.

[@threepot]

Could of mentioned Armin Faber mistakingly landing at Pembrey, South Wales, UK. His 190 was used as a comparison against the Spit 9 that was in production at the time. Armin's photo is displayed at Swansea airport,where he was apparently taken after capture?

[@MrDeadstu]

The "Butcher Bird" was a hell of a plane, the D-9 especially.

[@michaelrmccall1920]

Got a weird one for you:- the Aussie Boomerang. Severely underestimated little thing it was😁

[@robertthomas3777]

Wasn’t it based on the Brewster Buffalo?

[@derlindwurm]

One thing I definitely do know about the Fw-190 thanks to various flight simulators is that you can barely see out the front of it.

[@ForestRaptor]

THIS! I love this raptor to a fault! But it is horrible to spot things easy. Those night hunters are different breed of fighters

[@WanderfalkeAT]

That is because no Flight Sim simulates the Armored Glass correctly. Due to the Thick Sheeted Armor Glass the view was actually about 7 CM higher for the pilot and also removing the huge frame visisble in sims. kzbin.info/www/bejne/q3SqpKygqZp0hLc

[@paoloviti6156]

It is correct what you stated on the excellent video but I like to mention that the Fw 190 A-0 series from A-0 up to A-8 final variant with excellent roll rates when not loaded (perhaps one of the best among 2nd WW fighter) had some other very good advantages, first of all it was very versatile, and could carry much heavier loads then the Me 109, more battle "resistant" both with the fuselage and the radial engine that could dispense with vulnerable cooling pipes and radiators. Another important point is that the ailerons always remained relatively light even at high speed whilst the Me 109 much hardened at high speed but pilots like Eric Hartmann managed to overcome this problem. But there was issues: the BMW 801 series despite being a good engine the performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 6,000 mt and above), which reduced its effectiveness as a high-altitude interceptor. Despite all experiments it was finally to put in production the Fw 190-D9 powered the excellent Junkers Jumo 213 that will also power the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 that will represent the pinnacle of the German propeller airplanes. Those are my favourite airplanes and you did a great job as always 👍 👍👍

[@jakobrinsdorf7791]

I think suitable fits the jumo more... especially I comparison with allied engines it soaked up fuel at crazy rates and only managed to get performance by external systems like mw50 (it was basically a 210 on steroids). It did the job, even well but I wouldn't call it excellent

[@michaelschmid9567]

@@jakobrinsdorf7791 With the fuel available for the German Airforce in WW2, it was the maximum you could get out of the low-octane fuel available for the Germans. Remember that the Merlin engine could only got these fantastic data with a special high octane from Irak, what was no where else available in the world in these time.

[@paoloviti6156]

@@jakobrinsdorf7791 I don't understand your logic because almost all late war airplanes in the west had engines on steroids and were having very high consumption in order to reach very high speed and altitudes not to mention being very mantainace intensive, ALL of them, without any exception. But regarding the Fw 190-D9 and the Ta 152H-1 were interceptors and over the ever shrinking Germany so it wasn't a big concern. What was a big concern was the chronic shortage of fuel and high quality fuel that really stopped Germany but remember that this "lousy" engine, not turbo-supercharged, although derived from the late Jumo 211 with the same 35 Lt it was extensively modified with different crankshaft and more it could push the Ta 152H-1 as among the fastest piston-engined fighters of the war, with a top speed comparable to the twin-engined Dornier Do 335. It was capable of 755 kilometres per hour (469 mph) at 13,500 metres (44,300 ft) using the GM-1 nitrous oxide boost. All this with low quality fuel....

[@paoloviti6156]

@@michaelschmid9567 exactly! It has been written elsewhere that with high quality fuel that it could achieve easily over 400 hp more provided that it could use higher quality lubricant....

[@mikebrownhill8955]

It makes you wonder how good this aircraft could have been had the luftwaffe had access to 150 octane fuel. That together with water-methanol injection would have been formidable. Particularly on the Dora with the Jumo 213.

[@MDzmitry]

I think had they had at least proper 100-octane fuel, they wouldn't have gone for MW-50 as much, since it increased the wear on engines. With proper fuel the Germans wouldn't be in such a hurry to catch up in the horse power race.

[@r.s.i8753]

Really good Video! Never knew these facts about 190! Suggestions for the next video, Ki - 84 or J2M or N1K1 or Ki 61 from japan Typhoon from brits g55 or re.2005 from italy

[@sigeberhtmercia767]

Add the Hawker Tempest to that list.

[@rickkubik6666]

Great video, I learned a lot. I’m subscribed! Another plane to cover would be the Lancaster X, built in Canada. I’ve read that the original English designer of the Lancaster, after examining the X, said “Now this, gentlemen, is how an airplane should be built!”. On the FW-190, I recall reading a Liberty magazine article on it, describing details. The text advised gunners, “Don’t go after the pilot, he’s too heavily protected. Shoot for the engine instead, that will bring it down.”

[@gusthesailor4885]

I was lucky years ago to be able to sit in the cockpit of a Spitfire.. a Bf 109 and a Focke-Wulf 190A4 (located in a private museum in Hannover-Laatzen Germany) Compared to the cockpit of the 109 and Spit that of FW is very modern for its time and offers little difference with those of the jets of the 50s and the layout is very comfortable for the pilot compared to the other two

[@Macmax7077]

the FW-190 is the most beautiful plane ever!

[@billsanders5067]

I beg to differ, the American F4U Corsair was the most beautiful plane ever.

[@oceanhome2023]

The FW-190 had SO many changes it had both a Radial and a water cooled engine that changed its shape . I like the Radial powered ones but the ones at the very end looked great

[@fredericklee4821]

P-51D

[@gibusgaming5866]

Ngl I still prefer the sleek look of the bf-109s, but if I am being honest the me-262 is peak.

[@chuck-echeese6706]

@@gibusgaming5866 the f8f bearcat would like to know your location.

[@CyberPrussian]

Wow, nice overview. Not too long, not too short as well. Subscribed!

[@kansasscout4322]

Later models matched the P51 and Updated Spitfires for speed. Early P51's had different engines and cockpit covers and were not the match at that time. It was the last year of the war that all fighters on both sides upgraded significantly in speed. I maintain that with good pilots F 190 equaled the Mustang. It has always been pilots that made the difference when performance was similar. Extreme speed was not as useful as people think. You could only use it for brief moments. Engines could not take it for long periods and fuel was quickly exhausted. Good job on the armaments. Good video.

[@20chocsaday]

There used to be a Rolls Royce engine factory where the engines were tested after maintenance. The tests were said to start after 9pm and they ran overnight. People became accustomed to hearing them start but not when they stopped.

[@danberry20]

A focking great video about the Focke Wulf 190. It was a great focking plane.

[@mjoelnir1899]

The landing gear of the Bf109 was folding outwards into the wing because it was fixed to the fuselage. The reason was to be able to detach the wings having the fuselage still standing on the landing gear. The choice of the radial engine for the FW190 was a design requirement. It was based on the availability of engines. The DB601, 603 or 605 was in short supply whereas enough BMW801 were available. The FW190 D got the Jumo 213 for high altitude use.

[@curtisbryce5096]

I have often wondered what it was like when the bullets being fired in these altercations eventually hit the ground.

[@christx3326]

Like falling pebbles and rocks. Non lethal because they have lost their original velocity

[@curtisbryce5096]

@@christx3326 Wow, your idea of lethal doesn't correspond with mine. I wouldn't want to be pelted by falling rocks.

[@joostheylen2891]

@@christx3326 If anything fals down from 5000 meters it is stil going extremly fast due to gravity

[@Unbrutal_Rawr]

@@christx3326 Please don't comment on things you haven't the slightest idea about. The smallest-calibre ammo US aircraft used is . 30. To quote a Forbes article, _"Bullets of different sizes and calibers can puncture skin more easily: buckshot will perforate skin at 145 miles per hour and bullets from a .38 caliber revolver will do so at just 130 miles per hour. Bullets from a 9mm handgun may max out at speeds as low as 102 miles per hour. And a .30 caliber bullet, according to Mattoo's equation, _*_might do so at only 85 miles per hour."_* The . 30 1919 Browning, re-engineered as the M2/AN for aircraft use, has a muzzle velocity of 1908 mph. A bullet fired from that gun and being continually accelerated by gravity will never slow down to anything close to 85 mph, and will always remain deadly. The only contrary circumstance is if the bullet starts tumbling in the air, such as after being shot vertically, or bouncing off armour.

[@kenneth9874]

@@christx3326 a bit more energy

[@PapayaF1]

This is my favorite plane. Im in your Discord and can't wait to help in a video that include the Fw190, and thank you very much :)

[@trolleysparks3941]

Awesome: Super video. Taking your content with a grain of salt, not wishing to argue petty historical issues. But your graphics / videos are awesome. Wow. Better than being there. Terrific & Thanks.

[@Andy_1961]

Danke!

[@TJ3]

Thank you Andreas!

[@jerryjeromehawkins1712]

The 109 will always be my favorite... but man, the 190 is beautiful! 👍🏽🇺🇸

[@jeffersonwright6249]

Great detail, insight and analysis. Would love to see you take on that other iconic Luftwaffe aircraft: the ME-262!

[@americanpatriot2422]

A video of the HE 219 and its combat history would be great.

[@RogbodgeVideo]

Plus the story of how six were built entirely from spare parts!

[@RogueAce93]

Another great presentation, TJ!! For other aircraft to cover, I’d suggest the Hawker Hurricane!

[@matthewfocke5360]

Thank you for your research...Note-worthy! Great information...

[@morgangale1388]

just great flying with that man wish my computer could play thease games

[@johnboyns]

Excellent presentation, including historical data, engineering, combat approaches and details on flying aces. Visually, too, this work is excellent. The voice over, as well, is neutral, but clear, and with the just right intonation, when required. Brilliant.

[@ukasz-zm9qc]

These shots from games where bombers are shot down in short bursts from cannons are highly unrealistic. Watch some Reich Defense guncams for comparison. You can often see that bombers are shot at for several seconds and, even though damaged, they still fly.

[@fredericklee4821]

Worth mentioning in context is the Lufwaffre gave the green light for the FW-190 to be produced because it required a radial engine. The Bf-109 used the inline-inverted V.

[@MillwalltheCat]

Good vid. Thought you might have mentioned the PKS12 Autopilot that was fitted to the Fw190, though.

[@kaushikganguli1091]

Otto Kittel was the best Fw 190 ace with 267 kills. Followed by Walter Novotny with 258. The Fw 190 was superior to all aircraft in WW2 barring the Spitfire. Later, Tank did some amazing work with Indian Airforce by designing the Ajeet fighter in the 60s. Germany has always been a friend of India.

[@richardcaves3601]

All German claims over Soviets were exaggerated and if allied rules had applied, only 10% on average would have been allowed. Source: Post war RAF & USAAF analysis after consultation with Soviets. Found that about 70% of Nazis claims were dubious, with about 40% outright lies.

[@cjm7685]

The fact that I spin out in simulation all the time lol

[@tonyennis1787]

The FW-190 had many variants, some with liquid-cooled engines I believe. The engines were selected based upon availability. When the FW-190 was developed, radial engines were more available.

[@Air-bear]

Gadfly here 😕. You should mention that the shortage of essential materials also influenced the design of the Fokker-Wolf 190. Mostly the ability to use radial air cooled engine as more efficient.👍

[@mikepotter5718]

In the 80s, I saw an interview with a German pilot. He was of the OPINION that if you were a superior pilot, you wanted the 109.

[@mikebrownhill8955]

It's definitely a subjective matter. A lot of battle of Britain pilots swore by the Hurricane for its toughness. The 109G was definitely superior at altitude but you were far more likely to survive combat in the 190 with its mostly electrical and not hydraulic systems

[@michaelschmid9567]

yes, I also saw the interview with Erich Hartmann, the most successful fighter pilot of all time. He preferred the ME109 over the FW190. Other German aces from WW2 preferred the FW190

[@robertsandberg2246]

@@mikebrownhill8955 I guess it's all a matter of preference and what works best for the individual...

[@alanhunter-craig8041]

The FW 19D Long Nose was considered by many the best piston engine fighter of the War. No longer with a radial engine it was also one of the fastest while by then the ME 109 had reached the end of it's development stage.

[@michaelschmid9567]

@@alanhunter-craig8041 the Do-335 was maybe the fastest piston engine in WW2. The concept with the counter rotating propeller on the rear was a great idea as well: you had the speed and agility of an single engine fighter, combined with the power of a twin engine fighter. But too little too late.

[@erichammond9308]

A couple of errors though, the Fw-190 used an air cooled radial engine in order to not use the same engine being put in the bf-109. The added benefit of it's resistance to damage and greater power - to - weight ratio made it an easy choice to make. Also, the contemporary P-47 had already shown that larger radial engines were capable of producing sufficient HP to more than overcome the drag they induce.

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

Kurt Tank's designs rule!

[@janrobertbos]

the new rendition of the Fokker d21.................currently awaiting first flying tests in the Netherlands..............

[@sigeberhtmercia767]

The strategy of head on attacks on the bombers was to be abandoned when flying the Me262 because the closing speed was too high.

[@ForestRaptor]

Yup... aiming that single line of fire during the ms of time would be akin to luke hitting the exhaust port in Star Wars.

[@vixenpearce9496]

I actually read some declassified documents from ww2 about the Bf 109 they said that half of the Bf 109s ever produced were lost in takeoff and landing accident's and that the designers during ww2 actually had a design philosophy for the 109 but as time went on and the war was going bad for them the designers actually just began putting new stuff where it was convenient to access for them which led to the Bf 109 cockpit going from a wonderful well thought out cockpit to a mess which led the pilot to hunt around or get crammed in controls

[@neilfoster814]

Another little known fact about the FW 190 is that there was one unit that used a few factory modified aircraft into what was called a "Rammjager" (ram fighter)!. They had extra armour plating around the engine and wing leading edges to try to increase the aircraft's and pilots survivability. They also had a much reduced armament to account for the added armour plating. After a few intercepts, the 190's still suffered catastrophic damage, so the idea was shelved permanently.

[@atlehunekonge]

The gunpods were unpopular due to the fact they would jam after semi-heavy maneuvers.

[@chuck.reichert83]

You should do a video on George Beurling, also know as "The Falcon of Malta".

[@michaelchristensen5421]

Your #1, the pilot use to be a ground crewman that became a pilot after training. For some reason I was thinking the engine failed on the functional check flight, not several days later.

[@zenonelealainen3750]

I think it's actually strange that the 190 is never, not even in this video, mentioned as being by far the best fighter in the world from august 1941 to june 1942. No other fighter during the war was that much better than any other fighters than the 190 was during that period. People though do seem to remember always how the P-51B was by far the best fighter from august 1943 to june 1944. When compare the 190 and the P-51, they were two completely different planes. The 190 was an excellent front line fighter, that excelled in harsh conditions while the P-51 excelled in that escort role when it operated from those well equipped big airfields.

[@steve-ey3rx]

Very good. Great narration!

[@wuffothewonderdog]

May I suggest you consider examining at the Dewoitine D.520, which was a French fighter aircraft that entered service in early 1940, shortly after the beginning of the Second World War. Edward Spears, in his book Assignment to Catastrophe covering his mission as Churchill's military liaison contact with French premier Paul Reynaud, describes how the plane, which mirrored the performance of the Spitfire, was kept from combat by the head of the French air force.

[@abbottsplace8080]

Awesome Video. This is very important work for future generations.

[@kevinohanlon2187]

Really really interesting. How about covering Yak 3.

[@hammiehammie7935]

Great video, I haven't played IL2 in years. Gotta get back into it :)

[@HemlockRidge]

My Grandfather was a Bombardier in a B-24 Liberator. He had twin .50s at the nose. He shot down a FW190 that was attacking (confirmed). As a hunter he was always a good shot.

[@ForestRaptor]

That would be the amongst the hardest shots anyone could pull.

[@OliverVonLindenthal]

Great video! This channel now has a new subscriber.

[@henryblanton6992]

One young Luftwaffe FW 190 Pilot was utterly surprised on his first mission against a RAF Spitfire; he put a short burst of fire from his two Cowling mounted 7.92mm Machine Guns and four Wing Mounted 20mm Cannons which basically obliterated the Spitfire. From then on the FW 190 was known as the “Bucher Bird”. Today it might be Designated as: F/A-190.

[@Alexandre.Savine]

USSR also had "parallel" lines of fighters with liquid cooled engines (Yak-1/7/9/3, MiG-3, LaGG-3) and with radial engines (I-16, I-153, La-5/7). Exactly same pattern of advantages and disadvantages.

[@velilaurinsalo1613]

Hawker Tempest would be an interesting object. It was probably the best fighter from the Brits. Pierre Closterman has written wonderful books and his last plane was Tempest he flew

[@SoloRenegade]

these are such low hanging fruit things. More interesting is the fact teh "power egg", everything from the firewall forward, was a field replaceable unit. Rather than service the engine in place, they just took teh whole thing off and put a brand new engine on while they refurbished teh engine elsewhere. Or the extremely innovative cowl radiator design that others tried and failed to copy.

[@rperry70]

You asked to recommend other airplanes. I would love to see you do the Focke Wife TA 152. The ultimate 190 variant.

[@mikeparkerson6492]

How about doing a video about the TA 152 Long Nose. It came out late in the war and was a 190 fitted with a liquid cooled engine made, I think, by Daimler or BMW (?). But I haven't read much about its effectiveness.

[@mbr5742]

The Langnase was the FW 190D with Junkers Jumo engine. The TA 152 was a new plane based on the FW 190D

[@weissrw1]

Great video!!! On the night fighting, the German fighters would not look so much for the out-line of the bombers (unless moon light made it possible) but for the glowing red-hot exhaust pipes on the engines. They would center up under neither, pull up and let them have it.

[@axelweinrich1166]

Oh yes a definite disadvantage of an air cooled engine!

[@kevinstrade2752]

The biggest reason for the radial engine choice was because of demand of the 109's engine wich was also used in the 110 at the time. Radial engine were in greater supply hence the choice

[@robertkatsock1320]

It was an inline piston engine that looked like a radial. In test flights the radial overheated and they had to use an online engine already in use for some twin engine model bombers

[@kenneth9874]

@@robertkatsock1320 bs,the d9 was the only 190 with an inline engine, the ta152 was a different aircraft based on the 190