Ta-152 - The 'Ultimate' German Prop Fighter in Combat (Part 1)

The last variant of the successful Focke-Wulf Fw-190 received a different designation - Ta-152, after Kurt Tank, its chief designer. Considered by some to be the best piston-engine fighter of WW2, it faced many challenges and ultimately, too few were produced to make a significant impact. But what did it really achieve in actual combat? See in this first video of the series.
Sources:
- Dietmar Hermann - Focke-Wulf Ta 152: The Story of the Luftwaffe's Late-War, High-Altitude Fighter
amzn.to/48GnBMR
- Marek Murawski - Focke-Wulf Ta 152 (Monographs)
amzn.to/4aURon8
- Willi Reschke - Jagdgeschwader 301/302 "Wilde Sau": In Defense Of The Reich with the Bf 109, Fw 190 and Ta 152
amzn.to/3TO6nsN
- Marek Murawski - JG 301 "Wilde Sau"
amzn.to/3tI363z
- Falke Eins - Towards perfection? The Focke Wulf (Tank) Ta 152
falkeeins.blogspot.com/2010/0...
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"Interloper" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License
creativecommons.org/licenses/b...
Audio mastering by Don Solaris:
• Catalog Entry 101: Kha...
#militaryaviation #militaryaviationhistory #luftwaffe

[@showtime112]

Not all the variants, sub-variants and aircraft camouflages are 100% historically accurate. Thank you for your understanding.

[@markingraham4892]

No physical evidence for battle of Stalingrad

[@17cmmittlererminenwerfer81]

It's not your fault that the current generation of gamers can't handle seeing a swastika without having an existential melt-down. The real WW2 vets had no such problems with seeing historically-accurate color schemes.

[@williamzk9083]

@@17cmmittlererminenwerfer81 It's surely not the general gammer but a small bunch of sanctimonious types that enoy asserting some kind of influence and the requirements of a few legal jurisdiction like Germany.

[@vladimirzimonja8103]

No problem,the germans are notorious for making gazillion versions and subversions of their warplanes. Pilots were full of praise for the Ta 152,they said at high altitude it was like flying a glider. Can't remember exact altitude it did it at,but 152 went 760+km/h. Think about 13.000meters or near that. Good video.

[@cfranko1860]

@@markingraham4892what?

[@therealmp40]

The Ta-152 has always been a very interesting design to me, it's awesome to see such a detail description of all it's sorties, never knew about that friendly fire incident with the 109s either!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the feedback! There's more to come.

[@Pete-tq6in]

The great test pilot, Captain Eric ‘Winkle’ Brown, said that the FW-190 series of fighters were definitely the best piston engined fighters fielded by the Luftwaffe during WWII. He was less than complimentary about the Bf-109.

[@showtime112]

If you ever tried to land a Bf-109, you were probably not very fond of it :)

[@6killer426]

I’ll take Skip Holm’s opinion of the Bf-109 over tWinkle’s

[@Pete-tq6in]

@@6killer426 your choice. I’ll take the opinion of the man who flew more types than any other pilot and, despite being a test pilot in arguably the most dangerous and demanding period of aircraft development ever, died of old age.

[@miquelescribanoivars5049]

tbf the BF-109 was a 1934 design, and the whole issue with ground handling was mostly related to logistic reasons.

[@Pete-tq6in]

@@miquelescribanoivars5049 the small fin and rudder combined with a big, heavy engine and strange geometry, giving toe-out on the main-wheels, all combined to make it a handful on the ground. Other disadvantages were a cramped cockpit and heavy canopy framing, making visibility relatively poor for a fighter. That said, it was one of the most successful fighters ever built but that’s as much to do with the standard of its opposition over the Eastern Front in 1941/1942 and how numerous it was as it is to do with its qualities as a fighting aircraft. Of course, the Luftwaffe policy of ‘fight until you die or the war ends’ played a part in building those enormous scores.

[@joerarey8496]

great stuff, thanks for putting it together

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you think so, thank you!

[@jeannezehner9450]

Excellent idea for speaking about this rare aircraft which arrived at the end of the second world war. At this period, the german had problem for building correctly their aircraft, but the Kurt Tank's plane was brillant. When it arrived on 1941 the FW 190 was called the "butcher bird" and the allied pilots were afraid of this plane.

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot! Ta-152 is not exactly 'forgotten' but casual aviation enthusiasts probably don't know much about it.

[@jeannezehner9450]

@@showtime112 Thanks, at this about, have you something about the D0RNIER 335 PFEIL ?

[@showtime112]

@@jeannezehner9450 It will probably be covered sometime in the future. I need to research to see what kind of a video can be made.

[@user-xb5bh9ig1v]

Too late too little.

[@jeannezehner9450]

@@showtime112 Excellent news, but there is not a lot war literature about this strange plane.

[@Holztransistor]

0:44 The Jumo 213 only ended up in the Fw 190 because it was available in greater numbers. And that happened because Germany stopped bomber production entirely for the Jägernotprogramm (Emergency Fighter Program). All resources were redistributed to fighter production in an attempt to regain control in the sky over Germany. For the Fw 190 it was the beginning of a new chapter and the D-variants turned out to be very capable machines.

[@gusgus-yp6qh]

all destroys by gunners of fortress sorry

[@currentbatches6205]

The war was decided by early '43; read O'Brien, "How the War Was Won". One more example of the Nazi waste of resources.

[@basharbehnam7340]

I think it is in the best interest of the channel to reveal the unknown events to the audience such as the roll of the su-22 during Iraq-Iran war. There are many stories narrated by the pilots themselves. Regards.

[@i.setyawan]

Cool! IMHO the Fw-190/Ta-152 looks much cooler than the more famous Bf-109s. Looking forward to part 2!

[@showtime112]

There was something about the Focke Wulf fighters, that's for sure! Part two coming up soon.

[@kristijan12]

Bf-109 is 1930's design, so it's kinda older looking.

[@bradschaeffer5736]

Ta-152 is like the rare bird of the Luftwaffe. Very hard to find a lot of info about it (or even die-cast models!). This is such a great help to understanding this really remarkable--if underappreciated--fighter! Thanks so much for this. Really great content.

[@pablopeter3564]

EXCELLENT - EXCELLENT - EXCELLENT. THANKS very much. You are bringing aviation historical facts to life and to the reach of all of us. Greetings from Mexico City.

[@showtime112]

Thank you once again! Always nice to see your comment.

[@walterblanc9708]

Well produced and thought out great animated footage.

[@showtime112]

I appreciate your positive feedback!

[@ronaldbrouhard1247]

One thing about P-47s; of all the combat footage I've seen, I never saw a Thunderbolt lose a big chunk of wing .

[@showtime112]

Some simulations such as DCS can get pretty close to reality in their flight models. Damage models generally require much more improvement.

[@50gary]

Agreed, the JUG-ernaut could absorb tremendous amount of punishment and still make it home. Losing a wing (not saying it never happened) but...

[@joerarey8496]

Holy crap, the 109's engaged the ta 152's and made both groups blow their E so that the pony's could come in and decimate them?! ...I'll never complain about my warthunder team again.

[@bensmith7536]

nope, sounds like a standard WT game to me.

[@ramimariewilson4672]

The Bf 109 is obviously superior the Fw 190 and the Bf 109K-4 is superior to the Ta 152. The Focke wulfs only advantage is Range and a slight altitude due to wingspan which inhibits roll rate speed was a tie. Maneuverability and armament easily go to the Messerschmitt. For every Focke Wulf model there was a contemporary superior 109. Bf 109 F4 > FW 190A-8, Bf 109G-10 > FW 190D-9 Bf 109K-4 > Ta 152H. The Bf 109K-4 is the greatest piston engined fighter of WWII.

[@joerarey8496]

@@ramimariewilson4672 the 109s certainly were of a timeless design. That they were a late 30's airframe that extended past the end of the conflict is a testament to willys design perfection. I like flying the simulator IL2. both the 109k and the 190 Dora are well represented there. The fw was a beautiful bird and very easy to fly, but if it was my ass on the line in a German fighter I'm with you on strapping into a K model

[@The_Curious_Cat]

Typical BF-109 behaviour. They always had an inferior complex versus the far superior FW-190's.

[@trexx63]

@@ramimariewilson4672 NO. It is not obvious. Furthermore you may be off.

[@bizjetfixr8352]

An interesting little side note.........Kurt Tank had a Ta 152 as his personal airplane at the end of the war. Had no problem outrunning P-51s

[@Tom-jw7ii]

The P-51D was faster than the Ta 152H below about 16,000 ft, even without using W.E.P. I guess if the Mustangs had drop tanks a Ta 152H would have been able to outrun them down low.

[@Rudeljaeger]

It wasnt. Mustang P-51D top speed was 440 mp/h. The TA-152 managed 470 mp/h.

[@Tom-jw7ii]

@@Rudeljaeger Top speeds by themselves are almost meaningless. That 470 mph top speed is at an altitude of about 42,000 ft. That test was also done at 2.03 atm, which the test specified was with a Jumo 213EB engine, suggesting it wasn’t a normal configuration. It seems 1.92 atm was the maximum power setting used by combat units. That would put the top speed at 42,000 ft at a little lower 465 mph. At sea level, closer to where such an event would have transpired, the top speed was only about 360 mph. That’s just a couple mph slower than a clean P-51D at 61 inHg, which isn’t even maximum power. There’s a lot more to consider than just a top speed number. Altitude, how the plane was configured, and rules for pilots to maintain engine life all affected how fast a WW2 fighter could fly.

[@shawn97006]

Only said Kurt Tank....who was prone to over exaggerate.

[@stephencastello6553]

@@Tom-jw7ii A good footnote would be that the Jumo 213EB was fickle and if used at maximum performance it was as the Germans would say "total schrott".

[@ugarit5404]

Holy shit duuude,never imagined i could see my favourite prop aircraft on this channel

[@tonyelberg7814]

Great video, thanks

[@showtime112]

Thank you for appreciating it!

[@branka1980]

Nice video 👍!

[@showtime112]

Hvala!

[@pierluigiadreani2159]

For sure it is the most aesthetic fighter ever made (either this or the f190 d12, if you prefer less extreme features)

[@showtime112]

The wings were a bit extreme :) Thank you for commenting!

[@pierluigiadreani2159]

@@showtime112 Thank you for your work

[@danraymond1253]

It's funny you say this. I think it's horribly ugly haha. Eye of the beholder I guess 🤷

[@d.d.794]

I completely agree - how beautiful they are both in the sky and on the ground.

[@beachcomber1able]

​@@danraymond1253 It's far better looking than your missus.

[@JT-io9ii]

Awesome video!

[@showtime112]

I'm glad you liked it, thank you!

[@JT-io9ii]

@@showtime112 I love your content!

[@rafaelaldana1503]

nice video!!!!! I did not know about this airplane. Thanks

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@Chilly_Billy]

I like the transition to B&W from color for the gun camera views.

[@showtime112]

Thanks! I'm playing a little with effects and filters to try to approach the actual footage feel.

[@tarkovlover917]

@@showtime112it looks great!!

[@fw1421]

And the Smithsonian has the only Ta152 in existence but still hasn’t restored it. It’s in storage at the Paul Garber Facility outside of Washington DC.

[@showtime112]

It's a shame that so many of these warbirds were just scrapped when the weren't needed anymore. They should have thought of us, aviation enthusiasts from the future and preserved more of them :)

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Refurbishment was done Many years ago. Engine runs but stay grounded because unique

[@BruceK10032]

Thank you! I knew the Ta-152 was used only toward the very end and had little success, but I haven't seen these details before.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@tomtd]

Like most of the later German machinery, the wet dream of the engineers, overfunded and seeking the ultimate weapon. The real stuff that won out was mass produced. Penicillin, proximity shells, huge numbers of throwaway tanks, pluto an example of excellent logistics, reliable machines too, no navy, longer range heavier aircraft, even the 17 pounder was a more effective gun than the “famed 88” So many myths but so much money wasted on bad projects, even using slaves they never out produced the UK, add the American production from 42 on and they were overwhelmed by faster development, (mustang 110 days) better science (window & electronics) and their own flawed governance.

[@melchiorvonsternberg844]

@@tomtd Na klar! Even in 1944, when Germany sunk into ruins, the Germans, produced more aircraft, compared to the British. Germany produced till 1944 always more steel and coal, than the Bolshevics. It is the same story, like in WWI. The Yanks pushed the other play mates, in a wheelchair over the finish line... So much for WWII myths! And next time, my dear children, I explain to you, why an invasion of England, wasn't started and not prevented...

[@donparker1823]

Thanks!

[@showtime112]

Thank you for another donation!

[@clockdva20]

Nice upload . I have always wondered how many of these little airfeilds near and around Hamburg have their origins as hidden WW2 airbases during the late part of WW2 .these days many are used for private aircraft and Gliders .when I first moved to Germany we were visiting The City of Bremen were Focke-wulf were based .we where in a Church , and just ended up talking to a few people or should I say my wife was my German was not that good. But it turned out the guy we were talking was working on a book about Kurt Tank and his many advanced Planes he designed both Military and none civil aircraft like tue FW 200 Condor a very adavaced passager plane.I wonder if he ever completed the book.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the comment and for sharing your experience! Speaking of former airfields, I was also happy to discover that Neustadt-Glewe, the final airbase for Ta-152 is still today a grass airfield used for general aviation.

[@jdsaldivar5606]

82ND AIRBORNE Cool looking airplane...the canopy looks clean.

[@showtime112]

You know how Germans like things being nice and tidy :)

[@jdsaldivar5606]

@@showtime112 82ND AIRBORNE My biological Dad is German...my biological Mom is Hispanic...

[@flightlinemedia]

Fun video! Wonderful airplane.

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot! If these videos attract lots of views, I will explore some more late war German 'obscure' types.

[@unklezam7873]

Great vid! Which games did you use for it? Warthunder sim mode?

[@showtime112]

Thanks! This was made in War Thunder. Not exactly in the sim mode but as a user mission. You turn off the labels and it looks completely different :)

[@robertkenney6752]

The Do 335 was by far the best prop driven fighter of the war. It had many new technologies we use today , like inflatable forward wing zones that aid in deicing. Two engines on the same center line reduced drag, with massive performance increases.

[@showtime112]

Could be a topic for a future video.

[@gusgus-yp6qh]

all destroys by gunners of fortress sorry

[@juancarlosperezcortes9259]

Excellent video, I always thought the Ta-152 never past the experimental phase

[@showtime112]

Thank you! It really wasn't very far from the experimental phase :)

[@williamzk9083]

Ta 152H entered service in February 1945, and they flew many missions and shot down a considerable number of allied aircraft. The Ta 152C entered Service a month later., This variant probably didn’t fly any combat missions, but they were on the Luftwaffe inventory.

[@user-ks1di8rw3f]

The Ta 152 score at the end of the war was probably seven victories and four losses in air combat, so not that good!@@williamzk9083

[@tgorski52]

On my trip to the FHC Museum in Seattle, I snuck a light touch of the horizontal stabilizer on their restored D-9. Not many people can say they have touched one of these airplanes, that just look like they're ready for business.

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

Fiiirst. The first part of à Masterpiece.👍. I didnot know that B29 was implicated in Ta152H développement !!!🤔

[@showtime112]

Congratulations! :) This is a bit of a speculation but Americans were trying to make Germans believe that B-29s would arrive. One or two actually made an obvious appearance in England to make sure any spies don't miss them.

[@jeannezehner9450]

Il t'a bien remercié à la fin. Félicitations.

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

​@@jeannezehner9450les photos NB des pilotes et du Fw190D sont de moi😊. Y en aura autres dans 2e et 3e partie 👍

[@jeannezehner9450]

@@dominiqueroudier9401 Les honneurs !!!

[@dominiqueroudier9401]

​@@jeannezehner9450votre dévoué serviteur 👞🧽. Que pense tu de cette première partie ??

[@Page-Hendryx]

00:41 - excellent desktop background (1080p)

[@showtime112]

Yeah, that's an unusually high quality photo for that era

[@1joshjosh1]

new Showtime 112?? Looks like I'm one day late to the party. Better late than never I guess. 👍👍👍👍

[@showtime112]

No problem, the video is there for good :)

[@cartersmith8560]

Looking forard to part 2 ....... Tempest vs Ta-152 at treetop level

[@showtime112]

Spoiler alert! That's the plot of the next video :)

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

Many yrs ago I bought a line control model kit of Ta-152 H, by the renowned firm of Graupner. The kit was stolen from my cellar before I got around to bulid it...

[@showtime112]

Sorry to hear it. Maybe you can get another kit and try again?

[@danhubert-hx4ss]

THX, miracles do happen after all...@@showtime112

[@ariannescharfi9366]

Low altitude performance of the Ta-152H wasn't all that great tho. It was powerful at high altitude as you can tell.

[@showtime112]

Actually, it wasn't bad. More details in part two 😁

[@pikasmax]

Für niedrige Höhe gab es die Fw190D-9 ☝️ Die Ta wurde wirklich nur für die Höhe entwickelt von Kurt Tank . Es musste eine Überlegenheit der Leistung in sehr hoher Höhe geschaffen werden gegenüber den Alliierten Jägern . Für mich ist die Fw190 D-9 der bessere Jäger gewesen zu dieser Zeit . Da es reichlich Flugzeuge gab die auch Leistungsstark waren Bf109K4 und G14 ☝️ war es meistens eine Frage des Piloten und JG was er fliegen wollte. Trifft natürlich nicht für die Mehrheit zu ☝️Nur die Besten konnten sich ihre Typen auswählen, wo für sie eine Vorliebe hatten. Barkhorn seine Staffel flog 109 G6-14 und K4 er selber blieb bei seiner D-9

[@Peter-vf3dl]

The main problem of the Germans - during the entire war - was the lack of high octane. Their synthetic B4 (and later c3) fuel had like 90 or 100 octane respectively whereas US planes received fuel with up to 140. That gave Western allied planes an edge - at speed - on low to mid altitudes in general. US planes were very large - resulting in bigger loadout & more fuel capacity and still doing good - in comparison with German planes. The Germans always had to find work arounds and "engineered around" this huge disadvantage for piston engined planes. Edit: One of the main reasons, Germans invested heavily into jet- and rocket propelled engine technology.

[@williamzk9083]

@@Peter-vf3dl B4 (Blue dyed fuel) was nominally 87 octane but British tests of fuel residues in downed German aircraft and Drop tanks showed they got it to 91. C3 (green dyed) was initially about RON 94 and PN about 115 ie 94/115 but then became 96/125 and got close to 100/130. The increased boost allowed the BMW 801 enignes to go from 1.3 ata for B4, then 1.38 ata, then 1.42, then 1.55 then 1.68 etc and possibly 1.8 (with Mw50) C3 was reasonably plentiful (about 1/3rd of production) but it was about 30% more expensive to make and needed more coal to synthesize the iso octane. They started building more efficient alkylation plants in 1940 but only got one finished. It's tremendously expensive to make oil from coal. You loose around half the energy. (Fischer-Tropsch is 35% efficient and Bergius Hydrogenation at most 60%) and it needed huge plants with a lot of steal. Fluisdised bed rectors and better catalysts were developed that made things much more efficient but most never made it into production.

[@williamzk9083]

+@@pikasmax The Fw 190D-9 was inferior to the P-51D at most altitudes mainly due to the Jumo 213A engine having only a 1 stage 2 speed supercharger. The P-51 had a two stage supercharger with inter cooler and also a lower wing loading. The Fw 190D12 (with Jumo 213F with 2 stage 3 speed supercharger) was needed to match the P-51. The Fw 190D-9 was a powerful aircraft and at low altitude could perform well. The Ta 152C and Ta 152H were excellent fighters the Fw 190D would have become a JABO. The Fw 190D-12 EB with Jumo 213EB (with inter cooler) was extremely fast (478mph).

[@olivergarcia2304]

Super video. Danke herzlich! :)

[@showtime112]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@ratagris21]

Happy New Year Showtime 112 and your viewers! Thanks for covering this unique aircraft. ♠️🎩🎯🎱🇺🇸🏁🇮🇱🇺🇦🔱🌻🌸💮🏴‍☠️🏹

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot for the wishes! The aircraft is certainly quite unique and there's more interesting material left to cover.

[@SoloRenegade]

I used to think the Ta-152 was one of the pinnacle of WW2 prop fighter design. but teh more I learned in deep dives into different designs, the less I beleive this narrative. The problem is that the Ta-152 was optimized for one mission, and one mission only. And this made it less than ideal in other regimes that were critical to building a balanced fighter and to claim the top spot. there were many much better prop fighters to come out of WW2, many with proven combat records.

[@williamzk9083]

The high aspect ratio wings limited dive speed due to flutter, added drag at low altitude and reduced speed a little and limited roll rate. In reality these were not such a big problems because the big wings gave super turn rate at any latitude and of course above 9000m it was master.

[@paulmurgatroyd6372]

The fact that the airframe could take a rotary or inline engine and performed as well as it did, should have had some impact on it's production over the 109.

[@LordBelakor]

good german pronounciation, highly appreciated

[@showtime112]

Thanks a lot! I actually attempted to learn the language in my youth. The attempt failed but some of that is still there I guess.

[@LordBelakor]

@@showtime112 It is always a pleasure if people take the effort to use the correct pronounciation for names, I know german is a bithc in that regard, so it is even greater to do that

[@user-ck8qk5yw3i]

The 190D looks so fine that I wish things never advanced past that point or that they strived to find a way to upgrade it, prop and all, to compete with modern jets.

[@showtime112]

I know that feeling. I'm no fan of fifth gen jets for example, if they asked me they would still be flying Phantoms :)

[@loudelk99]

I have heard of this aircraft, but was not aware that it actually entered limited service.

[@showtime112]

It didn't fight that much but it was still an interesting service. Feel free to check out part two, it just came out.

[@dietmarschellschmidt9712]

Willi Reschke told : ' The Ta 152 H was the best piston engine Fighter of WW2 ' - she was his life insurance...

[@showtime112]

Yeah, he was certainly an enthusiast.

[@TheLordofthecakes]

Reschke also reports on the exceptional manoeuvrability of the Ta-152 H at low altitude. watch?v=cvvN5Te6v7E

[@dyonisis7681]

was there any stats on this plane? not interested in where it was used..

[@showtime112]

There is a summary at the end of third video. But judging from your comment, this channel is not for you :)

[@jensahlers]

Kann man das Video auch in deutsch kommentieren? Vielen Dank im Voraus. Das würde mich sehr freuen. 😉

[@showtime112]

You can comment in your own language, no problem. I'm happy to hear that you appreciate the video.

[@dgmason6517]

The ta-152 was designed for high altitude combat. It didn’t do well at lower altitudes.

[@showtime112]

It didn't do too badly either, check out the sequel videos when they come out.

[@derandere4965]

Good German pronounciation, thank you!

[@showtime112]

I tried to learn German when I was young. I eventually quit but the pronunciation rules are still in my head. Besides, most English speakers are absolutely terrible at it so mine sounds pretty good compared to that :)

[@derandere4965]

@@showtime112, that‘s what I referred to. Most English-speaking youtubers don‘t pay any real attention to pronouncing German words right. You really took your care, and did very well!

[@MajorBorris]

Most beautiful fighter of world war 2

[@showtime112]

It was rather elegant, I agree.

[@billballbuster7186]

Interesting aircraft probably built to intercept the B-29 at very high altitude. However most combat was at 25,000ft or lower were the long span wings would severely hamper agility. But not as fast and agile as some later allied fighters.

[@singular18]

In Germany no B-29 was present. At low altitude the TA-152 performed good. Check proper sources.

[@billballbuster7186]

@@singular18 The Germans did not know the B-29 would not be used in Europe, what else would it have been built for? The best unbiased tech assessment is Greg's and he says the wings are crap until over 25,000ft and destroys the legendary Fw-190 role rate.

[@showtime112]

But Germans were expecting B-29s to arrive. Americans even tried to convince them they would.

[@soumadip_skyy_banerjee]

❤️👌🏻🔥

[@showtime112]

Thank you for your comment!

[@johnshepherd9676]

Given its very limited combat operations giving it the title of the best piston engined fighter of WWII does not cut it. The contemporary P-47M was just as fast albeit at different altitudes and was deployed with over 10x the number of aircraft entering combat. The P-51H, while never making it into combat, was in full rate production with 500 examples produced by the summer of 1945. The TA-152 is usually credited with a top speed of 470 mph but when test by USAAF using 150 octane aviation fuel it only hit 461 mph, 9 mph slower than the P-47M. The top speed of most superprops were recorded at very light weight, usually without armament. For example, the P-51H hit 487mph during testing but according Greg's airplane channel operational aircraft topped out at about 470mph. The two exceptions with top speeds recorded at combat weight were the P-47M and F4U-5 both were at least as fast as the TA-152. The -5 was probably the superior aircraft at altitudes below 30kft. These two aircraft are really contemporaries be ause under ideal circumstances the TA-152 would not have entered service until the end of 1945. The Luftwaffe was both aided and handicapped by the airwar being fought over their own territory.

[@kenlee9798]

Its unfair to compare a fighter that has to fly only a few miles against another that flies 1200 miles round trip to Berlin, that arrives in large numbers and still fights the local guy. The long range fighters were optimized to do a job that the Ta-152 could not.

[@williamzk9083]

There wasn't that much difference in range, and most importantly combat condition. The Ta 152H1 had a range of 750 miles clean and 1200 miles with a pair of 75 US gallon drop tanks. The P-51D had a range of 1190 miles clean and 1650 with a pair of 75 US gallon drop tanks. The extra clean range of the P-51D came from an additional 85 gallon tank optionally installed in the tail section aft of the pilot. Had the P-51D not had the tail tank the range was 800 miles (about the same as the P-51A) and the same as the Ta 152C (which I think had had more fuel due to no NOX) However the P-51D tail tank made the aircraft marginally stable to fly. It was not combat worthy with more than 30 gallons in the tank and when drop tanks were fitted seldom used its 85 gallon capacity and was restricted to 60 gallons. It was more a ferry tank. Aircraft must be 'nose heavy' with the tail plane pushing the nose up to be stable to fly and the tank gave the P-51D marginal stability. The fuel was half burned off before switching to drop tanks, something which partially eliminated the value of drop tanks where the fuel can be dumped to reduced weight. The P-51D was not combat worth with this tank full of fuel and it often wasn't fitted. -The Ta-152C which did not carry nitrous oxide had a slightly greater range. German NOX tanks were in fact design To carry optionally extra fuel or MW50 but usually were not plumbed do allow this due to the shortages of valves. Me 109 and Fw 190 could carry MW50 (or Nitro us Oxide) in the tail tank usually with a capacity of 140L (33 Imp Gallons 37 US gallons). -Had the Ta 152H been fitted with an additional tail tank that created marginal stability it would have had the range of the P-51D but it would have been little use to an interceptor

[@grandpaweber2097]

Pierre Closterman didn't think it was that awesome.

[@showtime112]

It really wasn't 'awesome', the hype around it is a bit exaggerated.

[@kurshkolo4701]

I like this

[@showtime112]

I'm glad to hear it, thank you!

[@HKoch-ny3em]

9:54 That couldn't have been Aufhammer. According to my information, he joined the Luftwaffe as a lieutenant. The picture shows an honored sergeant

[@showtime112]

That's possible, I couldn't find multiple sources to verify the image. And he does seem quite young for that rank so even if that is him, it was probably taken years earlier.

[@flycatchful]

I built and flew a 1/4 scale radio control model of this aircraft. The wing span was 120 inches and it weighed 21 pounds.

[@showtime112]

That's a pretty large rc plane!

[@CocoDave37]

You using DCS ?

[@showtime112]

For some videos. But this one was done in War Thunder.

[@erico7430]

Great video, I knew of the Ta but didn't know much detail.

[@GIjoelly]

Use to be my goto German plane in IL2 Sturmovik 1946. Z&B killer

[@randlerobbertson8792]

Always remember the TA152 was produced so late in the war, its performance varied as much from the build quality (which was shoddy at best) and the quality of the diminishing aviation fuel supply. But their performance was outstanding when in tip top condition and more than a match for anything the allies had.

[@The_Curious_Cat]

I mean... The fact that despite being attacked by surprise by friendly BF-109's and still have no losses tells the TA-152 was superior. The BF-109 were torn to pieces by the Mustangs and suffered losses, while the TA-152's despite being attacked by both got no losses...? Bro... What a legendary aircraft. And the design never reached full potential since they had to use a different engine then the one it was designed for (those were all hogged by Messerschmitt because of political influence). And so the aircraft had some issues, mainly because of the turbocharger, which was supposed to have a three stage system, which they never used because it would create problems in the center of gravity. So they would either use one stage or the other, but never the three at the same time (the system would be removed from the aircraft when not needed).

[@williamzk9083]

According to Dietmar Hermann the Juo 213 was chosen because due to a miscalculation at Focke-Wulf the DB603 was though 100kg heavier.

[@icewaterslim7260]

If they had started sooner and Blohm & Voss had finished developing the turbocharger inter-coolers and assuming they had the nickel and other raw materials for the hot side turbo impellers' I think the Blohm & Voss BV 155 would have given the FW some tough competition for the B29 killer they never had to use. The B29 was having it's own development woes at the time and it's probably a relatively good thing it was partially developed in operation over Japan and not Germany. Whatever the crippling of the Luftwaffe was they had better high altitude choices ready or near ready for their few surviving Luftwaffe combat veteran pilots than Japan, whom I guess never dreamed the nightmare of our bombing them en masse beforehand. As it was Curtis Wright did most of the damage to strategic heavy bombardment missions over Japan while it lasted.. .

[@andrezkamotu]

Ta 152 = an armed motor glider 😀

[@showtime112]

Wings certainly look like they belong on a glider :)

[@sablatnic8030]

Of course, if you want to fly high and fast you need low drag.

[@martinkukumberg1908]

The BEST fighter for high altitude.

[@georgesalmeron5055]

"Quality issues." It is so hard to get quality work from slave labor.

[@cartersmith8560]

Read Reschke's book!!

[@nigel900]

Inverted, liquid cooled 👉🏻V-12 Engine👈🏻

[@rabidduck1089]

The Ta-152H is fine when it's above 4km altitude. Below that though those wings aren't helpful.

[@dukemorrison5169]

The best fighter plane of World War II was the long range American P51 Mustang ! It was a Game Changer. For the first time B24 and B17 Heavy Bombers had fighter protection escorts from England into Germany and back again ! Fewer Bombers lost to enemy action meant those crews lived another day to knock out German Industries and deprive them the means to wage war !

[@showtime112]

I think what you are describing is 'the most important fighter'.

[@DJJ81]

The few TA-152’s that were made were great for high altitude… and that’s pretty much it. But the 190 was probably the best prop plane of WWII

[@johnshepherd9676]

I would say the F4U Corsair was a good match in performance to the FW. Despite the difference in size they similar performance characteristics for each evolution of the aircraft.

[@fenris6051]

The Germans had the coolest shit, be it submarines, tanks, planes and so much more

[@showtime112]

Many people seem to agree with that. There's something fascinating about trying to counter the obvious lack of manpower and weaker economy with technology.

[@fenris6051]

@@showtime112- Technology and skill. It is a shame people can not see objectively on the topic, and funny how respected German tech was after the war, but now we see people trying to argue that all German tech and tactics where crap. It is a shame that people can not separate the NAZI politics from the technical advanced Germany made that benefited us all in the long run.

[@iaidagger8278]

Yes indeed!!! The best ww2 high altitude FIGHTER!!!😊😊😊❤❤❤

[@a_s_mikael]

in this page you can see war history lively

[@showtime112]

That is exactly the point, thank you!

[@branka4226]

👍

[@showtime112]

Hvala na komentaru!

[@tedtedsen269]

the p 51 in modern time has reached well over 42000 ft the youtube video is called how high can a p51 go. something like that

[@alejandrocasalegno1657]

As many german weapons.........too few...............too late.....

[@showtime112]

That was the Luftwaffe official moto in the last couple of years of the war 😁

[@chrismair8161]

In the coming jet age? Which the British had one in service but did not one to fall in Enemy Hands could easily out speed turn and gun this aircraft.

[@richardscales9560]

Doesnt seem really ideal as a dog fighter (the h variant) with that wing span. Thats got to hurt roll rate.

[@showtime112]

It wasn't ideal, that is true. It did however score almost all of its victories on low to medium level.

[@sohrabroozbahani4700]

This is how you lose a war, disorganised, demoralised and strangled by all manners of shortage, barely able to fulfil any objectives... the only thing left for you to pitch in is your life to waste on the altar of glory and honor, and sadly that's usually what soldiers end up doing...

[@showtime112]

They were really just postponing the inevitable but most of them didn't know it. It seems that many Germans still thought they could avoid the defeat somehow even so late in the war.

[@einfachignorieren6156]

​@@showtime112keep fighting to be free than be occupied by the US or USSR

[@TheSmarq17]

Looks like a FW190 that was just released from a concentration camp.

[@showtime112]

Or filmed in 4:3 and then stretched to ultra-wide resolution 😁

[@garyraines7511]

An HONEST 425 mph with the 213F JUMO @ max Altitude, 45000 feet....... Long Wing 152H was Pressurized. 3 Speed, 3 stage Supercharger, 30 MM MotorKanon. Willi Reschke of JG301 shot down 3 Yakovlevs over Berlin in his initial sortie....Walter Loos did the same. Reschke caught a Mosquito at altitude, claimed that the third stage of his SC had dropped out......if he'd opened up with the 30, both Brits would have burned.....I think he let them go, the war would end in a few days. glr

[@williamzk9083]

Fw 190D12 had the Jumo 213F engine and was much faster than the Fw 190D9 with Jumo 213A. The Fw 190D12 EB with jumo 213EB was expected to reach 478mph.

[@garyraines7511]

You take the D12, I'll take the 152H with the 30mm Kanon---we'll meet @ 40,000.@@williamzk9083

[@user-zh3wy3tl7f]

What game the videos are from. Want a new simulator.

[@showtime112]

It's War Thunder. Not exactly a full simulator but it compensates for it with a wide range of aircraft.

[@user-zh3wy3tl7f]

@@showtime112 thank you

[@karnky7798]

Die TA 152 war das beste Jagdflugzeug des zweiten Weltkrieges. Sie wurde allerdings erst ganz kurz vor Kriegsende eingesetzt. Wäre diese Maschine zusammen mit der Messerschmidt 262 drei Jahre eher verfügbar gewesen, hätte die Amis niemals in Europa Fuss gefasst.

[@cannonfodder4376]

I have read about the attempted bomber intercepts, the 109 engagement, and the Tempest turn fight. Don't remember anything about attacking and even shooting down Thunderbolts. My memory is admittedly probably dated. Still a good video, the Ta-152H is a beautiful and potent bird. Even if it admittedly never was fully developed to its full potential.

[@showtime112]

Some of the episodes such as the Bf-109 and the fight against the Tempests are described in a lot of details so they are probably more memorable. And those two P-47 combats are just quick bounces from a higher altitude and didn't last long.

[@arthurdirindinjr1792]

I find it ridiculous anyone would even consider the title of " possibly best fighter of the war" on a fighter that had absolutely zero impact on anything

[@showtime112]

But then again, it's not the title of 'the most influential fighter of the war'.

[@samthing4thetrack806]

Almost all of the German fighters had narrow wings and were designed more like interceptors. They basically can roll very fast but cannot turn. US fighters were designed differently with wider wings which allowed better turn radius and were better dog fighters for that reason. This was true for the pacific fighters as well but that may have been for the need for carrier operations, this may have informed the entire philosophy of US fighters... hmmmm. The P-38 may have been the closest to an interceptor style but being twin boom still had a large wing surface area.

[@leadsolo2751]

The Butcher Bird ❤

[@garyhooper1820]

May have become a formidable plane had all the issues been solved.. but so few planes with so many problems , had no effect on the war .

[@michelquemper3846]

Best speed 704 km/h Mustang vs 745 km/h Ta 152 and Dornier Do 335 "Pfeil".

[@kkteutsch6416]

No sense showing the B-29 pictures since no FW fights them...

[@showtime112]

Try listening to the text and it will make sense

[@chuckschillingvideos]

The TA-152 was a great aircraft. HOWEVER, it could do absolutely nothing to solve the massive problems faced by the Luftwaffe - critical shortages of fuel and competent fighter pilots

[@Wulfmenhoff]

Good video and information. But funny as always mentioning that no Confirm of a kill has been confirmed. The Germans had the Most accurate System for confirming kills and there were no such 3/4 victory as for the Allied Pilots. Also Most of the Documenta were lost der destroyed.

[@showtime112]

Thank you for the comment! Yes, Luftwaffe claims were generally more reliable than others but in some of these cases, I didn't find any details or corresponding losses on the Allied side which I thought should be mentioned.

[@john_smithchiropractor3931]

Gregsairplane already disproved the Ta-152 limited ability. It was a “ good” fighter but not as good as the American piston driven fighters.

[@showtime112]

The purpose of this video is to focus on the type's actual combat experience. This is the subject to which Greg dedicates about twenty seconds out of a 45 minute video, I believe.

[@john_smithchiropractor3931]

@@showtime112 fair enough. I did enjoy your video.

[@bensmith7536]

The more i read about snafus like this, the more i think the axis werent so much beaten, but lost due to stupidity and incompetence over wasted resources, high level idiots that were not fit for the position, and general dumb fuckery. Never interrupt your enemy when he's making a mistake.

[@christopherskipp1525]

Is this a video game?

[@showtime112]

It's War Thunder

[@christopherskipp1525]

@@showtime112 Thank you.

[@jamiejones7325]

I have books claiming it as terrible lower as fantastic higher altitudes. ???

[@showtime112]

I haven't really found anything that would suggest it was 'terrible'. In fact, Reschke claimed that it could easily turn with the Tempest without reaching its maximum (more details in the next video).

[@williamzk9083]

There are two types of drag on a wing: 1 parasitic drag which just comes from being in the slip stream and increases with thr square of speed 2 induced drag which is a roughly linear function of the lift being generated though this deteriorates rapidly at high angle of attack. High aspect ratio wings like the Ta 152H are very efficient at creating lift with minimal induced drag. This allows them no only to fly very high but turn well. The penalty is the parasitic drag which slows the aircraft in thicker air and also reduces roll rate. In reality the penalties were not so severe.

[@nicholassyrmis3789]

A German cars is beautiful but in war you don't make beautiful items you make mass production of weapons the allies made mass production that's why they won that's included Russia too.

[@showtime112]

True, such wars are won by economy.

[@sugarnads]

Yeah. How many152s made it into combat? Easy to claim somethings the best when it sawfuq all combat. The P47 is the best piston fighter of ww2. It actually saw you know, COMBAT. And flogged the crap out of anything in front of it. It was tough. It had huge firepower. It was the fastest production piston fighter of the war. F,n wehrboos.