The WW2 Airplane with Only One Weakness

In 1941, famed Royal Naval Fleet Air Arm pilot Eric “Winkle” Brown was returning home after a mission to protect British convoys in Gibraltar from the Germans when a shell smashed through his windshield and a large piece of glass came into his mouth.
Concussed, Brown began to fade out of consciousness. Fortunately, however, his wing leader talked to him during the entire trip, urging him to stay awake - and alive. If he had closed his eyes, he recalled: (QUOTE) “that would have been that.”
The whole time, his leader made an effort to keep him going. Barely conscious, the extraordinary pilot seemed to be doing exactly what he was told to with his aircraft. Under the expert direction of his superior, Brown managed to land on the deck of a friendly carrier, although he didn’t remember the incident at all.
Out of action, Brown returned home to recover from his injuries. When he woke up, he was shocked to learn that the aircraft that had almost ended his life had been an airliner: the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor.
Resolved to take it down, the young pilot devoted himself to studying the German design closely. But he soon realized that it had no blindspots - except for one…
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@MrCipher96]

12:19 love it how the wheelbrake casually starts burning and the camera just pans away like :"don't show zem our weakeness Hans!"

[@JoeJ94611]

In another clip (it may have been Hitler's visit to Finland), in the background a ground crewman can be seen running up to the Condor's burning brake with a fire extinguisher.

[@mickeycrilly1839]

Ha ha was just going to comment on this myself

[@chamberpot969]

Winkle Brown was a national treasure.

[@Munakas-wq3gp]

Interesting fact about Hitlers visit to Finland: His plane flew just a couple of hundred meters past a paper mills chimney in thick fog. If they'd hit it, history could have been changed...

[@zh84]

Brown was the most experienced test pilot ever: he flew more types of aircraft than anyone else ever has. Given how much longer and more expensive aircraft development is now, it's unlikely his record will ever be beaten.

[@amramjose]

And he was/is a legend in Aviation.

[@secretagent86]

Love Capt Brown. Huge respect. RIP

[@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe]

What else was he doing during this time?

[@davidelliott5843]

His airmanship talent was spotted and he was moved out of active operations into testing. aircraft

[@KeithHays-ek4vr]

​@@JeffreyWilliams-dr7qe - He even experimented with landing aircraft onto giant rubber mats on aircraft carriers.

[@tamahagane1700]

Good thing is Fuehrer did not propose the FW to convert "200" into a dive bomber

[@chrislong3938]

One of the most beautiful planes of the war, IMO! I wish the tail was a little more streamlined, but otherwise, it was downright beautiful!

[@grahamwood9428]

Interesting comment/observation as I have always thought the same. Beautiful looking aircraft.

[@Twirlyhead]

If you find passenger and freight planes beautiful you will like this because that's what it looks like, what it's from.

[@daystatesniper01]

Surely one of the best looking prop planes ever ,along with the Connie

[@luddite6239]

Agreed. It's hard to believe it was designed almost 90 years ago.

[@MichaelRoy-hc3lz]

I flew to Oshkosh last to see Connie "Bataan" land and got a tour of the plane. I was an aviation geek from an early age and that was the first time l had seen on airborne since the early 70s. A fabulous aircraft!

[@MakerBoyOldBoy]

Yeah, I agree. I had a grudging admiration for the Condor sleek design. Same goes for the Connie.

[@kenon6968]

my vote is for the Lockheed Electra.

[@feedingravens]

@@MichaelRoy-hc3lz I think the trick of the two types (regarding their look) is the fuselage lines are a continuous CURVE. Other passenger planes want to maintain a constant cabin cross section, means you have a tube with a streamlined fairing front and back. The absolute worst in that respect is modern cruise ships. In the meantime their hull sides are totally flat, the ship looks like a shoebox that had gotten into a pencil sharpener. The reason is clear, they are floating appartment houses.

[@gerardhogan3]

A very beautiful looking aircraft.

[@deepwoods_dave7368]

A most beautiful aircraft if there ever was one.

[@Schlipperschlopper]

They just built an 1:1 replica of such a condor in Germany!

[@theonlymadmac4771]

No, they restored an original sunk in a fjord in Norway. And the restored it in Bremen, but it is stationed in Berlin

[@colinbarron4]

Correct. But they have restored it to represent a civil Condor.@@theonlymadmac4771

[@MGB-learning]

Outstanding video and presentation.

[@Andrew-iv5dq]

Around 6:00 “365 tons of shipping”. That can’t be right. That’s not even one small ship. He must have meant 365 thousand tons.

[@Gloomendoom]

He says 365 tons but the English subtitles say 365,000 tons.

[@christopher959]

Aha. Came looking for this

[@Chuck59ish]

And prone to brake fires as shown at 12:18.

[@skippes_view]

And the CO’s just keep walking as if it’s a normal thing 🤭🤣

[@shadow4evr]

5:48 “sank over 365 tonnes of allied shipping”… that’s not a lot when you consider the weight of ships.

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Probably 36,500 tons?

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

That would be less than ten ocean-going vessels. @@JohnSmith-yv6eq

[@FraterMerovius]

Indeed. Like one ship. The closed captions got what I assume is the correct figure of 365,000 tons. I had to go back and watch it again to be sure.

[@MrCipher96]

Maybe that's just the cargo weight? Just a thought..

[@JohnSmith-yv6eq]

Sunken ship tonnage is the total ship weight without freight on board being counted....@@MrCipher96

[@limescaleonetwo3131]

The channels are quality. Thanks for your passion

[@StefanHelldoerfer]

Die FW 200 Condor , was für ein wunderschönes Stück Ingenieurskunst , eins meiner Lieblingsflieger :)

[@colinbarron4]

There was also an incident in WW2 when a Lockheed Hudson shot down a Condor using its 0.303 Browning guns.

[@richardsawyer5428]

An episode needs to be devoted to Capt Eric Brown. It would have to be a mere introduction because he lead an extraordinary life including getting careers advice off a leading nazi. Anyone interested in aviation should get his biography "Wings On My Sleeve."

[@DrivermanO]

Therfe are plenty of these already. Just look them in search. And they won't get their facts wrong either!

[@mothmagic1]

It also suffered a similar weakness to the Short Stirling. The undercarriage was known for frequent failures though not for the same reason.

[@grumpyoldfart3891]

Strange... at 12:20, those folks walk by th airplane without even noticing th wheel on fire?

[@BrianAchterberg928]

The Condor was notorious for it’s brake fires.

[@tamahagane1700]

Seems like it was deemed a minor problem, compared to other defects

[@AML2000]

You'll notice that they are not wearing German uniforms. This is from Hitler's unannounced visit to Finland to try to persuade Mannerheim to support his siege of Leningrad. Later on in this particular film, after Hitler disembarked, you see the German crew in the background scurrying around with fire extinguishers to put it out. The brakes catching on fire was a common occurance with the plane. Mannerheim had his HQ in a railroad carriage near the front line with the Soviet Union, and in another clip we can see Hitler walking over a rickety plank over a muddy ditch to get to it, while Mannerheim is behind him with a smirk on his face as if he hoped Hitler would fall in. Needless to say, Mannerheim ignored Hitler's request and the Finns did not participate on any attacks on Leningrad.

[@tamahagane1700]

@@AML2000 You killed it, man 👍

[@KeithHays-ek4vr]

I see nuzzing! - I know nuzzing!

[@peregrinemccauley5010]

That's a great idea, giving the D 600 Conder's writing desk, it's own parachute. Easier than jumping out, with the desk under one's arm.

[@clivestirling5094]

The only claim to fame the Focke Wulf Cw 200 Condor had was it's endurance. It suffered from structural failure of the rear spar and rear fuselage and in spite of strengthening modifications, the problem persisted. However, it did earn the nick name, "The Scourge of the Atlantic".

[@Titus-as-the-Roman]

It was certainly an attractive aircraft.

[@ivanhicks887]

Excellent Review

[@snax_4820]

The story, that Goering said, he can supply Stalingrad, is untrue. He was not even in Berlin at that time.

[@kimmogensen5390]

yeah but so are most of the establised history regarding WW2,

[@RemusKingOfRome]

"Condor" Rings around the world.

[@curtisbryce5096]

At 12:18, was that wheel on fire?

[@SpreadEagled]

The Fuhrer’s FW-200 should have been named “Luftwaffe One.”

[@Knightrider2709]

I don't want to step on anyone's toes. But the FW 200 was rather poorly armed. Comparable to that of a Heinkel 111. From the beginning it was only designed as a purely passenger aircraft. The lack of a heavy bomber in the Luftwaffe meant that it had to take on completely unsuitable missions. It is a prime example of how Göring failed in many ways and was unwilling to learn from his own mistakes. But for me it is one of the most beautiful airliners of this time.

[@user-kk8vc9ck3t]

I've often wondered if you could take an airframe like the B1 bomber, load it up with avionics and air to air missiles, and give it some stealth. You could use it as a long range shooter, loaded up with infared and radar so it could hit targets far away. Just a thought.

[@scottwrasse9596]

The Lockheed Constellation shown at 12:50 is not a DC-4.

[@jarvisfamily3837]

12:18 - brakes or tire burning...

[@fresatx]

Im an 88 rock n roll plane!, im an 88 rock n roll plane!

[@Andrew-iv5dq]

What painstaking work did Brown do to figure out the Condor’s blind spot?

[@PhilMasters]

I imagine a lot of careful reading of engineering reports and drawings; if any had been brought down over Allied territory by then, the RAF would have taken a close look at the wreckage. Brown was a fine pilot with the brain of an engineer.

[@Brian1Graves]

During the cold war, a Canadian RCAF pilot suffered a bird strike. Blood immediately filled both eyes and froze. His wingman talked him into a perfect 3 point landing. He's still alive.

[@oastie3]

If the Focke-Wulf Condor was able to fly Berlin to New York, pre-war, how come the allies suffered an Atlantic “air gap” in the early years of the war?

[@babulapiderazi1924]

12:18 the tire is on fire. This is fine

[@todaywefly4370]

😁no one even seemed to glance at it. SNAFU!

[@buffdelcampo]

@@todaywefly4370 They didn't seem to notice or maybe not care. Jeeez.

[@jonathanbaincosmologyvideo3868]

12:17 - the wheel of the aircraft is on fire on the runway, but nobody seems to have noticed as they walk past

[@user-xh3lz9xt4l]

I see what you mean, maybe it has just landed and it has overheated brakes

[@erictaylor5462]

12:35 I guess they were not so much bothered if the breaks caught fire

[@ralfie8801]

The “brakes” were being temperamental.

[@henriknilsson7851]

Proof of the previously unknown attempt on Hitter’s life.

[@Seafariireland]

Just noted the wheel on fire at 12.19!

[@davidewhite69]

it had another "weak spot". being derived from an airliner it's structure between the wings and the tail was lightweight and not up to high G maneuvering. the Germans found out the hard way when a few lost their rear fuselage in turns, this helped in the front on attacks because the condor pilots were reluctant to pull hard evasive maneuvers

[@Bodneyblue]

Always though the Condor was a good looking aircraft..I even took my CB handle from it back in the early 80's...But everyone keep sayin.."Ah! Condorman"..because of the movie which came out back then...So I had to keep correcting them.."NO!..after the aircraft FW 200 Condor!!..Grrr!"....hehe.

[@derin111]

@3.15 “ As the first heavier than air airliner….”. I’d like to see the previous “lighter than air” ones. 😂

[@priceyA320]

That’s the problem with this channel. It’s riddled with inaccuracies and basic mistakes. Every now and then I’m tempted to watch one but it never gets any better..

[@marycorrell2557]

Zeppelins were "lighter than air, airliners" had actual state rooms, like ocean liners

[@enricomercado4671]

Noticed towards the end of the video, one of the Condors filmed slowly rolling past people on the tarmac has its brakes on fire behind the landing gear wheel....😮

[@pdterre5496]

When Hitler visited Finland to congratulate a less amused Marshal Mannerheim on his birthday, the Condor pilot , neglecting the Finnish escort pilots advice, almost flew into a radio mast.

[@thetruthhurts7675]

You start with Eric "Winkle" Brown, and then forget the best Test pilot in the world. Please do asomething on him Eric "Winkle" Brown. He flew more aircraft types than any other test pilot in history.

[@crinolynneendymion8755]

Interesting to compare the successes of the Sunderlands over the Bay of Biscay with that ineffectual hit.

[@hawnyfox3411]

^ Gotta Laugh : From 12:15 onwards = THE BRAKES ARE ON FIRE !!!!!!!! PMSL

[@ronaldbyrne3320]

Fantastic. Would alsi like to know more about the Condor that was Hitler’s private aircraft. 😊👍🏻

[@gordonpeden6234]

@ 12.19 there are flames coming from the under carriage wheel.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

05:40 365 tons of Allied shipping, or 365 vessels?

[@jamesbulldogmiller]

@12:17 the left landing gear brake is on fire.

[@brealistic3542]

The Condor was never designed as a bomber. It was lightly armored at best. Imo the American army airforce produced the best medium bombers for all around performance.

[@paktahn]

and lightly armed the whole idea in this vid that it was dangerous to get near is bullshit it probably had the weakest defensive armaments of all the german bombers in my opinion the interviews given by the british pilot were staged propaganda to boost moral what he did was nothing special that any other pilot could not have achieved

[@MrSpringheel]

Cóndor suffered from chronic "backache"

[@RobertPaskulovich-fz1th]

They mention a DC-4 while showing a Lockheed Constellation!

[@michaelhband]

👍👍👍❤❤❤✈✈✈

[@jokesonyou1373]

I've noticed that Germans didn't "Do" turrets in the Luftwaffe

[@sardaukerlegion]

"Looks evil" like the B29....

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

@12:18 notice the port side main gear on fire.

[@paktahn]

brakes

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

@@paktahn Asbestos

[@bruceevans8837]

12:19 wheel/brake is on fire

[@organickevinlondon]

the FW 200, did really well in the Battle of the Atlantic, UNTIL, a disposable one way flight Hurricat piloted by a Grand National winning jockey was launched against one, after that the FW 200s in the Atlantic just become "aerial cannon fodder".

[@KOZMOuvBORG]

2:20 not a Douglas, they didn't have triple tails - but the Lockheed Constellation did.

[@nordmann50]

I agree that this is actually a Constellation, but the first DC4 prototype did actually have a similar triple tail.

[@erictaylor5462]

12:18 WTF, did no one notice the fire? I'm pretty sure the tire is not suppose to do that.

[@brentsutherland6385]

Some say a Condor flew from Germany to Manchuko.

[@poil8351]

i believe that was the Junkers Ju 290.

[@user-bf1gd6pl6j]

Why were the wheel hubs on fire during the segment of Hitlers private plane?

[@CailenCambeul]

If you put jets on a Condor, do you get a Canberra?

[@nightjarflying]

You obviously don't mean a Canberra. You might mean a Comet.

[@Anthony-yq7hk]

What was the point of those little pop guns for defense?

[@pibbles-a-plenty1105]

A Boeing 307, a Douglas C-54, and then .............. Something with three rudders? What was it, Mr. Plane spotter????

[@andiross8898]

Connie?

[@raymondclark1785]

Yes, that DC-4 was a Lockheed Connie

[@desertduck10]

Although I thoroughly enjoy this and the other " Dark" channels, I have to ask. Why is it so often that the documentary / archival footage in the videos, has little or nothing to do with the actual subject matter?

[@weirdshibainu]

I think the real question is...as you pointed out the disconnect between the videos and the actual subject matter, why do we still watch the channel?

[@MrSpikebender]

War is Fickle.

[@fresatx]

Gotta pay the bills son! 🤣

[@Neosuburban]

because little is available

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

. . . . with multiple repetitions of the same shots usually!

[@fus149hammer5]

That picture of Stalin shaking hands with Von Ribbentropp. What was VR thinking at the time? "You gullible berk" maybe? Between July and February 1941 the FW Condor sank 365 tonnes of shipping? What one single trawler?😂

[@hagerty1952]

Amazing how much this aircraft looks like a DC-6, especially once it got the 3-blade propellers. 12:20 Why are this plane's brakes on fire? Was that common? No one walking by seems concerned.

[@Ubique2927]

12:19…. The brakes were on fire and no one seems to care!!

[@auro1986]

as if he actually went to brazil to learn and you paid and waited for him to go back and shoot that aircraft

[@bigbossimmotal]

0:12 "a large piece of glass came into his mouth". REALLY? Ever heard of proof reading? lol

[@paktahn]

i mean maybe it was a glass dildo lol

[@areasevenpro]

This bomber enraged Adolf's father, who punished him severely.

[@craigbeatty8565]

Super powers? Neither was a super power then.

[@JSFGuy]

Notice, off schedule.

[@moisesrivera7034]

Ah yes *B o m b e r*

[@adiconsdaple8026]

Kurt TANK mit *A* heißt der!!!!!

[@truePhoenix2]

Klar, gegen BMW-Motoren mit 27PS... das wäre ein mieser Tausch gewesen...

[@skylongskylong1982]

Didn’t they have problems with their tails falling off ?

[@Colorado_Native]

... only tires catching on fire, oh, and one other little problem explained in the video.

[@rubinreiter6351]

900 m Flughöhe, 27 PS😂 KI 😂😂 Kurt Tonk😅

[@thegeneral123]

It had no weak spot,.other than... Oxymoron!

[@Collateralcoffee]

DUDE SLOW DOWN!!

[@kimmogensen5390]

the dark menecing shape ,was Winkle comment on seing a U boat,,, come on do your research....

[@RichardMontgomeryYT]

Please turn down the noise in future videos, it was really rather bad in this video.

[@jamesragus1577]

Complimentary algorithm enhancement comment!😊

[@markusbosch2112]

Echt BMW Motoren mit 27 PS , das klingt ja nicht gerade gut.

[@deathlarsen7502]

German guy was a black pilot. ooook

[@hlynnkeith9334]

June 1940 to February 1941 the Condor sand 365 tonnes of British ships? What did they sink? A liferaft? 365 tonnes is nothing in terms of ship losses. Not a credible figure.

[@georgefox4982]

365000 tonnes

[@richmorg8196]

Although the plane could not get back to Germany Hitler could of bombed New York and the polite and crew could of bailed out over the Altic and be picked up by a sub

[@rogergoodman8665]

I always thought it was odd that Germany never attempted at least one "one way" bombing raid on the east coast as we had done with the "Doolittle" raid on Japan early in the war. The Doolittle raid didn't do much damage but was successful in letting the Japanese know we could in fact "reach out and touch someone" if we desired.

[@raymondclark1785]

There was a report of a plane looking like a Condor going down near a lighthouse in Maine. Supposedly the Navy search didn't find any wreckage

[@jcole4]

Fortunately Nazis leadership was too stupid to realize how much they need a real 4 engine bomber. Hitler said no. 😅🤡 the Condor was too slow and under armed to have any real success against ground targets. They did have some success against freighters and reconnaissance craft. All the first German bombers were airliners first….sneaky.

[@mattematsson554]

Why do American narrators speak so fast? Maybe he should have gone to the loo before entering the studio.

[@fenwickthompson99]

Bullahit video as Eric "Winkle" Brown never mentioned it in his memoirs

[@andrewnicholson4811]

02.38, why only 2 blades per propellar, surely 3 or 4 would give more speed/power ??

[@nightjarflying]

More blades equates to more drag - the ideal prop would have only one long blade so more blades is NOT automatically desirable. Early Fw 200 props were driven by 875 HP engines which only needed two blades to absorb the engine torque. Later engines were 1,085 HP which required a three-blade prop to absorb the torque. IF an early Fw 200 had been fitted with 3-blade props it would have been slower due to increased drag.