Focke-Wulf – FW 190 in North Africa

Perceived to have been the 'workhorse' of the Luftwaffe on the Western and Eastern Fronts during the Second World War, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 also served in unit strength in North Africa from late 1942 until the German collapse in May 1943. Using official German records, logbooks, and personal accounts, the authors tell the little-known story of the rugged, radial-engined fighter's service in Tunisia in the fighter and ground-attack role and assess its technical and military performance.

On 8 November 1942, Allied armies invaded North-West Africa, and in response, the Axis hastily moved ground and air forces into Tunisia. A tough six-month campaign followed, in which air power played a central role as the Axis endeavored to establish a bridgehead and supply it by air and sea, while the Allies tried to gain air supremacy to stop the build-up of German troops and supplies.

Although the Allies eventually won, it was not a swift victory, and this was due in part to the efforts of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190-equipped units that operated over Tunisia. The Fw 190 proved itself to be a very good match for RAF and USAAF Spitfires, P-40s, P-38s, and various Allied bomber types. Attacks by Fw 190s on airfields and harbors particularly demoralized the Allies, and this book describes many of these actions as well as the air battles against Allied fighters.

Following several years of in-depth research and using more than 100 fascinating photographs—many from private collections—as well as illustrations and commissioned color profiles, the authors are able to tell the full story of the pilots and units that flew the Fw 190 in North Africa.

This book forms a day-to-day account of the air war over Tunisia and Algeria told through war diaries and first-hand accounts from both the German and Allied pilots who flew in the theater. Also included are appendices with complete loss and victory lists, details of camouflage and markings of Fw 190s in North Africa, and a study of the Fw 190s captured in Tunisia.

This is the first time the story of the Fw 190 in North Africa has been assembled in such detail, and this book will prove an invaluable reference source for aviation historians and modellers.

Source: Publisher's summary printed on cover