[CLASSIC] N°18 FOCKE-WULF Fw190 1938 - 1943 Volume One
Prix régulier 300,00 € TTC 6%
Characteristics
Book cover finish | Hardcover ( square back binding ) |
Special features | Dust jacket |
Condition | Used good |
Number of pages | 336 |
Published date | 2011 |
Language | English |
Collection / Series | CLASSIC |
Size | 31.12 x 23.5 x 2.54 cm |
Author | J. Richard Smith & Eddie J. Creek |
Editor | Ian Allan Publishing |
Description
Because it undoubtedly ranks as one of the premier and most successful aircraft of World War Two, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 has been the subject of a great number of books; many of these, however, have done little more than scratch the surface of the aircraft's complex and extensive history, much less its design and development during the late 1930s.
When a design was first proposed in 1938, it was for an aircraft with good handling characteristics and performance that could be produced in the shortest possible time. This was to be achieved through simple design, with major sub-assemblies that could be installed or replaced without incurring excessive fitting work. Maximum reliability was to be achieved through the avoidance of complicated mechanics. An ease of serviceability was requested through good accessibility and reliable parts. Thus emerged Kurt Tank's radial-engined Fw 190.
When it first appeared in Luftwaffe service in the skies over France in late 1941, the Fw 190 represented a formidable and ominous foe to the RAF. Entering service with JG 26, the new fighter was powered by a BMW 801 engine that developed 1,700 hp. Despite some initial technical problems, mainly due to its new BMW engine, the Fw 190 soon proved itself to be a dependable and potent fighter aircraft. At key altitudes, it was markedly superior to the existing marks of Spitfire and Hurricane—and armed with two nose-mounted machine guns and two fast-firing wing-mounted cannon, it "packed a punch," with provision for further armament.
This considerable armament package, blended with manoeuvrability on the ground, pleased pilots; the wide undercarriage track of the Fw 190 was an improvement over the Bf 109 F, as was the air-cooled engine technology, which bettered that of the more vulnerable liquid-cooled system on the Messerschmitt.
By 20 June 1942, some 250 Fw 190s were operational in the West. This was a shock to the Allies and provided a new dimension to air combat on the Western Front—as did the appearance in strength of the USAAF's heavy bombers. The encounters that would follow over the next three years between the B-17 and the Fw 190 would form some of the most titanic and bitter contests of the air war.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Front provided the German fighter force with an abundance of targets, and quickly, the Fw 190—known by the sobriquet of "Butcher Bird"—proved to be the best piston-engined fighter of the war. A great number of German aces were created flying the Fw 190, many quickly surpassing the 100-kill mark. Flying over extensive distances, often in extreme weather conditions, the Fw 190 also excelled in the ground-attack role, inflicting destruction and damage on Soviet armour and ground defences. The Fw 190 would go on to see combat for five years on every battlefront on which the Luftwaffe fought.
In this first volume of their magnificent study of this important aircraft, world-renowned Luftwaffe historians J. Richard Smith and Eddie J. Creek portray and explain the story behind the design and development of the Fw 190, as well as its introduction to operational service on the Western Front, in the East, and in North Africa between 1941 and 1943. They have researched this aeroplane for more than 35 years and have assembled an unrivalled archive of documents, manufacturers' manuals and drawings, and photographs. This study is the key reference work.
Source: Publisher's summary printed on cover