More photos of Fw 190 Doras from miscellaneous and unknown units, many previously unpublished. 54 profiles and 17 top/bottom views and many scrap pieces of artwork by Thomas A. Tullis. A large section tells the story of JV 44 and the Doras of the Galland Circus with corrections and updates including new previously unpublished photos. 400 pages of history with 377 photos including 76 color images. A must-have complement to Volume One.
This book covers the complete development history of those variants of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 powered by inline engines. The first Fw 190 equipped with a Daimler Benz liquid-cooled engine took to the air in early 1942, followed six months later by another powered by a Jumo 213. Production of the Fw 190 C, Fw 190 D and Ta 153 was delayed by the German air ministry. Not until 1944, by which time Germany had lost control of the air, did the Fw 190 D-9, an interim fighter powered by the Jumo 213 A, enter production. The Fw 190 D-9 proved an immediate success, largely due to an excellent prototype test program under Dipl.Ing. Hans Sander. The type quickly entered service with the Luftwaffe and more than 1,700 examples were completed by the end of the war. The Fw 190 D-9 gave rise to a number of improved variants with the more powerful Jumo 213 F engine and a heavier armament, however only a handful of the D-11 and D-13 versions were completed. With a maximum speed of 750 km/h, the Fw 190 D-12 powered by the new Jumo 213 EB would have represented the apex of Fw 190 development. The proposed Fw 190 D-14 and D-15, both powered by improved versions of the dive-bombers 603, came too late to see service with the Luftwaffe.
Featuring photography and illustrations throughout, a combat history of one of the most successful of the high-scoring Luftwaffe Jagdgeschwader during World War 2. JG 54 'Grünherz' (Green Hearts) was formed from three disparate fighter 'Gruppen' immediately prior to the Battle of Britain. Having enjoyed immediate success over the Channel and South-east England during the summer of 1940, the unit was transferred to the Eastern Front in the spring of 1941 in preparation for Operation Barbarossa - the German invasion of the Soviet Union. JG 54 would remain a Jagdwaffe stalwart in the east, flying firstly Bf 109Fs and then the Fw 190. By war's end, the Geschwader's pilots had claimed over 9500 kills, and produced over 100 aces. Men like Hans Philipp, Walter Nowotny and Otto Kittel are profiled in this volume, which reveals the struggle in the face of overwhelming odds that was the lot of the Jagdflieger on the Eastern Front.
Arguably two of the finest piston-engined fighters ever built, the Tempest V and Fw 190D-9 raised the bar in terms of aircraft design and operational capability during World War II. The long-nosed 'Dora 9', designed by Kurt Tank, first appeared in the skies over the Western and Eastern Fronts in the late summer of 1944. Fast, and with an exceptional rate of climb, it quickly bettered almost every fighter that the RAF, USAAF and Soviet Red Air Force could field. The Hawker Tempest V entered service in early 1944, initially proving itself a stalwart performer when it was deployed to intercept V1 flying bombs over southern England. From the autumn of 1944, the Tempest V also equipped squadrons of the 2nd Tactical Air Force, operating in support of the Allied armies advancing across north-west Europe. It became a potent ground-attack aircraft, armed with underwing rockets, but also a first-class interceptor when pitted against the Luftwaffe's advanced Fw 190D-9 and Me 262. Featuring full colour artwork, this book describes in fascinating detail combats between the Tempest Vs of No 274 Sqn and the Fw 190D-9s of I. and III./JG 26 between February and April 1945.
1. Foreword by Doug Champlin, previous owner of Fw 190 D-13 Yellow 10 2. More photos of Fw 190 Doras from miscellaneous and unknown units, many previously unpublished 3. 54 full color profiles and scrap artwork plus 17 top and bottom views by Thomas A. Tullis 4. A large section telling the story of JV 44 and the Doras of the Galland Circus with corrections and updates including new previously unpublished photos 5. Very rare photos, profile and story featuring Adolf Galland s JV 44 Me 262. 6. New information, unpublished photos on the Fw 190 D-11 7. Detailed story of the rare Fw 190 D-13 and "Yellow 10" with new unpublished photos plus full color restoration photos. 8. Newly discovered Dora 13 photo and profile 9. Section on WGr 21 cm and R4M rockets including interview with a JGr. 10 pilot with stories and profiles. 10. Large section of 32 pages devoted to color and markings including color photos of excellent recovered aircraft part samples with camouflage paint 11. 19 pages of Patterns and colors used by the factories that produced the Fw 190 Doras with the appropriate national markings 12. Recognition bands, tactical and I.D. bands in full color 13. Actual patent papers filed by Warnecke and Bohm to register their break- through one-coat paint formula of polymer resin paint for better adhesion to aluminum and magnesium 14. Original existing paint formulas developed by Luftwaffe's premier paint company Warnecke and Bohm of RLM colors 15. Camouflage notes by Michael Ullmann 16. Many technical features of main parts such as landing gear variations, propellers etc. 17. Reports of unit operating the D-9 in service describing technical problems 18. A compilation featuring the study of recovered D-9s listing colors, units, pilots and technical details 19. 377 photos including 76 color images, many never before published20. Complete listing of Werknummern for Dora aircraftREVIEWS In all, it makes for what has to be the finest and best researched book on the subject to have yet been done. It is a book that I give my highest recommendation and one you really need to get for your library.Model Madness"
During the autumn of 1944, III/JG 54 was the first Luftwaffe unit to be supplied with the new FW 190 D-9 Dora, used in base defence missions for the ME 262 jets and against Allied fighter and fighter-bomber formation over NW Europe. This title is a detailed account of this unit's history.
The Defence of the Reich campaign completes Osprey's coverage of the German aces that flew the Fw 190 during World War 2. Renowned aviation author and artist, John Weal, presents the last volume of Fw 190 Aces not previously covered in the Aircraft of the Aces series. From mid-1942 until the end of the war, German fighter pilots were deployed in the defence of the homeland in an effort to halt the near-constant bombing raids by Britain and America. This book tells their story, from the moment when the Luftwaffe began to retreat to the dying days of the Reich. Using previously unpublished photographs, this book charts the story of the men who earned their status as aces while fighting a hopeless battle to protect the land and the people they loved.
Bud Anderson is a flyers flyer. The Californians enduring love of flying began in the 1920s with the planes that flew over his fathers farm. In January 1942, he entered the Army Air Corps Aviation Cadet Program. Later after he received his wings and flew P-39s, he was chosen as one of the original flight leaders of the new 357th Fighter Group. Equipped with the new and deadly P-51 Mustang, the group shot down five enemy aircraft for each one it lost while escorting bombers to targets deep inside Germany. But the price was high. Half of its pilots were killed or imprisoned, including some of Buds closest friends. In February 1944, Bud Anderson, entered the uncertain, exhilarating, and deadly world of aerial combat. He flew two tours of combat against the Luftwaffe in less than a year. In battles sometimes involving hundreds of airplanes, he ranked among the groups leading aces with 16 aerial victories. He flew 116 missions in his old crow without ever being hit by enemy aircraft or turning back for any reason, despite one life or death confrontation after another. His friend Chuck Yeager, who flew with Anderson in the 357th, says, In an airplane, the guy was a mongoosethe best fighter pilot I ever saw. Buds years as a test pilot were at least as risky. In one bizarre experiment, he repeatedly linked up in midair with a B-29 bomber, wingtip to wingtip. In other tests, he flew a jet fighter that was launched and retrieved from a giant B-36 bomber. As in combat, he lost many friends flying tests such as these. Bud commanded a squadron of F-86 jet fighters in postwar Korea, and a wing of F-105s on Okinawa during the mid-1960s. In 1970 at age 48, he flew combat strikes as a wing commander against communist supply lines. To Fly and Fight is about flying, plain and simple: the joys and dangers and the very special skills it demands. Touching, thoughtful, and dead honest, it is the story of a boy who grew up living his dream.
