We are having something of an AXIS WEEKEND with our special sale offers at Flying Tigers this weekend, which is the only excuse I need to feature one of the most feared aircraft of the Second World War – the mighty Focke Wulf Fw 190 ‘Butcher Bird’. Our header picture this week is rather special to me and marks the only time that I have ever seen a Focke Wulf Fw 190 fly – Flying Legends 2009. The aircraft was actually a new build Flug Werk Fw 190A-8/N, but this is possibly the only way that any of us will be lucky enough to experience a Butcher Bird in the flesh and it was a huge treat. I remember the absolute frenzy amongst aviation enthusiasts in the days leading up to the show, as it’s appearance was only rumoured to be a possibility – there were people even watching the coast for Warbirds flying over from the Continent! Indeed, this is how it was first confirmed that the Focke Wulf was on it’s way – I could not get down to Duxford fast enough!
Flug Werk Focke Wulf – The star of Flying Legends 2009
Although the annual Flying Legends Airshow is full of magnificent historic aircraft, there is no doubting which aircraft was the star attraction at the 2009 show – the awesome Focke Wulf Fw 190. At the time, the aircraft had only just negotiated it’s test flight programme and it was still very new and very much a treat for the gathered masses at Duxford. With famous Warbird pilot Marc Mathis at the helm, most of us were just grateful to see this magnificent aircraft and hear it’s mighty radial engine for ourselves – the thought of seeing it fly was almost too much to hope for. The moment from the show that I will always remember was when the Butcher Bird was in the air and ready to begin it’s display. The commentator went to great lengths to tell us that the aircraft was still very new and the pilot was still getting used to it – ‘You are all very lucky to be seeing it here at all, but don’t expect to see it thrown around the sky!’ At that point, Mathis threw his Focke Wulf into a barrel turn and blasted along the crowd line, as if he had been doing this all his life – Fantastic! He gave us a magnificent display of this stunning fighter, which allowed us all to see and experience the performance of one of the Luftwaffe’s most important aircraft of the Second World War and left the crowd wanting much more of the same in subsequent years. Unfortunately this was not to be – less than twelve months later, the aircraft ditched into the sea, whilst performing at an Airshow near Toulon. Thankfully, the pilot escaped unhurt, but the aircraft was badly damaged. He described how the engine was a real pig and it had cut out on him, whilst in flight, many times over the past year, but this time, he was unable to get it started again, which resulted in the ditching. Although I was extremely sad to hear this news, I was so thankful that I had managed to see the aircraft perform the previous year at Duxford.
The Butcher Bird spreads its wings
There is no doubting that there is an aesthetic beauty to the Focke Wulf Fw 190, but the aircraft really is all about German functionality – Vorsprung durch technik at it’s best. This really was a pit bull of an aircraft, which learnt many lessons from the Me 109 design and added a huge radial engine for additional speed and power, more effective armament and importantly, a wider track undercarriage, for easier handling on the ground. It was a fearsome beast, which made a huge impact on the air war in Europe, when it first entered service – in fact, it is difficult to explain just how shocking the arrival of the Focke Wulf was for the RAF and Spitfire pilots, who had enjoyed a modicum of air superiority for a number of months in 1941. Early reports of a new radial Luftwaffe fighter were initially dismissed as being captured French Curtiss P-36 Mowhawk fighters, pressed into Luftwaffe service, but the grim truth soon became evident. From August 1941, the Focke Wulf Fw 190 began to take a withering toll of RAF Spitfires, as the new fighter totally dominated the skies above Continental Europe. Not only were Spitfire sweeps over France becoming almost futile, but the Focke Wulfs were now chasing them all the way back to Southern England – something really had to be done about the Focke Wulf menace.
The RAF need a Butcher Bird
By the beginning of 1942, the Luftwaffe had regained control of the air over Northern Europe and the Channel front, with the Focke Wulf imperious in low to medium level combat. Something had to be done about this and plans were drawn up for a daring commando raid to take place, with the sole aim of stealing a Focke Wulf and flying it back to Britain for evaluation. Whether such an audacious plan would have succeeded is questionable, but the RAF were to get the Focke Wulf they so desperately coveted, courtesy of the Luftwaffe! Following combat over the Bristol Channel with a pair of Spitfires, Oberlautnant Arnim Faber turned his Focke Wulf A-3 for home, feeling rather pleased with his days work. Unfortunately, his compass had been damaged during the engagement with the Spitfires and he made a fatal navigational error – as he brought his aircraft to a halt at what he thought was a Luftwaffe airfield in Northern France, he had actually landed at RAF Pembrey, in South Wales – more significant than this, he had presented the RAF with a perfect example of the aircraft that was causing them so much trouble – the most magnificent gift from the Luftwaffe! There have been many theories as to how this unbelievable situation occurred, but the fact that it did, allowed the RAF to develop an aircraft to take on and beat the Focke Wulf – the Spitfire Mk.IX. What is quite interesting is that Faber seemed to be only too happy to help the RAF to evaluate his machine, offering to fly the aircraft in mock combat with Allied fighters at Farnborough – for obvious reasons, his kind offer was declined. Having realized his error, he would surely have either made for home, or simply taken to his parachute at the first opportunity, thus denying the RAF their new toy …. not likely chum!
Although this is a fascinating yarn from WWII, there can be no denying the significance of this incident. Following the evaluation trials, a Spitfire was quickly developed to tackle the Focke Wulf menace – what they produced was an absolute classic … a beauty to take on the beast! The Spitfire Mk.IX not only matched the Focke Wulf, but it was superior in most combat situations. It was significant in wrestling back air superiority from the Luftwaffe and helping to ensure that the Allies never lost it again over the Channel Front. Had it not been for the Pembrey incident, it could have taken many more months and the lives of countless airmen, before the Focke Wulf met its match.
A Focke Wulf for the collector – A die-cast classic!
Perhaps more than any other die-cast aviation model produced, the awesome Focke Wulf Fw 190 illustrates the benefit of the larger 1/48th scale for single engined fighter aircraft for the WWII collector. As we have discussed already, the Fw 190 was a real brute of a machine, with it’s profile dominated by the large radial engine and the big paddle propellor blades – the absolute epitome of a fighting machine. Models in the slightly larger 1/48th scale certainly manage to convey this brute strength much more effectively than the more diminutive 1/72nd scale offerings and you could almost describe them as looking toy-like in comparison. I think that if I am being honest, the stunning 1/48th scale Focke Wulf from Hobbymaster was the model that finally convinced me of the dominance of this larger scale for single engined fighter aircraft from WWII and I have been smitten ever since. Importantly, any collector who allows themselves to stray from the traditional 1/72nd scale of models and sample the many delights of a 1/48th scale alternative is instantly hooked – these beauties are dangerously addictive. The two pictures above illustrate the many attributes of the 1/48th scale Focke Wulf Fw 190 from Hobbymaster perfectly and present a pair of late war machines. The first model is an Fw 190A-8/R2, flown by Wilhelm Moritz, which was employed defending the German homeland from USAAF bomber attacks, during the summer of 1944. The second machine is presented in this stunning ‘desert scheme’ and features an ‘Attack Butcher’ F-8 variant, flying in the colours of I./SG4, from Northern Italy, again in 1944. Both of these stunning models are available in very low numbers and at BIG discounts – many of them are only available from Flying Tigers!
Flying Tigers AXIS WEEKEND
In support of our main feature this weekend, we are making most of our available Axis aircraft models available at extremely attractive prices. These include models from both Hobbymaster and Corgi and many of them are only available in small numbers. Indeed, as an Axis fighter looks even better when displayed with a supporting diorama model, we have also included some of the last remaining 1/48th scale military models we have in stock. Every single 1/48th scale Hobbymaster Focke Wulf is included in this offer, including the two models pictured above and the magnificent machine flown by Major Adolf Galland in the latter stages of WWII. We even have a ‘Tank Busting’ version of the Butcher Bird, but please be warned – we only have very small numbers of some of these models and when they have gone, they are gone for good. Please do not delay in securing your models, as this could very well be your final opportunity to add these magnificent models to your collection. For more details and to be taken straight to our Offer of the Week section, please click on this BUTCHER BIRD LINK. I will leave you with this picture of some of the supporting military models that we also have available this weekend.