German fighter plane Focke-Wulf FW 190 F-8 COBI 5871 - World War II 1:48

Did you know:

• The aircraft factory was founded in 1924 by Henri Fock and George Wulf in Bremen, Germany.
• When in 1931 G. Wulf and H. Fock hired the exceptionally talented Polish-born designer Kurt Tank, they probably made the best decision of their lives. It was this designer who was behind the development of the most successful German aircraft, and thus the Fw 190 was created.
• The first flight took place on June 1, 1939
• After its first deployment in 1941 over French Graveline, it was clear that this was an exceptionally powerful machine with good maneuverability, good visibility, and strong armor.
• However, the aircraft also had one disadvantage caused by the BMW 801 engine, which lost power above 6,000 m. Only the new Daimler-Benz engine solved this issue.
• Czechoslovak pilots serving in the RAF also faced the Fw 190. After a dogfight with František Trejtnar in June 1942, the pilot of an Fw 190 had to land in England, and the British thus gained a fully operational specimen.
• The Fw 190 F-8 version had many peculiarities. The aircraft was not designed as a standard fighter but as a control aircraft for an attached bomber.
• By the end of the war, Germany no longer had enough bombers capable of accurately attacking heavily fortified Allied targets, which led to the creation of the Mistel program.
• The Mistel program worked in such a way that a standard Junkers Ju 88 bomber was converted into a flying bomb with a shaped charge weighing 1,700 kg. On top of the bomber, a Focke Wulf FW 190 control aircraft was attached with a steel frame, guiding the entire assembly to the target. Once the target was acquired, the FW 190 detached using small charges, while the Ju 88 continued towards the designated target.
• By the end of the war, about 250 Mistels of various aircraft combinations had been built.

Technical specifications:

• Dimensions: wingspan 10.51 m, length 9.0 m, height 3.95 m
• Weight: 3,060 kg (empty), maximum take-off weight 4,900 kg
• Powerplant: BMW 801 C-2 radial engine with 1,147 kW
• Maximum speed: 644 km/h
• Rate of climb: 15 m/s
• Service ceiling: 11,400 m
• Fuel tank capacity: 524 l
• Range: 800 km
• Armament: 2x MG 151 cannon (20 mm) + 2x MG 131 machine gun (13 mm)
• Crew: 1

From the memories of Allied night fighter Walter "Dinny" Dinsdale:

“What I saw in the sky was simply strange. It took me a moment for my brain to accept what I was seeing. I didn’t dwell on it for long. It was just another German toy to shoot down.”