"Fw 190D-0 and D-1" Topic

All-

I know that several of these aircraft were build (converted actually) in mid 1943. Does anyone know if they were used in combat and/or where they were deployed for their "service evaluation"?

I am trying to get more information about a combat from Robert Johnson's book Thunderbolt, the combat took place on 13 December 1943 and he reported that he was fighting the long nosed version of the Fw 190 – could these have been the early versions mentioned above?

Cheers,
Scott

Late 1943 a number of FW190-a7 airframes were adapted to take the Jumo 213-a engine and were designated for Luftwaffe evaluation as FW190-D0.
The first,werk nr 17 0003,civil registration DU+UC was given the prototype designation FW190V53.

It looks like they were test flown and evaluated at Langenhagen and production of the D-9 series carried out at the Focke Wulf plant at Cottbus and Fieslers plant at Kassel-waldau with the first ones entering service in August 1944.

I can recommend a book called Butcher Bird by Edward Shacklady which will tell you about the FW190 of all versions down to the last nut and bolt.

It looks like JG2,JG26 and 111/JG54 were first to be equiped with long nosed doras and Kurt Tank visited JG54 and told them that the Dora was an emergency solution until the TA152 comes in to series production.

Skirmish-If you need any more info I can look it up for you as I have the book right here.

Just out of interest it shows one fitted with a torpedo and one with a supercharger that gives it that lump under the belly like a P51 Mustang and also a two seat version.

tabasco2152 -

Thanks. What I am interested in knowing is could there have been any on patrol in DEC 1943? Even early ones.
Thanks!

Not officially on patrol but Robert Johnson may have stumbled across the evaluation machines ( they were armed but slightly differently to the normal producion D9's)

I will have a look at the book and see if thee is any mention how they were trialed.

Sorry skirmish theres no mention of trials with the Luftwaffe until May 1944 butits still possible that one of the seven trial machines was bounced by an allied fighter.
One was nearly destroyed in a bombing raid.

I wouldn't be too surprised if that occurred.

When the FW-190A was rolled out, it had major problems with engine overheating as well, but they kept at it until they resolved the issues. I think some were used operationally, during testing as well.

On a different, but similar note, the He-219 shot down 5 or 6 British bombers on its first combat sortie, but crash-landed due to a flap failure (brakes? – various accounts of what actually occurred), during landing. The fuselage broke into three pieces, but the crew was not severely injured.

Tabasco -

Do you know the location and time of the one that was nearly destroyed in a bombing raid? Thanks much.

The Great Book of World war II Airplanes mentions deliveries of the FW190D-9 took place in August of'44, reaching combat service with III/JG 24 (Green Hearts) which transitioned into their new mounts in September. The initial flight of the FW190D prototype (based on the standard 190A-0 airframe) was in March of 1942. The later FW190D-0 was based on the A-7 airframe.

Skirmish-The book says two prototypes ,FW190V53slightly damaged and FW190V54 -almost destroyed in a bombing raid on the Focke Wulf plant at Cottbus in July 1944.

These machines had an Mk108 cannon fiing throgh the prop hub as well as the standard Mg's