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#Post#: 10391--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: Focke-Wulf FW 189
By: vonofterdingen Date: March 16, 2020, 6:17 pm
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This week I decided to do a somewhat off-beat selection: the
Focke-Wulf 189. We haven’t had a reconnaissance plane in the
spotlight yet, and of course the role of the reconnaissance
aircraft was critical in all modern wars and in all theaters.
This was one of the best of the lot. The modern warplane began
history in a reconnaissance role after all.
[img width=1024
height=546]
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From Wikipedia:
The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu ("Eagle Owl") is a German
twin-engine, twin-boom, three-seat tactical reconnaissance and
army cooperation aircraft. It first flew in 1938 (Fw 189 V1),
entered service in 1940 and was produced until mid-1944.
In addition, Focke-Wulf used this airframe in response to a
tender request by the RLM for a dedicated ground-attack
airplane, and later submitted an armored version for trials.
However, the Henschel Hs 129 was selected instead.
In 1937, the German Ministry of Aviation issued a
specification for a short-range, three-seat reconnaissance
aircraft with a good all-round view to support the German army
in the field, replacing the Henschel Hs 126, which had just
entered service. A power of about 850–900 hp (630–670 kW) was
specified. The specification was issued to Arado and Focke-Wulf.
Arado's design, the Ar 198, which was initially the preferred
option, was a relatively conventional single-engined high-wing
monoplane with a glazed gondola under the fuselage. Focke-Wulf's
chief designer Kurt Tank's design, the Fw 189, was a twin-boom
design, powered by two Argus As 410 engines instead of with an
expected single engine. As a "twin-boom" design like the earlier
Dutch Fokker G.I from 1936, the Fw 189 used a central crew
gondola for its crew accommodation, which for the Fw 189 would
be designed with a heavily glazed and framed "stepless" cockpit
forward section, which used no separate windscreen panels for
the pilot (as with many German medium bombers from 1938
onwards). Blohm & Voss, however, proposed as a private venture
something even more radical: chief designer Dr. Richard Vogt's
unique asymmetric BV 141. Orders were placed for three
prototypes, each of the Arado and Focke-Wulf designs, in April
1937. The Fw 189 had as part of its defensive armament design,
an innovative rear-gun emplacement designed by the Ikaria-Werke:
a rotating conical rear "turret" of sorts, manually rotated with
a metal-framed, glazed conical fairing streamlining its shape,
with the open section providing the firing aperture for either a
single or twin-mount machine gun defense at the unit's
circular-section forward mount.
The Fw 189 was produced in large numbers, at the Focke-Wulf
factory in Bremen, at the Bordeaux-Merignac aircraft factory
(Avions Marcel Bloch's factory, which became Dassault Aviation
after the war) in occupied France, then in the Aero Vodochody
aircraft factory in Prague, occupied Czechoslovakia. Total
production was 864 aircraft of all variants.
Called the Fliegende Auge ("Flying Eye") of the German Army,
the Fw 189 was used extensively on the Eastern Front with great
success. It was nicknamed "Rama" ("frame" in the Russian,
Ukrainian and Polish languages) by Soviet forces, referring to
its distinctive tailboom and stabilizer shapes, giving it the
characteristic quadrangular appearance. Despite its low speed
and fragile looks, the Fw 189's manoeuvrability made it a
difficult target for attacking Soviet fighters. When attacked,
the Fw 189 was often able to out-turn attacking fighters by
simply flying in a tight circle into which enemy fighters could
not follow.
Night Reconnaissance Group 15, attached to the 4th
Panzerarmee in southern Poland during late 1944, carried out
nocturnal recon and light bombing sorties with a handful of
189A-1s. These planes typically lacked the main model's rear
dorsal machine gun. Small numbers of A-1s were used in the night
fighter role in the closing weeks of the war - the aircraft were
modified for this new duty by having their reconnaissance
equipment removed, and then fitted with FuG 212 AI radar in the
nose and a single obliquely-firing 20mm MG FF autocannon in the
common Schräge Musik upwards/forward-firing offensive fitment
also used for heavier-airframed German night fighters, like the
Bf 110G, but for the Fw 189; in the crew nacelle in the space
where the rear dorsal gun was normally housed. The majority of
the nachtjager 189s were operated by NJG 100, flying out of an
airbase at Greifswald. Chronic fuel shortages and enemy air
superiority over the 189s' defence area (chiefly Berlin) meant
that only a very few kills were scored by these craft.
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In game…
I very much like to fly this plane, though not in a combat
role. In combat, I feel extremely vulnerable in the FW 189. I
prefer it as a target actually. But I do like to fly it for a
number of reasons. It handles well, easy to take off and land,
does aggressive maneuvers well…so for that reason I like to get
this plane out of the hangar when I get a new map. It has
fabulous visibility for the pilot when looking forward. When
Uzin did his wonderful Yugoslavia map, as was able to do some
beta testing and this is the plane I used to scout around. I
will never forget flying up to the Mostar bridge at low altitude
in the FW 189; what a great IL-2 experience that was!
#Post#: 10396--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Focke-Wulf FW 189
By: larsresult Date: March 17, 2020, 7:13 am
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I believe the Russians hated/respected this aircraft so much
they gave a bonus reward to any pilot that managed to shoot one
down.
#Post#: 10400--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Focke-Wulf FW 189
By: cafs Date: March 17, 2020, 9:30 am
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It was a great tactical recon plane, with a first class
visibility and good maneuverability to find, or avoid, enemy
formations, a reasonable bomb load, to attack small targets, as
an artillery battery or a forward HQ, it was very useful.
Another hit, Von, thanks. :D :D
#Post#: 10403--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Focke-Wulf FW 189
By: JG51_Ruski Date: March 17, 2020, 11:40 am
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Another great write up Von..Thanks for your work..I'm learning
about planes I've never heard of..
#Post#: 10404--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: Focke-Wulf FW 189
By: Beowolff Date: March 17, 2020, 3:18 pm
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Yes... this is VERY nice. Both plane and article!
Like you, Von... I really like this plane, and yes, planes of
this type even.
Thanks for a good article/read on this.
S! :D
Beo
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