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Focke-Wulf 190: books - history and technology

A book on the Focke-Wulf 190? Here are illustrated books on the history, models and technology of Focke-Wulf fighter aircraft.


Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Manual (1939 onwards) - An insight into owning, flying and maintaining (Haynes Aircraft Manual)

When the German Focke Wulf Fw190 fighter burst onto the scene over France in 1941 it took the RAF by surprise, outperforming the Spitfire Mk V. At the time the RAF described the performance gap as 'a quantum leap'. Its superior performance on the Eastern Front had a significant impact in the air war against the Soviet Union.

Pages of the book Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Manual (1)

Graeme Douglas gets under the skin of the Fw190 with the new-build Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8 and D-9 models built by the Flug Werk company in Germany. He also describes flying and maintaining the Fw190 in combat.

Pages of the book Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Manual (2)

Click here to know more about the Haynes Aircraft Manuals

Author:Graeme Douglas
Specs:160 pages, 28 x 22 x 1.5 cm / 11 x 8.7 x 0.59 in, hardback
Illustrations:numerous b&w and colour photographs
Publisher:Haynes Publishing (GB, 2016)
Series:Haynes Aircraft Manual
EAN:9780857337894
Book: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Manual (1939 onwards) - An insight into owning, flying and maintaining (Haynes Aircraft Manual)

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Manual (1939 onwards) - An insight into owning, flying and maintaining

Language: English

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Focke Wulf 190 : The Birth of the Butcher Bird 1939-1945 (Luftwaffe at War)

Long with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the Luftwaffe's fighting force. Capable of performing in theatres as diverse as North Africa, the Russian Front and in Western Europe, its superior killing ability earned it the nickname, the 'Butcher Bird'.
Famed for its speed and manoeuvrability - some of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter aces - from Otto Kittel to Erich Rudorffer - claimed a great many of their kills while flying it.

This addition to the Luftwaffe at War series illustrates the different versions of the plane to see service, the theatres in which the plane served and the pilots who carved a name for themselves with the Butcher Bird.

Author:Morten Jessen
Specs:72 pages, 26 x 19 cm / 10.25 x 7.5 in, paperback
Illustrations:numerous b&w and colour photographs
Publisher:Pen & Sword Books Ltd (GB, 2016)
Series:Luftwaffe at War
EAN:9781848327948
Book: Focke Wulf 190 : The Birth of the Butcher Bird 1939-1945 (Luftwaffe at War)

Focke Wulf 190 : The Birth of the Butcher Bird 1939-1945

Language: English

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Focke-Wulf Fw 190A - An Illustrated History of the Luftwaffe's Legendary Fighter Aircraft

Together with the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 formed the standard equipment of the German fighter arm in the Second World War. Initial flight trials in 1939 revealed a number of shortcomings, nevertheless the basic concept of the Fw 190 proved extremely successful. In contrast to the Bf 109, which was powered by a liquid-cooled, inverted-vee engine, in developing the Fw 190 Prof. Kurt Tank selected the BMW 801, an air-cooled radial engine that was less sensitive to battle damage. The broad-track undercarriage also gave the Focke-Wulf fighter much superior takeoff and landing characteristics.
The Fw 190 entered quantity production by Focke-Wulf and license manufacturers Fieseler, AGO and Arado in 1941. It proved an immediate success in combat operations in 1942, proving itself superior to the Spitfire in some respects.

This book deals with the development history and testing of this fighter aircraft and production of the early variants of the Fw 190 A. An interesting comparison between the Bf 109 and the Fw 190 shows the strengths and weaknesses of the two aircraft, and authentic reports by former test pilots of Focke-Wulf and the Rechlin Test Station document the aircraft's performance. Also covered are the later torpedo-carrier and reconnaissance versions of the Fw 190.
Lavishly illustrated with photographs and drawings, many of which have not been published before, this book provides both aircraft enthusiasts and modelers with a wealth of information, and fills a gap in the history of aircraft design in Germany.

Author:Dietmar Hermann, Ulrich Leverenz, Eberhard Weber
Specs:224 pages, 28.5 x 22.5 x 2.3 cm / 11.2 x 8.9 x 0.91 in, hardback
Illustrations:over 340 b&w and colour photographs, profile drawings
Publisher:Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2004)
EAN:9780764319402
Book: Focke-Wulf Fw 190A - An Illustrated History of the Luftwaffe's Legendary Fighter Aircraft

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A - An Illustrated History of the Luftwaffe's Legendary Fighter Aircraft

Language: English

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Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front (Osprey)

The Fw 190 was the scourge of Fighter Command from the moment it appeared on the Western Front at Abbeville in August 1941 with II./JG 26. A nimble, speedy and well-armed adversary, the 'Butcher Bird' quickly proved superior to all Allied fighters of the time, particularly at medium to low altitude.
Led by Experten of the calibre of 'Pips' Priller, Heinz Bar and Walter Oesau, the handful of Fw 190-equipped Jagdgeschwader flew against overwhelming odds, firstly on the Channel coast, and then in direct defence of the Reich when the Jagdflieger took on the might of the USAAF's Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. This is their story.

Contents: In the Beginning - Channel and North Sea Build-Up - Diversions North, South and Nocturnal - Defence of the Reich - The Battle is Joined - Normandy - The Killing Ground - Defence of the Reich - The Battle is Lost - The End of the Line - Appendices - Index.

Author:John Weal
Specs:96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.8 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.31 in, paperback
Illustrations:photographs and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:Osprey Publishing (GB, 1996)
Series:Aircraft of the Aces (9)
EAN:9781855325951
Book: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front (Osprey)

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Western Front

Language: English

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Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Russian Front (Osprey)

Of all the fronts fought on by the Jagdflieger during World War 2, the Russian, or Eastern, was easily the most lucrative in terms of targets for the experten. Marry an abundance of targets with the Luftwaffe's best piston-engined fighter of the war - Focke-Wulf's Fw 190 'Butcher Bird' - and it quickly becomes apparent why so many Jagdflieger achieved kills that passed the 100 victories mark.
Flying in variable weather on a battlefront that was constantly changing, the Fw 190 pilots fought virtually to extinction in both the pure fighter and the crucial Schlacht ground attack roles.

Contents: 'Exeunt Omnes' - Familiarisation - JG 51 in Combat - JG 54 - Enter the 'Green Hearts' - And Others - Zitadelle - Schlachtflieger - JG 51 Reverts to Type... - ... But the 'Green Hearts' Soldier On - Too Little, Too Late - 'Finis' - Appendices.

Author:John Weal
Specs:96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.8 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.31 in, paperback
Illustrations:photographs and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:Osprey Publishing (GB, 1995)
Series:Aircraft of the Aces (6)
EAN:9781855325180
Book: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Russian Front (Osprey)

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Aces of the Russian Front

Language: English

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Focke-Wulf Fw 190 'Long Nose' : An Illustrated History of the FW 190 D Series

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.

Author:Deitmar Hermann
Specs:208 pages, 28.5 x 22.5 x 2.2 cm / 11.2 x 8.9 x 0.87 in, hardback
Illustrations:250 b&w photographs, profile drawings in colour
Publisher:Schiffer Publishing Ltd (USA, 2004)
EAN:9780764318764
Book: Focke-Wulf Fw 190 'Long Nose' : An Illustrated History of the FW 190 D Series

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 'Long Nose' : An Illustrated History of the FW 190 D Series

Language: English

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Tempest V vs Fw 190 D-9 : 1944-45 (Osprey)

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.

Author:Robert Forsyth
Specs:80 pages, 24.5 x 18.5 x 0.5 cm / 9.7 x 7.3 x 0.2 in, paperback
Illustrations:55 b&w and 10 colour photographs
Publisher:Osprey Publishing (GB, 2019)
Series:Duel
EAN:9781472829252
Book: Tempest V vs Fw 190 D-9 : 1944-45 (Osprey)

Tempest V vs Fw 190 D-9 : 1944-45

Language: English

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Fw 190 Defence of the Reich Aces (Osprey)

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.

Contents: 1942: Early RAF - USAAF Daylight Raids - 1943: The War of Attrition - 1944: Bloodletting over the Reich - 1945: The War is Lost - Appendices - A) Defence of the Reich Fw 190 Aces - B) Awards presented to Defence of the Reich Aces - C) Orders of Battle - D) Colour Plates Commentary.

Author:John Weal
Specs:96 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.7 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.28 in, paperback
Illustrations:photographs and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:Osprey Publishing (GB, 2011)
Series:Aircraft of the Aces (92)
EAN:9781846034824
Book: Fw 190 Defence of the Reich Aces (Osprey)

Fw 190 Defence of the Reich Aces

Language: English

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FW 190 Sturmböcke vs B-17 Flying Fortress - Europe 1944-45 (Osprey)

The Fw 190 was one of the best air superiority aircraft of World War II, and when it first appeared over the Channel in 1941 it sent shockwaves through the Allied air commands. By 1944, these fighters had been up-gunned to serve as the front line of defence against the Allied bombing campaign.
Although the Fw 190s were responsible for shooting down hundreds of Allied bombers, they met their match against the USAAF B-17 'Flying Fortress'. Capable of carrying 4,000 lbs of bombs and bristling with .50 cal machine guns, the B-17 could sow death in every direction.
Using brand-new artwork and first-hand accounts, this book recreates the deadly drama in the skies above Germany in the closing stages of the war.

Contents: Introduction - Chronology - Design and development - The Strategic Situation - Technical Specifications - The Combatants - Combat - Statistics and Analysis - Conclusion - Further Reading.

Author:Robert Forsyth
Specs:80 pages, 25 x 18.5 x 0.6 cm / 9.8 x 7.3 x 0.24 in, paperback
Illustrations:photographs and drawings (in b&w and colour)
Publisher:Osprey Publishing (GB, 2009)
Series:Duel (24)
EAN:9781846039416
Book: FW 190 Sturmböcke vs B-17 Flying Fortress - Europe 1944-45 (Osprey)

FW 190 Sturmböcke vs B-17 Flying Fortress - Europe 1944-45

Language: English

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Related titles:

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 - The Condor at War 1939-1945

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 - The Condor at War 1939-1945

Chris Goss

English | hardback | 336 p. | 2017

Fw 200 Condor Units of WW 2

Fw 200 Condor Units of World War 2

Chris Davey

English | paperback | 96 p. | 2016

[DUE] Fw-200 Condor vs Atlantic Convoys - 1941-43

Fw-200 Condor vs Atlantic Convoys - 1941-43

Robert Forczyk

English | paperback | 80 p. | 2010

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Last update:27-03-2024