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World War II
Discuss WWII and the era directly before and after the war from 1935-1949.
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Fw 190 differences?
ludwig113
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: February 05, 2008
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 05:19 AM UTC
hi all,

can someone point me in the direction of a site that has the differences between the various Fw 190 aircraft,specifically the A-5 , A-6 and A-8.

many thanks

paul
Emeritus
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Uusimaa, Finland
Joined: March 30, 2004
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Posted: Tuesday, March 29, 2011 - 08:48 PM UTC
IPMS Stockholm has some nice articles.
Modeller's Guide to Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Variants
Radial Engine Versions:
Part I
Part II
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-8 in Detail
(Revisited) (walka-round)

Part I has the evolution of the A-variants covered well, with differences and modifications between versions clearly listed.
Though I'm not that much of an expert on 190s, I noticed the first article saying the A-8 was always fitted with the rectangular overwing blisters for the outboard cannons: There were execptions to that rule (if it ever was a rule in the first place) - A-8s were also fitted with wings without those outer overwing blisters. There's one right in the walka-round article.

ludwig113
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England - South East, United Kingdom
Joined: February 05, 2008
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Posted: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 - 02:27 AM UTC
many thanks Eetu, just what i needed

paul
heraldcoupe
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United Kingdom
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Posted: Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 02:56 AM UTC

Quoted Text

A-8s were also fitted with wings without those outer overwing blisters. There's one right in the walka-round article.


The aircraft pictured is the one displayed at the Imperial War Museum, which was part of a Mistel combination captured at war's end. This example is noteable in having no armament whatsoever, which seems to be typical of Fw-190s configured for Mistel operations,

Cheers,
Bill.
Emeritus
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Uusimaa, Finland
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Posted: Thursday, March 31, 2011 - 06:51 AM UTC

Quoted Text


Quoted Text

A-8s were also fitted with wings without those outer overwing blisters. There's one right in the walka-round article.


The aircraft pictured is the one displayed at the Imperial War Museum, which was part of a Mistel combination captured at war's end. This example is noteable in having no armament whatsoever, which seems to be typical of Fw-190s configured for Mistel operations,

Cheers,
Bill.

Indeed, several variants had reduced armament.
I looked into it and what I understood is that the A-8 had those overwing outer cannon bulges to enable the installation of the 30mm MK 108 cannons. A universal wing solution to simplify production. (e.g. this one)
Some aircraft of course had a wing armament of four MG 151s (like the A-6 & 7) but the outer overwing bulges would still be there, as there were holes cut into the upper wing to fit in the bulkier MK 108.
But then, the issue doesn't seem to be that clear cut. According to this discussion, the universal wing was introduced at different times in different manufacturing facilities making the plane.
I guess it would also be totally possible for a later production aircraft to be retrofitted with the older "smooth wing" when overhauled?

Quite an interesting topic this is. An expertss view on this would be great to hear.

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