Focke Wulf Fw 190

The operational debut of the Focke-Wulf 190 in August 1941 was an unpleasant surprise for the Royal Air Force.

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Designer Kurt Tank's proposal for a radial engined fighter was at the time in Europe somewhat against the grain. Tank was encouraged by the designs he had seen emerge in the USA, and was convinced that the drag penalties of a radial design would not lead to an ineffective fighter.

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After his original proposal for a fighter lost out to the Bf 109, that might have been the end of it, but the RLM soon determined that they needed a new type in development to fight alongside the 109, as the Allies would surely be working on their own new designs.

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As a radial engined type, Tank's Fw 190 had the added benefit of not being subject to the availability of Daimler-Benz in-line engines, a production challenge that was already proving difficult for the manufacture of 109s and 110s. His design got the green light, and by 1941 she was ready to be fielded.

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The RAF remained in late 1941 the only opposition in the west, primarily using the Spitfire Mk V on fighter sweeps over occupied France. Outclassed in every performance aspect save radius of turn, the appearance of the Fw 190 was an immediate challenge to the RAF's efforts to gain aerial superiority in the skies of north-western Europe.