Focke Wulf Fw 190
By Chris Banyai-Riepl
Authors: J. Richard Smith & Eddie J. Creek
Publisher: Classic Publications
ISBNs: 978-1-90653-730-2 (Volume 2), 978-1-90653-731-9 (Volume 3)
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 1008 for all three volumes
Often times finding just the right book on a subject is difficult. Either the book covers the technical history, or the operational history, or camouflage & markings. Rarely does one book cover it all, and when it does the coverage tends to be superficial at best. Sometimes, though, something comes along that challenges that trend, and that is the case with this three-volume set covering the Focke Wulf Fw 190. The three individual volumes look at the famous Fw 190 chronologically, with the first volume covering 1938 to 1942, the second volume gets 1943-1944, and the final volume takes the last years of the war, from 1944-1945. Unfortunately the first volume is out of print, but the second volume is still available and the third volume has just recently come out.
The second volume picks up where the first left off, in 1943 with the rise of the Fw 190 to the top of its game. Advanced versions of the Fw 190A, F, and G variants improved performance and firepower and became a major component of the Luftwaffe. At the same time, improvements in the West and the East chipped away at the Luftwaffe's dominance over Europe. The book begins with the Eastern Front, then switches to the adaptation of the design to the night fighter role against RAF bombers. The operational story is then broken up with a section on the later variants, starting with the A-7 and continuing through the F variants. The active record is then picked up again with the story of the Schlachtgeschwader operations in North Africa in 1943 and Fw 190 operations over Western Europe before returning to the Eastern Front. The remaining sections of the book cover the engine, Italian operations, training (including the two-seat variant), and the fight against daylight bomber raids in 1944.
The third volume begins with coverage of the biggest transformation in the Fw 190 family, that from an air-cooled radial-engined design to an inline water-cooled design. The first chapter details the development of both the Jumo engine and the adaptation of that engine to the Fw 190 airframe to create the Fw 190D. This is followed by the operational record of the Fw 190 surrounding the Normandy invasion and expanded Western bomber missions, then switches back to the Eastern Front for the major Soviet offensive Operation Bagration and the Allied push up through Italy. A break in the fighting story of the Fw 190 comes next with an extensive chapter on the Sonderwaffen, or 'wonder weapons'. Back to the final days of the Fw 190, the book picks up the story with Bodenplatte in late 1944 and early 1945 and brings the Fw 190D-9 into the mix, including coverage of the Me 262 base protection flights. The book finishes up with some of the tested designs, the ultimate Ta 152, and Mistel versions, with the final chapter detailing foreign usage and current survivors.
In both volumes, the amount of information presented is simply amazing. The photographs include some commonly known black and white examples, but for the most part many of the photos are new (or at least printed at a much better quality than before). In addition to these, there are lots of color photos of Fw 190s. Further adding to the value of these images are the color profile illustrations, which do an excellent job of demonstrating the highly varied color schemes worn by the Fw 190, especially later on in the war. With comprehensive appendices covering production numbers and combat losses, as well as maps, diagrams, and manual images, this series is your best choice for comprehensive Fw 190 coverage.
Given the superb quality of these two books, I do hope that the publisher will see fit to reprint the first volume, as without that introduction to the Fw 190 the story lacks an important part. Seeing that the first volume is out of print and unavailable also puts some pressure on getting these volumes, as they too are undoubtedly going to end up being sold out as well. My thanks to Specialty Press for the review copies. Visit their website to pick these two up before they are gone as well.