Dragon DRW50079 German Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 Fighter - Waldemar Wubke, Jagdverband 44, 'Papegai Staffel', Munchen-Reim, 1945 (1:72 Scale)
"Guns before butter. Guns will make us powerful; butter will only make us fat."
- Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering, Head of the German Luftwaffe
Nicknamed the "Butcher Bird," the Fw-190 was Germany's best air-to-ground fighter. Faster and more agile than the British Spitfire, it dominated the skies over Europe as a fighter and was the Luftwaffe's most important ground-attack aircraft. Controlled by the skilled hands of aces like Oberleutnant Otto Kittel, the FW-190 gained the reputation of being one of the greatest fighters of all time. This fighter-bomber and anti-tank aircraft was almost impossible to defeat until the introduction of the long-range P-51 Mustang.
First appearing in August 1944 as a result of a special Air Ministry requirement, the FW 190D-9 was an attempt to produce a high-altitude fighter based heavily on an existing fighter, the FW 190A-8. The nose was reshaped and lengthened to accommodate a new engine. The Fw 190D-9 proved to be a superb fighter.
This particular 1:72 scale fighter, nicknamed "Papegai Staffel", was flown by Waldemar Wubke, of JV44 during April 1945. Sold Out!
Dimensions
Wingspan: 5 inches
Length: 5 inches
Release Date: January 2005
Historical Account: "Squadron of Experts" - Jagdverband 44 (JV 44) was a special fighter unit of top German fighter ace pilots in the Luftwaffe during the last months of World War II. The main aircraft used by the unit was the Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. They were known by various nicknames, including "Der Galland-Zirkus" (The Galland Circus).
The commander of JV 44 was General Adolf Galland (103 victories) the former General der Jagdflieger (General of Fighter pilots) who had recently been sacked from his command by Hermann Goring for relentlessly criticizing the operational policies, strategic doctrine, and tactics mandated by the Luftwaffe High Command. It was hoped by Galland's superiors that his return to combat-flying in a front-line command would result in his death in action! JV 44 was composed of highly experienced pilots chosen from Galland's former staff or otherwise recruited from units which had been disbanded or were being re-equipped. It had relatively few operational planes available for any single sortie and was repeatedly forced to relocate due to the approach of Allied ground forces. At war's end the unit was disbanded and its brief history came to an end.
