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.

The Fw 190 F was originally manufactured as a Fw 190 A-0/U4. Early testing started in May 1942. The A-0 testbed aircraft was outfitted with centreline and wing-mounted ETC 50 bomb racks. The early testing results were quite good, and Focke-Wulf began engineering the attack version of the Fw 190. New armor was added to the bottom of the fuselage, protecting the fuel tanks and pilot, the engine cowling, and the landing gear mechanisms and outer wing mounted armament. Finally, the Umrst-Baustze kit 3 was fitted to the aircraft by means of a ETC 501 or ER4 centreline mounted bomb rack and up to a SC250 bomb under each wing. This aircraft was designated the Fw 190 F-1. The first 30 Fw 190 F-1s were renamed Fw 190 A-4/U3s; however, Focke-Wulf quickly began assembling the aircraft on the line as Fw 190 F-1s as their own model, with 18 more F-1s built before switching to the F-2. The Fw 190 F-2s were renamed Fw 190 A-5/U3s, which again were soon assembled as Fw 190 F-2s on the production line. There were 270 Fw 190 F-2s built according to Focke-Wulf production logs and RLM acceptance reports.

This particular 1:48 scale Focke-Wulf Fw 190F fighter was attached to I./Schlachtgeschwader 4, then deployed to Northern Italy during 1944. Sold Out!

Dimensions
Wingspan: 8-1/2-inches
Length: 7-1/4-inches

Release Date: June 2011

Historical Account: "Al Dente" - In late 1943, all the various forms of ground-attack units were consolidated into one new ground-attack unit Schlachtgeschwader 4. The new unit consisted of I./SG 4, II. /SG 4, III./SG4. This reorganization created a single Geschwader equipped solely with Fw-190s. After suffering losses in late 1943 I./SG 4 was transferred to Piancenza Italy to rest and re-equip with Fw-190 F-8. In February 1944, I./SG4 and II. /SG-4 were transferred to Viterbo Italy. The new Fw-190 F-8 was used to try and halt the Allied advances at Anzio and in the Cassino region. In July 1944, the entire squad was transferred to the northern USSR to help with the Defense of the Reich. It was quite common for I./SG 4 to wear desert camouflage and a spinner with a white spiral even when they weren't in desert areas.