Camouflage & Markings: Fw 190A Experten of the Western Front

The color profiles in this article have been produced by Mr. B Huber, via Wikimedia Commons.

Introduced in 1941, the rugged and versatile Fw 190A became known as the ‘workhorse' of the Luftwaffe. Yet, its prominence coincided with the progressing decline of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm from 1942 to 1945—a trend that became increasingly apparent despite the excellence of its fighter aces. Let's explore this period through the stories of some of Germany's most notable fighter pilots and their aircraft.

Adolf Dickfeld

Focke Wulf Fw 190A-4 of II./JG 2, flown by Gruppenkommandeur Adolf Dickfeld, Tunisia 1943

The Allied invasion of West Africa known as "Operation Torch" put the Axis forces in acute strategic disadvantage, and the Germans scrambled to provide any available reinforcements to handle the crisis. At the time, the Fw 190A-4 were the best fighters available. Between November 1942 and May 1943, several units of these fighters were moved from Western Europe to Africa in an effort to counter quantitative Allied air superiority. On the ground, the Tunisian campaign opened with initial success by the German and Italian forces but the massive supply interdiction effort put up by the Allies eventually led to the decisive and painful defeat of the Axis.

Adolf Dickfeld was a highly decorated German Luftwaffe ace. Born on February 20, 1910, in Jüterbog, Germany, he became one of the most successful fighter pilots of the Luftwaffe, credited with 136 aerial victories in over a thousand combat missions.

Dickfeld had received the status of “ace-in-a-day”, meaning shooting down five or more enemy aircraft in a single day; not just once but on four different occasions! He received numerous awards for his service, including the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves, one of Nazi Germany's highest military honors. After the war, Dickfeld continued to fly professionally and lived until the age of 99, passing away on May 17, 2009.

In Tunisia, he served as the Gruppenkommandeur (Group Commander) of II./JG 2 (2nd Group of Fighter Wing 2). The unit was deployed to Tunisia following the Allied landings in North Africa in November 1942. At the time, they primarily flew the Fw 190A-4.

On 8 January 1943 during an emergency takeoff, Dickfeld crashed his Fw 190A-4 by running it into a bomb crater. The aircraft summersaulted, and Dickfeld was seriously injured. He had to leave the command of his unit for three months. When he returned to his role on 15 April, the Axis cause in Africa was all but lost. After some final desperate action trying to protect the Axis supply lines across the Mediterranean, II./JG 2 withdrew from Africa in May 1943. During his time in Tunisia, Dickfeld achieved 5 victories.

Horst Hannig

Focke Wulf Fw 190A-4 of I./JG 2, flown by Oberleutnant Horst Hannig, spring 1943

Horst Hannig was born on November 13, 1921, he joined the Luftwaffe in 1939, only eighteen years old. Due to his exceptional flying skills, he quickly rose through the ranks. By the spring of 1943, Hannig held the rank of Oberleutnant and was credited with 98 aerial victories in over 350 combat missions.

I./JG 2 “Richthofen” operated primarily in Western Europe, including France and the Channel Front, with a brief detachment to North Africa during the Tunisian campaign. In spring 1943, it came to be heavily involved in defensive operations over France against the raising Allied air offensive. The unit flew the Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4, a hitherto potent fighter against RAF Spitfires.

By early 1943, Hannig he had achieved 90 kills on the Eastern Front, and became Staffelkapitän of 2./JG 2. While commanding the unit, he achieved another 8 victories, including 1 four-engine USAAF bomber shot down on 16 February 1943.

Hannig's streak of good fortune came to an end on May 15, 1943. During an engagement with RAF Spitfires over Normandy, he was credited with shooting down a Spitfire before being himself killed in action shortly after. He was 21 years old.

The flamboyant black eagle design, often carried only on the port side, was typical of JG 2 aircraft of the period. On the starboard side, the eagle's head was sometimes omitted to leave room for the unit emblem on the cowling.

Fritz Losigkeit

Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-4, I./JG 1, flown by Hauptmann Fritz Losigkeit

Fritz Losigkeit was another distinguished German Luftwaffe fighter ace, with altogether 68 aerial victories in approximately 750 combat missions. Losigkeit was awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross.

In the spring of 1943, I./JG 1 was heavily engaged in defending against American daylight bombing raids. Based at Deelen Airfield in the Netherlands, their location was strategically important for the aerial defense of Germany, especially as it at the time remained out of reach for the Allied fighters operating from England.

On 17 April, the USAAF VIII Bomber Command attacked the Focke-Wulf factories at Bremen, causing significant damage. During the attack, Losigkeit shot down a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. On 2 May, 25 RAF Spitfires escorted 18 Lockheed Ventura bombers which were intercepted by fighters from I. and II. Gruppe of JG 1 east of Vlissingen. For the loss of two Fw 190s, pilots of JG 1 claimed nine aerial victories, including a Ventura claimed by Losigkeit.

But the tide was rapidly turning on the German defenders. On 8 May 1944, I./JG 1 along with JG 3 intercepted the USAAF's 2nd Bomb Division heading towards Berlin. The German fighters caught the B-17s outside of their escort's range and managed to down 13 bombers. But the sheer number of the American bombers and their defensive firepower made it a challenging battle; with 32 lost fighters, the German were dealt a devastating blow and left ominous about the things to come.

By the end of that month, Losigkeit was transferred upon his own request. He was given command of I. Gruppe of JG 26 on the Eastern Front.

Hermann Graf

Focke Wulf Fw 190A-5/U7 with external ducts flown by Major Hermann Graf, 1943

Despite being one of the most recognizable Fw 190s in the Luftwaffe service, this Fw 190A-5 started as a training machine away from combat.

After achieving significant success on the Eastern Front and being awarded the Knight's Cross with Oak Leaves, Swords, and Diamonds, Major Hermann Graf, the first pilot in history that had achieved 200 aerial victories, was posted in January 1943 to take command of Ergänzungs-Jagdgruppe Ost (Fighter Training Group East). Here, newly trained fighter pilots destined for the Eastern Front were to receive their final training from experienced pilots. The main base was at St. Jean d'Angély, north of Bordeaux on the Atlantic coast, although Graf spent most of his time at Toulouse-Blagnac airport. The location was strategically chosen to facilitate training away from the major combat zones. The unit operated various aircraft, including the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. Graf picked a Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-5 for his personal use and had it lavishly decorated with red tulip petals on yellow background, intended as a symbol of Graf's prowess as a leading ace, and a morale booster to the trainee pilots.

Graf's respite from combat came to be short-lived. Already two months later he was summoned to Berchtesgaden, where he met personally with Göring. Graf was tasked with forming a special unit to develop tactics against the elusive RAF Mosquitoes, which had been operating with impunity in German airspace, much to the frustration of the Luftwaffe leadership. Graf was allowed to recruit whatever pilots he wanted, along with additional staff from Fighter Training Group East, to form a new Jagdgeschwader 50.

On 11 June 1943, Graf arrived at the Wiesbaden airfield to set up his new unit. They would be equipped with the new Messerschmitt Bf 109G-5, a pressurized high-altitude variant of the Bf 109G-6 with engine performance boost. As the delivery of these aircraft was delayed, Graf had his personal Focke-Wulf converted to Fw 190A-5/U7, a field conversion with external ducts and a two-stage supercharger for improved high-altitude performance. Using this machine, Graf was indeed able to shoot down a Mosquito intruder over Groningen.

But the Allied bomber offensive was taking its toll, so after becoming operational, JG 50 was incorporated in the Defence of the Reich for bomber interception. Graf's Mosquito, JG 50's first victory, ironically proved to be the only Mosquito shot down by the unit specifically formed to combat the type.

Walter Dahl

Fw 190A-8 flown by Major Walter Dahl, Kommandeur of IV.(Sturm)/JG 300. Jüterbog, Germany, December 1944

This aircraft, an Fw 190A-8, belonged to Major Walter Dahl, who served as the Commanding Officer of IV.(Sturm)/JG 300. This aircraft was armed with a full complement of four MG 151/20mm cannon in the wings plus a pair of MG 131s heavy machine guns in the fuselage, but did not carry a R2 Rüstsatz or additional cockpit armour.

Walter Dahl was a recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross with Oak Leaves of Nazi Germany. In total, Dahl claimed some 128 enemy aircraft shot down in 678 missions. He claimed twenty-eight victories over four-engine bombers, making him the top pilot in this field.

Dahl was reknowned for his organisational and leadership skills, and most famously was the father of the Sturmgruppe tactics. On 21 May 1944, Dahl was appointed commander of Jagdgeschwader zur besonderen Verwendung (JG z.b.V.—a special purpose fighter wing), tasked with developing effective tactics to combat the American bomber formations. He led the unit until taking command of Jagdgeschwader 300 (JG 300—300th Fighter Wing) on 27 June 1944. Dahl set up his headquarters at Ansbach, planning combined operations with JG 3 "Udet".

By the summer of 1944, Dahl organized several Sturmgruppen, equipped with heavily armoured and armed Fw 190A-8 "Sturmbock" fighters and charged with breaking up the heavy bomber fromations. Initially manned by volunteers, each pilot was trained to close with the enemy and engage in extremely short-range combat, attacking from the front and the rear in tight arrowhead formations, even to contemplate deliberately ramming enemy bombers when circumstances permitted.

The initial combat efficiency displayed by these units was brutal. On 7 July 1944 a force of 1,129 B-17 Flying Fortresses and B-24 Liberators set out from England to bomb aircraft factories in Leipzig area and the synthetic oil plants at Boehlen, Leuna-Merseburg and Lützkendorf. This formation was intercepted by IV.(Sturm)/JG 3, escorted by two Gruppen of Bf 109s from JG 300 led by Major Walther Dahl. Dahl drove the attack to point-blank range behind the Liberators of the 492nd Bomb Group, which at the time was temporarily without fighter cover. Within about a minute the entire squadron of twelve B-24s had been annihilated. The USAAF 2nd Air Division lost 28 Liberators that day, the majority to the Sturmgruppe attack.

However, USAAF escort fighters were increasingly effective. On 11 September 1944 II.(Sturm)/JG 300 lost thirteen Fw 190s to P-51 Mustangs, with 10 pilots killed and two wounded. JG 300 continued to take heavy losses until the end of 1944, particularly on 17 December when 100 aircraft of JG 300 intercepted USAAF bombers, claiming 33 shot down but losing 43 of their own number.

Dahl continued to command JG 300 until January 1945, when he was promoted to the rank of Inspector of the Day Fighters. Despite his promotion, Dahl continued to fly operationally. After the war he settled in West Germany, and remained true to his nationalist and right-wing sympathies until his death in November 1985.

Wilhelm Moritz

Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8/R2 of IV.(Sturm)/JG 3, flown by Hauptmann Wilhelm Moritz

The primary feature of the R2 Rüstsatz was the heavy MK 108 cannon in the outer wing position, but this machine is an excellent example of a complete “Sturmjägerausrüstung” carried by many of the assault fighters. It includes an armoured glass windscreen, side armoured glass panels, fuselage side armour (referred to as “Scheuklappen” or ‘blinkers'), and Zusatzscheibe cockpit armour plates. This additional armour package did not have a Rüstsatz-number at the time, though it is sometimes called “R7”. To compensate for the increase in weaight, weight, the MG cowl machine guns were removed and covered over.

Wilhelm Moritz began his military career as a Zerstörerpilot with II./ZG 1 at the outbreak of World War II. He later served as Staffelkapitän of 6./JG 77, holding the rank of Oberleutnant from November 1940 to January 1941, operating in both Norway and the English Channel.

After leading the operational Staffel of Jagdfliegerschule 4 for over a year, Moritz formed the new 11./JG 1 in March 1942. On September 10, 1942, he was posted to the Eastern Front, where he took command of 12./JG 51. Initially met with skepticism by the veterans of Geschwader Mölders due to his lack of victories, Moritz soon earned their respect through his dedication to his subordinates. However, his thirteen months on the Eastern Front did not yield significant individual success in air combat. Most missions were led by Leutnant Rudolf Wagner, a more skilled veteran who achieved 81 victories before his death in December 1943.

Upon returning to Germany, Moritz had accumulated fewer than twenty victories. His prominence rose during the home defense phase of the war. In April 1944, he was appointed commander of IV.(Sturm)/JG 3. Under his leadership, the unit became highly effective against US heavy bombers, with Moritz achieving his 40th victory during the battle against the US 492nd Bomb Group on July 7, 1944. For his achievements, he was awarded the Knight's Cross on July 18, 1944.

IV./JG 3 thrived under Moritz's command, becoming the most successful Jagdgruppe in home defense. However, on December 5, 1944, Moritz was removed from frontline service due to severe mental and physical exhaustion. He returned to combat in April 1945 as Gruppenkommandeur of II./JG 4. Throughout his career, Wilhelm Moritz flew over 500 combat missions and was credited with 44 aerial victories.

Walter Wagner

Focke Wulf Fw 190A-8/R2 of JG 4, flown by Gefreiter Walter Wagner. Operation Bodenplatte, January 1945

The Fw 190A-8 was a robust and heavily armed fighter that remained the main production version until the end of the war. This particular aircraft was piloted by Gefreiter Walter Wagner of Jagdgeschwader 4 (JG 4) during Operation Bodenplattte, a Luftwaffe attack launched on January 1, 1945 that aimed at destroying Allied air power on the ground in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. The pilot, Gefr. Walter Wagner wasn't an ace. He was one of the many hastily-trained Luftwaffe pilots that had to replace the hundreds of experienced ones that were lost in the preceding two years. It was his third combat mission.

JG 4, along with all other units taking part in the attack, took very heavy losses. With 75 JG 4 aircraft tasked with various targets, including an attack on Le Culot Airfield, I., II. and IV. Gruppen were hit by heavy anti-aircraft fire and the massed formation became scattered and therefore impossible to co-ordinate to an effective attack, with only 12 or so aircraft locating any intended targets. Overall, some 26 fighters were lost and 6 damaged; with nearly half the participating aircraft lost, JG 4 suffered the highest percentage losses of all the units taking part in the operation.

One of the losses experienced by JG 4 was Wagner's Fw 190A-8/R2 “White 11.” During an attack on St. Trond airfield, the aircraft was hit by anti-aircraft fire. Despite being wounded and having a dead engine, Wagner managed to execute a perfect belly landing at the edge of the airfield, which was home to the 404th Fighter Group. He was promptly captured by the American forces stationed there.

Wagner's aircraft carried JG 4's black/white/black band, and the unit emblem on the forward fuselage. It is depicted here as photographed by the Americans. Wagner's Focke Wulf 190 A8-R2 was recovered and repaired to running condition, whereupon its side armor and ETC rack were removed.

The aircraft bas retained by 404th Fighter Group as personal hack of the unit's CO Colonel Leo Moon. It was painted in bright red color in reference to the Moon's saying that he had always wanted to own a red airplane. In March 1945, the Group had to move on to Keltz in Germany, and the Fw 190 was left behind as scrap.