Fw 190 Schlacht Units (Combat Aircraft)

An illustrated account of the Fw 190 'tank-buster' and its operations on the Eastern, Western and Mediterranean Fronts from 1942–45. The Fw 190 offered the Luftwaffe a reliable successor to the Ju 87 Stuka, able to operate from primitive forward airfields in both the freezing winters of the Soviet Union and the desert heat of North Africa. Converted by Focke-Wulf from a radial-engined fighter into a deadly fighter-bomber and ground-attack aircraft, it used its aerial gun platform, wide-tracked undercarriage and powerful BMW engines to devastating effect on the Eastern, Western and Mediterranean Fronts between 1942 and 1945. In this new study, leading Luftwaffe historian Robert Forsyth examines all aspects of the Fw 190 and its career as a ‘tank-buster’, detailing the considerable damage it wrought upon Allied armour, troop concentrations, bridges and road junctions. First-hand accounts from Schlachtflieger pilots bring to life the operational and tactical histories of the aircraft, and are complemented by archive photos and newly commissioned artwork that vividly demonstrates its technical and ballistic assets.