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 A-6 was developed to address shortcomings found in previous "A" models when attacking U.S. heavy bombers. Modifications of the type to date had caused the weight of the aircraft to creep up. To combat this and to allow better weapons to be installed in the wings, a structurally redesigned and lighter wing was introduced. The normal armament was increased to two MG 17 fuselage machine guns and four 20 mm MG 151/20E wing root and outer wing cannon with larger ammunition boxes. New electrical sockets and reinforced weapon mounts were fitted internally in the wings to allow the installation of either 20 mm or 30 mm (1.18 in) ammunition boxes and for underwing armament. Because the outer wing MG 151s were mounted lower than the MG/FFs new larger hatches, incorporating bulges and cartridge discharge chutes, were incorporated into the wing lower surfaces. It is believed the MG 17s were kept because their tracer rounds served as a targeting aid for the pilots. A new FuG 16 ZE radio navigation system was fitted in conjunction with a FuG 10 ZY. A loop aerial for radio navigation, mounted on a small "teardrop" base was fitted under the rear fuselage, offset slightly to port, with an additional short "whip" aerial aft of this. These aerials were fitted on all later Fw 190 variants.

The A-6 was outfitted in numerous ways with various sets, Rustsatze (field modification kits); more flexible than the factory upgrade kits for previous versions, these field upgrade kits allowed the A-6 to be refitted in the field as missions demanded. At least 963 A-6s were built from July 1943 ending in April 1944, according to Ministry of Aviation acceptance reports and Focke-Wulf production books. In late 1943, the Erla Antwerp factory designed a simpler rack/drop-tank fitting, which was more streamlined than the bulky ETC 501 and could be quickly fitted or removed. Several A-6s, A-7s and A-8s of JG 26 were fitted with these racks (one such aircraft was A-8 W.Nr.170346 Black 13 flown by Obstlt. Josef Priller during the Normandy invasion on 6 June 1944.)

This particular 1:48 scale replica of a German Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8/R2 fighter that was attached to 12.(Sturm)Jagdgeschwader 3 "Udet" during 1944. Pre-order! Ship Date: 2025.

Dimensions
Wingspan: 5-inches
Length: 5-inches

Release Date: ?

Historical Account: "In the Beginning" - Hans von Hahn was born on August 7th, 1914, at Frankurt in Main. He joined the navy as a sea-cadet in 1934 but transferred to the Luftwaffe in 1935. On September 16th, 1939, von Hahn was appointed Staffelkapitan of 8./JG 53. He served under the command of Hauptmann Werner Molders (115 victories, RK-Br, killed in action on November 22nd, 1941), Gruppenkommandeur of III./JG 53. He recorded his first victory on December 22nd, 1939, when he shot down a RAF Hurricane fighter of 73 Squadron northwest of Metz in France. Von Hahn recorded five confirmed victories during the French campaign. Von Hahn was appointed Gruppenkommandeur of I./JG 3 on August 27th, 1940.

During the Battle of Britain, von Hahn added a further six victories to his tally, including two Hurricanes on October 7th to record his 10th and 11th. victories. Operating over the Eastern front, von Hahn raised his victory total to 31. He claimed three Russian twin-engine bombers shot down near Brody on June 26th, 1941, to record his 14th through 16th victories. Von Hahn recorded his 20th victory on July 6th, when he shot down two Russian DB-3 twin-engine bombers near Shepetowka. Hauptmann von Hahn was awarded the Ritterkreuz on July 9th, 1941, for 21 victories. He recorded nine victories in July, including three Russian SB-2 twin-engine bombers shot down near Berdichev on July 14th (25-27).