Focke-Wulf Ta 152

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Focke-Wulf Ta 152
Focke-Wulf Ta 152 (British captured aircraft)
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire

Manufacturer:

Focke-Wulf

First flight:

1944

Commissioning:

December 1944

Production time:

1944 to 1945

Number of pieces:

approx. 150 (with prototypes)

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was a German fighter aircraft from the time of the Second World War . It reached the highest speed of all German single-engine propeller aircraft that came to combat missions. Due to the small number of units and the late availability, this type of aircraft no longer had any significant influence on the air situation in what was then Reich territory.

development

The Ta 152 was a further development of the Fw 190 D equipped with a V-engine . The manufacturer abbreviation “Ta” stood for the chief designer Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf . Different variants were developed, including a destroyer variant Ta 152 C-3 and a high altitude fighter Ta 152 H. The H variant had elongated wings, a water-methanol injection ( MW-50 ) and nitrous oxide injection above full pressure altitude ( GM-1 ) for a short-term increase in performance. With a speed of up to 752 km / h, the Ta 152 was one of the fastest propeller aircraft of the Second World War.

It is difficult to count the number of aircraft produced. The following figures can be verified: The Luftwaffe received a total of 39 Ta 152s from December 1944 to February 1945, none in March 1945. 32 copies were tested, only seven to the Reich Luftflotte . The ATG company built a total of 37 Ta 152 H- 0s by January 1945. Focke-Wulf delivered 20 pieces in January 1945.

The late availability of this type of aircraft in the final phase of World War II, as well as the small number of aircraft that ultimately arrived at the task forces, meant that only a few combat missions were flown and accordingly hardly any operational assessments exist. The I. and III. Group of Jagdgeschwader 301 , which lay in Finsterwalde and Alteno in January / February 1945 , had some copies of the high altitude fighter.

commitment

The Ta-152 probably had only seven kills and four losses in aerial combat by the end of the war. Josef Keil achieved four victories from March 1, 1945 to April 21, 1945. Willi Reschke achieved at least three victories .

Technical specifications

Ta 152 C-1
  • Intended use
    • Fighter plane / fighter-bomber
  • Dimensions
    • Span: 11.00 m
    • Length: 10.80 m
    • Height: 3.38 m
    • Wing area: 19.50 m²
    • Wing aspect ratio: 6.2
  • Crowds
    • Setup mass: 4014 kg
    • Takeoff weight: 5320 kg
  • Services
    • Drive: a hanging 12-cylinder V-engine Daimler-Benz DB 603L / LA with 2000 HP, two-stage high-altitude loader and ring cooler
    • Maximum speed with MW-50 system: 736 km / h at an altitude of 10,000 m
    • Top speed with combat performance: 702 km / h at 9500 m altitude
    • Cruising speed: 550 km / h at 8400 m altitude
    • Climbing capacity: 10,000 m in 13.3 min (with MW-50)
    • Service ceiling: 12,300 m
    • Range: 1140 km
  • Armament
    • a 30 mm automatic cannon MK 108 with 90 rounds
    • four 20 mm MG 151/20 automatic cannons with 2 × 150 and 2 × 175 rounds
    • 500 kg bomb as external load or 300 l additional tank
Ta 152 H-1
Three-sided view of the Ta 152 H
  • Intended use
    • High altitude fighter
  • Dimensions
    • Span: 14.82 m
    • Length: 10.82 m
    • Height: 3.36 m
    • Wing area: 23.50 m²
    • Wing aspect ratio: 9.3
  • Crowds
    • Empty weight: 3920 kg
    • Takeoff weight: maximum 5215 kg
  • Services
    • Propulsion: a liquid-cooled V-12 engine Jumo 213 E-1 with 1750 HP (2050 HP with MW-50, 2150 HP with GM-1) starting power
    • Top speed: 730 km / h at 9500 m altitude (without MW-50 / GM-1)
    • Cruising speed: 500 km / h
    • Climbing speed: 1050 m / min
    • Service ceiling: 14,800 m
    • Range: 1200 km
  • Armament
    • a 30-mm automatic cannon MK 108 with 60–90 rounds
    • two 20 mm MG 151/20 automatic cannons with 150–175 rounds each

Received aircraft

As far as is known, there is only one copy that survived the war. It is in the National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. The aircraft was brought to the USA in 1945 on the escort carrier Reaper along with several other German aircraft.

Web links

Commons : Focke-Wulf Ta 152  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Source: Documents from the Federal Archives / Freiburg Military Archives
  2. ^ Harmann 1999, page 107.
  3. ↑ The World War II planes. Motorbuchverlag, ISBN 3-87943-302-X , p. 311.
  4. ↑ Type compass. Focke-Wulf since 1925. Motorbuchverlag, ISBN 978-3-613-03006-0 , p. 108.