[Leo Etgen]

Hi INM@RLM

Many thanks for your detailed and very informative posts regarding the production of the Fw 190 D-9. It is great to see research such as this being done and shard with all and certainly helps our understanding of what was happening in regards to the manufacturing effort of the German aviation industry at the time which is complicated by the profusion of shadow factories building components which were then shipped to a main production center where final assembly and flight testing would take place. I think that this is possibly what we are seeing with Arbeitsgemeinschaft Roland / Weser Flugzeug Gesellschaft in which components from the later were assembled by the former. I believe JaPo noticed that the fuselage of a Mimetall associated aircraft wreck was fitted with a data plate which included an ordnance code known to be of Weser so this very much seems to be the case. These 500-series aircraft had a distinctive camouflage pattern with late RLM 76 variant undersides and also the gun cowling with a small bulge on the lower panel line which were quite different from those usually found on the Weser associated machines so there certainly were differences between the two. They had also began appearing in service in 1944 as JG 2 lost seven fighters and JG 26 lost four fighters of the 500-series during Operation Bodenplatte. I will take the opportunity to ask your opinion regarding a couple of mysteries I have with the Fw 190 A-8: According to Focke Wulf Jagdflugzeug by Rodeike the 350-series were built by Focke Wulf Aslau and the 380-series were built by Arado. The manufacturer of the 690-series was unknown at the time but we now know these were produced by Leichtbau GmbH Budweis. Could you confirm if the information regarding the 350- and 380-series is correct as I have seen some statements that these were produced / assembled by Weser and Mimetall respectively?

Horrido!

Leo