Hungarian Fw 190 ? (E-Bay photo)

[Kari Lumppio]

Helou!


Couple of days ago Ed West posted link to this photo Fw 190:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=6527678766

I quote from the description:
"Original photo taken by G.I. of a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-6 W. Nr. 550789 with a white 41 on the engine cowling. The W. Nr. can be read on the fin and the undercowling and underwing tips are yellow."

First guess is that this is a flight school machine. But could it be one of the last batch of Fw 190 flown by Hungarians? The plane does carry yellow ID markings which were not standard for training aircraft (???). Compare to the following snippet:

"By the end of the war the 102. Fighter Bomber Group received Fw-190F-8 bombers. The first 18 a/c were received in Oct 1944 by 102/1 "Pavian" sqn, the following 18 in Dec 1944 - Jan 1945, by 102/2 "Puli" sqn (W.501- W.572). Serials were painted black only on the first 18 a/c (31). On the second batch of 18 a/c the last two digits of the serials were painted white on the motor cowling (31)(34). To paint over the 36 a/c received after Jan 1945 was not possible. They flew partly with German markings, with only white serials (from 37 to 72) on the cowling (36)."

The author is Tadeusz P. Dobrowiecki and the complete article can be found in:
"Insignia of the Hungarian AF: from the WWI until the present - http version of a paper published in Small Air Forces Observer, No 77"
http://home.mit.bme.hu/~tade/pages/hungavia.htm
(Main page: http://home.mit.bme.hu/~tade )


The number "41" on the cowling of the E-Bay Fw 190 fits nicely into the block 37-72. For comparison couple of photos of Hungarian Fw 190 "64" from the same homepage:

"A/c Nr. 64, crashed"
http://home.mit.bme.hu/~tade/ac-pict/Hung-AF/pre-1945/Fw190/F190cr64.jpg

"A/c Nr. 64 (late in the war Hungarian Fw190 wore German markings and white numbering on motor cowling"
http://home.mit.bme.hu/~tade/ac-pict/Hung-AF/pre-1945/Fw190/F190fus64.jpg

Does anyone know of other sources for the Hungarian Fw 190s? Besides the Squadron Signal book. In an old IPMS Finland newletter (the "Kiertis" not "Mallari") there was photo of a Fw 190 with name "Agi" and IIRC I have also seen somewhere a photo of Fw 190 carrying name "Pöttom". Is there more available in photographic form? Or textwise (I'm not capable of Hungarian, although I am "Ugri-Mugri" too) ?


Looking forward of your comments,
Kari