Eagle Head Motif on the Fw 190

[Broncazonk]

When did the practice of placing the various eagle head motifs on the Fw 190 cowl end? They seem to disappear in very late 1943 or early 1944. Anyone know when and why they disappeared?





Thanks!

Bronc

[Broncazonk]

How about the Tatzelwurm? When did it get deleted off the aircraft?



I'm thinking by mid to early 1944 all the fun stuff started to disappear off of the Luftwaffe's aircraft.

Bronc

[Rabe Anton]

Just for fun, I have been building a table listing all known Black Eagle Fw 190s from III./JG 2. I have now 19 of them from photos. The last one that I have is a Fw 190A-5 which was damaged on the first of May 1943. No A-6, A-7, or A-8s with the classic Black Eagle are known to me in photographs.

One suspects that during 1943 the growing attrition rate for JG 2 plus, perhaps, an end to the "intelligence giveaway" in the distinctive marking put an end to application of the Black Eagle marking.

[Broncazonk]

Thank you for taking a look for me, and I agree.

Bronc

[Maciej Góralczyk]

Originally Posted by Rabe Anton

Just for fun, I have been building a table listing all known Black Eagle Fw 190s from III./JG 2. I have now 19 of them from photos. The last one that I have is a Fw 190A-5 which was damaged on the first of May 1943.

Did you count Wurmheller's WNr. 2648? Photos show 73 vics recorded on the rudder, last one being scored on June 28, 1943 - see JFV 10/IV, s.197. BTW, s.195 features another photo of a Black-Eagle A-5 with 2./JG 2 personnel, captioned as taken at the end of June 1943.

[Milos Gazdic]

Hello Anton, Can you point me to the source of the photo of that Fw 190 A-5 with the Eaglehead? I possibly have it in my books but failed to notice it. All the ones I saw are A-3s & A-4s!

[Rabe Anton]

Servus Milos!
You may find a photo of the Fw 190A-5 with black eagle markings here:
Bernd Barbas, Planes of the Lw. Fighter Aces (1st ed.), II, 129.
Best,

[Milos Gazdic]

Awesome! Thanks, Anton. I hope it's the one with the full head design. I was sorry that they removed those heads in the later years and left only the "wings"

[Rabe Anton]

Servus Milos!


Indeed, the photograph in Barbas, Planes of the Luftwaffe Fighter Aces, II, 129, does show almost all of the port side. WNr. 1199. The full black eagle design was applied, complete with the head.

Rabe Anton