Focke-Wulf FW 190 Aces of the Western Front (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 9) [Paperback]

John Weal (Author)

Book Description

Series: Aircraft of the Aces | Publication Date: May 15, 1996

The Fw 190 was the scourge of Fighter Command from the moment it appeared on the Western Front at Abbeville in August 1941 with II./JG 26. A nimble, speedy and well-armed adversary, the ‘Butcher Bird’ quickly proved superior to all Allied fighters of the time, particularly at medium to low altitude. Led by Experten of the calibre of 'Pips' Priller, Heinz Bar and Walter Oesau, the handful of Fw 190-equipped Jagdgeschwader flew against overwhelming odds, firstly on the Channel coast, and then in direct defence of the Reich when the Jagdflieger took on the might of the USAAF’s Eighth and Ninth Air Forces. This is their story.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Osprey's Aircraft of the Aces series combines full colour artwork, the best archival contemporary photography, and first hand accounts from aces to bring history's greatest airborne conflicts to life.

About the Author

Arguably the finest profile artist in the business, John Weal’s love of German aircraft makes his work a treat for students of the subject. He has written several Aces volumes, and two books on the JU 87 in the companion series Combat Aircraft.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Osprey Publishing (May 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1855325950
• ISBN-13: 978-1855325951
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 0.2 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,203,780 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars ..a disappointingly brief overview...., December 26, 2002

By 

N. Page (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Focke-Wulf FW 190 Aces of the Western Front (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 9) (Paperback)

I must admit to enjoying all of John Weal's Osprey titles. He writes well if not always entirely accurately. However this particular volume is perhaps his worst in terms of factual errors. In particular his knowledge of the Reichs defence Geschwader, especially JG 300, seems inadequate here..no, that is not Bretschneider on P.80 and no, the unit was not permanently based at Loebnitz during the winter of 1944. There is nothing either on the last major air battle over Berlin (14 January 1945) and again nothing on the German fighter opposition to Operation Varsity (the Rhine crossings of March 24 1945). During this latter battle, II./JG 300, a powerful Fw 190 equipped Sturmgruppe, specialising in mounting high altitude attacks in massed formation against 8th AF bombers was caught at low level by packs of P-51s and virtually decimated. There are plenty of other minor errors in the text; an incorrect WerkNr. given for Mueller's Green 3 to listing Wilhelm Dormann as having flown with JG 300. The profiles are not that much better, most of the late war Fw 190s being portrayed here with yellow undercowls, where they were simply unpainted. The "black 13" of IV./JG 3 was not flown by Walther Dahl either, since he was Kommodore of JG 300 by July 1944 ! The last short chapter devoted to the ultimate 190 variant, the Ta 152, is translated directly from Willi Reschke's JG 301/302 history but not acknowledged as such... Although it pains me to say it, I think my own article in Scale Aircraft Modelling Nov 2002 has better coverage and better drawn profiles...

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A good description of the FW-190 service history, August 4, 2000

By 

Andrew Limsk (Kuala Lumpur, MY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Focke-Wulf FW 190 Aces of the Western Front (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 9) (Paperback)

This book does a good job of describing the FW-190 service in the Western Front in terms of the units and pilots who flew them. A comprehensive history is provided of the FW-190 from its design stages up until the last days of the war. The highlight of the book is the superb color plates of more than a dozen FW-190 variants clearly showing color schemes and unit markings at various times in the war that make this book perfect for any scale modeller.

The only thing that prevented me from giving this book a 5-star was twofold. There are no interviews from ex-pilots (some of whom are still with us). Also there is a glaring lack of basic technical information (speed, dimensions, armament) on the FW-190 and its variants. Some technical information can be gleaned from the text but it is incomplete. In short, if you are a scale modeller keen on FW-190 markings, you will be overjoyed with this book. Otherwise it is still a good read, just not great.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great for those interested in the Luftwaffe, December 20, 1999

By 

Hal R. Mcwilliams (Paso Robles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Focke-Wulf FW 190 Aces of the Western Front (Osprey Aircraft of the Aces No 9) (Paperback)

Interesting book with some amusing stories among the day to day operations of the Luftwaffe. Covers the introduction into service of the FW-190 "Butcherbird" by JG26. Great pictures and color plates.