Click on Picture to enlarge

The Fw 200 Condor was a German all-metal four-engined aircraft initially designed for Lufthansa as an airliner which first flew in July 1937, following the outbreak of WW2 it was initially used by the Luftwaffe as a military transport and later utilised as a long-range anti-shipping bomber and maritime reconnaissance aircraft. It is believed that 276 aircraft were built but wartime construction records are unconfirmed although it is known that the last aircraft produced was finished in 1944 and the vast majority of Condors produced were the Focke-Wulf Fw 200C variant.

It is interesting to note that the Condor pictured above, "Dania", was a Danish Airline's Focke-Wulf Fw 200A that was seized by the British Government after Denmark was invaded by German forces in 1940, it was then operated by BOAC as an airliner until re-allocated to the RAF and was damaged beyond repair in mid 1941. Winston Churchill called the Condor the "Scourge of the Atlantic" referring to the Focke-Wulf Fw 200C Condor's use in guiding U-boats to Allied Atlantic convoys, a potentially war loosing situation which lasted for two years until the introduction of the catapult launched Sea Hurricane and CAM ships.

 

 

 

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200

 

Fw 200 "Condor"
Fw 200
Role	Airliner, reconnaissance, bomber and transport aircraft
Manufacturer	Focke-Wulf
First flight	27 July 1937
Primary users	Luftwaffe Lufthansa Sindicato Condor
Number built	c. 275
Click on Picture to enlarge
Danish Fw 200 airliner Dania at Fornebu Airport in Norway in 1939
Fw 200 in Greece, circa 1941
Adolf Hitler's personal air plane a Junkers  Ju 52 before being replaced by an Fw 200 Condor
Adolf Hitler's personal Fw 200 Condor, bearing the insignia of the Die Fliegerstaffel des Fuehrers on its nose
The radar-equipped Fw 200 C-4
A pleasing view of Fw 200C-3/U4 F8+GH of KG 40 showing the faired wing bomb racks introduced to 'spread the load' and prevent too much stress being placed on the relatively delicate airframe by concentrating the weapons load. {Bundesarchiv).
An exhibition of captured equipment opened in June 1943 in the Central Park of Culture and Rest. Muscovites are examining German aircraft. The Focke-Wulf Condor captured near Stalingrad is prominent in the picture.
Focke-Wulf 200 Condor with Lufthansa in New York:

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor was a German all-metal four-engine monoplane that entered service as an airliner. Later versions for the Luftwaffe were used as long-range reconnaissance and anti-shipping bomber aircraft as well as transport planes for troops and VIPs.

 

The Design & Development Of The Fw-200

The Fw 200 was built to a Lufthansa specification with Wilhelm Bansemir as project director. It first flew in July 1937 after just under one year of development with Kurt Tank at the controls. The aircraft was a simple development of a pre-war commercial craft. It was an all-metal construction, four-engined monoplane capable of carrying 25 passengers up to 3,000 km (1,860 mi).

To adapt it for wartime service, hardpoints were added to the wings for bombs, the fuselage was extended and strengthened to create more space, and front, aft and dorsal gun positions were added. Their extra weight meant that a number of early Fw 200 would break up on landing, a problem that was never entirely fixed. Later models were equipped with radar.

 

Its Operational History

The Fw 200 was the first airplane to fly nonstop between Berlin and New York City, making the journey on August 10, 1938 in 24 hours and 56 minutes. The return trip on August 13, 1938 took 19 hours and 47 minutes. These flights are commemorated with a plaque in the Böttcherstraße street of Bremen.

A Danish Fw 200 aircraft named Dania was seized by the British on English soil after Denmark was invaded by German forces in 1940. It was operated by the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) and was later pressed into service with the Royal Air Force. It was damaged beyond repair in 1941.

The Japanese Navy requested a military version of the Fw 200 for search and patrol duties, so Tank designed the Fw 200 V10 with military equipment. This plane was held in Germany because war had broken out in Europe by that time. This airplane became the basis for all later military models used by the Luftwaffe.

The Luftwaffe initially used the aircraft to support the Kriegsmarine, making great loops out across the North Sea and, following the fall of France, the Atlantic Ocean. The aircraft was used for maritime patrols and reconnaissance, searching for Allied convoys and warships that could be reported for targeting by U-boats. The Fw 200 could also carry a 900-kilogram (2,000 lb) bomb load, or naval mines, to use against shipping, and it was claimed that from June 1940 to February 1941, they sank 331,122 tonnes (365,000 tons) of shipping despite a rather crude bombsight arrangement. The attacks were carried out at extremely low altitude in order to "bracket" the target ship with three bombs; this almost guaranteed a hit. Winston Churchill called the Fw 200 the "Scourge of the Atlantic" during the Battle of the Atlantic due to its contribution to the heavy Allied shipping losses.^[1]

From mid-1941, Condor crews were instructed to avoid attacking shipping and avoid all combat in order to preserve numbers. In August, the first Fw 200 was shot down by a CAM ship-launched Hawker Hurricane, and the arrival of the U.S.-built Grumman Martlet, operating from the Royal Navy's new escort carriers, posed a serious threat. In August 1942, a Fw 200C-3 was the first German aircraft to be destroyed by USAAF pilots, after it was attacked by a P-40C and a P-38F over Iceland.

The Fw 200 was also used as a transport aircraft, notably flying supplies into Stalingrad in 1942. After late-1943, the Fw 200 came to be used solely as a transport aircraft. For reconnaissance, it was replaced by the Junkers Ju 290 and, as France was liberated, maritime reconnaissance became impossible. Production ended in 1944 with a total of 276 aircraft produced.

Several damaged Fw 200 landed in Spain during the war. In the beginning, they were repaired and returned to their bases in France. After Operation Torch (the Allied invasion of Africa), the Spanish government interned four aircraft that arrived (although their crews were still allowed to return to Germany). Since the planes could not be used, they were sold by Germany to Spain. One of the three flyable planes was then operated in the Spanish Air Force and the others used for spares. Due to damages, lack of spares, and for political reasons, they were grounded and scrapped around 1950.

Some Condors also crashed in Portugal. Their crews were allowed to return to Germany while the British authorities were allowed to inspect the aircraft and accompanying documentation. Some crews (at least one full crew) died in these crashes and all crew members are buried in the civilian cemetery of Moura (Alentejo Province) in Portugal. The aircraft that crashed in Spain and Portugal had been based in Bordeaux-Merignac, France (after 1940). Before 1940, the operational base of the Fw 200 squadrons had been in Denmark.

 

Hitler's Personal FW 200 Transport

Main article: Die Fliegerstaffel des Fuehrers

At the suggestion of his personal pilot Hans Baur, Adolf Hitler specified a modified and unarmed prototype Condor, the Fw 200 V1 as his personal transport, in replacement for his Junkers Ju 52. Originally configured as a 26-passenger Lufthansa transport (Works No. 3099), the plush aircraft was reconfigured as a two-cabin aircraft. Hitler's seat in the cabin was equipped with a wooden table, back-armour plating, and an automatic parachute with downward throws — according to Hans Baur, it was never armed. In line with Hitler's aircraft preferences, it carried the markings "D-2600" and named "Immelmann III". As the war progressed it changed designation to "WL+2600" and finally "26+00;" it was destroyed at Berlin Tempelhof Airport in an Allied bombing raid on July 18, 1944.

 

Variants Of The Fw 200

There were three versions of the aircraft: the Fw 200A, B, and C. The Model A was a purely civilian plane used by Lufthansa, DDL in Denmark, and Syndicato Condor in Brazil. The Fw 200B and Fw 200C models were used as long-range bombers, reconnaissance, troop and transport planes.

Fw 200 V1

First prototype.

Fw 200 V10

Military prototype.

Fw 200 A-0

Pre-production batch of fourth to ninth prototypes.

Fw 200 B-1

Transportation aircraft fitted with four BMW 132Dc engines.

Fw 200 B-2

Transportation aircraft fitted with four BMW 132H engines.

Fw 200 C-0

Pre-production batch of 10 aircraft, structural strengthening, the first four were manufactured as unarmed transports, the remaining six were fitted with armament.

Fw 200 C-1

First military production version, BMW 132H engines, lengthened ventral gondola, increased defensive armament, provisions for four 250 kg (550 lb) bombs.

Fw 200 C-2

Similar to C-1, but featured a ‘cutaway’ outboard engine nacelles which reduced drag and could carry a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb or a 300 L (80 US gal) drop tank.

Fw 200 C-3

Structurally strengthened, fitted with Bramo 323 R-2 radial engines.

Fw 200 C-3/U1

Featured an increased defensive armament, a 15 mm MG 151 cannon in a powered dorsal turret, the 20 mm MG FF replaced by a MG 151/20 cannon.

Fw 200 C-3/U2

Fitted with original dorsal turret, and had the 20 mm MG 151/20 replaced with a 13 mm (0.5 in) MG 131 machine gun, which allowed space for the installation of a Lotfe 7D bombsight.

Fw 200 C-3/U3

Fitted with two additional 13 mm MG 131s.

Fw 200 C-3/U4

Had 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 15 machine gun replaced by 13 mm MG 131s and carried an extra gunner.

Fw 200 C-4

Similar to C-3, but carried FuG Rostock search radar, late production aircraft used FuG 200 Hohentwiel radar.

Fw 200 C-4/U1 (Werk-Nr 137)

High-speed transport aircraft, only one example built. Used to transport Heinrich Himmler, Adolf Hitler and Karl Dönitz.^[2]

Fw 200 C-4/U2 (Werk-Nr 138)

High-speed transport aircraft, with accommodation for 14 passengers, only one example built.^[2]

Fw 200 C-6

Several aircraft were modified to carry Henschel Hs 293 missiles and re-designated C-6.

Fw 200 C-8

Fitted with FuG 203b Kehl III missile control equipment and fitted with Hs 293 missiles.

Fw 200 S-1

Special designation for Fw 200 V1 that was flown from Berlin to Tokyo.

 

FW-200 Survivors

Only one relatively complete Fw 200 exists today. This aircraft was raised from the Trondheimsfjorden in Norway in the late 1990s. Despite disintegrating on recovery, the remains were transported to the Technical Museum in Berlin to be rebuilt there. A request from the museum for a set of separate wings to be recovered from the mountain Kvitanosi near Voss in Norway to complete the rebuild was at first denied, as a result of the local population wanting the wings to be left in situ as a war memorial. A compromise was reached in 2008 where parts not needed for the restoration would be left on the mountain. During autumn of 2009 parts were moved down by helicopter and made ready for transport to the Technical Museum in Berlin.^[3]

 

Operators of the FW-200

Civil operators

 Brazil

• Cruzeiro do Sul
• Syndicato Condor - Serviços Aéreos Condor

 Denmark

• DDL

 Germany

• Lufthansa

 United Kingdom

• BOAC

Military operators

 Germany

• Luftwaffe

 Soviet Union

• Soviet Air Force (post-war captured)

 Spain

• Spanish Air Force (Interned)

 United Kingdom

• Royal Air Force (one aircraft impressed)

 

FW-200 Specifications (Fw 200c-3/U4

Data from Warplanes of the Luftwaffe ^[4]

General characteristics

• Crew: 5
• Capacity: 30 fully-armed troops in transport configuration
• Length: 23.45 m (76 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 32.85 m (107 ft 9 in)
• Height: 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 119.85 m² (1,290 ft²)
• Empty weight: 17,005 kg (37,490 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 24,520 kg (50,057 lb)
• Powerplant: 4× BMW/Bramo 323R-2 nine-cylinder single-row air-cooled radial engine, 895 kW (1,200hp) each

Click on Picture to enlarge

Bramo 323R-2

Performance

• Maximum speed: 360 km/h (195 knots, 224 mph) at 4,800 m (15,750 ft)^[5]
• Cruse speed: 335 km/h (181 knots, 208 mph) at 4,000 m (13,100 ft) (Max cruise)
• Range: 3,560 km (1,923 nmi, 2,212 mi)
• Endurance: 14 hrs
• Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,700 ft)

Armament
 

• Guns:
   
  • 1 × 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon in forward gondola
  • 4 × 13 mm MG 131 machine gun (dorsal and beam positions)
• Bombs: Up to 2,100 kg (4,360 lb) of bombs

 

References

Notes

1.  The Illustrated History of the German Air force in WWII- Dr. John Pimlott - Motorbooks International

2.  Wings of the Luftwaffe, p. 15

3.  Source.

4.  Donald 1994, p.90.

5.  Green 1967, p.79.

Bibliography

• Green, William. War Planes of the Second World War: Volume 9 Bombers and Reconnaissance Aircraft. London:Macdonald, 1967.

• Donald, David (editor). Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London:Aerospace Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1 874023 56 5.

Wikipedia

 

 

Click on Picture to enlarge

 

 

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200

 

The «Condor» was used as the long-range reconnaissance aircraft for search of allied escorts in Northern Atlantic during the Second World war. After detection of an escort the airplane itself attacked transports, or induced on them German submarines. Initially the «Condor» was projected as a transatlantic airliner and the first flight in July, 1937. The Fw-200 was first of 259 military airplanes with production deliveries to Luftwaffe in September, 1939. The «Condors» were used as transport machines for the top management of Germany, but the main part of airplanes (seven versions) were built as long-range reconnaissance aircraft and the bomber. Different versions of this airplane has differed armaments, presence of the radar, different combinations of bombs crutchs and rocket containers.

   Armament. For attack and defence the Fw 200C-4 had a 20-mm cannon or 13-mm machine gun in the forward gondola, depending on whether the Lofte bomb sight was installed. Although externally all the military Condors were similar, the C-4 standardised on the electrically-operated dorsal turret with a single MG151 machine gun.

    Using a pair of dividers to determine how long it will take to reach their designated patrol area, part of a KG 40 crew let the engines warm up before climbing on board. Flights were often very long and tedious with or without some excitement on the way (Bundesarchiv)

     A total of 16 sub-variants took the production total of the C-4 to 111 aircraft. These were: three C-4/U1 11-seat transports with the Fw 19 turret plus an Fw 20 gun mount in the rear dorsal position and abbreviated ventral gondola with the aft glazing faired over; three C-4/U2 transports with 14 passenger seats and shorter ventral gondola; eight C-4/U4 reconnaissance bombers and two C-4/U4s. With its normal range of 2,211 miles and lengthy endurance on standard fuel, although extra tanks could be carried, the Fw 200 was usefully able to fly sorties over distances that medium and short range aircraft could not handle. Condors were in late 1942 issued in small numbers to l.(F)/120, II./KG 100 and l.(F)/122 to supplement rather than replace the standard German medium bombers

.    The Condor was rarely used in a conventional bombing role but on 1 January 1943, 7. and 8./KG 40 surprised the citizens of Casablanca by attacking their town. It was coincidental that one of the most far-reaching Allied conferences of the war was due to take place there some two weeks later and although little damage was done by the four 550 lb bombs dropped by each Condor, the big bombers caused some consternation. The attack had been on the orders of the III. Gruppe Kommandeur, who was reprimanded for his unofficial action, particulalry as he lost four aircraft. Anti-aircraft fire forced four of the Fw 200s to land in Spain where one, Wr.Nr 0166/F8+JR, was later repaired and put into airline service with Iberia.

   Condors over Russia. When the German Sixth Army found itself fighting for its life at Stalingrad, Hermann Goring's boast that the Luftwaffe transport force could fly in the necessary relief supplies was quickly found to be hollow. That was one reason why part of KG 40 came to be in the hostile surroundings of Pitomnik -the other was that the Luftwaffe had a chronic shortage of small transport aircraft, let alone large ones. Bombers were pressed into a temporary transport role, four-engined types being able to help even if they could not lift substantial loads. In reality, the daily tonnage required to sustain General von Paulus and his men was far beyond even the extra capacity that the Luftwaffe found.

   Eighteen Fw 200s of 1. and 3./KG 40 used the base at Stalino, the unit flying its first operation on 9 January 1943. Given the temporary designation Kampf Gruppe zur besonderen Verwendung 200, this force under Maj Hans-Jurgen Williers, initially flew 36 tons of supplies into the Stalingrad pocket and brought out 156 wounded troops.

   Russian pressure was such that the unit soon reverted to air drops by parachute, each Condor carrying four containers under the wings.

   With Stalingrad all but lost to the Germans, KGr.zb.V 200 was transferred to Zaparozhe to continue doing what it could and in total the Condors flew 41 operations to supply Sixth Army before the collapse. In addition they flew 35 transport missions over the Crimea before being withdrawn back to Berlin-Staaken in February. Those aircraft that returned to Germany - nine Fw 200s having been lost in Russia - were amalgamated into a new 8./KG 40 based at Bordeaux-Merignac under Luftflotte 3.

   Air Forces Scientific Research Institute personnel impatiently awaited the arrival of the four-engine «Condor». Engineer-Major Gribakin (lead pilot Colonel Kabanov) also carried out the trials on Fw 200 «Condor» No. 0034 captured near Stalingrad. Soviet reports of the first period of the war often mentioned «Condor» flights over different areas of the Soviet-German front. In reality, these machines were of limited use in setting up air bridges at Demyansk and Stalingrad. Many institute specialists remembered the civil «Condor» that brought German Foreign Minister von Ribbentrop to Moscow in August 1939.

   Prior to the onset of testing, the Russian engineers noted that the Condor bore significant resemblance to the American Douglas DC-3 in cabin layout and arrangement of inner compartments. This was an improvised conversion of a passenger plane into a long-range bomber and the Luftwaffe did not get a full-fledged military aircraft. Indeed, despite its large size, the crew compartment was very cramped, which made it especially difficult for crewmembers (the navigator-bombardier, in particular) on long endurance flights. The crew commander could not reach the controls of some systems such as the backup electrical pumps, emergency brakes, and so forth. The pilots had absolutely no view to the rear.

   In general, the Heinkel outperformed the «Condor» where handling, visibility, and power plant quality were concerned. Our test pilots compared Fw 200C flight characteristics with those of the Pe-8 4 AM-35A and concluded that the V. M. Petlyakov bomber significantly surpassed the German aircraft in maximum speed, operating ceiling, number and placement of weapons, and in their calibers. The operating ceiling of 6850 meters was considered for night sorties in areas where flak was intense. In all aspects, the «Condor» did not compare favorably to American Liberators and Flying Fortresses, which the Soviet Union repeatedly had tried to buy.

   The most interesting things on this four-engine German aircraft were the carefully conceived and manufactured electrical components, bombsights for low-altitude bombing, and a simple and reliable thermal deicer. In late April 1943, all these units, along with an EZ-2 radio compass, Lorenz blind-landing equipment, Askania automatic course device, Bauer-Sperry artificial horizon indicator, and Patin electrical remote magnetic compass, were handed over to the appropriate research institutes in 1943 for detailed examination and use.

Aviation Of World War ii

 

 

 

The Focke-Wulf "Condor"

 

Above are commercial versions of the Fw-200

In contrast with the belief that the Germans are painstakingly methodical, it must be remembered that the Nazis planned carefully for World War II as a Blitzkrieg (lightning war) without considering the possibility that it might last for years. A deliberate absentee from the Luftwaffe's ranks was a large long-range bomber and ocean reconnaissance aircraft. To some degree this stemmed from the death in 1936 of General Wever and his replacement as Luftwaffe chief of staff by Kesselring, but it was basic policy to concentrate on twin-engined tactical bombers (among other things, Goering could boast to Hitler of the hundreds built). So the Luftwaffe showed only cursory interest when the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 VI (first prototype) flew on 27 July 1937.

In fact, the Fw 200 was the best long-range airliner in Europe, if not in the world. It resulted from discussions held by Dipl Ing Kurt Tank, technical director of Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau of Bremen, and the board of DLH (Deutsche Lufthansa), the state airline, in the spring of 1936. For some time Tank had wished to design a modern long-range airliner to beat the Douglas DC-3 and replace the Junkers Ju 52/3m as the chief DLH equipment on trunk routes. What Tank finally decided to build was a four-engined aircraft with unprecedented range, able to fly the North Atlantic non-stop. This had been far beyond the capability of any previous payload-carrying aircraft, and Tank's objective was primarily for propaganda purposes.

The basic requirement was the carriage of a crew of four and 26 passengers. Over 'European' ranges this could have been done by an aircraft of DC-3 size, but the Fw 200 was made much larger and powered by four engines, initially by imported Pratt & Whitney S1E-G Hornets of 875 hp (652.5. kW), each driving two-bladed VDM-Hamilton propellers. Aerodynamically, the aircraft was outstanding, with no excrescences and a cantilever wing with an aspect ratio of 9.15 for high range efficiency. The wing was built as a horizontal centre-section including the engines, with dihedral and tapered outer panels. Structure was stressed-skin throughout, with flush riveting, except for the fabric-covered wing aft of the rear spar and fabric-covered control surfaces. The latter were simple manual surfaces but with geared tabs and electrically-driven trim tabs. The split flaps were hydraulic. Tank made a special point of retracting all three units of the landing gear forwards, so that they would free-fall and be locked by air drag. The main wheels were distinctively carried ahead of the legs on swing-links with diagonal shock struts. Split flaps were used, with skinning of Elektron (magnesium alloy). Tank himself made the very successful maiden flight. The Fw 200 VI had nine wide Plexiglass windows along each side of the cabin, but was initially unfurnished and unpainted. Later it was registered D-AERE in DLH livery, with the name 'Saarland' (which Hitler had lately reoccupied). Right at the start of the programme Tank had secured his board's agreement to build three prototypes and nine Fw 200A-0 production aircraft, and these followed at rapid intervals. Few changes were needed apart from adding slight sweepback to the outer wings, revising the tail surfaces and switching to the licensed Hornet engine, the BMW 132 (in 132G-l form of 536.9 kW/720 hp). The Fw 200 V2 was delivered to DLH, while the Fw 200 V3 had a long career as D-2600 'Immelmann III', Hitler's personal aircraft. Of the nine Fw 200A series, two were sold to DDL of Denmark and two to Syndicato Condor Ltda of Rio de Janeiro.

In early 1938 the Fw 200 VI was fitted with extra tankage and repainted as D-ACON and given the name 'Brandenburg'. Tank had specially secured the RLM (air ministry) number 200 for propaganda purposes, and the VI now became the Fw 200S (special). On 10 August 1938 it took off from Berlin-Tempelhof in the hands of Flugkapitane Henke and von Moreau. It made a remarkable non-stop flight against headwinds to Floyd Bennett airport in New York, covering the estimated 4,075 miles (6558 km) in 24 hours 55 minutes. The return was flown in 19 hours 47 minutes, the average of 205 mph (330 km/h) being just double the speed of the typical landplanes of Imperial Airways. On 28 November 1938 the same aircraft and pilots left to fly via Basra, Karachi and Hanoi to Tokyo, in a total elapsed time of only 46 hours 18 minutes. On the return, in a way never publicly explained, D-ACON ran out of fuel on the first leg and ditched near Manila.

While in Japan, the Fw 200 created intense interest. By this time the Bremen factory was in production with what was envisaged as the standard version, the Fw 200B, with BMW 132Dc or 132H engines of 633.8 or 618.9 kW (850 or 830 hp), and with appreciably increased weights. No orders appeared forthcoming, however, because the Condor was too big and costly for the predominantly short-haul DLH network. Export sales were thus eagerly sought, five being ordered by Dai Nippon KK of Japan. This was soon followed by an order for two by Aero O/Y of Finland. In the event World War II prevented delivery of these aircraft, and the Fw 200Bs served in ones and twos with DLH and with the Luftwaffe KGrzbV 105. Attrition was high, only one aircraft, Fw 200B-2 'Pommern', surviving the war. The penultimate DLH Condor, Fw 200B-2 'Hessen', crashed on high ground while overloaded with the last Nazi leaders attempting to escape from Berlin on 21 April 1945.

A captured Focke-Wulf Fw 200C Condor at Brunswick-Waggum Airfield in Germany shortly after the end of the war

There was a secret additional contract from Japan which called for a long-range reconnaissance version for the Imperial navy. Tank was eager to build this, because he was convinced such a machine could be useful to the Luftwaffe. He therefore picked the Fw 200 V10, the B-series prototype, for conversion. This was fitted with 60 per cent more fuel in fuselage cabin tanks, provision for over 4,409 lbs (2000 kg) of cameras, flares, markers, dinghies and other mission equipment, and also with three 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 15 machine-guns, one in a small dorsal turret above the trailing edge and the others firing to front and rear from a ventral gondola offset to the right. There was no bomb bay.

In spring 1939 it suddenly looked as if Hitler's gambles might not win for ever, and that a war was a near-term prospect. Luftwaffe Chief of Staff Jeschonnek ordered Oberstleutnant Edgar Petersen, a very experienced pilot, to form a squadron which could sink ships out in the Atlantic, on which the obvious enemies, France and especially the UK, would depend on during a war. The problem was that there was no suitable aircraft. The intended machine, the Heinkel He 177, was years from combat duty. The only answer seemed to be the 'Japanese' Fw 200 V10. Oberstleutnant Edgar Petersen formed the Fernaufklärungstaffel (later 1./KG 40) and it made its operational debut on 8 April 1940 with its first sortie against British shipping.

As in the case of the Ju 52/3m, Dornier Do 17 and several other types, the RLM was faced with creating a combat aircraft from available commercial transport, which is ironic, because British observers thought at the time the Luftwaffe was busily developing bombers in the false guise of civil aircraft. The Fw 200 was fundamentally unsuited to its new role because it had been designed to operate at lighter weights and at civil load factors. The airframe would henceforth have to operate from rough front-line airstrips with heavy loads of fuel and weapons, and in combat would certainly have to pull g's in tight turns or dive pull-outs, and all at low level in dense air. The Bremen stress-men did what they could to beef up the structure, but this consisted of a few local reinforcements which added just 29 kg (63.9 lbs) to the airframe weight. Ideally they should have started again, but the proposed Fw 200C-series was almost immediately accepted when it was offered in August 1939. A pre-production batch of 10 Fw 200C-0 aircraft was ordered just after the start of the war, and by agreement as many as possible were modified from B-series transports already on the line. The first four had to be delivered as Fw 200C-0 transports. Their only modifications were to introduce twin-wheel main gears, long-chord cowlings with gills and various internal equipment items. All four were delivered just in time for the invasion of Norway in April 1940.

The remaining six Fw 200C-0s were given the locally reinforced structure and simple armament comprising three 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 15 machine guns, one in a small (almost hemispherical) turret behind the flight deck, one in a rear dorsal cokcpit with a fold-over hood and the third fired from a rear ventral hatch. An offensive load of four 551 lbs (250 kg) bombs could be carried, two hung under the enlarged outer nacelles and the others on racks immediately outboard under the roots of the outer wings. Production continued immediately with the Fw 200C-l, which was planned as the definitive version although it still had a weak structure, very vulnerable fuel system (especially from below), no armour except behind the captain's seat and many inconvenient features. The main addition to the Fw 200C-1 was a ventral gondola, offset as in the Japanese Fw 200 V10 but longer in order to provide room for a weapons bay (which was normally used to carry a cement bomb with 551 lbs (250 kg) ballistics dropped as a check on bombsight settings). At the front of the gondola was a 20 mm MG FF cannon aimed with a ring-and-bead sight mainly to deter any AA gunners aboard the enemy ships. At the rear was an 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 15 replacing the previous ventral gun. The only other change was to replace the forward turret by a raised cockpit canopy with a hand-aimed MG 15 firing ahead. The normal crew numbered five including the pilot, co-pilot and three gunners, one of the last being the engineer and another the overworked radio-operator/navigator. There was plenty of room inside the airframe, and all crew stations had provision for heating and electric light, but from the start the crews of Petersen's new maritime unit, Kampfgeschwader (KG) 40, were unhappy with the Condor's structural integrity and lack of armament. There is no evidence any Condors were delivered to any prior combat unit, as sometimes stated, but only to the transport Gruppe already mentioned. KG 40 was henceforth to be virtually the sole Fw 200C operating unit. There were never to be enough Condors to go round. Focke-Wulf was well aware of the demand, and organised dispersed manufacture at five plants with final assembly at Bremen and Cottbus, and also by Blohm und Voss at Finkenwerder. It is thus a reflection on the frustrations of the programme, which did not enjoy top priority, that by the termination in February 1944 only 252 Fw 200C Condors had been built. Moreover, because of high attrition, KG 40 never had full wing strength and seldom had more than 12 aircraft available. Indeed, more than half the aircraft delivered in the first year suffered major structural failure, at least eight breaking their backs on the airfield.

The first missions by 1./KG 40 were flown from Danish bases from 8 April 1940 against British ships. In late June, the Geschwader was transferred to Bordeaux-Merignac, which was to be the main base until it had to be evacuated in autumn 1944. Initially, from July 1940, the Condors simply added their small offensive weight to the Luftwaffe's assault on the UK, usually flying a wide sweep west of Cornwall and normally west of Ireland, dropping four bombs and heading for Norway, making the return trip a day or two later. At least two were shot down, although a pilot of No.87 Sqn, who unusually caught a Condor on the direct run to Plymouth, ran out of ammunition so continued to intercept on camera-gun film only. From August the Condors got on with their real task and within two months had been credited with 90,000 tonnes of British shipping sunk. On 26 October they made headlines for the first time when Oberleutnant Bernhard Jope and crew found the 38,418 tonne (42,348 ton) Empress of Britain southwest of Donegal. Their bombs crippled the liner, which was then torpedoed by a U-boat. By 9 February 1941 1./KG 40's claim had reached 363,000 tonnes. By this time it had been joined by two further Staffeln, totalling a nominal 36 aircraft.

In the winter of 1940-41, Cottbus delivered a few interim Fw 200C-2 Condors, whose main improvement was scalloped outer nacelle racks and low-drag wing racks, the former also being plumbed for small (300-litre/66-Imp gal) external tanks. The big advance came with the Fw 200C-3, first flown in February 1941. This was a major redesign with a real attempt to cure the structural problems despite even higher weights, however the attempt did not quite succeed. Engines were BMW-Bramo Fafnir 323R-2s, with water-injection rating of 1,200 hp (894.8 kW). The bombload was increased by clearing the nacelles to 1,102 lbs (500 kg) each and adding 12 SC-50 bombs (50 kg/110 lb) in the gondola. The forward dorsal blister was replaced by an Fw 19 turret (one MG 15) and two more MG 15s were aimed through sliding panels in each side of the rear fuselage, the crew rising to six. The Fw 200C-3/U1 at last gave real defensive firepower with an MG 151/15 in an HDL 151 forward turret, and the MG FF was replaced by an MG 151/20, but the big turret reduced top speed at sea level from some 190 mph (305 km/h) to little over 171 mph (275 km/h).

In 1941 only 58 Condors were built, these including the Fw 200C-3/U2 with the complex but extremely accurate Lofte 7D bombsight, which caused a prominent bulge under the front of the gondola and necessitated replacement of the cannon by a 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131. Most Fw 200C-3/U2s also reverted to the small Fw 19 turret. Next came the Fw 200C-3/U3 whose dorsal armament comprised two MG 131s, one in an EDL 131 forward turret and the other in the manually aimed rear position. The Fw 200C-3/U4 had increased internal fuel, bringing maximum weight to 50,045 lbs (22700 kg), which the reinforced airframe could just manage. The beam guns were changed for MG 131s, giving much greater firepower, but the forward turret went back to the Fw 19.

If any Condor sub-type can be considered 'standard' it was the Fw 200C-4, from February 1942, which added search radar, initially the pre-production Rostock and then the standard FuG 200 Hohentwiel, the latter giving blind-bombing capability (the Rostock having greater range and a wider search angle but a longer minimum range). Oddly, the Fw 200C-4 went back to the HDL 151 turret and MG 15s elsewhere except for the front of the gondola, which had the MG 131 or MG 151/20 depending on whether or not the Lofte 7D was fitted. Two 'special' variants in 1942 inctuded the Fw 200C-4/U1 and Fw 200C-4/U2 transports, with VIP interiors and just four MG 15s. The former, flown in 1945 at Farnborough, was Himmler's personal transport, the Gestapo chief having a vast leather chair with heavy armour and a personal escape hatch.

In early 1943 some Fw 200C-3s were modified to launch and guide the Hs 293A anti-ship missile, which was hung under the outer nacelles. The associated Kehl/Strassburg radio guidance installation was in the nose and front of the gondola. These missile carriers were designated Fw 200C-6, and the last few Condors to be built, in the winter of 1943-44, were Fw 200C-8s specially designed to carry the Hs 293 and with deeper outboard nacelles and a longer forward section to the gondola.

Had such aircraft been available in 1940, the 'Scourge of the Atlantic' would have been much more deadly even than it was. Fortunately, while the weak early Condors were almost unopposed, the improved models had a very hard time, from ship AA guns, from Grumman Martlets (Wildcats) based on escort carriers and, not least, from the CAM (catapult-armed merchantman) Hawker Hurricanes, which scored their first kill on 3 August 1941. Even a Short Sutherland could catch a Condor and shoot it down, and from 1942 Condors tried never to come within the radius of Coastal Command Bristol Beaufighters and de Havilland Mosquitoes. In addition, their effectiveness was hampered not only by poor serviceability, but also by repeated urgent calls to undertake transport duties in various theatres, including Stalingrad. KG 40 was disbanded in autumn 1944, its Biscay bases having been captured, and the few surviving Condors finished the war as rarely used transports.

 

Anti-Shipping Operations

By late 1943, the main role of the Condor was to interdict Allied convoyes from Gibraltar, whose departure was usually reported by German agents in Spain. The aircraft would usually take off in fours, flying out to an initial point at sea level and in close formation. They would then split up, fan out and fly parallel tracks some 25 miles (40 km) apart, periodically climbing to 1,000 ft (300 m) and making a broad circuit while they searched for shipping using the FuG 200 Hohentwiel radar. When contact was made the aircraft would contact the others and all would climb to make their attacks, which were made from a minimum altitude of 9,000 ft (2700m). 

 

Specifications (Focke-Wulf Fw 200C-3/U-4 Condor)

Type: Six Seat Long Range Maritime Reconnaissance Bomber & Transport

Design: Dipl Ing Kurt Tank

Manufacturer: Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau GmbH at Bremen & Cottbus

Powerplant: (Fw 200C-3/U-4) Four BMW-Bramo 323R-2 Fafnir 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engines rated at 1,000 hp (746 kW) for take-off and 1,200 hp (895 kW) with water-methanol injection. (Fw 200C) Four 830 hp (620 kW) BMW 132H air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engines.

Performance: Maximum speed 224 mph (360 km/h); cruising speed 208 mph (335 km/h); service ceiling 19,685 ft (6000 m).

Fuel: (Standard) fuel capacity of 1,773 Imperial Gallons (8,060 Liters) with an (Overload) fuel capacity of 2,190 Imperial Gallons (9,955 Litres).

Range: 2,212 miles (3560 km) with Standard fuel and endurance of about 14 hours. With Overload fuel, range increased to 2,760 miles (4,440 km).

Weight: Empty Clean 28,549 lbs (12950 kg). Empty equipped 37,490 lbs (17005 kg) with a maximum take-off weight of 50,057 lbs (24520 kg).

Dimensions: Span 107 ft 9 1/4 in (32.85 m); length 76 ft 11 1/4 in (23.45 m); height 20 ft 8 in (3.30 m); wing area 1,290.10 sq ft (119.85 sq m).

Armament: One 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine-gun with 1,000 rounds in a hydraulically operated FW 19 turret. The Ventral Gondola had a forward firing 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine-gun (500 rounds per gun) or a 20 mm MG 151 cannon (500 rounds per gun) and single rear facing 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine-gun (500 rounds per gun). The Beam position had two 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine-gun (300 rounds per gun). The Aft Dorsal position had a single 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine-gun (500 rounds per gun), plus up to 4,630 lbs (2100 kg) of bombs usually consisting of two 551 lbs (250 kg) bombs, two 1,102 lbs (500 kg) and 12 SC-50 110 lbs (50 kg) bombs. An additional 198 Imperial Gallon (900 litre) armoured fuel tank could be carried instead of the 12 SC-50 110 lbs (50 kg) bombs. Two 66 Imperial Gallon (300 litre) auxiliary fuel tanks could be carried on each of the outer nacelles instead of bombs. Some aircraft used the 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 15 machine-gun in the rear ventral position and the FW 19 turret.

Variants: Fw 200A, Fw 200S (Special), Fw 200B/B-1/B-2, Fw 200C/C-0/C-1/C-2/C-3, Fw 200C-3/U1, Fw 200C-3/U2, Fw 200C-3/U3, Fw 200C-3/U4, Fw 200C-4, Fw 200C-4/U1, Fw 200C-4/U2, Fw 200C-6, Fw 200C-8, Fw 200C-8/U10.

Avionics: (Fw 200C-4) initially the pre-production FuG Rostock and then the standard FuG 200 Hohentwiel search radar, the latter giving blind-bombing capability. Some of these aircraft were fitted with the Lofte 7D Bomb sight. (Fw 200C-6) FuG 203b Kehl missle control system.

History: First flight (Fw 200 VI) 27 July 1937, last service flight (Barcelona to Berlin) 14 April 1945; first sorties (1./KG 40) 8 April 1940; first flight (Fw 200C-3) February 1941.

Operators: Germany (Luftwaffe).

Pilotfriend