Germany's Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber

Photos

Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber: Simon W. Atack	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:
Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook
Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:
Focke-Wulf Fw 200B-1 Condor reconnaissance bomber:		Focke-Wulf Fw 200K2 Condor reconnaissance bomber: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook	Focke-Wulf Fw 200K2 Condor reconnaissance bomber: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook
Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, Hitler's personal transport:	Focke-Wulf 200 Condor with Lufthansa in New York:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber that has ditched in the Channel:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber that has ditched in the Channel:
Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:	Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor reconnaissance bomber:

Design

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor started out as a 26 passenger commercial airliner that had many long distance flights and records.^2,3,4 It was originally designed by Kurt Tank in 1936.^2,4

The fuel connections were on the underside of the wings which made the Fw 200 vulnerable to anti-aircraft fire.¹ Throughout it's operational life the Condor was plagued by structural weaknesses.⁴

Many of the Fw 200 Condors had radar installed with the antennas in the nose and wings.¹ The most command was the FuG 200 Hohentwiel.¹

Prototype

First flew after 12 months of development.¹

The Fw 200 prototype flew on July 27, 1937, and was piloted by Kurt Tank.^3,4 It was powered by four BMW 139 (license built Pratt & Whitney Hornet) engines.³

The Fw 200C prototype first flew in January 1940.³

Production

• Focke Wulf Fw 200C-0: 10.² Delivered in September 1939.^2,4
• Focke Wulf Fw 200: 252², 263⁴, 276³
  • Manufacturer: Focke Wulf Flugzeugbau GmbH⁴
  • Production: 1940 - 1944²

Variants

• Focke Wulf Fw 200C-0: Pre-production model²
• Focke Wulf Fw 200C-1: Used BMW 132 H engines (830 HP each).² Carried four 551 lb / 250 kg bombs.² Operational in the middle of 1940.⁴
• Focke Wulf Fw 200C-3: Used Bramo 323R-2 engines (1,000 HP each).² Operational in the middle of 1941.⁴ Fuselage made stronger.⁴
• Focke Wulf Fw 200C-4: Had radar and antenna in the nose.⁴ Operational in early 1942.⁴
• Focke Wulf Fw 200C-6: Could carry two Henschel Hs 293 missiles with a FuG 203b control radio.²
• Focke Wulf Fw 200C-8: Had a longer ventral gondola with an accurate bombsight.¹ Could carry two Henschel Hs 293 missiles with a FuG 203b control radio.^2,4

Usage

In 1938 a Fw 200 took 42 hours and 18 minutes to fly from Berlin to Tokyo.¹ Once seen by the Japanese they asked for a military version of the Condor.⁴

The last Lufthansa airline flight was from Barcelona to Berlin on April 14, 1945.¹

Finland and Brazil each received one Fw 200.¹ Japan ordered five but they were never delivered.¹ Denmark and Brazil each received two of the pre-production models.⁴

Personal Transports

Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler each used a Fw 200 as a personal transporter.² The third prototype was called the Immelmann III and became Adolf Hitler's personal plane.⁴

Early Use

In 1940 the I./KG 40 received some Fw 200Cs.²

Some Fw 200C-1s were used for mine laying in English waters in 1940.² They could deploy two 2,205 lb / 1,000 kg mines per mission.²

Stalingrad

Eighteen Fw 200s were used by the Kampfgruppe zur besonderen Venwendung 200 to flying into Stalingrad.²

Churchill

Winston Churchill called the Fw 200 "the scourge of the Atlantic."^3,4

Specifications