Old Habits Die Hard
Text: Jan Bobek
Illustration: Piotr Forkasiewicz
Cat. No. 84205
Many Luftwaffe pilots were accustomed to flying the Bf 109 E since the Spanish Civil War and had literally grown attached to these machines. As a result, transitioning to the Bf 109 F-1 and F-2 variants—equipped with weaker armament compared to the E-7 version—proved unpopular for many of them. Old habits die hard. Even more difficult was the transition to an entirely new type of fighter aircraft with significantly different flight characteristics and a radial engine instead of an inline one: the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
The first unit to operate the new Fw 190 A-1 was II./JG 26 "Schlageter," equipped with Bf 109 Es. Around the beginning of August 1941, Erprobungsstaffel 190, led by Oblt. Otto Behrens, was transferred from the test center in Rechlin to the Paris-Le Bourget airfield. Behrens' unit had successfully completed its operational tests and was now tasked with passing on its findings to II./JG 26, commanded by Hptm. Walter Adolph.
Without Behrens' experience and dedication, the entire project would, in all likelihood, have been abandoned, as it was plagued with persistent issues—mainly concerning the BMW 801 C-1 powerplant—that would have discouraged less determined individuals.
Part of II./JG 26 trained on Focke-Wulf aircraft in Paris, the rest of the unit flew combat sorties with old planes in Belgium at the Moorsele airbase. This practice became standard for other units transitioning to the Fw 190 A. The first successful deployment of the Fw 190 A took place on August 14, 1941.
In November 1941 III./JG 26 began rearming with the Fw 190 A-1, however, problems with the power units persisted. Mechanics had to make modifications to the exhaust manifolds in field conditions, and the unit independently sourced some spare parts from across Germany. A testament to the engine's reliability issues is the fact that BMW awarded Oblt. Borris, the commander of 8./JG 26, a gold watch after the engine of his Fw 190 surpassed 100 hours of operating time.
By early 1942, the first Fw 190 A-2s, equipped with the improved BMW 801 C-2 powerplant, were documented in service with III./JG 26. Notably, the first aircraft of this version was recorded with II./JG 26 as early as December 1941. In the same month, I./JG 26 took delivery of its first Fw 190 A-1s.
In 1941, Stab JG 26, under the command of Adolf Galland, continued to operate Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-4s. By this time, this version of the Bf 109 had become popular among many pilots. When Maj. Gerhard Schöpfel took over command of JG 26, his Stab began rearming with the Fw 190 A-2 in January 1942, followed by the A-3 version in April.
The fighter-bomber unit, 10./JG 26, transitioned from the Bf 109 F-4/B to the, then, already proven Fw 190 A-2 and A-3 models only in June and July of 1942. The A-3 variant was equipped with the BMW 801 D-2 powerplant, which by then had become relatively trouble-free.
Jagdgeschwader 2 "Richthofen" received their Fw 190s significantly later than their JG 26 counterparts. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2 and F-4 remained in use by Stab JG 2 until July 1942, with at least one E-7 still in service! Under the command of Obstlt. Walter Oesau, the Stab of JG 2 took delivery of its first Fw 190 A-3 in May 1942, followed by additional A-2 and A-3 versions in the subsequent months.
The first Gruppe within JG 2 to begin rearmament with the Fw 190 was II./JG 2, which received the A-2s in March 1942. One of its pilots recalled that very few aircraft were equipped with four wing-mounted guns. This shortage was reportedly due to insufficient gun production capacity, and aircraft with the full armament were usually reserved for unit commanders. The Messerschmitt Bf 109 F-2, F-4, and even one E-4 were gradually phased out of II./JG 2 until May 1942.
Next in line was III./JG 2, commanded by Hptm. Hans "Assi" Hahn. His unit gradually retired the Bf 109 F-2 and F-4 variants by July 1942, starting receiving the Fw 190 A-2 and A-3 models in May. Hahn’s brand-new aircraft is depicted on box art by Piotr Forkasiewicz, with additional details available in the historical text included in the kit's instructions. I./JG 2 was the last to transition to the Fw 190, doing so between June and July 1942. The same timeline applied to the fighter-bomber unit 10./JG 2, which also began rearming during this period.
The Fw 190 was an ideal fighter aircraft for medium- and low-altitude combat, where it held an advantage of its powerful armament and ability to escape in steep dives. However, the operational needs of Luftwaffe fighter units gradually evolved, especially after the arrival of American forces in the UK. As a result, during 1943, some aforementioned units were rearmed with Bf 109s, which were better suited for high-altitude combat. In the spring, II./JG 2 received the G-3, G-4, and G-6 variants. Later, in the autumn, III./JG 26 transitioned to the G-3, G-5, and G-6 models.