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Subject: Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor
Date: 17 Sep 2016 21:27:29 -0700
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_200_Condor
The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor, also known as Kurier to the Allies[1] was a German
all-metal four-engined monoplane originally developed by Focke-Wulf as a
long-range airliner. A Japanese request for a long-range maritime patrol
aircraft led to military versions that saw service with the Luftwaffe as
long-range reconnaissance and anti-shipping/maritime patrol bomber aircraft. The
Luftwaffe also made extensive use of the Fw 200 as a transport.
It achieved success as a commerce raider before the advent of long-range RAF
Coastal Command aircraft and CAM ships eliminated its threat.[
The Fw 200 resulted from a proposal by Kurt Tank of Focke-Wulf to Dr. Rudolf
Stuessel of Deutsche Lufthansa to develop a landplane to carry passengers across
the Atlantic Ocean to the USA. At that time this was unusual, as airlines used
seaplanes on long over-water routes. To fly long distances economically, the Fw
200 was designed to cruise at an altitude of over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) - as high
as possible without a pressure cabin. Existing airliners were designed to cruise
at altitudes below 5,000 feet. The Fw 200 was briefly the world's most modern
airliner, until other high-altitude airliners started operating: the Boeing 307
in 1940 and the Douglas DC4 in 1942. The designation "Condor" was chosen
because, like the condor bird, the Fw 200 had a very long wingspan, to
facilitate high altitude flight.
To adapt it for wartime service, hardpoints were added to the wings for bombs,
the fuselage was strengthened and extended to create more space, and front, aft
and dorsal gun positions were added, in addition to an extended-length version
of the Bola ventral gondola typical of World War II German bomber aircraft; for
the Fw 200's militarization this incorporated a bomb bay as well as heavily
glazed forward and aft flexible defensive machine gun emplacements at either
end. The extra weight introduced by its military fitments meant that a number of
early Fw 200 aircraft broke up on landing, a problem that was never entirely
solved. Later models were equipped with Lorenz FuG 200 Hohentwiel low UHF-band
ASV radar in the nose. In 1943 a version entered service that could carry the
FuG 203 Kehl radio guidance gear on a Condor to steer them.
Role
Airliner, reconnaissance, bomber, transport aircraft and maritime patrol
aircraft
Manufacturer
Focke-Wulf
First flight
27 July 1937
Primary users
Luftwaffe
Deutsche Lufthansa
Syndicato Condor
Produced
1937 - 1944
Number built
276
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. 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.
From mid-1941, Condor crews were instructed to stop 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. On 14 August 1942, an 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.
Specifications (Fw 200C-3/U4)
General characteristics
Crew: five
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)
Empty weight: 17,005 kg (37,490 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 24,520 kg (50,057 lb)
engine, 895 kW (1,200hp) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 360 km/h (195 knots, 224 mph) at 4,800 m (15,750 ft)
Cruise 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:
Bombs: Up to 5,400 kg (11,905 lb) of bombs
*
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