Another Italian Fw 190 (ANR use - tribute to NARSES2!)

[Dizzyfugu]

Ladies and gentlemen, as annouced in NARSES2's post with his wonderful Italian Fw 190 torpedo fighter, I present to you another take of this great and inspirational idea: a Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 (1:72 MPM kit).


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



Some background (partly taken from NARSES2's info, spun further and enhanced by real WWII facts  ):
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger (English: Shrike) was a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Powered by a radial engine, the 190 had ample power and was able to lift larger loads than its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109. The 190 was used by the Luftwaffe in a wide variety of roles, including day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and, to a lesser degree, night fighter. It also served with other Axis forces like Hungary, Romania or Italy, and was even tested in Japan.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Italian career of the Fw 190 was unique, as only a small number was employed. After the Italians were forced out of Libya by combined Anglo/French action in early 1941 King Umberto lead a coup d'état against the Government of Mussolini. Forewarned however by a spy in the King's entourage this was quite easily foiled. Anyway, the excuse it presented enabled Mussolini to strengthen his hold on the Italian government and he stamped his own personal mark even farther on the state and on its armed forces. He even went so far as to modify both the national flag and markings used by the nation's military.

He couldn't do much to change an industrial setup, though, that was geared more towards war in the 30's then in the 40's and even more towards colonial war rather than warfare against other major powers. As a consequence, and as the war progressed, Italy came more and more to rely on equipment provided by their German allies.

In July 1943, after the Allied forces had pushed Italy out of North Africa and subsequently invaded Sicily, the Grand Fascist Council, with the support of King Victor Emmanuel III, had overthrown and arrested Mussolini. The new government began secret peace negotiations with the Allied powers. When an armistice was announced in September, Germany was prepared and quickly intervened. Germany seized control of northern Italy, freed Mussolini and brought him to the German-occupied area to establish a puppet regime.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The result was the Italian Social Republic (Italian: Repubblica Sociale Italiana, RSI), informally known as the Republic of Salò (Italian: Repubblica di Salò). It was a puppet state of Nazi Germany during the later part of World War II (from 1943 until 1945) and the second and last incarnation of the Fascist Italian state,   led by Duce Benito Mussolini and his reformed Republican Fascist Party. The state declared Rome as its capital, but was de facto centered around Salò (hence its colloquial name), a small town on Lake Garda, where Mussolini and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was headquartered. The RSI exercised nominal sovereignty in northern Italy, but was largely dependent on German troops to maintain control.

The Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR) was its official air force. After the 1943 armistice that divided Italy, the ANR received numbers of Italian aircraft, later augmented with their own local production, and further aircraft from Germany. This force was opposed to the Italian Co-Belligerent Air Force (Aviazione Cobelligerante Italiana, or ACI, or Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud), the Italian pro-Allied air force, though they never actually met in combat.

ANR combat operations began in December 1943, leading, in the following January, to the attack performed by the 1st Squadriglia "Asso di Bastoni", against a formation of US P-38 Lightnings, three of which were shot down.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


By early 1944 Italian forces in the Eastern Mediterranean and on the southern Turkish front were operating more equipment of German than Italian origin. A lot of this was old and second hand but some items, like the Bf 109 G or the Fw 190 A and F, was relatively new and state-of-the-art.

Among those deliveries were about 40 Fw 190 A-5 fighter bombers from the final production batches in 1943. For the ANR a specialized export version, called A-5a (a für ausländisch) was produced. This fighter was armed with two 7,92mm MG 17 above the engine, two 20mm MG 151/20 machine cannons in the wing roots and pair of two 20mm MG FF machine cannons in the outer wings, with provisions for an ETC 501 bomb rack under the fuselage which could also carry a drop tank. The A-5a also featured dust filters and the up-to-date PR 16 radio system with its characteristic ring antenna under the fuselage.

The Fw 190 A-5 was originally developed after it was determined that the Fw 190 could easily carry more ordnance. Its engine was moved forward another 15 cm (6 in) as had been tried out earlier on the service test A-3/U1 aircraft, moving the center of gravity forward to allow more weight to be carried aft. New radio gear, including FuG 25a "Erstling" IFF, and an electric artificial horizon found their way into the A-5. The A-5 retained the same basic armament as the former A-4, even though several Umrüst-Bausätze kits were devised for special tasks like night attack (U2, night "Jabo-Rei") or reconnaissance (U4, with two RB 12.5 cameras and all armament of the basic A-5 with the exception of the MG FF cannon).

One of the most unique kits was the U14 Umbausatz, tested on a single Fw 190 A-5, called prototype "V14". It was a torpedo bomber modification which was extensively tested by the Luftwaffe, inofficially called "JaTo" (Jagdbomber Torpedo). The aircraft was able to carry a single LTF5a torpedo under its fuselage, even though the large weapon (length: 5.2 m/17' 1", diameter: 450 mm/18") required a lengthened tail wheel and a special pylon for safe taxiing. A deeper fin (similar to the version used on the later D-9 variant and the Ta 152) was also added in order to improve directional stability when the torpedo was carried. Test results for the JaTo Fw 190 had been positive, but the concept did not convince RLM officials - twin-engined aircraft like the Ju 88/188 or the He 111 were deemed more appropriate for the task.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


While initial delivery of the A-5a for the ANR was running in late 1943, ANR officials showed interest in the JaTo conversion kit, as the type's multi-role potential was seen – being able to carry a torpedo, combined with a small size and the ability to engage in air combat after the ordnance had been dropped, was a promising asset.

Finally, Germany agreed to deliver a dozen U14 conversion sets. Beyond the torpedo carrying capability, the aircraft were further modified in order to optimize them: the heavy and rather ineffective MG FF cannons in the outer wings were deleted, saving weight, and the original 7.92mm MG 15 were replaced by a pair of more powerful 13mm MG 131 - a feature that had just been introduced in the German Fw 190 production with the A-7 variant and recognizable by more bulbous fairings in front of the cockpit.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The respective aircraft were the last production Fw 190s for Italy and modified at the factory. Upon their delivery in March 1944, a newl auxiliary attack group was formed. This 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto was associated with ANR's 2nd Squadron and based at Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, near Milan. Their main task was to attack battleships, convoys and coastal traffic that were supporting the Allied advance eastward in the Thyrenian, Ligurian and Adriatic Sea, but they were also supposed to escort and protect S.M. 79 torpedo bombers of the Torpedo Group Faggioni, based at the same airfield.

The success of these machines success was limited, though. One limiting factor was a political one: the ANR worked closely with German Luftwaffe in Northern Italy, but the Germans tried – unsuccessfully – to disband the ANR, forcing its pilots to enlist in the German Air Force (Luftwaffe). In 1944, after the withdrawal of all German fighter units in the attempt to stop the increased Allied offensive on the German mainland, ANR fighter groups were finally left alone and heavily outnumbered as they faced the massive Allied air offensive over Northern Italy. As a consequence, all remaining Fw 190s in Italian service were basically bound with air defense and interception tasks against bomber raids, rather than operating in an attack role, esp. against sea targets.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Nevertheless, the Italian torpedo bombers saw action. One campaign where the ANR's torpedo Fw 190s took part in was the German occupation of Dalmatia in summer 1944, when the Allies undertook a major evacuation of civilian population and moved them to the El Shatt refugee camp in Egypt.

Another occasion, when the torpedo bombers were used in their intended role and with some success, was during the biggest British-led combined operation in the eastern Adriatic codenamed Operation Antagonise in December 1944. This operation was intended to capture the island of Lošinj, where the Germans kept E-boats and (possibly) midget submarines. A group of destroyers and MTBs shelled the German gun positions and South African Air Force Bristol Beaufighters attacked the naval base installations with Rocket Projectiles.

The Fw 190s of ANR's 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto were immediately sent into the mayhem to drive the forces back, in hope to sink at least one of the destroyers. This did not happen, but as the Allied attacks proved ineffective in stopping German activities in the region they were repeated in the first months of 1945. But by then, all ANR's torpedo-bearing FW 190 A-5 had already been relegated to the pure fighter role, destroyed or had become unserviceable.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



General characteristics:
Crew: 1
Length:10.36 m (33 ft 11 in)
Wingspan: 10.51 m (34 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.25 m (10 ft 8 in)
Wing area: 18.30 m² (196.99 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,060 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,417 kg (9,735 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 4,900 kg (10,800 lb)

Powerplant:
1× BMW 801 D-2 radial engine, rated at 1.250 kW (1.700 PS)

Performance:
Maximum speed: 623 km/h (386 mph) at 19,420 ft (5.920 m)
Cruising speed: 465 km/h (288 mph)
Range: 1.200 km (745 mi)
Service ceiling: 8.500 m (27.832 ft)
Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2.953 ft/min)
Wing loading: 241 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.29-0.33 kW/kg (0.18-0.21 hp/lb)

Armament:
2× 13 mm (.51 in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 475 rpg in front of the cockpit
2× 20 mm (.8 in) MG 151/20 E cannons with 250 rpg, synchronized in the wing roots
1× LT F5a aerial torpedo with a 250 kg (550 lb) Hexanite warhead or a single 500 kg (1,102 lb) SC 500 bomb under the fuselage, or a 300 l (66 gal) drop tank.



The kit and its assembly:
This is an OOB build of MPM's Fw 190 A-5/V14, the test type of the respective torpedo carrier which actually existed in Germans but never went into production or other use. Anyway, it's a weird combo, and as this model popped up at whatifmodelers.com in Italian markings (according to the builder, NARSES2, a Revell kit). I was so impressed and inspired by the result that I wanted a similar model, too, as it looked so great in Italian markings and in a very simple grey/light blue livery. So, this is a kind of tribute build.

The MPM kit is a bit of a surprise, as it actually is the complete Academy Fw 190 A kit with some extra parts like a new fuselage, the torpedo installation, and some PE and photo film parts. Well, not the worst solution, but I expected a complete, indigenous kit?


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 2ª Squadriglia, 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 2ª Squadriglia, 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Anyway, the model was built right out of the box, with only very few detail changes like an added pilot figure. Fit of the Academy and MPM kits is so-so, typical for a short-run kit. Furthermore I have some doubts of the chosen Fw 190 kit is actually "correct", as the wings show the extra bulges for the late 20 mm cannons - which have IMHO to be sanded away.

Biggest problem turned out to be that the fuselage is too narrow at the wing roots: I had gaps on both sides, 1 mm on one and more than 2(!) mm on the other! Again, putty helped and you cannot tell the mess after painting, but I'd recommend the MPM kit only for experienced modelers. On the other side, the result is convincing. I am not a hig fan of PE parts, but in this case the torpedo details like its fin arrangement or the stabilizer straps at the pylon are worth this extra.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 2ª Squadriglia, 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 2ª Squadriglia, 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
I wanted to place the model in late war, mid 1944, and consequently this fell into the era after the Italian Air Force had become divided. Being of German origin, putting the Fw 190 in ANR service was a logical choice and called for respective markings. In order to make the aircraft look "different" from its German roots, but also not to simply copy NARSES2's simple and elegant grey aircraft, I started digging in the vast pile of Italian cammo options.

The Italian STORMO! Online Color Guide turned up a grey, non-standard paint scheme that would be plausible for an aircraft in maritime service. Upper surfaces are painted in "Grigio Mimetico", with feathered blotches in "Grigio Azzurro Chiaro 1" on top of that. The undersurfaces were to be in the same tone, separated by a hard and low waterline, but I went for a third color in order to make the aircraft look less grey-in-grey. This paint scheme was carried by some S.M. 79 bombers, even though illustrations I found of such aircraft differ wildly in the paint scheme's interpretation! Anything goes, it seems, but that's even better for such a whif build.

I used stock colors, though, to paint the model. The base tone for the upper sides is FS 36231(Dark Gull Grey), with the lighter blotches in "Light French Aircraft Blue". For the lower surfaces I used "Italian Light Blue" – all colors are Model Master enamels, applied by brush.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 2ª Squadriglia, 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 2ª Squadriglia, 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


A typical Italian feature I incorporated from fighters is that the upper paint scheme has been wrapped around the leading edges and all around the rear lower fuselage. A nice twist, since ANR aircraft of that era would hardly carry any bright ID markings, e. g. a white fuselage band. The only colorful marking I added is the spinner and a fin tip in the same color.

A light wash with black ink emphasized the fine panel lines of the Academy kit, which can also be found on the MPM fuselage - you would not suspect the implantation.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Markings were puzzled together from the scrap box, primarily from a sheet for a Macchi M.C. 205 from Italeri. The two-colored tactical code was allocated by Italian habits, the "1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto" never existed, though, even though auxiliary fighter squadrons existed among the ANR. In added the emblems of the 2ª Squadriglia, though, the famous red devil that survives until today on Italian Tornados (which is where I got them from). This emblem ahd already been in use during WWII!

Finally light dry painting with Humbrol 64 and some soot stains around the guns and the exhausts finished the job, before a final coat with acrylic matt varnish was applied.


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


1:72 Fw 190 A-5a/U14, aircraft "3" of 1ª Gruppo Complementare Assaulto, 2ª Squadriglia, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana (ANR); Lonate Pozzolo Airfield, Italy; September 1944 by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



A rather simple build, yet a very conclusive result. The Fw 190 torpedo carrier version is odd enough, but adding Italian markings just takes the model to a different level. Many thanks to NARSES2 for the inspiring idea!  

[TallEng]

Nice
Though the main U/C looks a bit funny (I expect it's the new angle caused by the extended tail wheel)
Are those 'sticky out things' (technical term) either side of the cowlings dust filters?
Camouflage looks good too

Regards
Keith

[sturmvogel]

The camouflage looks superb!

[Spey_Phantom]

i real work of art, great job 

[Army of One]

Great build as usual along with all the other work that is put into your presentations....

[NARSES2]

Superb build, just glad I could provide the idea for it

[Dizzyfugu]

Are those 'sticky out things' (technical term) either side of the cowlings dust filters?

Yes, Keith, these are dust filters - the Academy kit offers them as optional parts, so they went onto the kit.
If you mean the inward-canted angle: that's the real landing gear arrangement of a Fw 190, the angle is about 10°, and, depending on the perspective, this looks irritating.

Many thanks to everyone - but also a huge applause top NARSES2 for the inspiration. The "original" is so beautiful in itself, I hope this is "far away" enough that it does not look or feel like a copy?

[PR19_Kit]

Why did Focke Wulf do that with the main gear?

The wheels are pretty much vertical viewed from the front but the legs slant inwards and surely that would take up more vertical space in the gear bays and make it less stable due to a reduced track.

[NARSES2]

Many thanks to everyone - but also a huge applause top NARSES2 for the inspiration. The "original" is so beautiful in itself, I hope this is "far away" enough that it does not look or feel like a copy?

It's never bothered me when people use my ideas (outside of work that is  ) just happy to have had a hand in this wonderfull model, even if it was only at it's inception 

[comrade harps]

Another excellent whif!