Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf Ta 152H
Focke-Wulf Ta 152H high altitude fighter
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(Luftwaffe Photos)
Focke-Wulf Ta 152H, high altitude fighter, CI+XM, in Luftwaffe service.
(RAF Photos)
Focke-Wulf Ta 152H-1 high-altitude fighter, (Wk. Nr. 150168), captured at captured at Leck, Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. This aircraft was designated RAF AM11. It was scrapped at Farnborough, England in 1946. Four of these aircraft were found by the RAF in Germany and one in Denmark. Four were reported as destroyed, with AM11 being the only one sent to the UK, but Ta 152H-0/R-11 (Wk. Nr. 1500010), coded CW+CJ, "Green 4", JG301 now with the NASM in the USA came from the RAF collection.
(USAAF Photos)
Focke-Wulf Ta 152H-0/R-11 (Wk. Nr. 1500010), coded CW+CJ, "Green 4", JG301, USA 11, Reg. No. 32, T2-112/FE-112, with the NASM. This Ta 152 is the only existing example of this fighter in the world today. Definitive information about the NASM Ta 152 has always been lacking but research conducted late in 1998 may have revealed the airplane’s true identity as Werk-Nummer 150010, not 150003 or ‘020 as has been widely reported. This places the airframe toward the end of the range of pre-production H-0 models, a variant marking the transition from the Ta 152 prototypes to full production Ta 152H-1 airplanes. It was probably built at Focke-Wulf’s production facility at Cottbus, Germany, in December 1944, and delivered to Erprobungskommando Ta 152 at Rechlin, Germany, for service testing. As with most Ta 152s produced, ‘020’ was apparently transferred to Jagdgeswader (fighter squadron) JG 301 in early 1945. A green ‘4’ was painted on the fuselage and this may have been the squadron identification and radio call sign “Green 4” but much remains unknown about this aircraft. The initial information suggesting the aircraft was (Wk. Nr. 150020), was based on a type plate in the fuselage, which only designated a component. The aircraft has a wooden tail and only (Wk. Nr. 150003) and (Wk. Nr. 150010) were fitted with this and on historical photos the overpainted remains of the code CW+CJ is visible which belongs to (Wk. Nr. 150010). (Wk. Nr. 150020). was coded CW+CT. Data courtesy of Peter W. Cohausz. National Air and Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center, Washington Dulles International Airport, Chantilly, Virginia.
As the Soviets rolled over eastern Germany, many Luftwaffe pilots took off and steered their mounts west. They preferred to be captured by the West. The British recovered “Green 4” in Aalborg, Denmark, at the end of hostilities. They turned the airplane over to “Watson’s Whizzer’s, the American unit charged with collecting Luftwaffe aircraft for further study. Lt Harold McIntosh flew ‘020 to Melun, France, where it was loaded aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Reaper and shipped Newark Army Airfield, New Jersey. From Newark, McIntosh flew this Ta 152 to Freeman Field, Indiana. The airplane was later transferred to Wright Field, Ohio, to undergo extensive flight testing as Foreign Equipment number FE-112 (later changed to T2-112). After testing, the Army stored the aircraft and then turned it over to the National Air Museum in 1960.
In 1998 Museum restoration staff were treating deteriorated sections of the wooden aft fuselage, fin, rudder, and right elevator when they discovered several interesting items that offered tantalizing glimpses into the airplane’s shadowy past. Extensive wood rot was found in where the horizontal stabilizer joins the vertical fin. The restoration staff speculated that during testing at Wright Field, pilots and engineers became concerned that the wooden tail may have been weakened by defective glues or sabotage. They strengthened the entire area with steel plate. However, this work may have compromised flight safety because it required moving the horizontal stabilizer forward several inches, exacerbating a tail-heavy condition already known to the Germans. The restoration specialist removed the steel plate and rebuilt the tail to the original German configuration.
After comparing photographs with the aircraft, the staff determined the British painted over some of the original Luftwaffe markings. The US Army Air Force then stripped and repainted part of the airplane but NASM technicians carefully sanded through the layers of Allied paint to reveal previous markings and much of the original German paint. They found the old Foreign Equipment number, RAF markings, the Reich Defence tail bands of JG 301 (fighter wing 301), and the original Nazi swastika. The staff also found 20-mm MG 151 gun mounts and fittings in the upper cowling. However, these were not normally found in H-0 models, suggesting this airframe may have been destined to become a C-1 variant.
