Hyperscale visitors may recall that I was enthralled by the previous volume in this series, namely that on “Captured Me 109s”. Well, I am very glad to report that the latest addition on “Captured Butcherbirds” does not disappoint. In the first of a two-volume treatise the focus is on those Fw 190’s captured and examined by British and US forces.
As with the previous volume, a quick perusal makes it very clear that the authors have done an astonishing job in collating information on a large number of, if not every Fw 190 (whether intact or wrecked) which landed in British and US hands from 1942 until the cessation of hostilities in 1945.
As expected, the authors treatise starts off Armin Faber’s Fw 190 A-3 W.Nr 135313, which landed at Pembrey on 23 June 1942: probably the most precious war prize at that time. At this time the Fw 190 was introducing a new “Fokker Scourge”, as in March the RAF lost 32 Spitfires and 27 pilots, which escalated to 107 Spitfires and 95 pilots in April. Luftwaffe losses were significantly lower. Clearly, something needed to be done, and plans were even made to “steal” one from a Luftwaffe airfield. Hence, Faber’s unexpected booty was a great assistance in assessing the combat abilities of the new Spitfire Mk IX and in developing strategies to counter the threat posed by the Butcherbird. A detailed description of these tests in related in Capt. Eric Brown’s “Wings of the Luftwaffe”. It should be noted that Faber’s motives have been questioned by a number of historians, and it is not clear of his landing on British soil was entirely “erroneous”. Particularly useful to the modeler is that the evaluation of this aircraft by the RAE (Royal Aircraft Establishment) is documented by a series of profiles and 4-view diagrams which illustrate the various changes in camouflage that the aircraft underwent prior to demolition in 1943, where the airframe was fired at and the engine removed for further testing.
As with the previous volume, no clear chapter structure exists, rather a chronological narrative is offered with the next aircraft discussed being Otto Bechtold’s Fw 190A-4, famous for its “DO NOT TOUCH” inscription on the sooty black fuselage. Again its use as PE 882, is covered by 4 profiles and one 4-view drawing. British use concludes with several Dora-9’s, two Ta 152’s and a two-seat Fw 190 S-8.
The major part of the book is devoted to use of the Fw 190 by US forces, including those of the US Navy at NAS Anacostia and NAS Patuxent River. Although my British friends may regard the schemes in which these aircraft were painted as being too garish (my Texan friends would probably regard them as being mildly colorful), they are in no doubt of great interest to the modeler.
The first Fw 190 in the US was a G-3 Wrk. Nr. 160043, which arrived at Wright Field in August 1943. The Americans did not seem to be interested in testing the machine as it was only flown in February 1944. Nevertheless, it is interesting to see a Focke Wulf fly in company of a captured Bf 109, a P-51 and P-47 Bubbletop. This aircraft was repainted in an attractive scheme of olive drab upper surfaces and neutral gray lower surfaces and fuselage sides.
The Focke Wulf’s tested by the USN are probably of most interest (to me at least). It should be noted that the USN seemed impressed enough by this agile compact bird of prey that they encouraged development of the F8F Bearcat, which itself was inspired by this pugnacious little fighter. A particularly attractive example is Fw 190 G-3 Wrk.Nr. 160057, which was painted in a striking white scheme with red spinner, cowling, fuselage band and USN striped tail. Later, in 1945, this aircraft was repainted in a standard USN 3 tone non-specular, intermediate blue and insignia white scheme. These two variants would be a stunning addition to any model collection. Again, these schemes are represented in full 4-view drawings, making it a delight for the modeler to emulate them.
The next section of the book deals with unauthorized use of captured Fw 190’s, a fairly common practice as the Allies pursued the retreating Axis forces from Northern Africa, to Sicily and then up through the Italian Peninsula. Here several examples as used by the 79th FG and 85th FS of the USAAF are covered, which to put it mild, as very colourful. Here, the authors provide helpful insight into the colours used, such as the sand and not yellow fuselage band on 85FS machines.
As to be expected the book concludes with machines captured in the last stages or end of the war in Germany, including the red and white striped Dora’s used as guardians for the Me 262 jets of JV 44. Here the authors also include a rare colour photo showing a GI nonchalantly lighting a cigarette in front of such a machine, thereby irrefutably proving that the true nature of the stripes.
The Focke Wulf Fw 190 must rank as one of the great designs of WW2, and even it does not share the graceful lines of the Spitfire, or the high-altitude performance of the P-51, this pugnacious and purposeful fighter proved more than a match for many Allied aircraft and pilots for a considerable period of the conflict.
I can heartily recommend this book as a valuable resource to anybody interested in WW2 history, not only that of the Luftwaffe, but also of the RAF or USAF/USN test services. I, for one, am looking forward to the second volume, which will hopefully also deal with Butcherbirds captured by the SAAF.
www.hyperscale.com/2009/reviews/books/capturedbutcherbirdsbookreviewrsh_1.htm

Floyd S. Werner, Jr, IPMS# 26266 - Recenzja dla IMPS-USA

On the heels of their book, Captured 109s, Kecay Publishing has released a similar volume on the FW-190. Having reviewed the other book, I was very enthusiastic to receive this latest edition. So, how does it stack up next to the 109 book? "Outstanding" is all I can say.
A soft-bound book consisting of 120 pages printed on high-quality paper filled with in-depth coverage of these Luftwaffe machines in the hands of the Allies. First off, let me say that literally every page of this book is fascinating and not a page is wasted - even the inside covers have information on them. Almost every page has either color drawings or color photos on them. Superior stuff, too.
Every version of the Focke Wulf is covered from the A-4 to the D-13. The ground attack and trainer versions are also well represented. Not to be forgotten are the Mistel Focke Wulfs and the Ta-152s. The book is broken down into official and unofficial captured aircraft. Official being the ones sent for evaluation and unofficial being used by Allied units for fun and training. The unofficial ones are, by far, the most colorful - ranging in everything from all white to red, blue, yellow, lizard speckles, bare metal and everything in between. If you have been wondering what to do with your 190 and didn’t want to go with the same Luftwaffe grays or late-war greens, these have color and lots of it.

Yes this is a photo book and a whole lot more. The photos, mostly black-and-white, are of exceptional quality. It sounds so cliché but many of the pictures are previously unpublished. There are plenty of color photos as well. They are some of the best renditions I have seen and are color balanced and look phenomenal. All the photos are right-sized for the modeler to glean the information from them. I was flabbergasted at some of the photos and drawings. I especially loved the night intruder 190s with their black bellies and sides.
As nice as the photos are, the really nice touch is the evolutionary colored line drawings. You can follow the aircraft from capture until destruction. Some of these aircraft go through a significant change throughout their captured life. As an example, you can follow the first FW-190A-3 of Oblt. Faber as it transitioned through the flight test program. The drawings are first rate and will be inspirational to the modeler. I know they were for me. Besides flyable examples, many non-flyable aircraft are included also.
The text is easy to read and really informative. Obviously some aircraft, such as Faber’s are covered more than others, but this in no way diminishes the book. There is a nice section on Watson’s Whizzers and their search for prop and jet airplanes.
I really hope that decal manufacturers get hold of this book and go to town as there is so much information here that they could have a great time with it. The D-9s alone could fill at least three sheets.
How many times have you looked at a photo and failed to notice something? Well I did this with the Ta-152 "Green 4". The book shows the evolution and pointed out some interesting things that I just plain missed, such as the Stammkennzeichen number. For those of you who bought the new Pacific Coast Ta-152 you will find this book amazing.
The US Navy couldn’t be left out and they certainly had some very colorful 190s. Truly you could just build them to add color to any collection.
Like I said, the unofficial portion of the book is quite colorful. There are quite a few aircraft that I had not seen before such as the lemon yellow "Cobras Prize". How about FW-190s with US fighter group markings such as K4 or G9 of the 404th FG? You could have a lot of fun with these markings as the Stars and Bars were simply added over the German markings and the unit codes outlined in red. So what you got was an airplane with German colors and markings AND with the US markings in the traditional place - very unique.
Since I just finished the Tamiya FW-190F-9 for the IPMS Journal as the T/O aircraft there are two brand new photos of this machine, before and after the application of the US markings - very interesting.
There are more FW-190S trainers in this book than I have found anywhere in print. All are fairly simple in the painting but interesting is the differences in the rear canopy and the markings applied to them, including unit markings for JG110. Lots of JG301 and JG6 aircraft are included as well. Not to be forgotten the JV-44 aircraft are well represented as four of the five aircraft are shown including the D-11.
I am having a hard time describing the quality of this book. It is GREAT! I loved everything about it. The best thing about it is that it is just Volume 1 so there will be even more coming. I can’t wait. The second volume promises Japanese hinomarus, Soviet stars, French, Turkish, Hungarian and Rumanian markings.
Some will question the price of this book but, when you consider it is an all-color book with great photos, drawings, profiles and a history of these machines, I have to say it is definitely worth the money. Besides, the cost includes the shipping and handling so $49.90 is all that you pay. This is a welcome addition to my library and should be to yours as well. I thought it was worth every penny.
Thanks to Kecay for the review copy. Order directly from their website and please let them know that IPMS/USA sent you. Highly recommended.

http://www.ipmsusa2.org/reviews2/aircraft/books/books.htm

Recenzja na stronie Grumpy Old Modeller

(...) The title "Captured Butcherbirds Volume 1" describes precisely the aim of the book, and its 120 pages are packed with 190s, and a few Ta 152s, that found themselves under new management on the Western front. The content is primarily illustrations, both photos and excellent colour profiles, with good explanatory text both generally and on individual aircraft; some of these were 190s that landed, unintentionally, on allied soil during the conflict and flown by their opposition, but most were those captured at the end of the war and were decorated with roundels or stars-and-bars. For those modellers who like me are fascinated by anomalies, this book is full of them, like those who were simply marked with white stars in place of the German insignia, and on at least one example upside down. Some, like the one in the cover photo, received bright and even gaudy paintwork, and I would not be surprised to see some of these on IPMS Branch and competition display tables; and I was very pleased to see 152 "Air Min 111" included having brought back the Freightdog decal sheet, and an Aoshima kit, from Cosford (Freightdog hope to offer a package during the year). Having decided that I was more or less giving up modelling WWII Luftwaffe, and even adding more books on the subject, I suppose I could plead that the change of owner and markings excludes this from my self-imposed ban. There will be a volume 2, with aircraft captured on the Eastern front. This is an excellently thought-out and produced book, with authors and compilers deeply interested in their subject.