MONOGRAM CLOSE-UP 24 Ta152 KURT TANK HIGH ALTITUDE WW2 GERMAN LUFTWAFFE
BY JEFFREY L. ETHELL (1990) SOFTBOUND BOOK 34 PAGES / THOROUGHLY ILLUSTRATED WITH RARE BW & COLOR PHOTOGRAPHS
Ta152 WERK NUMMERN ASSIGNMENTS
HOHENJAGER 1 & HOHENJAGER 2 FIGHTER PROJECTS
PROTOTYPES & PRE-PRODUCTION AIRCRAFT
JUMO 213E ENGINE & ENGINE MOUNTS
Ta152 COCKPIT PHOTOS AND DIAGRAM
MESSERSCHMITT Me209 ALTERNATE
Ta152H-1 SECTIONAL DRAWING
FOCKE-WULF Ta152H-0 FIVE VIEW SCALE DRAWINGS
COLOR PROFILES
WW2 GERMAN FIGHTER SQUADRON JADGESCHWADER JG301
FOCKE-WULF Ta152C-1 FIVE VIEW SCALE DRAWINGS
DAIMLER BENZ DB603L ENGINE
Ta152C-1 SECTIONAL DRAWING
PROTOTYPE LISTING
OFFICIAL WEIGHT, SPECIFICATIONS AND PERFORMANCE TECHNICAL DATA
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Additional Information from Internet Encyclopedia
The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was a World War II German
high-altitude fighter-interceptor designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf.
The Ta 152 was a development of the Focke-Wulf Fw
190 aircraft. It was intended to be made in at least three versionsthe Ta 152H
Höhenjäger ("high-altitude fighter"), the Ta 152C designed for
medium-altitude operations and ground-attack using a Daimler-Benz DB 603 and
smaller wings, and the Ta 152E fighter-reconnaissance aircraft with the engine
of the H model and the wing of the C model.
The first Ta 152H entered service with the
Luftwaffe in January 1945. The Ta 152 was produced too late and in insufficient
numbers to affect the outcome of the war.
The Fw 190's BMW 801 engine was originally
designed for bomber and transport aircraft flying at medium altitudes in the
15,000 to 20,000 feet (4,600 to 6,100 m) range. In keeping with this role it
used a relatively simple single-stage supercharger that lacked performance
above 20,000 feet (6,100 m) altitude. This presented a problem for fighter use,
where high-altitude performance was desirable. Through careful tuning, the Fw
190 instead emerged as a powerful medium altitude design. Several experimental
models of the 190 with different engines were tested with improved high
altitude performance, but these were not high priority projects.
The entry of the United States into the war
brought with it a series of heavy bombers and escort fighters optimized for
operations at higher altitudes, around 25,000 feet (7,600 m). At these
altitudes, the 190 found itself at a distinct disadvantage, and this problem
became acute in early 1944 when the P-51 Mustang arrived in quantity. This led
to the introduction of the Fw 190D-9, mounting the Junkers Jumo 213E engine.
This engine had a two-stage supercharger and much better altitude performance.
However, the rest of the aircraft's design, especially the relatively short
wings, made it difficult to fly at high altitudes. While the D-9 upgrade was
expedient, it was not ideal.
High-altitude fighters
Rumors of the B-29, which would cruise at
altitudes at which no German aircraft could comfortably operate, added impetus
for a dedicated high-altitude design. The Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German
Air Ministry, or "RLM") requested proposals from both Focke-Wulf and
Messerschmitt for a high-altitude interceptor. Messerschmitt answered with the
Bf 109H, and Focke-Wulf entered a range of designs; the Fw 190 Raffat-1 (Ra-1)
fighter would replace the existing 190D series, the Ra-2 was a dedicated high
altitude fighter, and the Ra-3 was a ground-attack aircraft.
These designs developed into the Fw 190 V20 (Ta
152A), V21 (Ta 152B) and V30 (Ta 152H) prototypes, all based on the 190D-9 but
with varying degrees of improvement. The V20 used the same Jumo 213E engine as
the Fw 190D-9, while the V21 used the DB 603E. Neither of these offered any
significant improvement over the 190D-9, and further development of the Ta 152A
and B was cancelled. The V21 airframe, however, was further modified as the
V21/U1 and became the prototype for the Ta 152C.
Japanese version
The IJAAF acquired, in April 1945, the licence,
schemes and technical drawings for manufacturing the Ta 152 in Japan.[3] During
the last stages of the conflict in Germany, with the plight of the Japanese
armed forces growing ever bleaker, a large volume of the latest aviation
technology Germany had to offer was given to or bought by both the Japanese
army and naval air arms in the hopes that it would stem the tide of defeats and
ever increasing pressure by the superior Allied air forces.
Design
Kurt Tank originally designed the Ta 152 using the
44.52 litre displacement Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine as it offered better
high-altitude performance and also a greater developmental potential. The DB
603 had been used in the Fw 190C prototypes but had many problems and was
considered too difficult to implement in the Ta 152 by RLM officials. With this
in mind, Tank focused his efforts on the 213E as the Ta 152H's power plant.
However, he insisted that the DB 603 be retained for the Ta 152C versions and
as an option for later versions of the Ta 152H.
In 1944, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German
Air Ministry) decided that new fighter aircraft designations must include the
chief designer's name. The aircraft design was therefore given the prefix
Ta.[4]
The Ta 152's fuselage was an extended version of
the Fw 190D-9 fuselage with wider-chord fixed vertical tail surfaces
(especially the top half), and hydraulic rather than electrically controlled
undercarriage and flaps. Due to the changes in the center of gravity and
overall balance, the nose was also lengthened.[5][page needed] The D-9 retained
the 10.51 metres (34.5 ft) wingspan of the original pre-war Fw 190 models, but
this was slightly extended for the C model to 11 metres (36 ft), and greatly
extended for the H model to 14.44 metres (47.4 ft), which gave it much better
control at high altitudes at the cost of speed at lower altitudes.
Due to the war's impact on aluminum availability,
the wing was built around two steel spars, the front extending from just past
the landing gear attachment points, and the rear spar spanning the entire wing.
The wing itself was designed with 3° of washout, from the root to the
flap-aileron junction, to prevent the ailerons from stalling before the center
section of the wing.
The Ta 152 also featured the FuG 16ZY and FuG 25a
radio equipment (some aircraft were issued with FuG 125 Hermine D/F for
navigation and blind landing, LGW-Siemens K 23 autopilot, and a heated armor
glass windscreen for bad-weather operations).
High-altitude features
To reach higher altitudes, a pressurized cockpit
was added to the H models. The canopy was sealed by a circular tube filled with
rubber foam which was inflated by a compressed air bottle, while the engine
compartment was also sealed from the cockpit with a rubber foam ring. A Knorr
300/10 air compressor provided the pressure, maintaining the cockpit at 0.36
atmospheres (5.29 psi) above 8,000 m (26,250 ft). To prevent fogging, the
windscreen was of a double-glazed style with a 6 mm (.236 in) thick outer pane
and a 3 mm (.118 in) inner pane with a 6 mm (.236 in) gap. The gap was fitted
with several silica gel capsules to absorb any moisture forming between the
panes.[5][page needed] The cockpit was not pressurized in the C models.
Armament
The H model had heavy armament to allow it to deal
quickly with enemy aircraft. It had three weapons: one 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108
Motorkanone cannon centered within the propeller hub and two 20 mm MG 151/20
cannons, synchronized to fire through the propeller, located in the wing
roots.[6]
The C model was designed to operate at lower
altitudes than the H-model with the same armament package, while adding two
more of the MG 151/20 cannons, likewise synchronized as these additional
autocannon for the C-model were mounted just ahead of the windscreen, and above
the engine's upper rear crankcase. The Ta 152C could destroy the heaviest enemy
bombers with a short burst but the added weight decreased speed and rate of
turn.
Performance
The Ta 152H-1 was among the fastest piston-engined
fighters of the war, with a top speed comparable to the twin-engined Dornier Do
335. It was capable of 755 kilometres per hour (469 mph) at 13,500 metres
(44,300 ft) using the GM-1 nitrous oxide boost and 560 kilometres per hour (350
mph) at sea level using the MW 50 methanol-water boost.[7] It used the MW 50
system mainly for altitudes up to about 10,000 metres (33,000 ft) and the GM-1
system for higher altitudes, although both systems could be engaged at the same
time.
Kurt Tank was flying an unarmed Ta 152H in late 1944
to a meeting at the Focke-Wulf plant in Cottbus when ground controllers warned
him of two P-51 Mustangs. The enemy aircraft appeared behind Tank, but he
escaped by applying full power and engaging the MW 50 boost "until they
were no more than two dots on the horizon".
By October 1944, the war was going very badly for
Germany, and the RLM pushed Focke-Wulf to quickly get the Ta 152 into production.
As a result, several Ta 152 prototypes crashed early into the test program. It
was found that critical systems were lacking sufficient quality control.
Problems arose with superchargers, pressurized cockpits leaked, the engine
cooling system was unreliable at best due in part to unreliable oil temperature
monitoring, and in several instances the landing gear failed to properly
retract. A total of up to 20 pre-production Ta 152 H-0s were delivered from
November 1944 to Erprobungskommando Ta 152 to service test the aircraft. It was
reported that test pilots were able to conduct a mere 31 hours of flight tests
before full production started. By the end of January 1945, only 50 hours or so
had been completed.
III./Jagdgeschwader 301, initially a Luftwaffe
Wilde Sau unit, was ordered to convert to the type in January 1945, which it
did (and flew them operationally for a short time). In the end, available Ta
152s were pooled in a special Stabstaffel JG 301, first based at Alteno Air
Base near Luckau, then at Neustadt-Glewe in Mecklenburg. The Stabstaffel never
had more than 15 Ta 152Hs available, both H-0s and H-1s. Since the usual
transfer system had broken down, replacement parts became nearly impossible to
obtain.
An early Ta 152 combat occurred on 14 April 1945
when Oberfeldwebel Willi Reschke tried to intercept a De Havilland Mosquito
over Stendal, but failed to catch up due to engine trouble.[10][page needed] On
the evening of that same day, Reschke was to demonstrate that the Ta 152H could
be used as a low altitude fighter. A section of four Hawker Tempest Vs of 486
(NZ) Squadron were out on patrol. After attacking a train near Ludwigslust, the
section split up into pairs; Wing Commander Brooker ordered the Tempests flown
by Flying Officer S. J. Short and Warrant Officer Owen J. Mitchell to make
their own way back to base. On the way back, this pair, which was strafing
targets along the railway tracks near Ludwigslust, was spotted by lookouts
posted at Neustadt-Glewe. Three Ta 152sflown by Reschke, Oberstleutnant
Aufhammer and Oberfeldwebel Sepp Sattlerwere scrambled, catching the Tempests
by surprise. Reschke recalled:
As the direction of take-off was in line with the
railway tracks leading straight to Ludwigslust, we were almost immediately in contact
with the enemy fighters, which turned out to be Tempests. Flying in No 3
position I witnessed Oberfeldwebel Sattler ahead of me dive into the ground
seconds before we reached them. It was hardly possible for his crash to have
been the result of enemy action, as the two Tempest pilots had clearly only
just registered our presence. So now it was two against two as the ground-level
dogfight began. We knew the Tempest to be a very fast fighter, used by the
British to chase and shoot down our V-1s. But here, in a fight, which was never
to climb above 50 metres, speed would not play a big part. The machines'
ability to turn would be all important. Both pilots realised from the start
that it would be a fight to the finish and used every flying trick and tactical
ploy possible to try to gain the upper hand. At this altitude, neither could
afford to make the slightest mistake. And for the first time since flying the
Ta 152 I began full to appreciate exactly what this aircraft could do.
Pulling ever tighter turns I got closer and closer
to the Tempest, never once feeling I was even approached the limit of the Ta's
capabilities. And in order to keep out of my sights, the Tempest pilot was
being forced to take increasingly dangerous evasive action. When he flicked
over onto the opposite wing l knew his last attempt to turn inside me had
failed. The first burst of fire from my Ta 152 caught the Tempest in the tail
and rear fuselage. The enemy aircraft shuddered noticeably and, probably as an instinctive
reaction, the Tempest pilot immediately yoked into a starboard turn, giving me
an even greater advantage.
Now there was no escape for the Tempest. I pressed
my gun buttons a second time, but after a few rounds my weapons fell silent,
and despite all my efforts to clear them, refused to fire another shot. I can
no longer remember just who and what I didn't curse. But fortunately the
Tempest pilot didn't realise my predicament as he'd already taken hits.
Instead, he continued desperately to twist and turn and I positioned myself so
that I was always just within his field of vision. Eventually - inevitably - he
stalled. The Tempest's left wing dropped and he crashed into the woods
immediately below us.
It so happened that the site of Oberfeldwebel
Sattler's crash, and that of the Tempest pilot, who proved to be New Zealander
Warrant Officer Owen J. Mitchell, were only about one kilometre apart. They
were buried side-by-side in Neustadt-Glewe cemetery the next day with full
military honours.
It is assumed that Sattler was shot down either by
Sid Short[12] or Bill Shaw[13] of 486 Sqn, who claimed a Bf 109 E in the same
area.[14] Operational missions were flown in April 1945 from Neustadt, mostly
escorting close support aircraft to the Battle of Berlin. Reschke claimed two
Yakovlev Yak-9s near Berlin on 24 April, while Obfw. Walter Loos, claimed four
air victories on 24, 25 and 30 April.
The Ta 152 score at the end of the war was likely
seven victories and four losses in air combat, although a degree of uncertainty
about those numbers exists. Four victories were achieved by Josef Keil, from 1
March 1945 to 21 April 1945,[16] and at least three victories were achieved by
Willi Reschke.[17] The Ta 152 was delivered to JG 301 on 27 January 1945 and
the first Ta 152 mission against American bombers took part on 2 March 1945.
However, there was no contact with the enemy, and the 12 Ta 152s were forced to
fend off repeated attacks by the Bf 109s of another unit. There were no losses,
as the climbing ability and manoeuvrability of the Ta 152s enabled them to
evade these attacks. The shape of the Ta-152 was virtually unknown to other
Jagdgeschwader.
The four losses in air combat were: Hptm. Hermann
Stahl, killed on 11 April 1945; Obfw. Sepp Sattler, killed on 14 April 1945;
two unknown JG11 pilots, downed by Spitfires in the last days of April 1945
during transfer from Neustadt-Glewe to Leck airfield.
Production
The total number of Ta 152 aircraft produced is
unknown.
Although it is possible that the Ta 152C and Ta
152E might have entered limited production late in the war or at least had
components ready for assembly, the version of Ta 152 that was definitely series
produced was the high-altitude Ta 152H, as summarised below. However, there are
still many gaps in our knowledge of exactly how many Ta 152H production
aircraft were made, and what planned Werk Nummer blocks were. Production could
have commenced very late in the war of the Ta 152C by ATG at Leipzig, and by
Siebel at Schkeuditz between Leipzig and Halle. Similarly the dedicated
reconnaissance Ta 152E might have commenced production by MMW at Erfurt-Nord,
with production there later switching to the Ta 152C, but considerable mystery
still surrounds these programmes in the last weeks of the war.
By February 1945, all Ta 152 production had
ceased.[20] According to Peter Rodeike, 44 Ta 152 H-0/V and 25 Ta 152 H-1 were
built; total Ta 152 production is unknown.[21]
Variants
Ta 152 C-0
Pre-production aircraft, 1 prototype built[5][page
needed] powered with 2,100-hp (1566 kW) Daimler Benz DB603LA engine. The extra
length of this engine, as with the Jumo 213-powered Fw 190D-9, required a
compensating rear fuselage plug and enlarged tail surfaces, and wing span was
increased to 36 ft 1 in (11 meters).
Ta 152 C-1
Standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)), armed with
one engine-mounted Motorkanone 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannon and four 20 mm
synchronized MG 151/20 cannons (two above the engine, two in the wing roots).
Ta 152 C-2
Standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)), equipped
with an improved radio.
Ta 152 C-3
Standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)), armed with
one engine-mounted Motorkanone 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 103 cannon and four 20 mm
synchronized MG 151/20 cannons (two above the engine, two in the wing roots).
Ta 152 E-1
Photographic reconnaissance version of the Ta
152C, with standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)).
Ta 152 E-2
High-altitude photographic reconnaissance version,
powered by a Junkers Jumo 213E engine and with the H-series wing (14.44 m (48
ft 6 in)). Only a single prototype was completed.
Ta 152 H-0
20 pre-production aircraft, H-series wing (14.44 m
(48 ft 6 in)).
Ta 152 H-1
The only production version.[22] H-series wing
(14.44 m (48 ft 6 in)), armed with one engine-mounted Motorkanone 30 mm (1.18
in) MK108 cannon and two 20 mm synchronized MG 151/20 cannons in the wing
roots, additional fuel tanks located in the wings.
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