The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 ''Uhu'' (Owl) is a twin-engine

twin-boom A twin-boom aircraft has two longitudinal auxiliary spars, or “auxiliary booms” , that may contain ancillary components such as fuel tanks and/or provide a supporting structure for other items. Typically, twin tailbooms support the tail ...

tactical

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

and

army cooperation aircraft An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by p ...

designed and produced by the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

aircraft manufacturer

Focke-Wulf Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG () was a German manufacturer of civil and military aircraft before and during World War II. Many of the company's successful fighter aircraft designs were slight modifications of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190. It is one of the ...

. It was one of the ''

Luftwaffe The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...

s most prominent short range reconnaissance aircraft during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. The Fw 189 was developed during the late 1930s to fulfil a specification issued by the ''Reichsluftfahrtministerium'' (RLM) for an advanced short-range

reconnaissance aircraft A reconnaissance aircraft (colloquially, a spy plane) is a military aircraft designed or adapted to perform aerial reconnaissance with roles including collection of imagery intelligence (including using Aerial photography, photography), signals ...

to succeed the

Henschel Hs 126 The Henschel Hs 126 was a twin-seat parasol wing reconnaissance and observation aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel. The Hs 126 that was derived from the Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a pro ...

in the tactical support role provided by the

to the

Wehrmacht The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the German Army (1935–1945), ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmac ...

. While

Arado Flugzeugwerke Arado Flugzeugwerke was a German aircraft manufacturer, originally established as the Warnemünde factory of the Flugzeugbau Friedrichshafen firm, which produced land-based military aircraft and seaplanes during the First and Second World Wars. ...

(Arado) had responded with the conventional

Arado Ar 198 The Arado Ar 198 was a prototype reconnaissance aircraft, developed by Arado Flugzeugwerke, with backing from the Luftwaffe, who initially preferred it over the Blohm & Voss BV 141 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 189. However, when flight tests were carrie ...

, Focke-Wulf's design team, headed by the

aeronautical engineer Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering. Avionics engineering is s ...

Kurt Tank Kurt Waldemar Tank (24 February 1898 – 5 June 1983) was a German aeronautical engineer and test pilot who led the design department at Focke-Wulf from 1931 to 1945. He was responsible for the creation of several important Luftwaffe aircraft of ...

, produced the unconventional Fw 189, a twin-boom aircraft with a central crew

gondola The gondola (, ; , ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull, in a scul ...

with a glazed

stepless cockpit In aircraft design, a stepless cockpit means that the nose of the aircraft has no separate "windscreen" panels directly in front of the pilot's or co-pilot's seating positions, and generally has no "breaks" in the nose contour – curved or other ...

. During July 1938, the first prototype performed its

maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...

; early testing of the Fw 189 demonstrated its superiority over the Ar 198, and thus the RLM backed its development and subsequent quantity production. During 1940, the Fw 189 entered service with the Luftwaffe. It was much in use on the Eastern Front against the

Soviet Union The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, where it was used for reconnaissance role, a

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dr ...

and a

night fighter A night fighter (later known as all-weather fighter or all-weather interceptor post-Second World War) is a largely historical term for a fighter aircraft, fighter or interceptor aircraft adapted or designed for effective use at night, during pe ...

. The Fw 189 was also used on other fronts. Production of the type took place at the Focke-Wulf factory at

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

, the Bordeaux-Merignac aircraft factory in

occupied France The Military Administration in France (; ) was an interim occupation authority established by Nazi Germany during World War II to administer the occupied zone in areas of northern and western France. This so-called ' was established in June 19 ...

, and the

Aero Vodochody Aero Vodochody (commonly referred to as Aero) is a Czech aircraft company. Its main production facilities are located at Vodochody Airport in the Prague-East District, on the municipal territories of Vodochody and Odolena Voda. During the C ...

aircraft factory in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was a partially-annexation, annexed territory of Nazi Germany that was established on 16 March 1939 after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia (1938–1945), German occupation of the Czech lands. The protector ...

. Further development and production of the type continued until mid-1944, at which point production was terminated to concentrate on fighters.

Design and development

Work on what would become the Fw 189 can be traced back to February 1937 and the issuing of a specification by the German ''Reichsluftfahrtministerium'' (RLM) that called for a short-range

that had a three-man crew and provided all-round visibility; it was also specified that the aircraft should possess about of power. An important function of the ''

'' was to provide tactical support to the ''

''; the envisioned aircraft was intended to be an advanced successor to the

, which had only just started service trials.Smith and Kay 1972, p. 166. This specification was issued to both Arado and

. Arado opted to respond with the relatively conventional Ar 198, which was a single-engined high-wing monoplane with a glazed gondola underneath the fuselage. Focke-Wulf's chief designer

had opted for a distinctive twin-boom configuration for what would become the Fw 189; it was also powered by a pair of

Argus As 410 The Argus As 410 was a German air-cooled inverted V-12 aircraft engine that was first produced by Argus Motoren in 1938. Design and development The engine marked a departure from earlier Argus engines in that it had new construction techniques ...

engines instead of the expected single engine. As a "twin-boom" design, akin to the earlier Dutch

Fokker G.I The Fokker G.I was a Dutch twin-engined heavy fighter aircraft comparable in size and role to the German Messerschmitt Bf 110. Although in production prior to World War II, its combat introduction came at a time the Netherlands were overrun by th ...

, the Fw 189 used a central crew

, which for the Fw 189 would be designed with a glazed and framed

forward section, which used no separate windscreen panels for the pilot (as with many German medium bombers from 1938). The Fw 189 had as part of its defensive armament, a novel rear-gun emplacement designed by the Ikaria-Werke: a rotating conical rear "turret" of sorts, manually rotated with a metal-framed, glazed conical fairing streamlining its shape, with the open section providing the firing aperture for either a single or twin machine-gun at the unit's circular-section forward mount.

Blohm & Voss Blohm+Voss (B+V), also written historically as Blohm & Voss, Blohm und Voß etc., is a German shipbuilding and engineering company. Founded in Hamburg in 1877 to specialise in steel-hulled ships, its most famous product was the World War II battle ...

proposed as a private venture something even more radical, chief designer Dr. Richard Vogt's unique asymmetric

Blohm & Voss BV 141 The Blohm & Voss BV 141 (originally the Ha 141) was an unorthodox tactical reconnaissance aircraft developed by the Nazi Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Blohm & Voss (aircraft), Blohm & Voss. It was notable for its uncommon asymmetrical ai ...

. The BV 141 and Fw 189 submissions were reportedly received by RLM officials with a degree of unease due to their unconventional approaches. During April 1937, orders were placed for three prototypes each of the Arado and Focke-Wulf designs. That month, construction of the first prototype Fw 189 commenced. In July 1938, it performed its

, the pilot being Tank. The aircraft possessed favourable flight characteristics. One month later, it was followed by the second prototype, the principal difference between the two being that the second prototype was armed, carrying two

MG 17 The MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, typically as forward-firing offensive armament. The MG 17 was based on the older MG 30 light machine gun ...

and three

MG 15 The MG 15 was a German 7.92 mm machine gun designed specifically as a hand-manipulated defensive gun for combat aircraft during the early 1930s. By 1941 it was replaced by other types and found new uses with ground troops. History The MG ...

machine guns along with underwing bombracks capable of carrying up to four

bomb A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy. Detonations inflict damage principally through ground- and atmosphere-transmitted mechan ...

s.Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 166–167. The third prototype was outfitted with specially designed Argus variable-pitch propeller that automatically changed pitch via the vanes on the

spinner Spinner may refer to: Technology * Spinner (aeronautics), the aerodynamic cone at the hub of an aircraft propeller * Spinner (cell culture), laboratory equipment for cultivating plant or mammalian cells * Spinner (computing), a graphical widget in ...

. In contrast to the smooth testing of the Fw 189, the Ar 198 exhibited comparatively cumbersome and unsatisfactory performance.Smith and Kay 1972, p. 167. Recognising the Fw 189 as the winner, Focke-Wulf received a development contract from the RLM for four additional prototypes. The first of these four aircraft was representative of the production standard Fw 189A, being powered by a pair of

Argus As 410A-1 The Argus As 410 was a German air-cooled inverted V-12 aircraft engine that was first produced by Argus Motoren in 1938. Design and development The engine marked a departure from earlier Argus engines in that it had new construction techniques ...

V-12 inverted piston engines, capable of generating up to and a reduced defensive armament comprising only two machine guns. The next aircraft prototype was a forerunner of the Fw 189B, featuring more refined aerodynamic shaping of the fuselage along with a more conventional stepped cockpit. In mid 1939, the RLM ordered another 13 aircraft, all of which were delivered to the ''Luftwaffe'' by March 1940. During late 1939, Focke-Wulf withdrew the first prototype from the flight test programme to adapt it into their response to a request from the RLM for a dedicated

close air support Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires ...

aircraft.Smith and Kay 1972, p. 168. The original fuselage nacelle was replaced by a compact

armour Armour (Commonwealth English) or armor (American English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences) is a covering used to protect an object, individual, or vehicle from physical injury or damage, e ...

ed counterpart; largely due to the increased weight, it handled poorly. While this version was formally evaluated, the competing

Henschel Hs 129 The Henschel Hs 129 was a ground-attack aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel Flugzeugwerke AG. Fielded by the ''Luftwaffe'' during the Second World War, it saw combat in Tunisia and on the Eastern Front. ...

was selected instead, partly due to its smaller size and reduced production cost.Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 168-169. The Fw 189 was mass produced at the Focke-Wulf factory in

, at the Bordeaux-Merignac aircraft factory ( Avions Marcel Bloch's factory, which became

Dassault Aviation Dassault Aviation SA () is a French Aerospace manufacturer, manufacturer of military aircraft and business jets. It was founded in 1929 by Marcel Dassault, Marcel Bloch as Société des Avions Marcel Bloch (Marcel Bloch Aircraft Company). After ...

after the war) in

and at the

aircraft factory in

. By mid-1942, production of the Fw 189 at Bremen had ended as resources were concentrated on the

Focke-Wulf Fw 190 The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed ''Würger'' (Shrike) is a German single-seat, single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s and widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the ...

fighter instead.Smith and Kay 1972, p. 170. While the company's design team continued to work on advanced variants of the Fw 189 into early 1944, production of the type was permanently ended in mid-1944 in response to Germany's declining military situation, which compelled the termination of various aircraft programmes to concentrate resources.Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 171–172. Total production of the type came to 864 aircraft of all variants.Smith and Kay 1972, p. 172.

Operational history

During early 1940, Luftwaffe pilots commenced training on the type, initially using the pre-production Fw 189s exclusively and supplemented by five-seat Fw 189B-1 trainers from the summer of 1940.Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 167, 169. While operational trials of the type were quite successful, ''Luftwaffe'' officials concluded that there was little advantage to withdrawing the existing Hs 126s in favour of Fw 189s. Instead, the service decided to introduce the type relatively slowly, thus the Fw 189 was not operational at any meaningful quantity until the summer of 1942.Smith and Kay 1972, p. 169. This delay did allow for some refinements to the aircraft, particularly its airframe, to be performed during 1941; modifications around this time included desert survival gear and floats. The first unit to re-equip with the type being on the Eastern Front.Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 169-170. Called the (Flying Eye) of the

German Army The German Army (, 'army') is the land component of the armed forces of Federal Republic of Germany, Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German together with the German Navy, ''Marine'' (G ...

, the Fw 189 was used extensively on the Eastern Front. By September 1942, 172 Fw 189s were reportedly operational on this front, making up the majority of all short range reconnaissance aircraft present.Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 170–171. It was nicknamed "''Rama''" ("frame" in the Russian, Ukrainian and Polish languages) by Soviet forces, referring to its distinctive tail boom, fin and elevator shapes, giving it a quadrangular appearance. Despite its low speed and fragile looks, the Fw 189's manoeuvrability made it a difficult target for Soviet fighters. The Fw 189 was often able to out-turn attacking fighters by flying in a tight circle into which enemy fighters could not follow. The Fw 189 also saw service on other fronts, including the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

.Smith and Kay 1972, p. 171. Night Reconnaissance Group 15, attached to the 4th ''Panzerarmee'' in southern

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It extends from the Baltic Sea in the north to the Sudetes and Carpathian Mountains in the south, bordered by Lithuania and Russia to the northeast, Belarus and Ukrai ...

during late 1944, carried out nocturnal reconnaissance and light bombing sorties with a handful of Fw 189A-1s. These aircraft typically lacked the main

dorsal Dorsal (from Latin ''dorsum'' ‘back’) may refer to: * Dorsal (anatomy), an anatomical term of location referring to the back or upper side of an organism or parts of an organism * Dorsal, positioned on top of an aircraft's fuselage The fus ...

machine gun. Small numbers of A-1s were used as

s in the closing weeks of the conflict – the aircraft were modified by having their reconnaissance equipment removed and then fitted with FuG 212

AI radar Aircraft interception radar, or AI radar for short, is a historical United Kingdom, British term for radar systems used to equip aircraft with the means to find and track other flying aircraft. These radars are used primarily by Royal Air Force ( ...

in the nose and a single obliquely-firing 20 mm

MG FF The MG FF was a drum-fed, blowback-operated, 20 mm aircraft autocannon, developed in 1936 by Ikaria Werke Berlin of Germany. It was a derivative of the Swiss Oerlikon FF F cannon (its ''FF'' suffix indicating ''Flügel Fest'', for a fix ...

autocannon in the common ''

Schräge Musik () was a common name for the fitting of an upward-firing autocannon or machine gun, to an interceptor aircraft, such as a night fighter. The term was introduced by the German during World War II. was previously a German colloquialism, meani ...

'' upwards/forward-firing offensive fitment also used for heavier German night fighters, like the Bf 110G. For the Fw 189 the installation was in the crew nacelle in the space where the rear dorsal gun was normally housed. The majority of the ''nachtjager'' Fw 189s was operated by

NJG 100 ''Nachtjagdgeschwader'' 100 (NJG 100) was a Luftwaffe night fighter-wing of World War II. The ''Geschwader'' did not have a ''Stab'' and no ''Geschwaderkommodore''. It had two ''Gruppen'' (groups), operating separately. The I. ''Gruppe'' of NJG 1 ...

, were based at

Greifswald Greifswald (), officially the University and Hanseatic City of Greifswald (, Low German: ''Griepswoold'') is the fourth-largest city in the German state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania after Rostock, Schwerin and Neubrandenburg. In 2021 it surpa ...

. Chronic fuel shortages and enemy air superiority over the Fw 189 defence area (chiefly

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

) meant that few aircraft were shot down by these aircraft.

Variants

The main production model was the Fw 189A reconnaissance plane, built mostly in two variants, the A-1 and A-2. Unless otherwise stated all aircraft were powered by two

engines of 465 PS (459 hp, 342 kW). * Fw 189A-0: Ten preproduction aircraft for operational tests and trials. * Fw 189A-1: Initial production version, armed with two flexible 7.92 mm (.312 in)

MG 15 machine gun The MG 15 was a German 7.92 mm machine gun designed specifically as a hand-manipulated defensive gun for combat aircraft during the early 1930s. By 1941 it was replaced by other types and found new uses with ground troops. History The MG ...

s in the dorsal and rear positions, one 7.92 mm (0.312 in)

MG 17 machine gun The MG 17 was a 7.92 mm machine gun produced by Rheinmetall-Borsig for use at fixed mountings in many World War II Luftwaffe aircraft, typically as forward-firing offensive armament. The MG 17 was based on the older MG 30 light machine g ...

in each wing root, plus four bombs. It could carry an Rb 20/30 or an Rb 50/30 aerial camera. * Fw 189A-1 trop: Tropicalised version of the Fw 189 A-1, fitted with air intake filters and survival equipment. Conversion from A-1s. * Fw 189A-1/U2: VIP transport version of the Fw 189 A-1. * Fw 189A-1/U3: VIP transport version of the Fw 189 A-1. * Fw 189A-2: The flexible MG 15s were replaced by twin-barrel 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 81Z. * Fw 189A-3: Tropicalised production version of the Fw 189 A-2, fitted with air intake filters and survival equipment. * Fw 189A-4: Light

ground-attack Close air support (CAS) is defined as aerial warfare actions—often air-to-ground actions such as strafes or airstrikes—by military aircraft against hostile targets in close proximity to friendly forces. A form of fire support, CAS requires d ...

version, armed with two 20 mm

MG 151/20 cannon The ''Maschinengewehr'' (MG) 151 is a belt-fed autocannon for aircraft use, developed in Nazi Germany from 1934 to 1940 and produced by Waffenfabrik Mauser during World War II. It was originally produced in 15.1 mm caliber from 1940, with a ...

s in each wing root, fitted with

protection for the underside of the

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

, engines and

fuel tank A fuel tank (also called a petrol tank or gas tank) is a safe container for Flammability, flammable fluids, often gasoline or diesel fuel. Though any storage tank for fuel may be so called, the term is typically applied to part of an engine sys ...

s. No production known. The Fw 189B was a five-seat

training Training is teaching, or developing in oneself or others, any skills and knowledge or fitness that relate to specific useful competencies. Training has specific goals of improving one's capability, capacity, productivity and performance. I ...

aircraft; only 13 were built. * Fw 189B-0: Three preproduction aircraft. * Fw 189B-1: Five-seat training version. ten built. The Fw 189C was conceived as a heavily armoured ground-attack, close-support variant, in competition with the

. But its two prototypes (''V1b'' and ''V6'') were not satisfactory, and it was not produced. * Fw 189D: Proposed twin-float trainer

floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...

. Not built. * Fw 189E: Prototype only, powered by two 700 PS (690 hp, 515 kW) Gnome-Rhone 14M radial engines. * Fw 189F-1: Re-engined Fw 189 A-1 aircraft, powered by two 600 PS (592 hp, 441 kW)

Argus As 411 The Argus 411 was an air-cooled, inverted-V12 aircraft engine developed by Argus Motoren in Germany during World War II. Design and development The As 411 was a refined and more powerful version of the Argus As 410. Most 411 production was under ...

engines. * Fw 189F-2: Fitted with electrically operated

landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...

, increased fuel capacity and additional armour plating, powered by two 600 PS (592 hp, 441 kW)

engines.

Operators

; * ''

'' ; *

Bulgarian Air Force The Bulgarian Air Force () is one of the three branches of the Military of Bulgaria, the other two being the Bulgarian Navy and Bulgarian land forces. Its mission is to guard and protect the sovereignty of Bulgarian airspace, and jointly with ...

; *

Royal Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force (, ), is the air force branch of the Military of Hungary, Hungarian Defence Forces. The primary focus of the present Hungarian Air Force lies in defensive operations. The flying units operate are organised into a single ...

; *

Royal Norwegian Air Force The Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) () is the air force of Norway. It was established as a separate arm of the Norwegian Armed Forces on 10 November 1944. The RNoAF's peacetime establishment is approximately 2,430 employees (officers, enlisted ...

(postwar) ; *

Royal Romanian Air Force The Air Force branch of the Royal Romanian forces in World War II was officially named the (ARR, ), though it is more commonly referred to in English histories as the (Royal Romanian Air Force, FARR), or simply (Romanian Air Force). It provided ...

; *

Slovak Air Force (1939–1945) The Slovak Air Force (, or SVZ), between 1939 and 1945, was the air force of the short-lived World War II Slovak Republic (1939–1945), Slovak Republic. Its mission was to provide air support at fronts, and to protect Bratislava and metropolita ...

Slovak Insurgent Air Force The Slovak Resistance Air Force (in Slovak: ''Slovenské povstalecké letectvo'') was an Allied air unit which fought against Axis forces in Slovakia and participated in the Slovak National Uprising in August–October 1944. History The Slo ...

Surviving aircraft

Fw 189 ''V7+1H'' (''Werk Nr. 2100'') is the only surviving Fw 189. It was part of 1./''Nahaufklärungsgruppe 10'', with V7 originally the ''Geschwaderkennung'' code fo
Heeres-Aufklärungsgruppe 32
based at Pontsalenjoki (due east of

Kuusamo Kuusamo (; ; ; ) is a List of cities and towns in Finland, town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is located in Koillismaa, the northeastern part of the Northern Ostrobothnia regions of Finland, region. The municipality h ...

, and within the south-central area of modern Russia's

Republic of Karelia The Republic of Karelia, or simply Karelia or Karjala (; ) is a Republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the Northwest Russia, northwest of the country. The republic is a part of the Northwestern Federal District, and covers an area of ...

) and took part in its first mission on 4 May 1943. The mission was to photograph the

Loukhi-3 Loukhi-3 is an air base in the Republic of Karelia, Russia located west of Loukhi. It is a minor airstrip with only turnarounds and a 400-meter central taxiway. Loukhi had some use during World War II World War II or the Second Wo ...

airbase from an altitude of , then to continue north along the

Murmansk Murmansk () is a port city and the administrative center of Murmansk Oblast in the far Far North (Russia), northwest part of Russia. It is the world's largest city north of the Arctic Circle and sits on both slopes and banks of a modest fjord, Ko ...

–

Leningrad Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

railway. Approximately 31 minutes after taking off ''V7+1H'' was attacked and damaged by

Lend-Lease Lend-Lease, formally the Lend-Lease Act and introduced as An Act to Promote the Defense of the United States (),3,000 Hurricanes and >4,000 other aircraft) * 28 naval vessels: ** 1 Battleship. (HMS Royal Sovereign (05), HMS Royal Sovereign) * ...

-acquired

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

Hawker Hurricane The Hawker Hurricane is a British single-seat fighter aircraft of the 1930s–40s which was designed and predominantly built by Hawker Aircraft Ltd. for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). It was overshadowed in the public consciousness by ...

fighters. The aircraft dived to escape the fighters, but, owing to the damage suffered, could not pull out in time and it struck the treetops. The tail was torn off and the crew nacelle left hanging upside down within the trees. The pilot,

Lothar Mothes Lothar or Lothair is a Danish, Finnish, German, Norwegian, and Swedish masculine given name, while Lotár is a Hungarian masculine given name. Both names are modern forms of the Germanic Chlothar (which is a blended form of ''Hlūdaz'', meani ...

, survived but one crewman was killed in the crash and the third died from

blood loss Bleeding, hemorrhage, haemorrhage or blood loss, is blood escaping from the circulatory system from damaged blood vessels. Bleeding can occur internally, or externally either through a natural opening such as the mouth, nose, ear, urethra, v ...

as a result of a severed leg. Mothes survived two weeks in sub-zero temperatures, evading Soviet patrols while eating bark and grubs as he walked back to his base. He spent the next nine months in a hospital recovering from severe

frostbite Frostbite is a skin injury that occurs when someone is exposed to extremely low temperatures, causing the freezing of the skin or other tissues, commonly affecting the fingers, toes, nose, ears, cheeks and chin areas. Most often, frostbite occ ...

before returning to the front line, eventually to fly another 100 missions. In 1991 the wreckage of ''V7+1H'' was found in the Russian forest where it had remained for 48 years. The aircraft was purchased by a group of British aircraft enthusiasts and was shipped to the United Kingdom, arriving at

Worthing Worthing ( ) is a seaside town and borough in West Sussex, England, at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of Chichester. With a population of 113,094 and an area of , the borough is the second largest component of the Br ...

West Sussex West Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Surrey to the north, East Sussex to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Hampshire to the west. The largest settlement is Cr ...

in March 1992. The Focke Wulf 189 Restoration Society was formed to restore the aircraft to flying condition. Her former pilot, Lothar Mothes, met up again with his aircraft at the 1996 Biggin Hill Airshow. It was reported that this aircraft was acquired by

Paul Allen Paul Gardner Allen (January 21, 1953 – October 15, 2018) was an American businessman, computer programmer, and investor. He co-founded Microsoft, Microsoft Corporation with his childhood friend Bill Gates in 1975, which was followed by the ...

's Flying Heritage Collection and was in rebuild at Duxford to an airworthy condition, but as of August 1, 2021 was listed for sale.

Specifications (Fw 189 A-1)

Focke-Wulf Fw 189 A-1 3-view line drawing

References

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

* . Fw 189 V7+IH's final mission. * including the radial-engined E model. * for the Fw 189's rear gun turret. * . Focke Wulf Fw 189 owl historical video. * . Russian language, Soviet-produced recognition-training film on the Fw 189 reconnaissance aircraft. {{Authority control

Fw 189 The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 ''Uhu'' (Owl) is a twin-engine twin-boom tactical reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Focke-Wulf. It was one of the ''Luftwaffes most prominent short range ...

1930s German military reconnaissance aircraft Low-wing aircraft Twin-boom aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1941 Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft