Focke-Wulf Ta 152

Ta 152
275px
British-captured Ta 152H
Type	Interceptor
Manufacturer	Focke-Wulf
Introduced	October 1944
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	~150 with prototypes

The Focke-Wulf Ta 152 was a World War II Luftwaffe high-altitude interceptor fighter aircraft. It was made in two versions—the Ta 152 H Höhenjäger and the Ta 152 C designed for slightly lower altitude operations using a different engine and smaller wing. The Ta 152 was a development of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 aircraft, but the prefix was changed from "Fw" to "Ta"' to recognize the contributions of Kurt Tank who headed the design team. The first Ta 152 entered service with the Luftwaffe in October 1944, and only 67 production aircraft were delivered. This was too late in the war to allow the Ta 152 to have a significant impact on the war effort.

Design and development

Due to the difficulties German interceptors were having when battling American B-17s, and in light of rumors of new B-29 bombers with better capabilities, 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 with the Fw 190 Ra-2 and Fw 190 Ra-3, which soon became the Ta 152B and Ta 152H, both based on the then successful Fw 190 D-9.

Kurt Tank originally designed the Ta 152 using the Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine as it offered better high altitude performance and also a greater developmental potential. The 603 had been used in the Fw 190 B/C with 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 Junkers Jumo 213E as the Ta 152's power plant.

The Ta 152's fuselage was an extended version of the Fw 190 D9 fuselage with larger tail surfaces, and hydraulic rather than electrically controlled undercarriage and flaps. Due to the changes in the center of gravity and overall balance, the wing was moved slightly forward.

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 armorglass windscreen for bad-weather operations).

Fuel capacity was 595 liters (130.9Igal/157.2USgal) for the H-0 model with the option of a 300 liter (66Igal/79.2USgal) drop tank on the centerline. The H-1 model carried an additional 454 litres (100Igal/120USgal) of fuel in six unprotected bag tanks in the wings; typically one of these tanks was used to hold the MW 50 methanol-water mixture and another for GM-1 nitrous oxide. The H-1 could also carry a 300 liter underbelly drop tank.

Design for high-altitude performance

To reach higher altitudes a pressurized cockpit was added. The canopy was sealed via a circular tube filled with foam rubber which was inflated by a compressed air bottle, while the engine compartment was also sealed from the cockpit with a foam rubber ring. A Knorr 300/10 air compressor provided the pressure, maintaining the cockpit at .36 atmospheres (5.29psi) above 8,000 meters (26,246 ft). To prevent fogging, the windscreen was of a double-pane style with an 8mm (.315") thick outer pane and a 3mm (.118") inner pane with a 6mm (.236") gap. The gap was fitted with silica to absorb any moisture forming between the panes.

The aircraft had an increased wingspan compared to the previous Fw 190 design, as a further accommodation towards better high-altitude performance. 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. This design allowed the pilot to maintain roll control during a stall and extreme flight envelope maneuvers.

The Ta 152H boasted excellent high-altitude performance, using a Jumo 213 E engine (a high-altitude version of the Jumo 213 A/C used in the FW 190 D), a 2-stage, 3-speed supercharger and the MW 50 methanol-water mixture engine boost system.

Armament

The H-model had heavy armament to allow it to deal quickly with enemy aircraft. It had three cannon firing through the propeller arc: one MK 108 30 mm Motorkanone cannon centered within the propeller hub and two MG 151/20 20 mm cannons located in the wing roots.

The C-model was designed to operate at lower altitudes than the H-model, and had even heavier armament consisting of one MK 108 30 mm Motorkanone cannon firing through the propeller hub, and four MG 151/20 20 mm cannons. Two of the 20 mm cannons were mounted above the engine (in the engine cowling), and the other two in the wing roots. The Ta 152 C could destroy the heaviest enemy bombers with a short burst but the added weight decreased speed and rate of turn.

Performance

The Ta 152H was among the fastest piston-engined fighters of the war, capable of speeds up to 755 km/h (472 mph) at 13,500 m (41,000 feet, using the GM-1 boost) and 560 km/h (350 mph) at sea level (using the MW-50 boost). To help it attain this speed it used the MW 50 water-methanol injection system mainly for lower altitudes (up to about 10,000 m or 32,800 ft) and the GM-1 nitrous oxide injection system for higher altitudes, although both systems could be engaged at the same time. The Ta 152 was one of the first aircraft specifically designed to employ a nitrous oxide power boost system.

In late 1944 Kurt Tank reported that while flying an unarmed Ta 152H to a meeting at the Focke-Wulf plant in Cottbus, he saw four P-51 Mustangs. He made his escape by engaging the MW 50 boost, opening the throttle wide to gain maximum speed to escape the enemy fighters, and left the four Mustangs behind him. There is no evidence from Allied reports that these P-51s ever saw him.

Operational history

By fall 1944 the war was going 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. Issues 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 20 pre-production Ta 152 H-0s were delivered in October and November 1944 to Erprobungskommando Ta 152 to service test the airplane. 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. The Ta 152 was not afforded the time to work out all the little quirks and errors plaguing all new designs. These problems proved impossible to rectify given the situation in Germany towards the end of the war, and only two Ta 152 C remained operational when Germany surrendered.

III./Jagdgeschwader 301 was ordered to convert to the type in February 1945, but lack of aircraft made that impossible. In the end, available Ta-152s were pooled in a special Stabstaffel JG 301, first based at Alteno, 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, pilots had to look for additional 152s themselves.

First combat occurred on 14 April 1945 when Oberfeldwebel Willy Reschke tried to intercept a De Havilland Mosquito over Stendal, but failed to catch up due to engine trouble.

Operational missions were flown in April 1945 from Neustadt, mostly escorting close support aircraft to the Battle of Berlin. On 14 April 1945, Reschke shot down a Hawker Tempest of 486 Sqn RAF in a low level dogfight near Neustadt.

On the 24th, Reschke and Oberfeldwebel Walter Loos each claimed two Yakovlev Yak-9s in shot down near Berlin, Loos claiming two further victories on 25 and 30 April.

The total number of Ta 152 production is not well known but it estimated to be approximately ~150 aircraft of all types including prototypes. Of the estimated 150 Ta 152 Hs produced, more than half were destroyed by the allies before they could be delivered to the air force. A total of 67 aircraft were known to have been delivered to the Luftwaffe between October 1944 and February 1945.

Japanese version

In April 1945, the Japanese Army had acquired the license, schemes and technical drawings for manufacturing the Ta 152 in Japan . During the last stages of the conflict in Germany, with the plight of the Japanese armed forces growing ever bleaker, a very large influx of the latest aviation technology Germany had to offer was given to or bought by the Japanese air force in the hopes that it would stem the tide of defeats and ever increasing pressure by the superior aircraft the Allies were putting into the field.

That the Japanese sought to purchase the technology of the Ta 152, was logical in the sense that they had to battle the Boeing B-29, but no evidence exists that the Japanese had started development of a Ta 152, or even if the plans made it to Japan at all before August 1945.

Variants

Ta 152C-1

Small wing, armed with one engined-mounted 30-mm MK 108 cannon and four 20-mm MG 151/20 cannons in the wing roots.

Ta 152C-2

Small wing, equipped with an improved radio.

Ta 152C-3

Small wing, armed with one engined-mounted 30-mm MK 103 cannon and four 20-mm MG 151/20 cannons in the wings.

Ta 152E-1

Photographic reconnaissance version of the Ta 152C.

Ta 152E-2

High-altitude version, powered by a Junkers Jumo 213E engine.

Ta 152H-0

Long wing, 20 pre-production aircraft.

Ta 152H-1

Long wing, armed with one engine-mounted 30-mm MK 108 cannon and two 20-mm MG 151/20 cannons in the wings, additional fuel tanks located in the wings

Survivors

Only one example of any of the Ta 152 aircraft is known to exist, a long-winged Ta 152 H-1 of the former Luftwaffe Wilde Sau fighter wing, JG 301, at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C., which is awaiting restoration.

See also

Related development
Focke-Wulf Fw 190

Designation sequence
Go 149 - Go 150 - Kl 151 - Ta 152 - Kl 152 - Ta 153 - Ta 154 Related lists
List of military aircraft of Germany

References

Notes

Bibliography

• Donald, David, ed. Warplanes of the Luftwaffe. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1994. ISBN 1-874023-56-5.
• Lowe, Malcolm. Production Line to Front Line #5, Focke-Wulf Fw 190. London: Osprey, 2003. ISBN 1-84176-438-8.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Focke-Wulf Ta 152

• Sole surviving example of the Ta 152-Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum
• Ta 152
• Ta 152

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