Ep.234 - The Luftwaffe Mavericks with Robert Forsyth

Let me come back to something I skipped over and I just want to come back.

You talked about their vulnerability to 262 and JV44's vulnerability at the airfield landing, taking off because of the speed and their lack of agility at low speed.

Tell us about the role of the Focke-Wulf 190 Doras and the red and white underside.

Yeah, that was known as the popular, you know, it's become known as the Papa Guy Staffel, the Parrot Staffel, or the Sachsenberg Schwarm after the commanding officer Heinz Sachsenberg.

Yeah, they had the idea because, as you said, Peter, because the 262 was this vulnerable aeroplane at certain points, particularly at landing, but pretty also at taking off.

Yeah.

They thought, well, we'll get a fighter protection unit.

That was nothing new in itself.

But they wanted the D9.

And the Focke-Wulf D9 was a superlative fighter.

It had a BMW engine.

It embodied all the... all the superiority and advantages of the Focke-Wulf 190 as a gun platform.

I mean, I'm very biased about the Focke-Wulf 190.

I think it's a wonderful aeroplane.

And it was everything, you know, the UMO and BMW, everything came together.

And the weaponry and the shape and the aerodynamic qualities of the aircraft, it all came together in the D9.

And there were later a D12 and even a D13 aircraft.

And these were the long-nosed 190s.

And Galland actually, just while he was still General der Jagdflieger, commanding general of the fighter force, he had a Staffel, which was like a commander's squadron.

And he had some D9s in that squadron.

And he recognized their ability.

And he said, right, let's get a few down at Munich Rheem.

And they were there.

And Galland, They painted their undersides red and white stripes, which was quite a unique thing to do so that they could be seen quickly and hurriedly.

And I think, to be honest with you, Peter, I think they've become more of a modeling subject.