06/30/2012. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "During the spring of 1944, Fw 190 A-0 V17 (c/n 0039) was re-engined with a 1,776 hp Junkers Jumo 213A-1 twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled unit as prototype for the proposed D-series. To compensate for the increased fuselage length, the machine, redesignated Fw 190 V17/U1, was fitted with enlarged vertical tail surf aces. It first flew in May 1944 from Langenhagen and proved an immediate success.

The second prototype, the Fw 190 V53 (c/n 170003), was similar but had increased armament-four MG 151/20 cannon in the wings and two engine-mounted MG 131 machine guns. The Fw 190 V54 (c/n 174024) was similar; but the fourth aircraft, the Fw 190 V21 (c/n 0043), was fitted with a new wing, the area of which was increased to 211 sq.ft (19.6 sq.m). In August 1944 a small pre-production batch of ten Fw 190 D-0s (c/ns 210001 to 210010) were converted from Fw 190 A-7 airframes, the ninth aircraft being delivered to Junkers for engine tests.

The first production model was designated Fw 190 D-9 as it was intended that it would replace the A-8 on the assembly lines. The aircraft had two MG 151/20 cannon in the wings and two MG 131 machine guns mounted above the engine. Early aircraft were fitted with a conventional cockpit cover, but most machines had the bulged hood of the F-series. Provision was made for MW-50 water-methanol injection which could boost the power of the Jumo 213A engine to 2,240 hp for short periods. These aircraft were equipped with the ETC 504 bomb rack which could carry either a 79.25 gal (300 l) drop tank or an SC 250 bomb. The Fw 190 D-9/R11 was an all-weather fighter with FuG 125 Hermine directional finding system.

The Fw 190 D-9, or "Dora 9" as it was nicknamed by the Jagdflieger (fighter pilots), entered service with III/JG 54 (Jagdgeschwader 54) commanded by Major Robert 'Bazi' Weiss in the autumn of 1944. After re-equipment, the unit transferred to Hesepe and Achmer to protect the activities of the experimental jet fighter unit, Kommando Nowotny.

The next Gruppe to be equipped with the aircraft was I/JG 26 under Major Karl Borris, the pilot who had first introduced the Fw 190A into Luftwaffe service in August 1941. The unit was based at Handrup, Northwest of Osnabrück, and became operational early in October 1944. At first, pilots of these two units treated the aircraft with some distrust, but operations soon proved that the 'Dora-9' had a much superior performance to the Fw 190 A-8. In fact many fighter pilots considered that the Fw 190 D-9 was the finest piston-engined fighter to enter Luftwaffe service.

On 25 December, 1944, III/JG 54 was transferred to Varrelbusch between Achmer and Oldenburg and placed under the control of Oberst Josef Priller's Jagdgeschwader 26. Four days later the Kommandeur, Hauptman Weiss, and five other pilots were in combat with a large 'Spitfire formation over Lingen/Ems and were killed. Both III/JG 54 and I/JG 26 took part in the famous attack on Allied airfields on January 1, 1945, and, shortly afterwards, II/JG 26 under Major Anton Hackl was equipped with the Fw 190 D-9. During the first months of 1945, the Fw 190 D-9 was also delivered to JG 2 under Oberstleutnant Kurt Bühligen and JG 301 under Oberstleutnant Aufhammer.

In April 1945, JG 6 under Major Gerhard Barkhom based at Sorau/Silesia was equipped with no less than 150 brand-new Fw 190 D-9 fighters from the nearby Focke-Wulf factory. Only Barkhom and his wing-man retained their Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-14s, but lack of fuel resulted in the Geschwader having to restrict patrols to four aircraft at a time.

The first two Fw 190 D-0s (c/ns 210001 and 210002) were modified during the late summer of 1944 as prototypes for the proposed Fw 190 D-10 production series. The aircraft differed from the Fw 190 D-9 in having the two MG 131 machine guns replaced by a single 1.18 in (30 mm) MK 108 cannon firing through the spinner. The next proposed model was the Fw 190 D-11 for which seven prototypes were constructed.

The Fw 190 V55 (c/n 170923) and V56 (c/n 170924) were each powered by a Jumo 213F engine with MW-50 water-methanol injection, the latter aircraft flying for the first time on August 31, 1944. The V57, V58 and V59 (c/n 170926, 170933 and 350156) were all rebuilt from Fw 190 A-8s, c/n 350156 crashing on October 9, 1944. The Fw 190 V60 (c/n 350157) was similar but unarmed, and the V61 (c/n 350158) was delivered to Junkers as an engine test bed. The Fw 190 D-11 had two MG 151/20 and two MK 108 cannon but never went into production.

The Fw 190 D-12 was designed as a ground attack fighter, with two MG 151/20 cannon in the wing roots and a single MK 108 cannon firing through the spinner. It was powered by a 2,060 hp Jumo 213F engine, the installation being surrounded by armor plate. The first prototype was the Fw 190 V65 (c/n 350167) which was intended to precede the D-12/R5 production model. It was fitted with four extra fuel tanks containing a further 81.89 gal (310 l), and was re-engined with a Jumo 213EB.

The Fw 190 V63 and V64 (c/ns 350165 and 350166) were converted from Fw 190 A-8 airframes and completed in November and December 1944 respectively. Intended to precede the Fw 190 D-12/R11 all-weather fighter, these aircraft were fitted with PKS 12 directional control and FuG 125 radio equipment. The Fw 190 D-12/R21 was fitted with MW-50 water-methanol injection and could attain a maximum speed of 453 mph (730 kmh) at 36,091 ft (11,000 m). The Fw 190 D-12/R25 was similar to the D-12/R5 but was powered by a Jumo 213EB. Production of the Fw 190 D-12 began at the Arado and Fieseler factories in March 1945.

The Fw 190 D-13 was powered by a Jumo 213EB and had three MG 151/20 cannon. Two prototypes were built, the Fw 190 V62 (c/n 732053) and the Fw 190 V71 (c/n 732054), both converted from standard production Fw 190 A-8s. The Fw 190 D-13/R5, R11, R21, and R25 were all similar to the D-12 series apart from their armament. The Fw 190D-14 was similar to the previous D-series aircraft, but was powered by a 1,800 hp Daimler-Benz DB 603A. Two prototypes were built, the Fw 190 V76 (c/n 210040) converted from a Fw 190 D-9 and the Fw 190 V77 (c/n 200043) converted from a Fw 190 D-12.

The pictured "Yellow 10" was delivered to III/JG 26 in March 1945, and flown by the last JG 26 commander, Major Franz Götz. In May 1945 Götz surrendered this aircraft at the RAF base in Flensburg, Germany, and under the Foreign Equipment number "FE-118" it was shipped to the US for evaluation aboard the HMS Reaper in July 1945.

In 1948 it was donated to the Georgia Institute of Technology, in 1971 it was acquired by David Kyte and it came on display at the Nazi Museum, Santa Barbara, California. The following year it was purchased by Doug Champlin of Windward Aviation at Enid, Oklahoma and it was shipped to Germany for a four-year restoration by Art Williams of Günzburg with assistance from Prof. Kurt Tank. Largely completed it returned to the USA in 1976 and was registered N190D.

Between 1981 and 2001 the aircraft was on display at the Champlin Fighter Museum at Mesa, Arizona, whereafter it was complete rebuild by Gosshawk Aviation at Falcon Field. On July 11, 2007 it was registered to Vulcan Warbirds Inc. at Seattle, Washington, and subsequently it was put on display at the Museum of Flight in Seattle. Presently it is in the Flying Heritage Collection. Although still registered, it will not be flown because it is such a rare example of the Fw 190 line."