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by Robert Forsyth (Author), Gareth Hector (Illustrator), Jim Laurier (Illustrator)
The Fw 190D-9 -- the 'long-nosed' Dora -- represented the cutting edge and pinnacle of wartime Germany's piston-engine aviation development. This new history by leading German aviation specialist Robert Forsyth reveals what it was like to pilot her in combat as Germany desperately battled to remain in the war.
Arguably one of the finest piston-engined fighters ever built, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190D-9 raised the bar in terms of aircraft design and operational capability during World War II. Designed by Kurt Tank, the 'long-nosed' Fw 190D9 'Dora' bettered most of the fighters that the Allied and Soviet air forces could field when it first appeared in the skies over the Western and Eastern Fronts in 1944. Indeed, with experienced German pilots at the controls it proved to be an immediate match for even the later-mark Griffon Spitfire and the P-51D/K. Well-armed, with two 13mm machine guns and two 20mm cannon, the D-9 began to equip Luftwaffe units from August 1944. Later on in the war, one of the key missions of the D-9 was to provide top cover for Me 262 jet fighters when they were at their most vulnerable during take-off and landing. Featuring first-hand accounts, photographs, artwork, and innovative and colorful 3D ribbon diagrams, this fascinating volume portrays what it was like to fly the superlative Fw 190D-9 in combat, providing a realistic insight in to how German pilots used the superb Focke-Wulf aircraft in combat against American, British, and Russian fighters in the Defense of the Reich in 1944-45.Author Biography
Robert Forsyth is an author, editor, and publisher, specializing in military aviation and military history. He co-founded a publishing and book production business in 1995 which has produced some 250 illustrated reference books on military aviation, armored warfare, vintage motor sport, history, biography, and wildlife.
He is the author of thirty books, including twenty-one titles for Osprey Publishing, on the aircraft, units, and operations of the Luftwaffe, and he has been consulted for television on the same subject. He has written articles for The Aviation Historian, Aerojournal, Aeroplane Monthly, Aviation News, Combat Aircraft, and FlyPast and he is a member of the Editorial Board of The Aviation Historian.
