Fw 190 A-5 ground attack questions

[NETSCAPE]

As I'm sifting over all the airfields and frontline data for the Kuban area I am scratching my head about many things 190 related. II./Sch.G.1 operated out of Anapa, and that is the group the following questions should apply to. 

 

Did the dedicated Fw 190A-5's of Sch.G.1 ever engage in air to air combat? If they did was it only in defense or were they deliberate patrol/intercept missions? 

 

Did the dedicated ground attack 190s receive cover from 109s? If so how often roughly? (I know 109s were operating out of Anapa and Taman)

 

I am assuming the bomb racks where fixed and not easy to take on and off. I couldn't find information on this though. I guess it comes down to the question: how dedicated were the dedicated ground attack 190s?

 

What was the common/typical load-outs for ground attack? 4 x SC50s + 1 x SC250? what about 8 x SC50s? 

 

Did they fly sorties in groups of 4 in the typical 4 finger formation?

 

I'm still weighing up all the options for a Kuban campaign. (excluding a Hs 129, or A 20 campaign since Juri and Gambit have dibs on those) 

 

As usual, thanks again guys. If we were talking Stugs or or Pz. III variants I could weigh in on these conversations more haha. 

[Yogiflight]

 

 

I am assuming the bomb racks where fixed and not easy to take on and off.

Not to forget the heavy additional armor.

[Juri_JS]

Did the dedicated Fw 190A-5's of Sch.G.1 ever engage in air to air combat? If they did was it only in defense or were they deliberate patrol/intercept missions?

Schlacht units were not assigned fighter missions, but during ground attack missions the pilots would sometimes also engage enemy aircraft when the situation was favorable and it did not interfere with the main mission.

 

Did the dedicated ground attack 190s receive cover from 109s? If so how often roughly? (I know 109s were operating out of Anapa and Taman)

This depended on the situation. When air opposition was weak, missions were sometimes flown without fighter cover. When no cover from a fighter unit was available but an escort was deemed necessary, some of the Schlacht units pilots would act as escort. Some Schlacht pilots amassed a large number of kills during such escort missions, the best example is Hermann Buchner.

 

I am assuming the bomb racks where fixed and not easy to take on and off. I couldn't find information on this though. I guess it comes down to the question: how dedicated were the dedicated ground attack 190s?

They could be removed in the field. According to a report from 1944 I've read, Schlacht pilots acting as escort had their wing racks removed and only kept the central rack.

 

 

What was the common/typical load-outs for ground attack? 4 x SC50s + 1 x SC250? what about 8 x SC50s?

I don't know which load-outs were typical during 1943, but in 1944 Schlacht units preferred AB-250 and AB-500 containers with SD bombs, which we don't have in the game.

 

Did they fly sorties in groups of 4 in the typical 4 finger formation?

Yes.

 

By the way, if you can read German I would suggest to take a look at this document (poor quality), describing Schlachtflieger tactics in the northern part of the eastern front in 1944:

http://www.yogysoft.de/DL/Schlachtflieger_44_v_Rhoden.pdf

 

A very short English summary can be found here:

http://www.yogysoft.de/Schlachtflieger.htm

[NETSCAPE]

Thanks a lot guys. 

[NETSCAPE]

wow the altitude and dive angle of attack is not what I had imagined. Intense! Now I have to try this method in game. 

[Juri_JS]

The reason for the high attack altitude mentioned in  the report was the strong fighter and AAA defence in 1944 and the fact that some AB container ammunition needed to be dropped from above 1000 m (summary says below 1000 m, which is wrong). Attack altitudes in 1943 were certainly lower with more shallow dive angles.

[707shap_Srbin]

 

 

Schlacht units were not assigned fighter missions,

II./SG2 flew intercept missions in june-july 1944 against USAAF B-17's/B-24's/P-51's/P-47's, losing sevaral great exp[erten (like StaKa 4./SG2 Hptm. Muller). 

[Yogiflight]

 

 

II./SG2 flew intercept missions in june-july 1944 against USAAF B-17's/B-24's/P-51's/P-47's, losing sevaral great exp[erten (like StaKa 4./SG2 Hptm. Muller).

Did they fly these missions with Schlachtflieger versions of the 190, with the additional armor, or were they equipped with fighter versions for flying intercept missions?

[707shap_Srbin]

They used ordinary Fw190F-8's. It was Gallands order to use II./SG2 in a fighter role. He was going to take II./SG77 and II./SG2 (as a most scoring Schlachtflieger Gruppen) from Schlachtflieger to Jagdflieger branch, but after overoll protest from other Luftwaffe generals he had to step back.

Also, Fw190's of III./SKG10 in NorthAfrika and later some SG4 in Italy were ordered to attack 4-engined bombers in 1943-44.

 

SG4 lost one of the best ground attack pilots in Luftwaffe, Jorg Dorffel (1000+ combat missions from sept.1939 to 1944), in combat vs B-17's and their escort, in 1944.

Edited September 9, 2017 by I./ZG1_Panzerbar