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In the mid-1920s, two former
German military pilots Henrich Focke and Georg Wulf founded
an aeronautical firm in Bremen, the main purpose of which was
to create passenger aircraft, since at that time, according
to the Versailles agreements, Germany was not allowed to have
armed forces as well as aviation. In the mid-1920s and early
1930s, the company managed to build several successful types
of aircraft, but with the rise to power of the National
Socialists, a gradual withdrawal from the conditions of
Versailles began, with the tacit agreement of the former
victorious states.
In the mid-30s, passenger air
travel began to boom and the leading German airline,
Lufthansa, certainly did not want to lose the lead it had
already gained in this area. In 1935, a 4-engine passenger
aircraft project was commissioned that could carry at least
25 long-distance passengers. The winner was Focke-Wulf with
its Fw 200 project, developed by Chief Engineer Kurt Tank. In
1937, a prototype was built, which successfully passed its
tests and the type soon began its commercial activities.
The Second World War, which
began on the 1st of September, 1939, immediately set before
the German command the urgent task of a complete blockade of
Great Britain, which depended heavily on foreign supplies
from the colonies and dominions of the Empire. In September
1939, the military inspected Focke-Wulf's production
facilities and came to the conclusion that the Condor (as the
airplane was officially known) could be quickly converted
into a maritime patrol aircraft for various missions over the
sea. Thus began a new page in the story of the one time air
transport.
The first 20 airframes which
received the C-1 designation were, in fact, converted B
variant machines, which participated in the German invasion
of Norway in the spring of 1940. The C-1 was followed by the
C-2 and C-3 variants, which had enhanced armament and
extended range. From the mid-1940s, they launched a campaign
of terror over the seas surrounding the British Isles,
hunting not only convoys of ships but also single marine
vessels. Following the assimilation of various European
countries, the opportunity arose to equip bases for the
Condor in France, Denmark and Norway. The planes could range
up to 4,000 km and return to any of the bases in the event of
a technical malfunction or damage following an encounter with
an enemy in the air. The co-operative tactics of the Condors
working with the Krigsmarine submarines proved to be very
effective when the reconnaissance planes reported to the Wolf
Packs the coordinates of convoys and large military transport
vessels.
The
situation changed radically in mid-1943, when the British
were able to confront the Condor not only with enhanced
anti-aircraft firepower on warships, but also new long-range
aircraft that could patrol the sea for extended periods,
searching for the sinister Condors in the sky. Fw 200 losses
increased substantially and it was therefore decided to
change their tactics. The aircraft were to conduct aerial
reconnaissance, mount increased weaponry for protection from
all hemispheres, as well as gain the ability to conduct a
remote attack from the air using the latest development - Hs
293 guided bombs. The aircraft would also be equipped with
the FuG 200 Hohentwiel radar. This version was designated the
C-6 and was used for a limited period during 1944, since the
Hs 293 bombs were not
sufficiently proven yet to be effective against enemy
targets.
Overall,
the role of the Fw 200 in the early years of World War II was
very important. Their close co-operation with the submarines
almost led to the fall of Great Britain. The aircraft had
certain design flaws, which were due to its civilian lineage,
and which were fairly quickly identified by enemy pilots.
However, the Fw 200 Condor can definitely be called one of
the most significant aircraft types of the Second World War.
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