Focke-Wulf FW-190 A8

The Fw 190A-8 was one of the most important Luftwaffe fighters of the later war years, valued by pilots for its reliability, durability, and firepower. It was respected by Allied pilots as a tough opponent and earned the nickname Butcher Bird . More than 6,600 A-8 variants were produced before the war s end.Werk Numner 173056Focke-Wulf 190-A8 werk nummer 173056 was manufactured in Cottbus, Germany in July 1944. The original data tag for the aircraft displays the letters NAT which suggest it was manufactured at the Focke-Wulf plant in Marienburg, Germany, however, this plant was destroyed in an air raid on the 9th of October 1943. It is believed several aircraft sub-assemblies including w/n 173056 were rescued from the Marienburg ruins and transported to Cottbus, Germany for final assembly. History suggests w/n 173056 joined Gruppe I of Jagdeschwader 11 (I./JG11) in late July/early August 1944 where it flew as White 14 . Jagdgeschwader 11 was a German fighter wing operating underLuftflotte 3 (Air Fleet 3) one of the primary divisions of the German Luftwaffe in World War II. On August the 17th 1944, Luftflotte 3 was ordered to withdraw to Reims after concentrating most of its efforts on attempting to hamper Allied tanks pushing on towards Paris. By August the 30th 1944 Reims was liberated by allied ground forces and almost immediately, the United States Army Air Forces IX Engineer Command 850th Engineer Aviation Battalion cleared Reims airport of mines and destroyed Luftwaffe aircraft.In 1989, w/n 173056 was retrieved from Reims with the intent of being restored in France. In 2001 the wreckage was purchased by an American collector, and in 2002 it was sold to Don Hansen of Louisiana USA, who tasked PAI Aero with the restoration project. Although some of 173056 was able to be salvaged from the twisted remains, PAI Aero relied heavily on Flug Werk for components. After ten and a half years, Fw 190A-8, w/n 173056, took to the air on October 9th, 2011. From