Fw 190D-9/R5

[greybeard]

I am intrigued by the Fw 190D-9 / R5. Strange adaptation of what seems to me an air superiority fighter to the role of close tactical support. Could you help me understand which squadrons used it, where, when and with what outcome?

 

[Denniss]

What's so special? Just a normal 190D with belly + underwing bomb racks as Fighter-bomber with some extra bombs

 

[greybeard]

What's so special?

Well, apparently not so ordinary; it could carry R4M too:

Anyway, my question was:<<which squadrons used it, where, when and with what outcome? >>

Thanks for your comment.

 

[Wurger]

But it doesn't mean that's the D-9/R5 variant
FalkeEins - the Luftwaffe blog: R4M rocket-toting Fw 190 Dora - Doras and rockets at Schongau

 

[greybeard]

But it doesn't mean that's the D-9/R5 variant...

Interesting point of view; so far I gave that for granted! Indeed most sources define R5 as the capacity to carry four 50 kg bombs on ETC 71 pylons (it is unclear if they actually carried operationally 70 kg bombs too), this was true also for earlier variants.

In the meantime I found some hint about operational use here (translated from Italian):
"On February 25, III./JG 54 was absorbed by JG 26 with Dortenmann's 11. / JG 54 renamed 14. / JG 26. On March 29, 1945,
Oberleutnant Dortenmann was appointed Staffelkapitän of 3. / JG 26. He was awarded the Ritterkreuz on April 20, 1945 for his 35 victories.
During this time he flew 28 ground attack missions, destroying a transport glider, two aircraft, a tank truck, seven trucks, three armored personnel carriers and an anti-aircraft post.
He flew his last combat mission on April 27, shooting down a Yak-3 over Berlin."

Also from other hints it looks that during March-April 1945 JG 26 operated "Jabo" versions of the Fw 190D-9 that could be R5 or other kinds of field conversions (maybe including rocket launchers), brought into action as fighter-bombers.

 

[Wurger]

The R4M rocket was the air-to-air missile and wasn't used for the Jabo missions rather.

 

[greybeard]

The R4M rocket was the air-to-air missile and wasn't used for the Jabo missions rather.

Thank you for this further comment that sheds new light (for me) on the use of the Dora-9s that were fitted with the 26 R4M "slim" rockets (so to speak, to distinguish them from the "fat" R4M / PB2): they were intended for use air-to-air (presumably against large Allied bombers - such as the same ones employed on the Me 262).

There were also "jabo" D-9s, but armed only with bombs - probably the real R5s.