L'aereo - Focke Wulf Ta 152 H-1 - Myouth - Ricordi degli anni '70

• Ta 152 A: doveva essere la prima versione, ma risulta non aver mai lasciato i tavoli da disegno; era previsto impiegasse il motore Junkers Jumo 213A e che fosse armato con 7 cannoni di cui uno sparante attraverso il mozzo dell'elica (MK 108 oppure MK 103), due MG 151 nel muso, sopra il motore, e quattro nelle ali di cui due MG 151 posti alla radice alare e due (MG 151 o MK 103 oppure MK 108) nella sezione esterna delle semiali;
• Ta 152 B: versione con motore Junker Jumo 213E destinato a quote operative più elevate della precedente ma con apertura alare di dimensioni ordinarie;
• Ta 152 C: era la seconda versione progettata per la produzione in serie. Destinata nelle intenzioni a ricoprire il ruolo di cacciabombardiare, montava il motore Daimler-Benz DB 603 da 2 100 cv (1 566 kW) nella versione "LA" (dotato di compressore). La grande lunghezza di questo motore imponeva l'allungamento della fusoliera e la maggiorazione della superficie dei piani di coda mentre l'apertura alare sarebbe rimasta invariata a 11 metri. Risultano essere stati approntati almeno 8 prototipi ma non ci sono notizie di esemplari di serie. Anche il propulsore non andò oltre la fase di prototipo;
  • Ta 152 C-1: montava nel motore un cannone MK 108 da 30 millimetri e quattro MG 151 da 20 mm.; fu anche studiata la variante C-1/R14 per l'impiego in qualità di aerosilurante.
  • Ta 152 C-2: versione uguale al C-1 ma con radio potenziata.
  • Ta 152 C-3: versione uguale al C-1 se non per essere equipaggiato con 1 cannone MK 103 da 30 mm e 4 MG 151 da 20 mm.
• Ta 152 E: modello da foto-ricognizione equipaggiato con il motore Jumo 213 E;
  • Ta 152 E-1: sub-variante del modello "E" con ali standard, basata sulle misure previste per le varianti B e C;
  • Ta 152 E-2: destinata all'impiego in alta quota, con ali con apertura di 14,82 m;
• Ta 152 H: unica versione prodotta in un numero significativo di esemplari, caratterizzata dall'armamento consistente in un cannone MK 108 da 30 mm montato nel motore e due MG 151 da 20 mm alla base delle ali. Incorporava tutte le soluzioni studiate per la migliore resa alle quote elevate (quali il motore dotato di compressore meccanico per l'impiego a quote superiori i 10 000 m ed ali allungate a 14,44 m) e serbatoi addizionali nelle ali;
• Ta 152 S: variante da addestramento, basata sulla cellula del Ta 152 C e dotata dello stesso motore Daimler-Benz DB 603.

Germania: Luftwaffe

"As the direction of take-off was in line with the railway tracks leading straight to Ludwigslust, we were almost immediately in contact with the enemy fighters, which turned out to be Tempests. Flying in No 3 position I witnessed Oberfeldwebel Sattler ahead of me dive into the ground seconds before we reached them. It was hardly possible for his crash to have been the result of enemy action, as the two Tempest pilots had clearly only just registered our presence. So now it was two against two as the ground-level dogfight began. We knew the Tempest to be a very fast fighter, used by the British to chase and shoot down our V-1s. But here, in a fight, which was never to climb above 50 metres, speed would not play a big part. The machines' ability to turn would be all important. Both pilots realised from the start that it would be a fight to the finish and used every flying trick and tactical ploy possible to try to gain the upper hand. At this altitude, neither could afford to make the slightest mistake. And for the first time since flying the Ta 152 I began full to appreciate exactly what this aircraft could do.

Pulling ever tighter turns I got closer and closer to the Tempest, never once feeling I was even approached the limit of the Ta's capabilities. And in order to keep out of my sights, the Tempest pilot was being forced to take increasingly dangerous evasive action. When he flicked over onto the opposite wing I knew his last attempt to turn inside me had failed. The first burst of fire from my Ta 152 caught the Tempest in the tail and rear fuselage. The enemy aircraft shuddered noticeably and, probably as an instinctive reaction, the Tempest pilot immediately yoked into a starboard turn, giving me an even greater advantage.

Now there was no escape for the Tempest. I pressed my gun buttons a second time, but after a few rounds my weapons fell silent, and despite all my efforts to clear them, refused to fire another shot. I can no longer remember just who and what I didn't curse. But fortunately the Tempest pilot didn't realise my predicament as he'd already taken hits. Instead, he continued desperately to twist and turn and I positioned myself so that I was always just within his field of vision. Eventually – inevitably – he stalled. The Tempest's left wing dropped and he crashed into the woods immediately below us.

It so happened that the site of Oberfeldwebel Sattler's crash, and that of the Tempest pilot, who proved to be New Zealander Warrant Officer Owen J. Mitchell, were only about one kilometre apart. They were buried side-by-side in Neustadt-Glewe cemetery the next day with full military honours."

"Although it is possible that the Ta 152C and Ta 152E might have entered limited production late in the war or at least had components ready for assembly, the version of Ta 152 that was definitely series produced was the high-altitude Ta 152H, as summarised below. However, there are still many gaps in our knowledge of exactly how many Ta 152H production aircraft were made, and what planned Werk Nummer blocks were. Production could have commenced very late in the war of the Ta 152C by ATG at Leipzig, and by Siebel at Schkeuditz between Leipzig and Halle. Similarly the dedicated reconnaissance Ta 152E might have commenced production by MMW at Erfurt-Nord, with production there later switching to the Ta 152C, but considerable mystery still surrounds these programmes in the last weeks of the war."

Ta 152 C-0 Pre-production aircraft, 1 prototype built powered with 2,100-hp (1566 kW) Daimler Benz DB603LA engine. The extra length of this engine, as with the Jumo 213-powered Fw 190D-9, required a compensating rear fuselage plug and enlarged tail surfaces, and wing span was increased to 36 ft 1 in (11 meters). All "C" variants were intended for low to medium-altitude operations.
Ta 152 C-1 Standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)), armed with one engine-mounted Motorkanone 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannon and four 20 mm synchronized MG 151/20 cannons (two above the engine, two in the wing roots).
Ta 152 C-2 Standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)), equipped with an improved radio.
Ta 152 C-3 Standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)), armed with one engine-mounted Motorkanone 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 103 cannon and four 20 mm synchronized MG 151/20 cannons (two above the engine, two in the wing roots).
Ta 152 E-1 Photographic reconnaissance version of the Ta 152C, with standard wing (11.00 m (36 ft 1 in)).
Ta 152 E-2 High-altitude photographic reconnaissance version, powered by a Junkers Jumo 213E engine and with the H-series wing (14.44 m (48 ft 6 in)). Only a single prototype was completed.
Ta 152 H-0 20 pre-production aircraft, H-series wing (14.44 m (48 ft 6 in)). All "H" variants were intended for medium to high altitude operations.^{[2][page needed][23]}
Ta 152 H-1 The only production version. H-series wing (14.44 m (48 ft 6 in)), armed with one engine-mounted Motorkanone 30 mm (1.18 in) MK108 cannon and two 20 mm synchronized MG 151/20 cannons in the wing roots, additional fuel tanks located in the wings.