The Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG was founded in 1923 in Bremen, Germany, by Henrich Focke, Georg Wulf, and Werner Naumann.
The company initially focused on light civilian aircraft and experimental designs. Early models like the A 16, a small passenger aircraft, reflected Focke-Wulf’s ambition to create reliable and efficient airplanes. Henrich Focke, a talented engineer, contributed significantly to these early successes, while Georg Wulf served as both co-founder and chief test pilot.
Tragedy struck in 1927 when Georg Wulf died in a crash during a test flight. Despite the loss, the company pressed on. During the Great Depression, the industry was deeply shaken with many established companies facing financial ruin. Albatros (known for their First World War fighter aircraft) was merged with Focke Wulf, and with this came Kurt Tank, a man who would have a significant impact on the company. The first real breakthrough for Focke Wulf was the Fw44 Stieglitz, a biplane trainer widely used by civilian pilots and later adopted by the Luftwaffe and several other countries.
The focus on civilian aviation continued in the early 30’s with the Focke Wulf Fw200 Condor. This was a highly successful, record breaking passenger aircraft, which revolutionised the sector.
The Wartime Years
With the rise of militarism and re-armament in Germany in the 1930’s, Focke-Wulf, like many German aerospace firms, became heavily involved in military production. In 1933, Henrich Focke was ousted from the company under political pressure. He later founded Focke-Achgelis, where he focused on helicopter development. Focke Wulf submitted many designs for military use, but often these were needlessly complex, or based on poor design choices. An example is the Fw 159, which lost out to both the He 112 and the Me 109.
All of these failures and near misses provided valuable lessons to Kurt Tank and his team. They capitalised on this, leading to the Fw 190 Würger. This is probably the most iconic Focke-Wulf aircraft to emerge under the direction of designer Kurt Tank. The Fw 190 was a highly capable fighter aircraft known for its speed, agility, flexibility and powerful armament, becoming a backbone of the Luftwaffe alongside the Messerschmitt Bf 109. Other projects like the Fw 187 Falke and ta 400 Amerika bomber were near misses, but more due to political or resource considerations than any technical short comings.
There also many futuristic jet propulsion based ideas, like the Fw 239 (a delta winged bomber very similar to the Avro Vulcan), the Ta-183 Hackebein (a swept wing, single seat fighter), and the Fw 272 Flitzer (also a single seat fighter).
Post War to Modern Times
After Germany's defeat in World War II, Focke-Wulf’s facilities were heavily bombed and dismantled by the Allies. Aircraft production was halted, and the company was effectively dissolved. It continued to operate in a much reduced capacity, most notably making the Piaggio P.149 under license as the FWP 149D.
Most of its key personnel including Kurt Tank, left Germany to work abroad, particularly in Argentina, where they contributed to local aviation projects.
Eventually, in 1964, Focke-Wulf as a separate entity ceased to exist. It was initially absorbed into a larger consortium known as Vereinigte Flugtechnische Werke (VFW). In 1981, VFW was acquired by Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm, which in turn was taken over by DaimlerChrysler Aerospace in 1989. DASA in turn merged with the French Aerospatiale-Matra and Spanish company CASA to form European Aeronautics Defence and Space company (EADS) in 2000. Finally, EADS rebranded as the Airbus group in 2015.
Through all these mergers and acquisitions, nothing substantial from the original Focke Wulf company was carried over. There were no personnel, no designs and even the name itself was left abandoned. In 2021, the Focke Wulf name was re-registered, but this time to continue the great legacy by making aviation inspired watches.
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