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Author: José Luis Orgeira
 Versión en Español 

While the night electronic war advanced towards Germany, the cupola of the Luftwaffe saw the necessity to face this attack. Were needed new squadrons with new airplanes, new systems of defense and attacks, new battle tactics, pilots with different training from the well-known ones... The first step was the creation of squadrons whose objective was the evaluation of these new strategies. The I/NJG10 was one of the first units created solely with experimental aims. Its objective was the evaluation of: 1. types of airplanes to use as night-fighters; 2. types of electronics on board; 3. types of battle tactics and 4, types of camouflage schemes.
 The history of this one and other night fighter groups are really amazing, in individual by the profits that were able to reach in so little time under the pressures in which they were. In this article we will see only of one of the machines that operated in the I/NJG 10, the Fw 190. In later articles we will see the different used types of radar and -the most fascinating- from everything of the diverse used night camouflage schemes.
Until the operational entrance of the Me-110 as the first standard night fighter of the Luftwaffe, different versions from powerfuls FW 190 were used in experimental form to evaluate the operation of the new radar of the FuG series.
Even some Me-109 they were provided with such radars like experimentation versions, like Me 109 G-6/N and Me 109 G-6/Y, used in the IV/NJG2 that took the FuG 350 "Naxos Z” radar.
The versions of FW 190 used as experimental night fighters were the A6, A7, A8 and F; the type of radar used (also the types and location of the Letzler antennas) were FuG 216, FuG 217 and FuG 218. The successes obtained by Me-110 (and later by the Heinkel 219 and the Me-262 B1A/U1) took to the cancellation of the FW 190 night fighter program, although given the necessities, some squadrons continued operating until the end of the war. But by mainly, it must consider that the different versions of Fw 190 were desperately required like diurnal versions than more nocturnal, since they was used not only like bomber interceptor, but for a great variety of other missions.


Emblem I/NJG 10
. Approxímate kills percentage of the night-fighter squadrons of the Luftwaffe.

It was perhaps by that reason that, from half of 1943, was introduced a new night aerial battle tactics: the Wilde Sau or “Wild Weasel”. This strategy consisted of which, day fighters turned nocturnal by the addition of radars, were guided at night towards the enemy formation with the help of ground radars. Once produced the interception, each one of the hunters had free election of their prey.
The purely evaluative nature of the NJG 10 explains the differences between the airplanes of the same unit respect to camouflages, radar types, location and types of antennas and until the strategy of attack used. On the matter, one thinks that the Fw 190 A6/R11 WN 550148 "white 11" was of the first night fighters being used successfully in this type of missions.
The emblem of the squadron consisted of a wild boar head (Wilde Sau) with the abbreviation "Jllo", abbreviation of Jägerleitoffiziere (Fighter Control Officer). According to the information that I could find, it seems that this badge was initially the personal emblem of one aircraft commander of the NJG 10, being later adopted like standard identification insignia of all the squadron.
The historical importance of NJG 10 was not given by the successes achieved in combat; non figure in annals of the Nachtjagd like outstanding as far as the number of kills, simply because its function was not to participate openly in combat but to evaluate the different tactics from night fighter that would be carried out by the remaining constituted fighter units for such aim. Figure 1 shows the approximated percentage of kills of the night fighter units of the Luftwaffe; it is highly probable that these units have benefitted from the tactics contributed by NJG 10.
What was of the "white 11"? I could not find references about the final destiny of the airplane nor its pilot, Oberleutnant H.F. Kraus. A very spread photo shows him arming a cigarette in the horizontal stabilizer of its "white 11" in Werneuchen (Figure 4). The certain thing was that the moral impact that produced in the allies the introduction of the new techniques of German night fighter was so great that they made very popular the emblem of NJG 10, to the point that, even at the present time, some North American squadrons and English electronic war uses the figure of a wild boar like emblem... Volunteer or not, a doubtless tribute to the NJG 10 men.

. Fw 190 A6/R11 cockpit showing clearly at the left the FuG 216 “Neptun” radar screen, in replace of the munition counter.

 Oberleutnant H. F. Kraus. arming a cigarette over the horizontal stabilizer of their “11 white” in Werneuchen
 
The “8 black”, choosed version for the Academy Fw 190 1:72  

The models. 

The kits which we present in this article correspond to two Fw 190, one on 1/24 scale (Heller) and another one on 1/72 scale (Academy). Originally, both correspond to diurnal versions that were turned to nocturnal. The intention of this note is to describe these simple conversions made in two absolutely different scale models.

Heller’s Fw 190 1:24.
In 1993 I acquired the Focke Wulf 190 A5/A6, of Heller, in 1/24 scale. I had some references about this kit, and all very good. From the first moment I decided that the version of this model would be one of night-fighter, although did not know exactly which. At a time at which the word “Internet” still was a rumor in our country, the information search had to become "to the old manner"; that is to say, visits to the National Library of Aeronautics, libraries of modellers friends, etc. Between the information which I managed to successfully obtain were the excellent diagrams of Arthur Bentley where it detailed, between many other things, the different versions from antennaes, its positions and nomenclature of radar types that took each airplane. This important information would serve as a base for this one and future scale models to me. This search of information ended up taking something to me more of a year. Finally, I decided to choose the Focke Wulf 190 A6/R11 "white 11", piloted by the Oberleutnant Hans Fritz Kraus of the 1/NJG 10 with seat in Werneuchen, in August of 1944.
It already had in my power almost all the information necessary to begin to work. Almost. It lacked a “small" detail. It had not been able to find nor a photo, diagram, although outside a simple line drawing that showed the FuG 216 "Neptun" radar. And much less, references of how it went located this system inside the cockpit.
It had arrived a moment while which this blessed radar had been transformed for me into something similar to the Saint Grail. That is to say, an extremely mysterious, intangible object, outside this world...  Was then when arrived in my aid Osvaldo Viggiani, at that had known just a short time back in its native land, Mendoza. Osvaldo not only sent by mail a drawing of the FuG 216 "Neptun".
He sent to me a mountain of information about its location in the cockpit, camouflage schemes, different night versions of the Fw 190 and until a small color chart of night fighters done by himself. It went thanks to him that I could finish; or rather, to begin to work in my model, demonstrating which is the spirit who must reign between the modelers. And which more than one would have to imitate.
Of the great amount of modifications that I had to make, only a few are solely about the night fighter version. And this one is an aspect that I desire to stand out: what it made an impression to me more was, indeed, how few modifications transformed so much the scale model. Perhaps it must to fact that it is very common to associate the Fw 190 in his diurnal versions... and not bristle of antennas like in the night versions. 

The work made is detailed next:  

Focke Wulf 190 A5/A6, conversion to A6/R11 – Heller – 1:24 

Transformations :

1. ENGINE:

2. ARMAMENT:

3. UNDERCARRIAGE AND WHEELS WELLS :

4. COCKPIT :

5. FUSELAGE 

B. Transformations refered to the night version A6/R11 

1. FUSELAGE :

2. COCKPIT :

   

Fw 190 1:72 of Academy.

In my opinion, this an excellent kit; perhaps one of the best ones of the Fw 190 in 1:72 scale. The scale model is of very good quality plastic, so that it allows to make important modifications (hood openings, access panels, etc.). Although night versions of the Fw 190 exist in the market (the Fw 190 A-8/R11 1:72 of Revell, which is as good as the Academy one), we will be able to transform the Academy one without no disadvantage.
Talking about the Fw 190 of Revell: for those modelers that wish to construct some of the night versions that kit offers, be careful with the emblem of the NJG 10: of some reason, the decal of the emblem is badly made, since it has white bottom when in fact it is chromium yellow (Figure 2). Most surprising is than the cover drawing shows the emblem in its correct color, but not therefore the decal...
For that they wish, however, make the night version from the Academy kit, they will have to make by hand the emblem of the NJG 10 in virgin decal (film) or directly on the scale model. In my case, I chose the version corresponding to the "8 black", because the “horizontal" disposition of the camouflage scheme seemed to me interesting (Figure 5). The decals of numbers "8" were done specially for this scale model. 

Focke Wulf 190 A5/A6, conversion to A6/R11 – Academy – 1:72

Paints :

 Decals :

 Transformations : 

1. ENGINE:

 2. ARMAMENT :

 5. FUSELAGE :

 Transformations refered to the night version A6/R11 :

 1. FUSELAGE :

 

Reference

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