Fw 187/287/487 instead of Me 110/210/410 - what gives?

[tomo pauk]

So basically RLM opts to support the Fw's long range fighter instead of MTT's, possibly because the former is a better performer on same engines (= Jumo 210 in 1937) and it is only to be expected that on more powerful engines the 187 will still outperform the 110. RLM stipulates that they will but a 2-seater, so that is what enters the production at multiple factories, same ones that were making the 110s historically - Fw, Gotha, MIAG and Luther - but not MTT.
The DB 601 powered version is in production by late 1939, and it is not using the steam cooling, but the 'normal' radiators.

The Fw 287 and 487 were never a thing, I've invented these to cover the later 187s that can be more or less modified and improved - talk Jumo 211 powered version, or the versions with radial engines, or perhaps the latest development past 1943 with fully rated DB 605s with MW 50 and 30 mm cannons. Note that Fw does not make the Ta 154/254 in this timeline, but they still make the Fw 190.

 

[alspug]

Personally I have never understood why the Luftwaffe would not mass produce the heck out of the FW aircraft as they literally had more development potential and better ground performance with less losses on landings etc.

 

[tomo pauk]

What might be required from the newly fanged hi-performance long-range fighter is to upgrade it's firepower 1st - having the same firepower as an 1-engined fighter is not a very good RoI. One option might be that it carries the MG C/30L cannons with their 100 rd drums (perhaps three - two at the sides, 3rd under the fuselage), so the cannons have enough of ammo during the combat away from home. Another option is to have 4 MG FF cannons, with pairs being able to fire independently. That offers a 4-cannon salvo in a defensive scenario against the enemy bombers, and two times 2-cannon salvo in offensive scenario; granted, having the bigger drums would've been helpful, too.

As for the expected perfomance, I'd try to take a look on similar A/C of the time. The slightly smaller Italian Ro.58 was powered with DB 601A engines, and was supposed to do 378 mph. We can probably expect the Fw 187 on the same engines to make 370 mph?

Another thing that the 187 instead the 110 might've provided is more fighters on same resources, since it was a smaller aircraft that still performs well on yesterday's engines. Or, same number of fighters on smaller resources, that is a boon for Germany and their 'over-heating' economy gearing to the near-future war in the second half of 1930s. Being with high performance once 1940 starts, the kills:loss ratio should've improved by a good margin, and with that also the combat losses of the bombers the 187s would've been tasked to protect.

Note that I'm not suggesting that Fw 187 would've won the BoB just on itself, but it would've contributed to the smaller LW losses, as well as for the greater RAF losses.

Personally I have never understood why the Luftwaffe would not mass produce the heck out of the FW aircraft as they literally had more development potential and better ground performance with less losses on landings etc.

IMO, RLM and Fw made an omission of not ordering and making the prototype of the early, small-winged Fw 190 with a DB 601A in the nose, and manufacture these. All the good stuff from the 190 remains - cockpit, U/C indeed, rate of roll, better internal volume and it's usability - while having a less problematic engine early on, that also gives better mileage and it is cheaper to make than the BMW 801; lower weight and drag will balance out the higher power of the 801.

 

[alspug]

The Me 110 was an attmpt at a long range fast fighter to protect bombers and while it was good against bombers it suffered from being too heavy and lacked the ability to turn with fighters and many other issues. The Me 109 was the smallest airframe possible with the best aerodynamics possible and was at the time of it's inception a fantastic interceptor and good front line fighter. It was not suitable for escort missions due to poor range. The FW 190 was superior in aerodynamics and weaponry with a poor initial engine that should have been swapped early.

Messerschmidt was very well connected politically and this got contracts fairly well. It is fair to consider the German RLM to be similar to the British Air Ministry in that decisions got made that were dubious at the time and just plain silly when looked at through history.

 

[tomo pauk]

The Me 110 was an attmpt at a long range fast fighter to protect bombers and while it was good against bombers it suffered from being too heavy and lacked the ability to turn with fighters and many other issues. The Me 109 was the smallest airframe possible with the best aerodynamics possible and was at the time of it's inception a fantastic interceptor and good front line fighter. It was not suitable for escort missions due to poor range.

Me 110 have had also other shortcomings, like that it required more than twice the resources than the Bf 109 (granted, any 2-engined fighter has/had the similar issues), and it's production was very small when compared to what a competent enemy (UK, later the Soviets and USA) could throw in the air. Trying to out-maneuver the much lighter fighters is a case of bad tactics - heavy fighters of ww2 were best used in energy fights, so to say. Locking the 110s in the close escort was a recipe to a disaster, even though the 110s enjoyed a positive kill/loss ratio, comparable to what Hurricane achieved in the BoB (but not as good as what the 109s or Spitfires achieved).

Me 109's range was extendable via usage of drop tanks, but that feature became a thing by the time the BoB was drawing to the end; British estimated that the 300L drop tank was adding about an hour to the endurance of the 109. Granted, the 109 has less of a stretch to became a real long range fighter (talk at least 500 mile combat radius, if not 600+), hence my suggestion of the DB 601 engine on the small-wing Fw 190 ASAP.

The FW 190 was superior in aerodynamics and weaponry with a poor initial engine that should have been swapped early.

Curiously enough, Germans measured the drag coefficient of the wing of the 190 as being smaller than that of the 109, despite the later being with a thinner profile.

Messerschmidt was very well connected politically and this got contracts fairly well. It is fair to consider the German RLM to be similar to the British Air Ministry in that decisions got made that were dubious at the time and just plain silly when looked at through history.

Nobody have had the monopoly in making the procurement mistakes
We can see that if RLM bought the initial, draggy He 112 instead of the Bf 109, the LW would've have had a worse performing fighter (Heinkel redesigned the He 112 twice in order to compete with the 109 plus the He 100 for a good measure, by what time the 109 was in volume production); if the RLM bought the Fw 159 they would've been up the creek without the paddle.
RLM didn't bought the Me 162 (light bomber), so not everything was going MTT's way.