Other Forces

Turkish Air Force’s FW-190

Turkish Air Force

Doubtless the best combat planes of the Turkish Air Force during the years of the WW2 – the Turkey declared war to Germany only at February 1945 – was the German fighter Focke-Wulf FW 190 which, on the contrary of many of British and American aircraft, frequently second-hand, was delivered to Türk Hava Kuvvetleri, fresh factory. The Berlin’s government interested, like after all those of London and Washington, to good relationship with Ankara, signed in 1941 a commercial agreement with the Turkey based on supply to Turkish of modern weapons with payment of valuable metals as iron and chromium ores very strategic for the III Reich. With the Hitler’s authorization, in the middle of 1942 the RLM issued an export of 72 FW190 to the Turkey. The aircraft, all FW 190 Aa-3 (“a” for Auslandisch - foreign), was delivered to Turkish Air Force between October 1942 and March 1943. The Turkish Air Force’s order of battle 1944 report the FW 190 in service at Eskisehir with three Aircraft Squadron of two Battalions of the 1st Air Division. The FW 190 was well valued by the Turkish pilots and was retired from the service after the 1947. Victor Sierra