P-51 MUSTANG vs. FOCKE WULF 190 - A Comparision

Comparing the North American P-51D Mustang vs. the Focke Wulf Fw 190 in Picture, Sound and Motion. I also added some Info on both WW2 Fighters.
Which is your favourite ?

[birkensafttt]

P-51 was a good escort fighter. Its main strengths were range and speed at high altitude. At 10K meters it could accelerate up to 703kph, whereas FW.190A-8 (which was actually slower than e. g. A-5!) could fly at 635kph. At lower altitudes the fight was much more even. At 6km the top speed of both P-51 and FW.190A was around 680kph with Focke Wulf having an edge in roll rate. Manoeuvrability was similar. It's a common myth that FW.190A was not good in turning. A competent pilot could easily use it as a dogfighter, whereas inexperienced aviators were often afraid of pushing it to the limits due to virtually no pre-stall warning.
FW.190 had much more comfortable cockpit. Small things like no unnecessary gauges, ammo counter and Kommandogerät (which was the first automatic engine management system) made it a joy to fly. Everything felt polished and very well planned. If I had to choose a fighter I'd always pick the Focke Wulf.
The main reason P-51 was so effective against Luftwaffe was lack of well trained german pilots in 1944/45. It's also important to note that Americans outnumbered Luftwaffe 6-8 : 1 and usually began with altitude advantage. They would simply dive on unsuspecting newbies focused on destroying bombers.
I'm not saying that P-51 was a bad aircraft. It was arguably one of the best fighters of the war. But it was not a super plane like some individuals think. It was quantity and pilot training that won the air war over Europle, not the Mustang.
FW.190A was very similar below 6K meters, whereas FW.190D usually held all advantages but speed (and only at very high altitudes)

[arrowbflight]

The emblem painted on the cowl of the FW 190 displayed is JG 1, and was used
from mid 1943 until the end of the War.

[Mark]

I hope we will see one day FW-190 D-9 flying again.

[Bagabonda]

Thrilling to see both planes in the air together. I can't get caught up in their aesthetics. The 190 has the look of a bulldog, a war machine. The 51 looks like a graceful metal bird. Also, the 51 looks like something from the future for that time. The bubble canopy, shark nose, and wings placed slightly aft seem to point the way toward later jet fighters.

There are always debates about the 51's reputation: was it earned, or the product of the plane's inherent glamour? It is said that the greatest ability is availability. Availability is what the P-51 had. It was a legitimate fighter, and when introduced was the only fighter that could escort allied bombers all the way to Berlin. Later modifications that increased the range of the P-47 allowed it to do so as well, but in the beginning, the P-51 stood on the airstrip alone. It was available and could get the job done--and looked awesome. That's how legends are born.

[JGKorny]

The whole fight over the western front was about the numbers, who gets the bigger number in the sky. It was an air war of attrition. Those two planes had very closely matched characteristics. The whole theory of a fair duel is plain wrong, the Luftwaffe was facing a much bigger number of allied pilots which were well trained. Meanwhile there was a big number of German pilots which were hastly under-trained to fill in the ranks of the depleted LW. There was another interesting aspect is that a vast number of the p51 had G suits which gave them an edge in the high G load turning maneuvers. So those aspects: numbers and training are as important as the quality of the plane, only by having those in mind a complete picture is possible.

[michaelmerta]

Beautiful machines, love to see them, so mint condition
What an amazing sight.

[margaaltsachsin]

ein Augen UND Ohrenschmaus!! Vielen Dank!

[bobdyer]

Fw all the way. A more reliable workhorse. I prefer a radial anyhow. I think the 51 is overrated, Fighter Command 8th AF stated "The P-47 broke the back of the Luftwaffe", Lemay kept the 47 in Europe after the war because he wanted the reliability and strength of the 47 had all "Bubbletops" converted to D-40's. The Bomber Generals just used the 51 to cover their rearends after their "The Bombers don't need an escort" gaff.

[bernardanderson]

When doing a wheel landing in the P-51 Mustang you have to raise the nose very slightly to flare and slow your descent rate and then you want to make sure you touch down as lightly on the main gear as possible at around 90-95 MPH. Once you mains are down you bring the power back to idle and apply a little nose down or forward stick control on the elevator.

[Leon-Hardt]

P-51: I'm Good Boy,
FW-190: I'm Bad Guy!

[identitydixie]

Both are beautiful, sound good and are icons packard v-1650 and BMW 801 are just asmr to the ears

[heikoplotner]

Beide Maschinen waren ein Hammer. Ein FW Pilot sagte, daß die Mustang schnell in der Kurve war, hielt man die FW in der Kurve, holte man die Mustang ein. Vielen Dank !

[lsx]

I find the commentary very informative. Thanks !

[emansnas]

I've heard a number of German WWII fighter pilots (including Galland) say that in a real free for all when altitudes and other factors would be uncertain, they had a preference for the Bf 109. My understanding for these old school guys was that while they understood that the 190 was potentially more competent, they had overwhelming hours/experience in 109s and could make that plane do things (shall we say emergency maneuvers) that they'd not necessarily feel comfortable doing in a 190. I think I understand that when the chips are hard down you'd want to be in a plane that was absolute second nature.

[yds]

Nice Vid.. Is there any long nose FW190's still flying anywhere in the World ?.

[MarkElzey-xkkj]

Below 20, 000 feet the planes were equal; above 20, 000 feet the Mustang completely outclassed the 190A

[Holztransistor]

Öhm. Würger wird im allgemeinen mit Butcher Bird übersetzt.
Und: Großartiges Video! Mehr davon. :-)

[ricardosoto]

My two fave western front fighters of WW2. It that FW 190 A(6 most likely) a restoration or a new built 1/1 replica using the original plans and tools but LaGG engines?

[rons]

By the time the P51D was on the scene the F190 pilots were young inexperienced pilots mostly and grossly outnumbered when 750 P51Ds escorting the bombers are turned loose with full fuel tanks it was all over

[goldfing]

It makes no sense to compare a quite specific version (P-51 D, not B) to a quite general version. Fw-190 had many variants. Do you mean A or D? A-5? A-8? A-9? or D-9? You could also compare it to "Spitfire" without specifying what version of Spitfire. In spring 1944, the Fw 190-A8 was common, and somewhat inferior to the P-51 D at the large heights where the B-17s entered Germany. In autumn of the same year, the Fw 190 D-9 appeared, which changed the situation.