This aircraft had an unexpected long life
It is a Focke Wulf FW 190A5/U3. This aircraft was manufactured in April 1943, originally as an A5 variant and supplied with serial number 0151227 by the parent factory of Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau GmbH at Bremen. It was assigned to 4./JG 54, which operated at the Russian front near Leningrad.
Monday the 19th was a warm day at Siwerskaja, a forward air base only fifteen minutes flying time from the front. Feldwebel (Staff Sergeant) Paul Rätz had been assigned Fw190 A-5 W.Nr 1227 "White A," armed with a SC250 (550Ib) bomb. At Voybakala, they found an armored train and attacked it through a barrage of flak. The Luftwaffe loss report claims that the "White A" took flak hits, but none are visible at the pictures from the wreck. Nevertheless, its BMW801 engine failed catastrophically, forcing Rätz to glide to a landing in a field of poplar saplings, which have since grown tall around it. (As a new engine was fitted the day before, sabotage has been mentioned as the reason for the engine failure as well.)
Rätz survived the crash landing, removed his leather flying helmet and left it in his seat, where it was found forty-six years later. He opened the rear fuselage to retrieve a first aid kit. Weirdly, he also snatched the aircraft clock as a souvenir before heading off the dozen miles back to the front lines. He never made it. The Luftwaffe loss report still lists him as "Vermißt," missing in action.
The aircraft was found in 1989 and has been fully restored and is currently the only Focke-Wulf FW190 A with its original BMW 801 engine.
The FW190 A-5 in its original factory colours, with the factory registration.
The aircraft still wearing the factory registration, but now with theatre markings added.
Withe 5 on its final mission
FW190 A5 number 015 1227 is it was found in 1989
The aircraft how it currently looks at the Flying Heritage & Combat Armor Museum
Cheers,
Huub