In the summer of 1941, the newly introduced
DeHavilland Mosquito was making its first reconnaissance sorties, demonstrating
a grave problem for the Luftwaffe. Operating at high speeds and altitudes,
the aircraft was almost untouchable after it had reached its destination, and
entered a shallow, fast descent for home. The only two fighters of consequence employed
by the Luftwaffe, the Bf 109 and Fw 190, were effective low to medium altitude fighters,
though their performance was poor at the altitudes the Mosquito flew at. With the US entry
in the war, the problem became graver, as they possessed specialized high altitude
fighter and bomber designs which might threaten the Luftwaffe’s hold over much of Europe.
Even more concerning was the fear that the RAF would be operating the Vickers Wellington V
bomber, which was reportedly capable of operating at an almost untouchable altitude of 12 km.
They never entered service, but the growing high altitude disparity would see the creation of
the Höhenjäger, or high altitude fighter program. With these anxieties building, the RLM convened
a conference on the development of high altitude fighters on May 20, 1942 at Messerschmitt’s
plant in Augsburg. From this conference, both Messerschmitt and Focke
Wulf would seek to build a high altitude fighter that would be able
to hold its own against the Allies. Focke-Wulf was quick to pursue turbocharging
to get their fighter to reach the adequate level of performance for the Höhenjäger
project. Almost immediately, they ran into the issue that it was almost impossible to
fit a suitable turbocharger into a Fw 190A, though an externally mounted, and almost
completely unwieldy unit was suggested. They would attempt to improve the Anton by lengthening
its wings and installing a pressurized canopy, but this Fw 190B would still fail to
be much of a threat at high altitudes. In parallel with the B-project, the decision was
made to re-engine the aircraft with the Junkers Jumo 213 and Daimler Benz’s DB 603. Both promised
better high altitude performance over the BMW 801, along with a considerable overall increase in
engine output. The DB 603 project would proceed with the designation Fw 190C, and the Jumo 213
one as the Fw 190D. Neither project would produce the aircraft the Luftwaffe sought. The Fw 190D
would transition into a medium altitude fighter to replace the Anton series Focke Wulf, with only
a handful being actual high altitude models. The Fw 190C project would fail after it was unable
to secure enough DB 603’s and would be finally canceled after further efforts to install a
turbocharger were met with disappointing results. Kurt Tank would hope to find a new high altitude
fighter in his new fighter, the Ta-153, a clean sheet successor to the Focke Wulf 190. Given the
state of the German economy, a clean sheet design was off the table, so Tank designed the Ta 152, a
compromise with the existing Fw 190D. In order to avoid impacting the production of the Fw 190D, the
high altitude model was the first to be developed, with the hopes that the fighter, and fighter
bomber models would later phase out the Fw 190. The high altitude Ta 152 model featured a new
Jumo 213E engine with two stage a three speed aftercooled supercharger, a hydraulic landing gear
system, an improved vertical stabilizer from the Fw 190C, larger wings, and a half meter fuselage
extension in the rear fuselage, with the ensuing redistribution of weight helping to correct for
an issue with the aircraft’s center of gravity. It was also to carry both a high altitude GM-1
boost system, and MW-50 low altitude boost system. After a rushed developmental period,
the first prototype flew on July 13, 1944, and was lost after it crashed during
its 36 minute test flight at Vechta. The second prototype flew on August 6, and,
like the first, was lost, though this time resulting in the death of a test pilot.
More success was had with the third prototype, which flew on September 29, 1944, and
the fourth, which flew shortly after. Serious trouble with the program was encountered
as late as November, when a prototype crash landed after its engine seized due to fuel starvation. It
was found a hydraulic valve had been installed in the fuel line, an accident most likely a result of
the aircraft’s rushed development. The losses and damages experienced at this point in testing were
threatening to seriously interrupt the pace of the project, but in the end, they rushed through
development. Its troubles aside, the plane was achieving good high altitude performance,
both in terms of speed and ceiling. Test pilot Friedrich Schnier would fly one prototype
to a height of 13.6 km on January 20th, 1945. The program’s most serious problem was
that it never found a configuration that allowed it to carry both its
boost systems, with no provisions for carrying GM-1 at all by the time it
entered pre-production in November 1944. The Ta 152H-0 entered service without several of
the key features that the plane was set to carry, lacking the outer wing fuel tanks, and both
engine boost systems. As such, it was considerably lighter, and had better handling than the
production model, but it was considerably slower. The H-1 production model would have wing tanks,
and provisions to install the boost systems, though unresolved weight distribution issues
prevented them from all being used together. It was in this rough state that it was delivered
to the Luftwaffe for testing in December. Given their very late introduction during the
war, the Ta 152H’s combat record is extremely limited. The aircraft was only supplied to
JG 301, a dual night and day fighter squadron which transitioned to them from Fw 190A-8’s
on January 27. The squadron had a good pool of experienced pilots already familiar with
Focke-Wulf aircraft, though their mechanics would have a far more difficult task, as
the Ta 152H had been pushed into service without maintenance manuals. At the airfield at
Alteno, they received 11 of the new aircraft. They would attempt to engage Allied bombers on
March 2, but the 12 Ta 152H’s would fail to reach them, as they were attacked by the Bf 109s of
another squadron which mistook their unfamiliar planes for the enemy. No aircraft were lost in the
engagement. A second high altitude interception against a DeHavilland Mosquito was also attempted,
though engine trouble forced the pilot to return to base before contact was made. This would be the
last attempt to use the fighter at high altitude. In March, the understrength unit was supplied
with several Fw 190A-9s. Outnumbered and with little security, the Ta 152H’s often flew
top cover for the rest of the unit during what few operations were undertaken.
On April 10, Erfurt was contested, and during the fighting, the eight
serviceable Ta 152’s engaged a flight of fifteen P-47’s near Brunswick,
resulting in one victory claim. Gruppe III’s last operations were conducted
from Neustadt-Glewe, and on April 15th, the unit suffered its first combat loss. Three
Ta 152s sortied to intercept a pair of RAF Hawker Tempests engaging in a low level sweep.
According to Oberfeldwebel Willi Reschke, the Ta 152H in the number two position, flown by
Sepp Sattler, suddenly lost control and crashed before contact was made, seemingly suffering
a fatal malfunction. The remaining Ta 152’s engaged the Tempests of 486 Squadron. In the
ensuing battle, Reschke entered an intense, low level dogfight with one of the Tempests.
Near the start of the engagement, he fired on and struck the tail of a Hawker Tempest flown by
Lt. Mitchell, though his gun's electrical circuit seemingly failed shortly after. However, in the
aggressive maneuvers that followed, Mitchell lost control of his damaged aircraft and crashed.
Following his loss, both forces withdrew. The lead Ta 152H flown Oberstleuteneant Fritz Auffhammer,
suffered a supercharger failure, which nearly destroyed his aircraft and forced him to return to
base. Sattler and Mitchel were subsequently buried at a cemetery in Neustadt-Glewe. This engagement
is noteworthy as it showed both that a good pilot in a 152 could hold their own, but also the
extremely rough state of the planes themselves. The last actions of the squadron were in the last
stages of the Battle for Berlin, and on April 24th, the Ta 152s and Fw 190s of the IInd and
IIIrd Gruppe attacked Soviet positions and engaged Yak 9’s. The final mission was flown over Berlin
in poor conditions, and during an engagement with a flight of four Yak 9’s, Hauptman Hermann Stahl
was killed, with the four Yak-9’s being claimed by the unit. After the surrender, the unit rebased
to Schleswig-Holstein, where they were disbanded. In all, the Ta 152H was never actually used
for any high altitude combat operations and its service was restricted to
a single understrength unit. With at most ten victories and four operational
losses, it is difficult to give any appraisal for its performance from its brief career with JG
301. Josel Keil was the only pilot to qualify as an ace on the Ta 152H, and together with Willi
Reschke, who had two credits in the Ta 152H, and 24 in other aircraft, held nearly all of
the aircraft’s combat credits between them. While the Ta 152H’s combat record leaves a lot
of questions unanswered, most pilots who had the chance to get behind the controls of the aircraft
can at least agree that the aircraft flew very well. Among its most famous advocates was Royal
Navy Test pilot Eric Brown. He would praise its excellent climb performance, maneuverability
at high altitude, stability, and good landing characteristics. His only complaints were that its
roll rate was reduced over the older Fw 190A, that its stick forces were notably heavier, its cockpit
was cramped, and that its wheel brakes were awful and prone to fade after a few moments of use. He
otherwise considered it an excellent aircraft. He flew the H-0, the slower but more maneuverable,
and stable of the two wartime models. Stick forces were notably fairly high, but they
were harmonized well, and the push rod control system ensured inputs were very responsive.
However, stability on the vertical axis was poor, and there was a tendency to skid. This tendency
grew worse at higher altitudes and motivated the designers to install a level flight autopilot
in certain models of the aircraft. Visibility was good around the sides, and rear, with
the view over the nose being somewhat poor. The controls were placed conveniently,
with the instrument panel layout being clean and easy to read. A high level of
automation from the Jumo 213’s Bediengerat, or control device, relieved the pilot of
much of the workload of engine management. These factors generally made the Ta 152H a
relatively straightforward aircraft to fly. However, it was not without its drawbacks, most
notably its cramped cockpit with little headroom. Much more dangerously, test pilots found
the plane unstable in high altitude dives. Instability was also a concern when the
GM-1 system was used without a ballast kit and the removal of the MW 50 system
and fuel tank restrictions. It was thus that the plane flew with combinations of
the three systems, but never all at once. While the Ta 152H has somewhat of a legendary
reputation among WWII fighters, in reality, the plane was pushed into service in a rough,
unfinished state and assigned to crews that faced an impossible situation. It represented a
significant leap in German high altitude fighter design, but the nitrous boosting that would have
given it unparalleled performance was never worked into the design satisfactorily. It was also
never able to perform its designed mission and used exclusively at lower altitudes, where
the mass produced Fw 190 “Dora 9” was generally superior. In all, the Ta 152H promised a good
deal, but industrial limitations and a lack of time would prevent it from living up to the legend
that so many after the war made it out to be. This concludes our video on the Tank Ta 152H. What
are your thoughts on this high altitude fighter? Feel free to share your thoughts on this unique
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