Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8/U1 (S8), WNr. 584219, "Schwarze 38"
History
The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 F-8/U1, serial number 584219, is a notable example of a Luftwaffe two-seat fighter-bomber, distinguished by its dual-control configuration. Originally built in 1944 as a single-seat Fw 190 F-8, it was converted in late 1944 by R. Sochor Fabrik in Blanz-Blansko, Poland, into a dual-control variant, designated Fw 190 S-8.Approximately 20 such conversions were made to serve as high-speed liaison aircraft and conversion trainers for pilots transitioning from the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka.
The aircraft was captured by Allied forces at Grove airfield in Denmark in May 1945. It was subsequently flown to the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) at Farnborough, though it is believed not to have been test-flown there. On 5 September 1945, the aircraft was ferried from Farnborough to No. 6 Maintenance Unit at Brize Norton by Lieutenant Commander Eric 'Winkle' Brown, a renowned test pilot. In 1949, it was transferred to the RAF Museum collection at Hendon, where it was displayed in the Bomber Command Hall for over three decades, painted in a fictitious 1./JG 54 "Grünherz" scheme .
In October 2023, the aircraft was dismantled and transported to the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr in Berlin-Gatow on a three-year loan.