Focke-Wulf Fw 190F-8/R-1, WNr. 931884, "Weisse 7"
History
Originally built as a Fw 190 A-7 fighter in late 1943, the aircraft was later remanufactured into an Fw 190 F-8/R1 ground-attack variant. This conversion involved fitting a new wing, bomb racks, and additional armor plating around and beneath the cockpit. Reissued to the Luftwaffe, it likely served with Schlachtgeschwader 2 (SG 2), a ground-attack wing, on the Eastern Front in late 1944, possibly based in Hungary.
Following Germany's surrender in May 1945, the aircraft was captured by Allied forces. It was shipped to the United States aboard the British aircraft carrier HMS Reaper and arrived at Freeman Field, Indiana, in June 1945. There, it was assigned the foreign equipment code FE-117. Unlike many captured German aircraft, this Fw 190 did not fly in the U.S.Instead, it was placed in storage after undergoing remanufacturing in 1946. In 1949, the U.S. Air Force transferred it to the Smithsonian Institution. It was stored at Park Ridge, Illinois, and later at Suitland, Maryland, in the 1950s.
Restoration of the aircraft began in 1980. Technicians uncovered multiple layers of postwar paint to reveal the original German Luftwaffe camouflage and markings. Infrared photography of the vertical stabilizer revealed that the airframe's original Werknummer was 640069. After its remanufacture, Focke-Wulf assigned it a new Werknummer, 931884. The restoration was completed in 1983, and the aircraft was painted to reflect its appearance while serving with SG 2 in October 1944.