Last Tuesday I was invited to the unveiling and presentation of "Black 3", finally completely restored after almost 30 years since the wreck was found. It is now a permanent display here at the National Aviation Museum in Bodø, Norway.
"Black 3" during the unveiling presentation surrounded by a gaggle of enthusiasts and a journalist taking photos."Black 3" was built in 1942 at the AGO factory in Ochersleben, with the serial number 0132219. The original factory marking was KI+GX, but in 1943 the marking was changed to “Black 3″ (the plane replaced “Black 3″ no. 0132102 which disappeared over the Soviet Union).
In the same year it was built, the aircraft was transferred to Herdla in Norway. It had a minor accident there just a few months later on 10 August 1942, and was transferred to Kjeller for repairs, and then back to Herdla. The Staffel (squadron) and the aircraft moved to Alta airfield in 1943, and just one month later they were moved again to Petsamo in northern Finland. Here “Black 3″ took part in the attacks on Russia. At that time the aircraft belonged to 14 Staffel, JG5 Jabo.
The aircraft crashed in the mountains near Kongsfjord, northern Norway on 5 October 1943. Pilot Hans Gunther Kleemann from 14 Staffel, JG5 "Eismeerjager" took off from Petsamo, but ran out of fuel over Kongsfjord after getting lost in heavy snow. Kleemann had to bail out. He escaped from the ordeal with just an injured leg. “Black 3″ however, crashed and broke up. The engine was thrown 300 meters from the fuselage. The centre section with the cockpit was intact, as was the control stick and side panels. Over the years the instruments were lost to looters.
Kleemann was transferred to Italy in the fall of 1944, where he was later shot down and killed.
The 250 kg (~500 lbs) bomb carried by this "Jabo" (fighter-bomber) version of the 190A-3/U3. "U3" being the designation for the factory conversion. In 1984 "Black 3" was found, and it was brought down from the mountain in 1986. Restoration of the plane then proceeded for more than 20 years through an international collaboration between the Norwegian Defence Museum, Norwegian Aviation Museum, Bodø Aviation Historical Society (BLHF), Texas Air Museum and the White 1 Foundation in Florida. Some work was also done in Germany.
If I recall correctly someone on this forum worked with the White 1 Foundation, and perhaps also worked on "Black 3". Wouldn't that be amazing? Someone half-way across the world working on a piece of history that is now on display less than a mile from my home, and unrelated we play the same online game and read the same bbs. Small world indeed...
In 2009 "Black 3" was returned to Bodø, after having been in the USA for several years. It took members of BHLF 3,000 hours of work to finish the aircraft. Parts from the wreckage of another FW190 from Bergen, which had been recovered from the sea, were used to complete “Black 3″ using original components. In 2012 the aircraft was painted by the paint shop at Bodø Airport.
The plane is owned by the Norwegian Armed Forces Museum and is on display at the Norwegian Aviation Museum in Bodø.
The wood planks "Black 3" is parked on is the actual "jerryplank" the Germans used on their runway here in Bodø during the war. Fun fact: The Germans used to paint the runway in a camouflage pattern using fish-oil based paint. Combined with a humid climate it is no wonder the Germans suffered a number of landing accidents. Personal note: Not sure if I'd want to stand with my head in front of the cannon like that if I was that mannequin... 
The presentation was held by a major of the RNoAF, a local historian, and the leader of the restoration project. Having been asked by a journalist (who else...) why so much effort and money was used on restoring an enemy aircraft, a Nazi aircraft, the major had a pretty good answer. I paraphrase: To tell the stories of our own aircraft and those of our allies, we must also tell the story of this enemy aircraft. It is difficult to tell the story of Little Red Riding Hood without also talking about the big bad (Focke) Wolf.
He also told a story from the war over the channel, when the Fw first arrived in 1941. The morale of RAF fighter pilots was pretty low because of the losses this aircraft incurred on them, and the British propaganda Ministry of Information wanted to cheer them up a bit by posting posters around the airfields asking "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?". After they discovered that many pilots had actually signed the posters they were promptly removed.
This one's for you Karnak . During the presentation I was seated under the wing of this beautiful Mossie.The next day I visited my grandmother and showed her the pictures I took. We talked about her experiences during the war and she told me about a Mosiquito vs. Fw 190 fight she personally witnessed over Bodø harbor in the summer of 1944.
She was on her way to work at the local hospital when several Mosquitoes suddenly appeared over the harbor and started attacking two German transport ships at anchor there. One was loaded with horses and the other with German troops bound for the Murmansk front.
She was awestruck and just stood there watching when a German soldier grabbed her and threw her on the ground. He knew what was about to happen. The German flak opened up on the low flying Mossies, shooting at rooftop level over the town. Sometimes lower. In one house a maid was killed and the lady of the house lost an arm when 20 mm cannon fire ripped through the building.
The business end of a 20 mm Mauser.Then the Focke Wulfs came roaring into the fray, also at roof top level, and started fighting off the Mossies. She described the 190's as "turning on a dime" (well... "femøring", but that's a Norwegian coin of similar size), while the Mossies had a far greater turning circle. I take that as simply meaning the Mossies were keeping their speed up to avoid the ground fire. The battle ended with one 190 shot down over the harbor. She didn't mention any allied losses. She did mention the soldier who threw her down was highly decorated and looked war-weary and sickly. Probably a veteran of the Murmansk front on leave in Bodø.
The Focke Wulf's primary foes: The Spit9 over the channel, and the Mossie over the coast of Norway. It is fitting that these three aircraft are parked next to each other.
We were severed German beer and sausages during a break in the presentation. How fitting!
Cockpit looks pretty complete. It still amazes me how modern the 190's cockpit looks. This was perhaps the first "fly-by-wire" aircraft in a sense; the primary flight controls were mechanical, but the secondary controls (flaps, trim) were electrically actuated. So was the landing gear. It was also HOTAS (hands-on-throttle-and-stick) with all the necessary engine and trim controls located on the throttle and stick, and heavily automated with the "komandogerat", an electro-mechanical computer controlling the RPM, fuel mixture, ignition timing, supercharger gears, and boost pressure.
The REVI gunsight. (Reflexvisier, or reflector sight.)
Some of the primary members of the restauration project. Third from the right is the guy who as a 15-year old found the wreck in 1984 while out snowmobiling.
Two former enemies, now resting in the old folks home for planes. The picture in the back is of a Fw 190 at Bodø airfield during the war. Could it be one of those my granny saw tangling with the Mossies? I wonder... ... ... Hey! Somebody nicked the mannequin's cap!
