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| The French Fw190 It is in France that a certain number of Fw190 began a new career. With the end of the year 1944, the release of the French metropolitan territory was in the course of completion, it was discovered several tens of cell and fuselage as well as a hundred engines given up by Luftwaffe in several factories Frenchwoman. It was primarily about incomplete A-5, A-7 and A-8 or in the course of repair found at Cravant in Yonne, France. The management of the factory of Cravant was entrusted to the national company of the Aeronautical Engineering of the Center (SNCAC) which have a contract of the ministry for the air to complete a batch of cell and fuselage. The repairing and the revision of the engines were entrusted to the company Voisin, it had besides much evil to give them in state, the majority of these engines had been skilfully sabotaged by the French workmen forced to manufacture them. Engines for these hunters were found in deposits a little everywhere in France, in particular with St Astier where a hundred engines in the course of revision were found in an underground factory installed in caves. These caves are always used nowadays as deposit by the Army. This option, choice of the government of the time, made it possible to have a transition fighter while waiting for the development to an equivalent or superior purely French fighter. In France, bloodless after 4 years of german occupations, the made saving was substantial because Fw190 thus given in state cost 1,5 against million francs of the time 12 million for new a "Spitfire" bought in Great Britain NC900 (sometimes AAC5 or AAC6 on some photographs) the first of these Fw190 recovered to accomplish its trial flight was a A-5 (NC900 N°1) on March 16, 1946. The tests lasted until mid-April with 4 other apparatuses while the SNCAC completed the required fighters. In May, the plane was certified. Designation AAC5 or AAC6 visible on several photography, and included in certain works, probably comes owing to the fact that the 2 factories which controlled and assembled the NC900 were the Aeronautical Workshops of Cravant (AAC6) and the Aeronautical Workshops of Courbevoie (AAC5) all two property of the SNCAC. The group of hunting to which the "NC900 were affected" was the group "Normandy-Niemen" (I guarantee that the hardly returned pilots of Russia only appreciated little the situation, the more so as they had returned with their Yak, with which they fought, offered by Russia for rendered services!). While the tests continued, the first NC900 arrived at the airfield of "Le Bourget" and were taken by the III/5 Normandy-Niemen squadron. But even repaired and revised, the engines were not very reliable, other problems emerged, the French mechanics accustomed to more rustic apparatuses, managed only with difficulty to regulate the too famous and delicate "KommandoGeräte". Other problems caused some accidents, giving a bad reputation to the fighter. The bad availability and the lack of replacement decided the authorities quickly to still prohibit flight the lot of NC900 in flight condition status at middle of 1947, the majority were scrapped. The decision to withdraw them with besides taken during 1946. Some apparatuses were used a few years more (NC900 N°54 and 60 at least) for the CEV ( Flying test center) of Cazaux and Bretigny until 1949, another was transferred to the Naval Aviation (the 1ere squadron at Cuers it seems to me) and was broken at the end of some flights, others were probably used that and there but I do not have verifiable information, the last (NC900 N°62) was preserved, then restored and painted with the colors of personal Fw190 of Joseph "pips" Priller when it was affected at the JG26, it is always visible in the Air Museum at the Le Bourget. The purists will regret seeing a wing of A-7 gone up on a fuselage of A-8. | ||||
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