Focke Wulf 190: The Birth of the Butcher Bird, 1939-1945

Long with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the Luftwaffe’s fighting force. Capable of performing in theaters as diverse as North Africa, the Russian Front and in Western Europe, its superior killing ability earned it the nickname, the ‘Butcher Bird’. Famed for its speed and maneuverability – some of the Luftwaffe's most successful fighter aces – from Otto Kittel to Erich Rudorffer – claimed a great many of their kills while flying it.

This addition to the Luftwaffe at War series illustrates the different versions of the plane to see service, the theaters in which the plane served and the pilots who carved a name for themselves with the Butcher Bird.

Morten Jessen was born in 1976 and lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has an educational background in business administration and computer science. He started working as a freelance IT-project coordinator and database designer, but joined IBM for four years, before becoming an independent IT-consultant again in 2008. In addition to his business background, Morten received an education as a chocolatier in 2013 – a line of work he hopes to pursue in the future. Among Morten’s other passions are music, cooking, photography and traveling.