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Visitors of the Royal Air Force Museum Hendon, near London, will have been surprised to see the museum’s two-seat Focke-Wulf Fw 190 being disassembled.

Based on information received from museum members, the Fw 190 is to be sent to Germany and will be on long-term loan with the Militärhistorisches Museum der Bundeswehr in Berlin-Gatow.

The loan might come as a surprise to some, but the museum explained the move was due to the fact that the Cosford and Hendon museums are being reorganized, and that the reserves at RAF Stafford – which aren’t accessible to the public) are full.

Built in early 1944 by Arado as a Fw 190F-8, the aircraft was converted to a two-seater in Poland in late 1944 and served with Jagdfliegerschule 3, carrying the “Black 38” tactical code. Captured by the Allies at the end of the war, it was displayed on several Royal Air Force airbases before joining the museum’s collections. Its restoration began in 1972, and engine runs were regularly made at St Athan in the 1980s (see YouTube video).

This Fw 190 will be the only original example of the type to be displayed in Germany. Two other Fw 190s are on display in Germany but these are Flug Werk GmbH replicas.

This article was initially published in French by Gee Bee on L’Echarpe Blanche.