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Osprey Duel #25
Fw 200 Condor vs Atlantic Convoy: 1941–43
With the fall of France in 1940, Germany suddenly had the opportunity to strike at poorly guarded Allied convoys. The Luftwaffe pressed into service the Fw-200 Condor, a plane that had originally been designed as a civilian airliner and the first plane to fly non-stop from Berlin to New York in 1938. After various modifications, the Fw-200 became the Luftwaffe's long-range maritime patrol and strike bomber. It was devastatingly effective; a single attack by five Condors on a convoy in February 1941 resulted in the sinking and damaging of 11 ships. Furthermore, the Condors passed on convoy sightings to the U-boats with devastating effect.
By the summer of 1941, the threat posed by the Condor was so great that Winston Churchill dubbed them "the scourge of the Atlantic." Losses to Condor attacks resulted in various crash efforts to find a solution to the predator. One solution was the Hurricate, a modified Hurricane that was launched by catapult from a converted merchant ship. But a more robust solution was required. This was delivered with the creation of the escort carrier to provide continuous air cover over a threatened convoy. By 1941 the duel for supremacy over the Atlantic began to turn in favor of the Allies and was furthered by the entry of the US into the war. The Germans made a last ditch attempt to turn the tide by equipping Condors with anti-shipping missiles, better defensive armament and airborne radar. But their numbers were too few to combat the ever-increasing might of the Allies.
This volume highlights a classic duel between opposing tactics, doctrine and technology, with the Germans attempting to field an airborne weapon that could intercept the Atlantic convoys, while the Allies attempted to provide an effective defense umbrella over the ships carrying vital war-time supplies.
By the summer of 1941, the threat posed by the Condor was so great that Winston Churchill dubbed them "the scourge of the Atlantic." Losses to Condor attacks resulted in various crash efforts to find a solution to the predator. One solution was the Hurricate, a modified Hurricane that was launched by catapult from a converted merchant ship. But a more robust solution was required. This was delivered with the creation of the escort carrier to provide continuous air cover over a threatened convoy. By 1941 the duel for supremacy over the Atlantic began to turn in favor of the Allies and was furthered by the entry of the US into the war. The Germans made a last ditch attempt to turn the tide by equipping Condors with anti-shipping missiles, better defensive armament and airborne radar. But their numbers were too few to combat the ever-increasing might of the Allies.
This volume highlights a classic duel between opposing tactics, doctrine and technology, with the Germans attempting to field an airborne weapon that could intercept the Atlantic convoys, while the Allies attempted to provide an effective defense umbrella over the ships carrying vital war-time supplies.
80 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2010
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About the author
Robert Forczyk
55 books74 followersRobert Forczyk has a PhD in International Relations and National Security from the University of Maryland and a strong background in European and Asian military history.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 10, 2010
Most people who've studied the earlier part of WWII know that Winston Churchill referenced the FW 200 Condor as the "scourge of the Atlantic" because of what was happening to the convoys going to England. Because of this and the lines of the Condor, a love affair develops... When I saw that Osprey was offering a book on Condor's and their "prey", it became a must have; especially since my earlier Osprey Duel series purchases have been interesting.
Condor vs. Atlantic Convoy’s is a typical Osprey Duel book; presents two sides, shows their strength/weakness, and talks about the results. However this book struck me right away as working at a disadvantage the Condor was an individual aircraft type while convoy’s is something much more complex because it deals in multiple weapon systems and their use. Alas, this is the books great downfall. While Mr. Forczyk did a good job presenting the FW-200’s history and capabilities, they failed to address German maritime strike capabilities and tactics past Condor crews did. Passing mention is made of the HE-177 but no real mention of other Luftwaffe anti-maritime operations. I know this seems petty since the book does say FW-200 Condor, however Mr. Forczyk is comparing one aircraft (the Condor) vs. a system of systems (convoy’s consisted of the merchant ships, their defensive capabilities, their escorts, and any aircraft they might have carried). This is particularly disturbing when you consider that the FW-200 Condor wasn’t designed to be a maritime strike aircraft, but rather a commercial airliner that was thrust into the reconnaissance role and had bombs added to it. There are good photos and paintings in here, there’s also some nice maps showing where Condors sank vessels and were also lost.
Rating wise this one’s a three star book. While Winston Churchill referred to the Condor was “the scourge of the Atlantic”, Mr. Forczyk rather showed us that the Condor was easily defeatable but failed to address the other air components the Germans employed. This is something of a failure to me because while Mr. Forczyk did address his subject, he limited his scope on one side without limiting the other side’s scope. I believe a more balanced and better book could have been made if Mr. Forczyk had either made a case that the Condor was the primary aircraft to destroy ships in the Atlantic (not discussed) or if he’d compared German Maritime strike capabilities to the Allied’s ability to defend their convoys.
Condor vs. Atlantic Convoy’s is a typical Osprey Duel book; presents two sides, shows their strength/weakness, and talks about the results. However this book struck me right away as working at a disadvantage the Condor was an individual aircraft type while convoy’s is something much more complex because it deals in multiple weapon systems and their use. Alas, this is the books great downfall. While Mr. Forczyk did a good job presenting the FW-200’s history and capabilities, they failed to address German maritime strike capabilities and tactics past Condor crews did. Passing mention is made of the HE-177 but no real mention of other Luftwaffe anti-maritime operations. I know this seems petty since the book does say FW-200 Condor, however Mr. Forczyk is comparing one aircraft (the Condor) vs. a system of systems (convoy’s consisted of the merchant ships, their defensive capabilities, their escorts, and any aircraft they might have carried). This is particularly disturbing when you consider that the FW-200 Condor wasn’t designed to be a maritime strike aircraft, but rather a commercial airliner that was thrust into the reconnaissance role and had bombs added to it. There are good photos and paintings in here, there’s also some nice maps showing where Condors sank vessels and were also lost.
Rating wise this one’s a three star book. While Winston Churchill referred to the Condor was “the scourge of the Atlantic”, Mr. Forczyk rather showed us that the Condor was easily defeatable but failed to address the other air components the Germans employed. This is something of a failure to me because while Mr. Forczyk did address his subject, he limited his scope on one side without limiting the other side’s scope. I believe a more balanced and better book could have been made if Mr. Forczyk had either made a case that the Condor was the primary aircraft to destroy ships in the Atlantic (not discussed) or if he’d compared German Maritime strike capabilities to the Allied’s ability to defend their convoys.
February 12, 2020
Este es un libro breve y muy completo sobre un avión que siempre me llamó la atención: el FW 200, uno de los aviones de la Luftwaffe con mayor autonomía. Nunca lo había estudiado en profundidad, por lo que pensaba que era un avión militar, pero lo cierto es que el FW 200 fue un diseño civil de Kurt Tank (el genio aeronáutico alemán) que Lufthansa pidió expresamente para sus rutas de largo recorrido. Antes de la SGM el FW 200 realizó un vuelo Berlín - Nueva York que le llevó la friolera de 24 horas, pero para la época fue una hazaña y un triunfo de la propaganda nazi.
Una vez que estalló la guerra, la idea de utilizar el FW 200 en misiones de reconocimiento marítimo y antibuque no surgió del Alto Mando alemán o de la jefatura nazi, sino de jóvenes oficiales. Con bastante rapidez la Luftwaffe comenzó a utilizar el avión civil en un rol ofensivo, con notorios éxitos iniciales que llevaron a Winston Churchill a presionar directamente a la RAF y a la Royal Navy ha desarrollar contramedidas.
El libro es muy interesante en cuanto explica muy bien cómo se defendían los convoyes, y la falta de coordinación entre la Luftwaffe y la Kriegsmarine, lo que llevó a que el éxito del FW 200 fuera bastante efímero. Aun perteneciendo a un régimen totalitario, las rencillas internas en el maquinaria nazi eran mayores que en el Reino Unido.
Un libro muy interesante para aquell@s interesad@s en saber más sobre la Batalla del Atlántico.
Una vez que estalló la guerra, la idea de utilizar el FW 200 en misiones de reconocimiento marítimo y antibuque no surgió del Alto Mando alemán o de la jefatura nazi, sino de jóvenes oficiales. Con bastante rapidez la Luftwaffe comenzó a utilizar el avión civil en un rol ofensivo, con notorios éxitos iniciales que llevaron a Winston Churchill a presionar directamente a la RAF y a la Royal Navy ha desarrollar contramedidas.
El libro es muy interesante en cuanto explica muy bien cómo se defendían los convoyes, y la falta de coordinación entre la Luftwaffe y la Kriegsmarine, lo que llevó a que el éxito del FW 200 fuera bastante efímero. Aun perteneciendo a un régimen totalitario, las rencillas internas en el maquinaria nazi eran mayores que en el Reino Unido.
Un libro muy interesante para aquell@s interesad@s en saber más sobre la Batalla del Atlántico.
February 29, 2020
One of the best in the series.
November 29, 2014
Great, concise overview of the FW200 and Atlantic convoy's response to the threat. Goes into details about both the aircraft (which isn't well covered elsewhere) and merchant marines' response to the aviation threat.
May 23, 2014
An excellent history of the FW200.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews