Hasegawa Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8/R2 of Oberfeldwebel Willi Maximowitz in 1/72 Scale

Willi Maximowitz had one American B-24 Liberator to his credit when he volunteered to join Sturmstaffel 1.  This unit flew up-armored Fw 190’s and was tasked with flying en masse through American heavy bomber formations, closing to point-blank range before destroying their targets.  Pilots were urged to ram their targets if they were not destroyed by gunfire.  Using these tactics, he was credited with ramming a B-17 on 23MAR44, and shot down another over Helmstedt on 29APR44, but was himself wounded by the bomber’s defensive fire and had to bail out.  During his convalescence Sturmstaffel 1 became 11./JG 3 and was operating against the Allied forces pouring into France when Maximowitz rejoined the unit.  His score continued to mount, eventually reaching 15, all heavy bombers.  In February IV./JG 3 shifted to oppose the Soviets on the Eastern Front, where he added 12 additional victories to his score.  Willi Maximowitz failed to return from a mission on 20APR45, just a few weeks before the end of the war.

This model depicts Willi Maximowitz’ Focke-Wulf Fw 190A-8/R2 as it appeared while with 11.(Sturm)/JG 3 at Dreux, France, June 1944.