FOCKE WULF FW 190 HARNESS RELEASE BUCKLE

Whilst first introduced into combat in 1941, the Luftwaffe’s Focke Wulf FW 190 did not see action on the Eastern Front until September 1942.

Highly manoeuvrable, fast and deadly, the FW 190 could reach a speed of 650 km/h - often subjecting its pilot to G forces of close to a staggering 12 G. 

FW 190’s pilots wore a contoured parachute with a built-in metal pan that slotted snuggly into the Focke Wulf's armour plated seat but even with its highly streamlined cockpit, under combat conditions the FW 190 pilot could still be thrown about like a rag doll without a robust, multipoint harness.

Anchored behind the pilot’s seat at two points just forward of the braced, armour plated headrest, the Fw 190’s heavily reinforced shoulder harnesses terminated at a three-point, padded, lap seatbelt with a quick release, ‘lever-action’ wire buckle.

By May 5th 1943, the Luftwaffe had been forced to redirect the bulk of their Focke Wulf 190s and Ju 87 dive bombers from other sectors of the Russian front to provide critical air cover for the German Southern Army's evacuation of the southern Caucasus.

The Wehrmacht had established a heavily fortified defensive position straddling the Kuban River Delta on the Taman Peninsular between the Azoz Sea and the Black Sea.

Known as the Kuban Bridgehead, the 60km defensive position was designed to delay Russian forces long enough for the Germans to evacuate their forces across the narrow Kursk Strait separating it from Crimea.

Emboldened by the newly supplied USAAF P39 Airacobras, P40 Warhawks and British Hurricanes and Spitfires, Russian pilots were now experienced and fully trained and now with more advanced combat aircraft, they were pressing home their advantage.

Moscow based, CBS War Correspondent Bill Downs, reported that in just one day in early May 1943, fifty five German aircraft had been shot down over the peninsular with the Russians losing just eleven aircraft. 

This original FW 190 Lever action seatbelt buckle is just one of the many thousands of Luftwaffe aircraft debris scattered across the salt pans and mud flats of this region, a testament to one of the biggest and deadliest air campaigns of the war in Europe.

Mounted on hidden magnets in a highly polished, 100 yr old mango wood display stand, complete with engraved plaque and double sided laminated Fact Sheet, this historic aviation relic of the Kuban Campaign also includes a highly detailed museum quality hand crafted model of the iconic, Luftwaffe FW 190 front line fighter.

This Focke-Wulf Fw190 collectable comes complete with detailed 1/72 or larger 1/48 Scale Model, Mango Wood Stand & Plaque plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of collectable in the aircraft cockpit.

* Note that this Focke Wulf FW 190 Instrument is pictured with a 1/48 scale model rather than the standard detailed, but smaller 1/72 scale. Click on the 'Model Upgrade' option at the top of this page for the larger 1/48 scale

Return to Focke-Wulf Fw190 MAIN PAGE