While Kurt Tank, the Fw 190's lead designer preferred the Daimler-Benz DB 600 series, the engines were already used in Messerschmitt fighters, while a surplus of the Jumo 213 bomber engines were readily available.
As the new Junkers Jumo 213 engine offered clear improvements in performance, the decision was made to use it with the 190 airframe. In the skies over France, it had no equal for many months as the British scrambled to produce its answer, the Spitfire Mk IX almost a year later. First appearing in 1941, it was a rude awakening to the Allies, easily outclassing the best-Allied fighter of the time, the British Spitfire Mk V. Featuring many advances and innovations, it broke new ground in terms of pilot comfort, ease of use, and versatility. The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 is not just one of Germany's greatest fighter planes it is perhaps one of the most famous aircraft of the entire Second World War. While the earlier variants excelled at lower altitudes but suffered higher up, at the most crucial altitudes where Allied bombers operated, the Long-Nosed 190 could easily match the best the Allies had to offer at all altitudes. While experts may still argue about the Dora's looks, the performance gains were clear. It was a departure from the radial-engine earlier variants and featured a more powerful inline engine, which gave the aircraft its characteristic long-nose shape compared to the iconic Fw 190A. The D for Dora variant of the famous Fw 190 fighter was nicknamed the Long-Nose by German pilots as well as the Allies.
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