History

p.m.

This aircraft was used by the LVA as multi engine trainer, especially for the Fokker G.I and the Fokker T.V. In 1938 an example of this type, D-OQYT was tested at air base Soesterberg.
Koolhoven had offered the FK-57M, a trainer version of the FK-57, but this aircraft had to be developed at that time.
The Weihe was already in use in Germany at that time. It was decided to buy five aircraft of the FW-58B-2.  The Weihe was meant to replace two examples of the the outdated Fokker F.VIIa/3m, 801 and 803. The third Fokker 802 had just been revised.

The first three aircraft, serialled 195 - 197, arrived in may 1939 and were finished according the LVA specifications.

In February 1940 the two remaining Weihes were delivered. These were finished according to the German specifications because of the now broken out war. These had washable German marking applied and were flown to Eelde by German pilots. These two aircraft were most probably RLM Grau.

The first three examples had the Dutch roundels applied, but in a wrong way. The were rotated 240 degrees clockwise. In September these roundels were replaced with the orange triangle.
All aircraft were based at the flying school 'De Vlijt", on the isle of Texel.
Weihe 198 was lost during a hospital flight from Texel to Den Helder, due to an emergency landing in sea.

May 1940 two aircraft were at "De Vlijt" and were lost because of the bombardments. One aircraft was in maintenance at Schiphol and the fourth Weihe was stationed at Waalhaven; these were also lost.

Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe 199.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Focke Wulf "Weihe" of the LVA at naval air station De Kooy.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe with passengers at Texel, ready for departure to Soesterberg on November 20 1939. From left to right Aarts, Ottes, Lub, Nijhuis and Kuhn. The pilot was adjudant D.H. Lambermont.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Detail fuselage and cockpit of a Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe 199.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe 199.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Focke-Wulf Fw 58 at De Vlijt, Texel.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Wreck of Focke-Wulf Fw 58 197 at Texel.
[Enclosed photo from BeeldBank NIMH. Click on photo for ordering information]

Scale 1/72

• Airmodel
  • Kit XX: This is a rather simple vacuformed kit and no longer available.
• Azur
  • Kit fr009: Focke Wulf FW58B "Export" (Hungary, Rumania).
  • Kit fr010: Focke Wulf FW58B "South America" (Brasil, Argentina).
• Classic Plane
  • Kit FW58C: Focke Wulf FW58A Weihe "D-ALEX Reisemachine Kurt Tank".
  • Kit FW58b: Focke Wulf FW58A Weihe "D-OPOV Reisemachine F. Christiansen".
  • Kit FW58a: Focker Wulf FW58A Weihe "Reisemachine F. Christiansen & Kurt Tank".
• Karo AS
  • Kit YY: An injection moulded kit released many years ago and no longer available.
• Special Hobby
  • Kit 72090: A model of the gunner trainer version, with glass nose. It contains also decals for ad Dutch aircraft
  • Kit 72077: A version with solid nose.
    • Review of the FW58C of special Hobby (in French)
    • Review of the Special Hobby-kit of the Fw-58B Weihe (in German)
• Commando 5
  • Kit C5-7214: A model of the FW58B version, with glass nose.

Modelling add-on

• --
  • Set --: --

Decals

• Dutch Decal
  • Set 72023: a set with decals for several pre WW 2 aircraft, such as Weihe 197 with orange triangles

Scale 1/48

• MPM
  • Kit 48013: Focke Wulf Fw-58B Weihe (vacu form)
  • Kit 48014: Focke Wulf Fw-58C Weihe (vacu form)

Modelling add-on

• --
  • Set --: --

Decals

• --
  • Set --: --

There is much confusion about the colour of this aircarft.

Several sources state that the LVA machines were sprayed in the well known LVA Blue used for all LVA trainer aircraft.
H.G. Berfelo, well known member of "Stichting Vrienden van het Militaire Luchtvaart Museum"(= Friends of the (Dutch) Military Aviation Museum at Soesterberg), spoke one of the pilots who has flown the aircraft from Germany to the Netherlands.
This pilot told that the aircraft were certainly overall grey instead of LVA Blue.
The aircraft were not sprayed in LVA Blue when the orange triangles were applied, though some sources suggest that this was the case.

It is possible though that first three machines, delivered in 1939 were indeed overall LVA Blue. Both machines, delivered in February 1940 were most probably overall RLM02. These aircraft were flown to Hoogeveen ?, as the Germans were not allowed to fly further over Dutch territory. These two Weihes were flown to Soesterberg by a LVA crew.

Both my drawings are based upon the RLM02 grey colour.

Note: Most probably the Dutch Weihes were overall RLM 76 used for German trainers at that time. Initially the roundels of the first three examples were applied in the wrong way.

Check www.paint4models.com for an extensive conversion table with lots of colour and paint systems.

The delivery scheme of the Focke-Wulf FW-58B-2.
The roundels the fuselage were rotated 240 degrees clcokwise.
[I don't know whether this was also the case on the wings]

The scheme after the mobilization in September 1939

Literature.

Websites.

• AVROSYS.nu
• LuftArchiv.DE: Focke-Wulf FW-58 Weihe
• Wikipedia DE: Focke-Wulf FW-58 Weihe
• Wikipedia UK: Focke-Wulf FW-58 Weihe

Thanks to F. Gerdessen and H.G. Berfelo for additional information about the colours of the Dutch Focke-Wulf Weihe.