BMW 328, Focke-Wulf 190A

James Dietz's grouping of planes, people and vehicles in "Tough Day" represents a bleak gathering of Jagdgeschwader 2's most colorful Focke-Wulf FW-190As. JG 2 "Richthofen" was one of the rare Luftwaffe units that campaigned in France from the first day of the 1940 Blitzkrieg to the end of the German occupation. While a Gruppe or Staffel might be sent elsewhere temporarily, JG2 was the stalwart fighter organization in the West. As such, JG2 was witness to the changes in Allied airpower. By the autumn of 1943 there was no question that Allied airpower was rising to unimaginable heights.

The "Richthofen" pilots had battled the RAF in 1941, during the "Rhubarb" and "Circus" campaigns. In the Spring of 1942 the unit began a major conversion to the new FW-190, which provided a brief qualitative superiority in equipment. JG2 scored a huge tally of British aircraft during the Dieppe raid, but the RAF countered with more planes and new tactics in its fighter sweeps against the Luftwaffe. The very first missions of the American 8th Air Force were also flown in 1942. The wind was definitely blowing the wrong way for JG 2.