Messerschmitt Bf 110
The Messerschmitt Bf 110 (also incorrectly called Me 110) was a twin-engine, all-metal low-wing monoplane from the German aircraft manufacturer Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG (BFW, from 1938: Messerschmitt AG), which was classified in the "destroyer" class (Zerstörer) created in 1934. The type was initially designed for two crew members, but a third person was added later for various requirements (Bf 110 G-4[1]). The first flight of the heavy fighter took place on 12 May 1936; several factories built a total of 6,170 aircraft for the Luftwaffe between 1939 and 1945.
The Bf 110 was an effective, highly versatile twin-engined aircraft. Outmanoeuvred by the faster because lighter British fighters during the Battle of Britain it was converted into a night fighter and proved to be one of the most successful put into service during World War Two.
History
The Bf 110 was conceived as a Zerstörer, a long range escort fighter equally able to undertake defensive or offensive tasks. This high-performance, heavily-armed fighter first entered service in 1939 and was able to take part in the Polish campaign where it performed well. The Zerstörer concept was not really put to the test during the opening months of the war but events in the Battle of Britain proved it to be a mistake. Although a highly effective fighter the Messerschmitt Bf 110 was misused as an escort fighter on daylight bomber missions which resulted in huge losses.
Operating well below its top speed it proved unable to fight on equal terms with the more agile British single seat Hurricane and Spitfire fighters. Although mounting losses should have resulted in its withdrawal because of the limited range and endurance of the single-engined Messerschmitt Bf 109 Es the Germans were forced to continue using the type as a fighter escort on its daylight raids.
- A favorite of Reichsmarschall Göring, the Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstörer was a sleek twin-engine heavy fighter with a top speed of almost 350 mph, slightly faster than the single-engine Hurricane and almost as fast as the Spitfire. But after early successes in Poland, the Low Countries, and France, the Schnellbomber was woefully misused in the Battle of Britain. The extra fuel that it needed to escort bombers across the Channel made it less agile than the defending British planes, and it was required to fly more slowly to maintain support. On 15 August 1940, the most intensive day of fighting, almost thirty Bf 110s were shot down. Of those flying across the North Sea from Norway and Denmark to participate in a surprise raid on north-eastern England, fully one-third were destroyed. The next day, eight planes were downed and on 18 August, "the hardest day," when the Luftwaffe was determined to neutralize the Royal Air Force, another fifteen. That month alone, more than 120 Bf 110s were lost, a rate of attrition that could not be sustained. Weal cites a statistic that hardly seems credible: of 237 serviceable Bf 110s at the beginning of the Battle of Britain, no more than 14 remained at the end. So devastating were the losses that the plane was withdrawn from the British theater and redeployed as a night fighter, a role in which it was much more successful.[2]
After the Battle of Britain it was used in the Mediterranean and the Soviet Union. Once Bomber Command increased its nocturnal raids over the German Reich, most Bf 110s were sent to new night fighter units. Equipped with radar it proved to be an effective interceptor but it was limited by its speed, caused by draggy radar antennas, and short range. The Bf 110 G-4 was the last operational variant. Over six thousand Bf 110s were produced until the end of World War II.
Related developments
- Messerschmitt Bf 161, reconnaissance aircraft based on Bf 110
- Messerschmitt Bf 162, light bomber based on Bf 110
- Messerschmitt Me 210
- Messerschmitt Me 310
- Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse
External links
References
- ↑ Three-crew night fighter, FuG 202/220 Lichtenstein radar, optional Schräge Musik, usually mounted midway down the cockpit with the cannon muzzles barely protruding above the canopy glazing. Multiple combinations of engine boosts, Schräge Musik, radar arrangements and forward firing armament were available in the form of Rüstsätze and Umrüst-Bausätze kits.
- ↑ Bf 110 Zerstörer
