Messerschmitt Bf 110

Country of Origin: na Germany | Type: Two seat fighter-bomber

Introduction

The concept of the high speed, long range, twin engined heavily armed fighter developed in several nations during the 1930's, the Germans called it Zerstörer (destroyer). The Bf 110 was designed in 1934-35 to meet this requirement which sacrificed maneouvrability for firepower and range, the idea being to provide an escort for bombers. The Bf 110 has become maligned due to its failure as a fighter in the Battle of Britain where it was easy prey for the RAF's Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes, but the aircraft went on to enjoy a successful career as a maid of all work and especially as a night fighter.

Lack of Power

The Bf 110V1 prototype first flew on 12th May 1936 with two more following by the end of the year. These were powered by 910hp (678kW) Daimler-Benz DB 600 engines but shortages meant that early production aircraft had less powerful Junkers Jumo 210s. The first pre production 110A-0 with 680hp (507kW) Jumo 210Da engines flew in January 1938 followed by 110B-0s with 710hp (529kW) Jumo 210Gs and revised nose contours.

Production

About 45 production Bf 110Bs followed from July 1938 but availability of the 1,100hp (820kW) fuel injected Daimler-Benz DB 601A engine allowed the 110C series to quickly follow, the first of 10 pre production 110C-0s appearing in January 1939. The first production C-1 flew in the same month. Subvariants were the C-2 (different radio equipment), the C-3 (improved cannon), the C-4 (crew armour protection), the C-4/B (fighter-bomber with more powerful DB 601N engines), the C-5 (reconnaissance variant), the C-5/N (fitted with DB 601N engines), the C-6 (heavy fighter with two 20mm cannon replaced by a single 30mm cannon) and the C-7 fighter bomber (fitted with DB 601N engines, and an increased bomb load).

Expansion

The Bf 110D, E & F illustrates the expansion of the aircraft's roles from late 1940 as the Zerstörer concept was revealed to be a failure against strong fighter opposition. All three models were built in fighter, fighter-bomber, escort, reconnaissance and night fighter versions. Long range Bf 110Ds flew from Norway during the Battle of Britain but after that they and the versions which followed found themselves deployed elsewhere, most notably for the Balkans, Mediterranean and Eastern Front campaigns. Developments of the 110D included uprated engines, the addition of external fuel tanks, nose mounted infrared detector and the addition of an external bomb load of up to 1,000kg (2,205lb).

G-series Aircraft

From 1942 onwards, the Bf 110 enjoyed a small renaissance as a night fighter due to the failure of its intended successor, the Messerschmitt Me 210. The most important version of the G-series was the G-4, which was fitted with radar and was a three-seat night fighter. The Bf 110G-4 was built in several subvariants (a, b, c and d), with differing radar fits. Factory and field modifications resulted in armament variations and further designations, the G-2/R3, for example, having two 30mm cannon replacing the four nose machine guns. The Luftwaffe's Bf 110Gs flew against USAAF bombers in daylight but most of their activities were directed against the RAF at night.

Specification

Dimensions

Powerplants

Weights

Armament

Performance

Production

Production of the aircraft totalled approximately 6,050 of all models

Operators

Three-view Schematic

To view the schematic, click on the image below:

Specification view of a Bf 110