The Messerschmitt Bf110 originally was designed
as three seat strategic fighter that had the task of clearing the way for
the bomber formations that followed. Soon to become known as the Zerstörer
(the Destroyer) they made their presence felt during the early part
of the Battle of Britain when the Luftwaffe began their attacks on the
Channel convoys. But even at the hands of hand picked elite aircrew, the
Bf110 was to prove no match for the Hurricane or Spitfire and soon started
to succumb heavy losses. Soon, Bf110 formations were to be escorted themselves
by Gruppes of Bf109s and even though the elite Erprobungsgruppe 210 had
many major successes, the Bf110 which started out as a fighter escort was
relegated to the role of just a fighter bomber after the Battle of Britain.
The Messerschmitt Bf110 originated from
the drawing boards in 1935 and the first Bf110A flew in May 1936.
As stated, it was originally designed
as a three seat aircraft, but throughout the war was only to accommodate
a crew of two and used as a fighter escort for bomber formations and also
used as a light bomber that could also handle missions that required deep
penetration into enemy territory. It had a maximum speed of around 290
mph, and a range of 1,070 miles (1720kms) and with heavy armament to suit
accomplished its task satisfactory. The Bf110A was powered by the carburettor
engined Daimler-Benz DB600, and as a result of delays in parts and power
plants gave way to the fitting of Junkers Jumo 210Da engines until the
Daimler-Benz factory could supply the DB601 direct fuel injection engines.
The next variant was the Bf110B-1 introduced
in July 1938 and although still powered by the Jumo 210Da engine, the addition
of two 20mm MG FF cannon supplemented the four 7.9mm machine guns in the
nose and a single 7.9mm machine gun at the rear of the long cockpit. Some
of the aircraft had the cannons removed and cameras installed, and with
less than fifty aircraft built, most were to be converted to training duties
as Daimler-Benz had promised availability of the new DB601 engine for late
1938.
The Daimler-Benz 601A engine arrived after
nearly eighteen months in time to be incorporated into the Bf110C when
delivery was made in January 1939. The first, which was the Bf110C-0 had
very few differences to its earlier variant, but in late January-early
February the rear machine gun was fitted with a flexible mount and DB601A-1
engines delivering 1,050hp each and was designated as the Bf110C-1. Other
variants of the Bf110 were the C-2 which had modified radio equipment,
the C-3 which had improved MG FF cannon, the C-4 which had greater protection
for the pilot and gunner with the inclusion of armour plating and the C-4B
which had improved DB601N power units with each developing 1,200hp
giving the Bf110 a top speed of 349 mph.
Although it was the Bf110C that most saw
service during the Battle of Britain, other variants followed. The Bf110D
which had jettisonable wing tanks, a version of this was the U/1 which
was designed for night fighting duties and had infra-red sensing equipment.
Others were fitted with bomb racks, one variant had a dinghy housing built
into the tail, while others were designed for photo reconnaissance. The
Bf110G was the last of the series being built in 1945 with a total of some
6,500 Bf110 aircraft being built.
Straight line top speed of the Bf110 was
greater than that of the Hurricane, but it could not outrun the Spitfire. Normal practice was to force the Bf110 into a turn where its slow and wide
turning circle was its greatest drawback. Another problem for the Bf110
was from surprise attacks by British fighters, where they became vulnerable
because of slow acceleration from cruising to top speed. The Bf110 was
to suffer heavily during the Battle of Britain.
Messerschmitt Bf110C Specifications
Type |
Fighter escort/fighter bomber |
Power Plant |
2 x Daimler-Benz DB601A
fuel injected engines |
Unladen weight |
12,346lbs (5,600kg) |
Laden weight |
15,873lbs (7,200kg) |
Max Speed (22,900 ft) |
349mph (560 km/h) |
Cruising Speed |
250mph (402 km/h) |
0 - 19,685 ft (6,000 m) |
9.2 min |
Max range |
540 miles |
Service Ceiling |
32,000 feet |
Armament |
2 x MG FF cannon in nose
of aircraft
4 x 7.9mm machine guns of
1,000 rpg
1 x 7.9mm machine gun of
750 rpg |
Wingspan |
53ft 3¾in (16.25m) |
Length |
39ft 7¼in (12.07m) |
Height |
13ft 6½in (4.13m) |
Wing Area |
413.33 Sq ft (38.40m²) |
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