Messerschmitt Bf 110

Western Campaign, 1940


In the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] of 1940, Walter Horten, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] technical officer, was invited to participate in a "mock combat" with a Bf 109E.

The Bf 109 bested the Bf 110 time and again. After the combat, Horten said,

Gentlemen, be very careful if you should ever come up against the English.

Their fighters are all single-engined.

And once they get to know the Bf 110s weaknesses, you could be in for a very nasty surprise.

During the phoney war, a number of French aircraft were shot down by Bf 110s. ZG 1 Gruppenkommander
[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Hannes Gentzen became the highest scoring fighter pilot in the Luftwaffe on 2 April, when he shot down a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] over [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

For the attack on the Netherlands, 145 Bf 110s were committed under [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Kurt-Bertram von Döring's Jagdfliegerführer 2.

During the campaign itself, the Bf 110 demonstrated its capabilities as a strike aircraft.

On 10 May, ZG 1 claimed 26 Dutch aircraft destroyed on the ground on [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] airfield.

Between 11–13 May, most of the 82 aerial claims over [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] were claimed by the Bf 110 equipped ZG 26.

However, this was tempered by the loss of nine Bf 110s against the RAF on 15 May.

By this date, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Friedrich Vollbracht's ZG 2 claimed 66 Allied aircraft.

The Bf 110 force also encountered the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] during this period.

Several German raids violated Swiss airspace. About five Bf 110s were shot down by Swiss Bf 109s.

The Bf 110s participation in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s Operationa Paula, an offensive to destroy the remaining French Air Forces in central France, was to lead to 101 losses for the Luftwaffe, of which just four were Bf 110s. No further losses of the type occurred for the remainder of the campaign.

The campaign in the west that followed in 1940 demonstrated the Bf 110 was vulnerable in hostile skies.

It performed well against the Belgian, Dutch and French Air Forces, suffering relatively light losses, but was quickly outclassed by increasing numbers of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In the Western Campaign, 60 were lost.

This represented 32 percent of the Zerstörerwaffe's initial strength.

Battle of Britain


The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] revealed the Bf 110's fatal weaknesses as a daylight fighter against single-engine aircraft.

A relatively large aircraft, it lacked the agility of the Hurricane and Spitfire and was easily seen.

The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]-era [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] had done well with a rear gunner firing a rifle-caliber machine gun, but by World War II, this was insufficient to deter the eight-gun fighters facing the Bf 110.

Its size and weight meant that it had high [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which limited its maneuverability.

Furthermore, although it had a higher top speed than contemporary [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Hurricanes, it had poor acceleration.

However, it was unique at the time as a long-range bomber escort, and did not have the problems of restricted range that hampered the Bf 109E.

Although outclassed, it was still formidable as a high escort for bombers using the tactic of diving upon an enemy, delivering a long-range burst from its powerful forward-facing armament, then breaking contact to run for it.

Hermann Göring's nephew, Hans-Joachim Göring, was a pilot with III./[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], flying the Messerschmitt Bf 110.

Hans-Joachim was killed in action on 11 July 1940, when his Bf 110 was shot down by Hurricanes of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].
His aircraft crashed into [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The worst day of the battle for the Bf 110 was the actions of the 15 August 1940, when nearly 30 Bf 110s were shot down, the equivalent of an entire Gruppe.

Between the 16–17 August a further 23 Bf 110s were shot down.

After the 18 August there was a marked reduction in the number of Zerstörer operations.

Their seeming absence has often been equated with the simultaneous disappearance from the Battle of the Ju 87.

But wereas the Ju 87 had to be withdrawn because it simply could not survive in the hostile environment over southern England in the late summer of 1940, the reason for the decrease in Bf 110 activity was much more mundane.

Replacements were not keeping pace with losses.

There were just not enough Zerstörer available.

The last day of August proved to be a rare success for the Messerschmitt Bf 110. ZG 26 claimed 13 RAF fighter shot down, which "was not far off the mark", for three losses and five damaged. However, on 4 and 27 September 15 Bf 110s were lost on each day.

The Luftwaffe had embarked on the battle with 237 serviceable Bf 110s. 223 were lost in the course of it.

On 10 May 1941, in a strange episode during the aftermath of the Battle of Britain, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the deputy leader of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] party, used a Bf 110 to fly from [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], north of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], in an attempt to broker a peace deal between Germany and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

Balkans Campaign


The Messerschmitt Bf 110C and Es were committed to the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

I and II./ZG 26 were deployed to the theatre.

Once again the Bf 110 encountered foreign flown Messerschmitt Bf 109s, this time 109s of the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

As over [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in 1940, the battles ended in their opponent's favor.

On the first day, 6 April, Bf 110s of I./ZG 26 lost five of their number in exchange for two Yugoslavian Bf 109s. II./ZG dispatched several[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], but managed to lose two of their own against the biplanes.

Over Greece, on 20 April, II./ZG 26 claimed five Hurricanes of No. 33 and No. 80 Squadron RAF for two losses.

This enagagement saw the death of 50 kill ace [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] of No 33 Squadron. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Hauptmann [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and Oberleutnant Sophus Baagoe were amongst the claimers on this date, taking their scores to 12 and 14.

Also killed in this battle was the ace, F/Lt W.J. "Timber" Woods of No. 80 Squadron with 6½ kills.

Oberleutnant Baagoe was killed on 14 May 1941 whilst on a strafing mission during the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The British defences and a Gloster Gladiator pilot claimed credit. Around 12 Bf 110s were lost over Crete.

North Africa, the Mediterranean and Middle East


The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and resulting [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] saw the Luftwaffe commit 12 of 4./ZG 76's Bf 110s to the Iraqi Nationalists cause as part of "[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]" ([Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]).

The German machines reached Iraq in the first week of May 1941.

The campaign in the desert would last for ten days.

Two RAF Gladiators were claimed by future night fighter ace [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

But RAF raids badly damaged two Bf 110s. However, by the 26 May no Bf 110s were left serviceable and German
personnel were evacuated.

One Bf 110 (Wk-Nr 4035) was captured by the RAF and test flown as RAF serial HK846, "Belle of Berlin".

Based in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], it was to deploy to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] as part of a program to train pilots on enemy equipment. It did not make it. The machine crashed in the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], the Bf 110 acted as a support aircraft for the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] Stuka units. In 1941, nearly 20% of the Zerstörergeschwader's missions were ground attack orientated.

A number of Bf 110 aces were lost in aerial combat during this period, and other losses were considerable.

Significantly, on the night of the 22–23 May, the Bf 110 was pressed into night fighting service over the desert.

Oberleutnant Alfred Wehmeyer scored three nocturnal kills against Allied bombers in the space of a week.

In August 1942, a stalemate between the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] forces in North Africa permitted the withdrawal of III./ZG 26 to [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] for convoy protection. During this time a number of [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] were
destroyed.

On 29 September 1942, whilst on patrol alone, Oberleutnant Helmut Haugk of ZG 26 engaged a formation of 11 B-24s, dispatching two of the bombers.

The Bf 110 had demonstrated its capability in a role it was to excel in over Europe.

Defence of the Reich


Eventually withdrawn from daylight fighting, the Bf 110 enjoyed later success as a night fighter, where its range and firepower stood it in good stead for the remainder of the war.

The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] allowed for a dedicated [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] operator, and the open nose had space for radar antennae, unlike the single-engine fighters.

As the war wore on, the increased weight of armament and radar detection equipment (along with a third crew member) took an increasing toll of the aircraft's performance.

It was also used as a ground attack aircraft, starting with the C-4/B model, and as a day bomber interceptor, where its heavy firepower was particularly useful.

Later on, there were dedicated ground attack versions which proved reasonably successful.

The Bf 110 served the Luftwaffe extensively in various roles, though not in its intended role as a heavy fighter.

Another role the Bf 110 took on was as a potent bomber-destroyer.

The extreme power of the Bf 110's weaponry could cripple or destroy any Allied bomber in seconds.

Without encountering an Allied escort, it was capable of wreaking immense destruction.

When encumbered with a total of four 21 cm (8 in)[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] (Wfr.Gr. 21) rocket tubes, with two of these under each outer wing panel, and additional armament, the 110 was vulnerable to Allied [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In late 1943 and early 1944 Bf 110 formations were frequently decimated by the roving Allied fighters.

It was in this role the Bf 110 and its pilots achieved their greatest successes.

Luftwaffe night fighter ace [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was the highest scorer in the Defence of the Reich campaign and ended the war with 121 aerial victories, virtually all of them achieved while flying examples of the Bf 110.

Other such as Helmut Lent switched to the night fighter arm and built on their modest daylight scores.

Other aircraft such as the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and Junkers Ju 88 also played a big role, but none so more than the Bf 110.

Daylight operations


The first victory for the Bf 110 in this capacity was recorded on 4 February 1943 against a B-24 formation
attacking [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Germans suffered from defensive fire as the Bf 110s were a bigger target.

Along with the seven Fw 190s and five lost by[Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], all eight IV./NJG 1s Bf 110s were damaged.

They claimed three B-17s although only one was lost.

The reason for the failure was due to the lack of training in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] tactics. [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] said;

This was my only day victory in a night fighter. We flew these missions at no greater than Schwarme
strength, and were ourselves never escorted. It was wasteful to use highly trained night fighter crews in this role, and it was given up when the US escorts appeared.

On 4 March, the unit was back in action, this time destroying three B-17s for two Bf 110s.

During 1943, USAAF bombers were afforded limited protection by American fighters, which did not yet have the
sufficient range to escort the bombers to and from the target.

This gave the Zerstörer force a window of opportunity to wreak untold damage on the bomber streams.

However, the Bf 110s were often called away to the Eastern and North African fronts "rapidly" and "often" to perform strike, reconnaissance and even dive-bombing missions, leading to inevitable losses.

When these units returned to the Reich, they were depleted and required reforming retraining and requipping.

The wastage and woeful deployment of the type prevented any lasting success.

Finally, in autumn 1943, the Zerstörergruppen were recalled from their Eastern or Mediterranean bases, and formed into RLV units. Along with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], it formed the newly rebuilt ZG 26, equipped with three gruppen (two Bf 110 and one Me 410), based near [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. I. and III./ZG 76 were based in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], and II./ZG 76 was based in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

On 4 October 1943, the Bf 110 Geschwader intercepted B-17s of the 3rd Bomb Division.

The targets around [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] and the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] region were hit.

The Bf 110s flew alone against this formation and destroyed four B-17s, before having the misfortune of running into [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

The Bf 110s lost nine machines, with 11 killed and seven wounded. It is not clear if they managed to shoot down
any of their attackers.

The Bf 110 also supported the German defence during [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] in February 1944,

The experiences of Zerstörergeschwader "Horst Wessel", a Bf 110 squadron, indicates what happened to twin-engine fighters in the new combat environment.

The unit worked up over January and February to operational ready status.

At 12:13 pm, on February 20, 13 Bf 110s scrambled after approaching formations.

Six minutes later three more took off to join the first group.

When they arrived at the designated contact point there was nothing left to meet. American fighters had jumped the 13 Bf 110s from the sun and shot down 11.

Meanwhile two enemy fighters strafed the airfield and damaged nine more aircraft.

On 22 February, six Bf 110s were lost for two kills against B-17s, while on 6 March, five Bf 110s were lost and one damaged out of nine machines committed.

By April 1944, the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] had hoped to convert the Bf 110 Geschwader to the Me 410.

However, after the Me 410 suffered equally high casualty rates, the conversion was delayed.

The Bf 110 was considered to be obsolete and phased out of production accordingly.

However, while crews found it faster in "raw speed", they found it even less agile than the Bf 110 and very difficult
to bail out of.

The only other replacement type was the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], which at this stage in the war was extremely unlikely.

On 2 April, the Bf 110 achieved one of its final successful engagements. A force of 62 attacked a mixed bomber
stream of B-17 and B-24s with [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], destroying five B-17s and three B-24s, as a well as a single [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. Losses were eight Bf 110s.

On 9 April, ZG 76 committed 77 to an USAAF raid on [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]. USAAF [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] had now appeared, and were able to escort the Allied bombers to and from the target.

The Bf 110 force lost 23 of the 77 machines. It never flew another mission in this capacity.

The losses had "marked the beginning of the end of the Bf 110 Zerstörer as a firstline weapon in the RLV".

The Zerstörer was only to fly as a day fighter against unescorted formations.

This would be rare throughout the remainder of the war.

Night fighter operations


The Bf 110 would be the backbone of the Nachtjagdgeschwader throughout the war.

The first units undertook defence operations over Germany as early as the autumn of 1940.

Opposition was light until 1942, when British heavy bombers started to appear.

One of the most notable actions of the Bf 110 occurred on the night of the 16/17 August 1943.

Bf 110 units had been mass equipped with the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] system, an emplacement of two upward-firing cannon, mounted almost midway down the cockpit canopy behind the pilot, which could attack the blind spot of RAF
Bomber Commands [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] bombers, which lacked a ventral turret.

Using this, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s Leutnant Peter Erhardt destroyed four bombers in thirty minutes.

Despite excellent visibility, none of the RAF bombers had reported anything unusual that would indicate a new weapon or tactics in the German night fighter force.

This ignorance was compounded by the tracerless ammunition used by the Bf 110s, as well as firing on the British bombers blind spots.

Many RAF crews witnessed a sudden explosion of a friendly aircraft, but assumed, in some cases, it was very accurate flak.
Few of the German fighters were seen, let alone fired on.

In September 1943, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], convinced a [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] campaign against Germany's cities would force a German collapse, pressed for further mass attacks.

While RAF Bomber Command destroyed [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]'s city centre and 86% of crews dropped their bombs within 5 km
(3 mi) of the aiming point, losses were severe.

The [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] was the prime target for British bombers in 1943, and German defences inflicted a considerable loss rate.

The Bf 110 had a hand in the destruction of some 2,751 RAF bombers in 1943, along with German flak and other night fighters.

Later, the RAF developed [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien], to confuse German defences and introduced [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] to fly feints and divert the Bf 110s and other night fighter forces from their true target, which worked, initially.

At this time, the Bf 110 remained the backbone of the fight-force, although it was now being reinforced by the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].

In October 1943, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] reported the climbing attrition rate as "unacceptable", and urged Hermann
Göring to stop committing the German night fighters to daylight operations.

Many Nachtjagdgeschwader had taken part in costly daylight battles of attrition.

From June-August, it had increased from around 2% to 9.8%.

However the fortunes for the mostly Bf 110 quipped force turned during late August/September 1943.

The night fighter arm claimed the destruction of 123 out of some 1,179 bombers over [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] on one night; a 7.2% loss rate.

During the [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] 1,128 bombers were lost in five months. RAF Bomber Command had "nearly burned out".

These losses were primarily a result of fighter defences, at the heart of which was the Bf 110.

The German defences had won a victory which prevented deep penetration raids for a time.

But Luftwaffe losses were high; 15% of crews were killed in the three months of 1944.

Variants


Bf 110 A

Prototypes with two [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] engines.


Bf 110 A-0

The designation of the first four pre-production aircraft.


Bf 110 B

Small scale production with two Jumo 210 engines.


Bf 110 B-0

First pre-production aircraft, similar to B-1.


Bf 110 B-1

Zerstörer, four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns and two 20 mm MG FF cannons, nose-mounted.


Bf 110 B-2

Reconnaissance, both MG FF cannons removed, and various camera models added.


Bf 110 B-3

Trainer. MG FF cannons removed, and extra radio gear added. Some war weary B-1 were later refitted as B-3s.

First major production series, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien] engines.


Bf 110 C-0

Ten pre-production aircraft.


Bf 110 C-1

Zerstörer, DB 601 B-1 engines.


Bf 110 C-2

Zerstörer, fitted with FuG 10 radio, upgraded from FuG III.


Bf 110 C-3

Zerstörer, upgraded 20 mm MG FFs to MG FF/M.


Bf 110 C-4

Zerstörer, upgraded crew armor.


Bf 110 C-4/B

Fighter-bomber based on C-4, fitted with a pair of 250 kg (550 lb) ETC 250 bomb racks and upgraded DB 601 Ba engines.


Bf 110 C-5

Reconnaissance version based on C-4, both MG FF removed, and Rb 50/30 camera installed, uprated DB 601P engines.


Bf 110 C-6

Experimental Zerstörer, additional single 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 101 cannon in underfuselage mount, DB 601P engines.


Bf 110 C-7

Fighter-bomber based on C-4/B, two ETC-500 centerline bomb racks capable of carrying two 500 kg (1,100 lb)
bombs, uprated DB 601P engines.


Bf 110 D

Heavy fighter/fighter-bomber, extreme range versions based on C-series, often stationed in [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien].


Bf 110 D-0

Prototype utilizing C-3 airframes modified with 1,200 L (320 US gal) belly-mounted tank called Dackelbauch.


Bf 110 D-1

Long-range Zerstörer, modified C series airframes with Dackelbauch belly tank.


Bf 110 D-1/R2

Long-range Zerstörer, removed Dackelbauch tanks and replaced with wing mounted 900 L (240 US gal) drop tanks.


Bf 110 D-2

Long-range Zerstörer, two wing-mounted 300 L (80 US gal) drop tanks and centerline mounted 500 kg (1,100 lb) ETC 500 bomb rack.


Bf 110 D-3

Long-range Zerstörer, lengthened tail for rescue dingy. Either two wing-mounted 300 L (80 US gal) or 900 L
(240 US gal) drop tanks could be fitted. 500 kg (1,100 lb) ETC 500 was optional.


Bf 110 E

Mostly fighter bombers, strengthened airframe, up to 1,200 kg (2,650 lb) bombload.


Bf 110 E-0

Pre-production version, [Vous devez être inscrit et connecté pour voir ce lien]B engines, pair of ETC50 bomb racks fitted outboard of engines, armament as C-4.


Bf 110 E-1

Production version of E-0, DB 601P engines.


Bf 110 E-2

DB 601P engines, rear fuselage extension same as for D-3.


Bf 110 E-3

Long-range reconnaissance version.


Bf 110 F

Same as the E, again strengthened airframe, better armor, two 993 kW (1,350 PS) DB 601F engines.


Bf 110 F-1

Fighter-bomber.


Bf 110 F-2

Long-range Zerstörer, often used against Allied heavy bombers.


Bf 110 F-3

Long-range reconnaissance version.


Bf 110 F-4

The first real night fighter (specially designed for this usage, 3-crew).