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Messerschmitt Bf-110E Zerstörer JG5 (LN+KF) 00
Profile 00: Messerschmitt Bf-110E of the Zerstörerstaffel JG5 As with a previous profile, this Bf-110E, LN+KF, of the Zerstörerstaffel of JG5 has had a re-application of its upper surface camouflage that has overlapped the fuselage code in parts. No attempt has been made to touch up the fuselage code following the repainting. LN+KR shows a good contrast between the two upper surface colours, with mottle being applied further down the fuselage conforming to the respective areas of the two colours. Yellow undersurface wingtips, a common feature of the Bf-110s of the Zerstörerstaffel of JG5, an armoured windscreen, and the scissors link on the tailwheel can all be seen.

Messerschmitt Bf-110E Zerstörer JG5 (LN+KF) 01
Photo 01: Bf-110E, LN+KF of the Zerstörerstaffel of JG5. Note that the application of upper surface camouflage has obscured part of the letter 'R' in the fuselage code.

Messerschmitt Bf-110C

A somewhat unusual aircraft appeared in the skies of Western Europe in the spring and summer of 1940. Whereas in the standard Bf-110fighter there was a change from the two 20 mm MG-FF cannon to the improved MG-FF/M, in the C6 sub-variant there was a radical adjustment to the armament in the lower nose. This involved a change that could only be undertaken in the construction factory not in the field. In place of the two 20 mm cannon, a single 30 mm cannon, housed in a large fairing, was mounted centrally under the fuselage. The origins of this cannon could be found in the Solothurn S-18-1000 20 mm anti-tank rifle. Rheinmetall took that design and scaled it up to a 30 mm configuration. The test bed for the installation of the prototype in a Bf-110was Bf-110B-1, D-AAPY. Air tests were considered a success, and plans were set in place for a production version. In 1940, all guns of 20 mm calibre or higher were still designated 'Gewehr' (gun), not 'Kanone' (cannon), hence the MG-FF and MG-FF/M 20 mm armament in Bf-109 Es of 1940. The 30 mm Kanone installed in the C6 was given the designation 'MG 101'. One pilot, when questioned about the qualities of the C6, stated that the fitment of the 30 mm cannon actually improved the flying characteristics of the machine, as the placement of the cannon changed the centre of gravity of the aircraft, making it far easier to handle in the air. In early June 1940 two Bf-110C-6s were issued to I.Staffel, Zerstörergeschwader 1 for operational testing. These aircraft were allocated to two of the most experienced pilots of the Staffel, Oberleutnant Martin Lutz, and Oberleutnant Victor Molders. Their remit was to test the aircraft's capability in attacks against ground targets, with the caveat that under no circumstances should the aircraft fall into enemy hands. After a regular bomber escort mission, the two pilots, with their Bordfunkers, would take off in the C-6s and seek out targets of opportunity. The Staffel took on charge more C6s during June, and upon its re-designation to 1.Staffel, Erprobungsgruppe 210 on I July 1940, it took its C6s with it to this new experimental unit. Ultimately, a total of only 12 C6s would be issued from the Gotha factory.

Upon its formation, Erprobungsgruppe 210 had a mixed bag of aircraft types. 1.Staffel had only C-6s; Gruppenstab and 2.Staffel took on charge the first batch of Messerschmitt Bf-110fighter-bombers, designated Bf-110D-0/Bs, and 3.Staffel were outfitted with the fighter-bomber version of the Messerschmitt Bf-109, the Bf-109E4/B. With this melange of Messerschmitts, Erprobungsgruppe 210 entered the Battle of Britain. Evidence from the flight log book of Leutnant Erich Beudel of I./Erpr.Gr.210 shows that the individual aircraft letter (the third character in the fuselage code) of the C6s with I./ZG1 and I./Erpr.Gr.210 was selected from the second half of the alphabet. Leutnant Erich Beudel flew C6s between 9 July and 15 August with the individual letters 'P', 'R', 'O’, ‘N’, ‘S' and 'T'. Additionally, the old unit designation of ZG1, '2N' (the first two characters of the fuselage code) was carried on the C6s of 1./Erpr.Gr.210 until the Staffel received its first batch of D-0/B fighter-bombers in early August, when all aircraft of the Staffel then carried the Erprobungsgruppe 210 code of 'S9'.

In July and early August, the C-6s were involved in providing escort to the Bf-110fighter-bombers of the unit carrying out attacks on shipping around the south-east coast of England and undertaking armed reconnaissance missions seeking out convoys and reporting back their position. On occasion they would also carry out attacks on ships with the 30 mm cannon if a suitable opportunity presented itself. It was on one such escort mission, on 29 July, that the aircraft of Leutnant Erich Beudel was hit in combat with Hurricanes of 151 Squadron, and he managed to crash-land his damaged Bf-110C-6, 2N+RH, back in France with his Bordfunker, Obergefreiter Heinrich Diemer, being hospitalised due to wounds he received during combat. The Staffel recorded losses of C-6s in action on 30 July (one), and 11 August (two) when it operated a mixed force of C-6s and D-0/Bs for the first time. With the arrival of the D-0/B aircraft, and the shift of the Luftwaffe to land targets, the use of the c-6 diminished. However, on the raid against Croydon in the early evening of 15 August, one C-6 was lost, the only one to crash on the English mainland during the entire course of the Battle of Britain. Leutnant Erich Beudel and his new Bordfunker, Otto Jordan, were both killed as a result of being shot down in S9+TH. This gave the RAF, and in particular the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, the opportunity to examine the MG 101 and its armament.

The remaining C-6s were retained by Erprobungsgruppe 210, and when that unit was redesignated Schnellkampfgeschwader 210 in April 1941 and transferred to the East weeks later to take part in the assault on Russia, the C-6s moved with it. Evidence from the damage/loss reports shows that the remaining C-6s were distributed to the II.Gruppe of the new unit. Inevitably, further losses were suffered. On 18 October 1941 a C-6 coded S9+AM of 4./SKG210 did not return from a combat mission south of Moscow, and on 16 December a further C-6 coded S9+MN of 5./SKG210 failed to return from operations. An interesting point about tins loss was the fact that the aircraft carried three personnel rather than the usual two. As well as a pilot and Bordfunker, a 'Waffenwart', a member of the Ground crew specialising in armament, was also listed as missing. His presence on board may have meant the Staffel was having problems with the 30 mill cannon and the Waffenwart went along to assess what was happening under combat conditions. The final recorded loss of a C-6 within the lineage of Erpr.Gr.210 - SKG210 ZG1 occurred on 27 February 1942 when S9+SP of 6./ZG1 was lost south of Mosalsk.

Later in the war three C-6s were in service with III./ZG26 in North Africa. Their allocation to that unit almost certainly came about through the C-6s being sent to a repair facility, and then issued to a front line unit requiring replacement aircraft.

Although the C-6 passed into history, the principle of mounting a heavy calibre weapon under the fuselage of the Bf-110 did not cease. Later in the war, the Bf-110G-2 variant was fitted with a 37 mill cannon, known as the 'Flak 18', with the intended purpose of using it as a tank destroyer. It was, however, later used in action against American bomber formations.

Messerschmitt Bf-110 - Germany

As a long-range escort, fighter the Bf-110C received a disastrous mauling at the hands of the RAF during the "Battle of Britain." Rather than protecting the bombers under escort, the Bf-110C formations usually found that they were hard pressed to defend themselves.

The Messerschmitt Bf-110 was an aircraft of very mixed fortunes. It has often been criticized for its failure during the Battle of Britain, while its successes in other fields have been largely ignored. Yet, this aircraft that did not match up to Luftwaffe expectations managed to serve Germany throughout the Second World War in long-range escort fighter, fighter-bomber, reconnaissance, ground attack and night fighter roles.

The long-range multi-seat escort fighter is possibly the most difficult of combat aircraft to design. Certainly no entirely successful machine in this category emerged from the Second World War, and when Professor Willy Messerschmitt began design studies for such a warplane towards the end of 1934 at the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke at Augsburg his problems would have seemed insurmountable had he possessed a full knowledge of interceptor fighter development trends abroad. Such a machine as was required by Marshal Goering to equip the elite "Zerstorer" formations that he envisaged had to be capable of penetrating deep into enemy territory, possessing sufficient range to accompany bomber formations. The fuel tankage necessary presented a serious weight penalty and called for the use of two engines if the "Zerstorer" was to achieve a performance approaching that of the lighter interceptor fighter by which it would be opposed. Yet it had to be manaoeuvrable if it was to successfully fend off the enemy's single-seaters.

Messerschmitt possessed no previous experience with twin-engined military aircraft when he commenced work on the Bf-110. Indeed, his first warplane, the single-seat Bf-109 , had been conceived only the previous summer. At the time, the most powerful aero engine of national design available was the Junkers Jumo 210A of 610 hp. It was obvious from the outset that a pair of such engines would be inadequate to provide the power needed for the relatively large and heavy fighter envisaged. However, the Daimler-Benz Aktiengesellschaft was actively engaged in developing a new twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled inverted-vee engine, the DB600 , which held promise of 1,000 hp; and on the premise that such engines would be available for his prototypes, Messerschmitt began the design of the Bf-110.

Designed to a 1934 requirement for a long range escort fighter, the first prototype Bf-110 made its initial flight on May 12,1936. A key factor in the design was the use of two Daimler-Benz DB 600 engines; subsequent difficulty in obtaining enough of these to power development aircraft meant that the Bf-110 could not be tested during the Spanish Civil War. Nevertheless, one aircraft was tested at the Rechlin evaluation center in 1937 and proved to be very fast, although not as manoeuvrable as hoped. Despite obvious shortcomings, the Bf-110 entered service in 1939 as the Bf-110C, powered by two 1100 hp DB 601A engines. Production was set up on a massive scale, and by the end of the year some 500 Bf-110s were flying operationally.

The Bf-110 was no match for the Thunderbolts escorting American B-17 and B-24 bombers over Berlin. By the time Germany invaded Poland on September 1,1939, ten Luftwaffe Gruppen had been equipped with the heavy fighter. Owing to the limited aerial opposition the Bf-110C was largely employed in the ground-support role, and after the fall of Poland little was heard of this much-vaunted machine until, on December 14,1939, it was encountered by a formation of twelve Wellingtons over the Heligoland Bight. But it was not until it was to come up against RAF fighters in 1940 that the Bf-110C was to receive its first real trial in combat and to be found wanting.

As a long-range escort fighter the Bf-110C received a disastrous mauling at the hands of the more nimble Hurricane and Spitfire during the "Battle of Britain". Rather than protecting the bombers under escort, the Bf-110C formations usually found that they were hard put to defend themselves, and the farcical situation developed in which single-seat Bf-109E fighters were having to afford protection to the escort fighters. The complete failure of the Bf-110C in the role for which it had been conceived led to its eventual withdrawal from the Channel coast but did not result in any reduction in its production priority.

Against Polish PZL fighters and other European countries the aircraft fared well, but when used during the Battle of Britain to escort German bombers, Royal Air Force fighters dealt heavily with the aircraft, forcing the Luftwaffe to switch to short-range Bf-109s for escort duties. Although the Bf-110s had failed in this primary task, production continued at a high rate; by 1945 no fewer than 6,150 had been built, ranging from Bf-110As to Gs. As later models became available, the early Bf-110Cs and Ds were transferred to the Middle East and Eastern Front.

Both the C- and D-models had almost disappeared from the European theatre by the summer of 1941, although they were being used extensively on the Russian front and in the Middle East. Production during 1940 had risen to 1,083 machines, but with the impending introduction of the Me 210 only 784 machines were produced in the following year.

By the end of 1942, in which year 580 Bf-110s were produced, production of this aircraft had again been stepped up as, on April 17, production of the Me 210 was canceled after numerous accidents, thus leaving a serious gap in the Luftwaffe's fighter and fighter bomber production program. To fill the gap an improved version of the Bf-110 was introduced, the G-series with the DB605 engine which provided 1,475 hp for take-0ff and 1,355 hp @ 18,700 feet. The pre-production Bf-110G-0 fighter-bomber was delivered for service evaluation late in 1942, and from early in 1943 G-series machines were encountered in increasing numbers. Apart from its engines the first production model, the Bf-110G-1, was similar to earlier fighter-bomber variants, and the G-2 differed principally in the armament installed: two or four 20-mm. MG 151 cannon and four 7.9-mm. MG 17 in the nose plus two 7.9-mm. MG 81 in the rear cockpit.

The Bf-110G, was intended for use originally as a fighter-bomber but, it was employed mostly as a night fighter. The Bf-110Es were capable of carrying a respectable bomb load of 4,410 lb (2,000 kg) as fighter-bombers, while straight fighter and reconnaissance versions were also built. These, and later versions, were operated with a fair degree of success in many war zones. The Bf-110F was basically similar to the E, but two new variants were produced - the 110F-2 carrying rocket projectiles and the F-4 with two 30 mm cannon and an extra crew member for night fighting. The last version, the Bf-110G, was intended for use originally as a fighter-bomber but, in view of the success of the F-4 and the increasingly heavy attacks on Germany by Allied bombers, was employed mostly as a night fighter.

From time to time Bf-110G night fighters were used on day operations. They were first employed as close escort to the Scharnhorst and the Gneisenau off the Dutch coast and Heligoland Bight, and in the summer of 1943 they fought American day-bomber formations whenever the latter flew unescorted. The Bf-110G groups sustained heavy losses during these actions owing to their pilots, trained in night-fighting tactics, going in close before attacking and being met by the heavy defensive fire of the bombers. They were no match for the Thunderbolts escorting American B-17 and B-24 bombers over Berlin.

It was in a Bf-110 that Rudolf Hess, Deputy Fuhrer of Germany, flew solo to Scotland on the night of May 10,1941, in the hope of negotiating peace terms with Britain, without Hitler's knowledge.

From time to time Bf-110G night fighters were used on day operations. They fought American day-bomber formations whenever the Americans flew unescorted.

Specifications:
Messerschmitt Bf-110G-4
Dimensions:
Wing span: 53 ft. 4 7/8 in. (16.27 m)
Length: 41 ft. 6 3/4 in. (12.67 m)
Height: 13 ft. 1 1/4 in. (4.0 m)
Weight:
Empty: 10,970 lb (4,975 kg)
Maximum loaded: 21,800 lb. (9,888 kg)
Performance:
Maximum Speed: 311 m.p.h. (500 km/h) @ sea-level.
342 m.p.h. (550 km/h) @ 22,900 ft. (6,979 m)
Service ceiling: 26,000 ft. (7,924 m)
Range: 1,305 miles (2,100 km) with maximum internal fuel.
Powerplant:
Two Daimler-Benz DB 605B twelve cylinder inverted-vee liquid cooled engines rated at 1,475 hp (1,099 kw) @ 2,800 rpm for take-0ff and,
1,355 hp (1,010 kw) @ 2,800 rpm at 18,700 ft. (5,699 m).
Armament:
Two 30-mm. MK 108 cannon and two 20-mm. MG 151 cannon in nose and, two flexible 7.9-mm. MG 81 machine-guns in rear cockpit.

Some of my main References Books:

Title: Zerstorer Volume One: Luftwaffe Fighter Bombers and Destroyers 1941-1945 (Luftwaffe Colours)
ISBN: 1903223571 EAN:978 1903223571
Authors: John J. Vasco Publisher: Classic Publications Format: Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Zerstorer-Luftwaffe-Fighter-Destroyers-1936-1940-Luftwaffe/dp/1903223571/

Book Description
The Luftwaffe Zerstorer units, equipped with the twin-engined Me 110, were first used to great effect in the escort and air superiority roles against the Polish Air Force in 1939. Later these units took part in the occupation of Norway and Denmark, and during the Blitzkrieg against the west in 1940, when their numbers were expanded with the addition of new units. Considered by Goring to be among the elite of the Luftwaffe, the Zerstörer were deployed in the Battle of Britain, in the Balkans, North Africa and in the East, where Zerstörergruppen accounted for significant numbers of Russian aircraft destroyed on the ground and in the air. This is the first of two volumes covering the history of the Zerstörer squadrons between 1939 and 1945. Each volume adopts the traditional Classic approach of a detailed narrative matched with a comprehensive selection of photos, many previously unpublished, and specially prepared color artworks.

Title: Zerstorer Volume Two: Luftwaffe Fighter Bombers and Destroyers 1941-1945 (Luftwaffe Colours)
ISBN:190322358X EAN:9781903223581
Authors: John J. Vasco Publisher: Classic Publications Format: Paperback
http://www.amazon.com/Zerstorer-Two-Luftwaffe-Destroyers-1941-1945/dp/190322358X

Book Description
This is the second of two volumes covering the history of the Zerstorer squadrons between 1939 and 1945. Following the attack on the west, the Me 110 also saw major deployment in the North African and Mediterranean theatres. In the East, in the early phases of Barbarossa, the Zerstorergruppen accounted for significant numbers of Russian aircraft destroyed on the ground and in the air. As the war progressed and Germany moved over to the defensive, Zerstorer units flew the Me 210 and Me 410, which saw service as a bomber destroyer with units such as ZG1, ZG26 and ZG76 in the defense of the Reich, equipped with heavy cannon and 21cm air-to-air mortars. Also included with the scope of these titles will be a study of the Luftwaffe’s long-range Ju 88 maritime Zerstorer, which were used over the Atlantic and Bay of Biscay against Allied convoys and to provide escort for the U-boats as well as lesser-known types such as the Ar 240 and Ta 154.

Web References:
http://www.aviation-history.com/

Book References:
The Messerschmitt Bf-110 in Color Profile 1939-1945
John Vasco and Fernando Estanislau by Schieffer Publications.
ISBN:0-7643-2254-0