Messerschmitt Bf 110

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messerschmitt_Bf_110

The Messerschmitt Bf 110, often known unofficially as the Me 110, is a
twin-engine heavy fighter (Zerstörer—German for "Destroyer") and fighter-bomber
(Jagdbomber or Jabo) developed in Nazi Germany in the 1930s and used by the
Luftwaffe during World War II. Hermann Göring was a proponent of the Bf 110. It
was armed with two MG FF 20 mm cannon, four 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine
guns, and one 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun or twin-barrel MG 81Z for
defence. Development work on an improved type to replace the Bf 110, the
Messerschmitt Me 210 began before the war started, but its teething troubles
from its aerodynamics resulted in the Bf 110 soldiering on until the end of the
war in various roles, alongside its replacements, the Me 210 and the
significantly improved Me 410 Hornisse.

The Bf 110 served with considerable initial success in the early campaigns in
Poland, Norway and France. The primary weakness of the Bf 110 was its lack of
agility in the air, although this could be mitigated with the correct tactics.
This weakness was exploited when flying as close escort to German bombers during
the Battle of Britain. When British bombers began targeting German territory
with nightly raids, some Bf 110-equipped units were withdrawn and redeployed as
night fighters, a role to which the aircraft was well suited. After the Battle
of Britain the Bf 110 enjoyed a successful period as an air superiority fighter
and strike aircraft in other theatres, and defended Germany from strategic air
attack by day against the USAAF's 8th Air Force, until a major change in
American fighter tactics rendered them increasingly vulnerable to developing
American air supremacy over the Reich as 1944 began.

During the Balkans Campaign, North African Campaign and on the Eastern Front, it
rendered valuable ground support to the German Army as a potent fighter-bomber.
Later in the war, it was developed into a formidable radar-equipped night
fighter, becoming the major night-fighting aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Most of
the German night fighter aces flew the Bf 110 at some point during their combat
careers, and the top night fighter ace of all time, Major Heinz-Wolfgang
Schnaufer, flew it exclusively and claimed 121 victories in 164 combat missions.

Throughout the 1930s, the air forces of the major military powers were engaged
in a transition from biplane to monoplane designs. Most concentrated on the
single-engine fighter aircraft, but the problem of range arose. The
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM), pushed by Hermann Göring, issued a request for
a new multipurpose fighter called the Kampfzerstörer (battle destroyer) with
long range and an internal bomb bay. The request called for a twin-engine,
three-seat, all-metal monoplane that was armed with cannon as well as a bomb
bay. Of the original seven companies, only Bayerische Flugzeugwerke
(Messerschmitt), Focke-Wulf and Henschel responded to the request.

Messerschmitt defeated Focke-Wulf, Henschel and Arado, and was given the funds
to build several prototype aircraft. The Focke-Wulf design, the Focke-Wulf Fw
57, had a wing span of 25.6 m (84 ft) and was powered by two DB 600 engines. It
was armed with two 20 mm MG FF cannons in the nose and a third was positioned in
a dorsal turret. The Fw 57 V1 flew in 1936 but its performance was poor and the
machine crashed. The Henschel Hs 124 was similar in construction layout to the
Fw 57, equipped with two Jumo 210C for the V1. The V2 used the BMW 132Dc radial
engines generating 870 PS compared with the 640 PS Jumo. The armament consisted
of a single rearward-firing 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun and a single
forward-firing 20 mm MG FF cannon.


Role

Heavy fighter
Ground-attack aircraft
Fighter-bomber/Night fighter


Manufacturer

Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFW)
Messerschmitt


Designer
Willy Messerschmitt

First flight
12 May 1936

Introduction
1937

Retired
1945 (Luftwaffe)

Primary users
Luftwaffe

Hungarian Air Force
Regia Aeronautica
Romanian Air Force


Number built
6,170

The Bf 110 served with success in the early campaigns in Poland, Norway and
France. The Bf 110's lack of agility in the air was its primary weakness. This
flaw was exposed during the Battle of Britain, when some Bf 110-equipped units
were withdrawn from the battle after very heavy losses and redeployed as night
fighters, a role to which the aircraft was well suited. The Bf 110 enjoyed a
successful period following the Battle of Britain as an air superiority fighter
and strike aircraft in other theatres. During the Balkans Campaign, North
African Campaign and on the Eastern Front, it rendered valuable ground support
to the German Army as a potent fighter-bomber (Jagdbomber-Jabo). Later in the
war, it was developed into a formidable night fighter, becoming the major
night-fighting aircraft of the Luftwaffe. Most of the German night fighter aces
flew the Bf 110 at some point during their combat careers, and the top night
fighter ace of all time, Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, flew it exclusively and
claimed 121 victories in 164 combat missions.

Messerschmitt Bf 110 operational history
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messer...tional_history

Specifications (Messerschmitt Bf 110 C-4)

General characteristics
Crew: 2 (3 for night fighter variants)
Length: 12.3 m (40 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 16.3 m (53 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.3 m (10 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 38.8 m² (414 ft²)
Empty weight: 4,500 kg (9,921 lb)
Loaded weight: 6,700 kg (14,771 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 601B-1 liquid-cooled inverted V-12, 809 kW
(1,085 hp)1,100 PS each

Performance
Maximum speed: 560 km/h (348 mph)
Range: 2,410 km (1,500 mi)
Ferry range: 2,800 km (1,750 mi)
Service ceiling: 10,500 m (35,000 ft)
Wing loading: 173 kg/m² (35.7 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.241 kW/kg (0.147 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns:
2 × 20 mm MG FF/M cannons (180 rpg—3 drums with 60 rpg, cannon were reloaded by
rear gunner or radio operator during flight)
4 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns (1,000 rpg)
1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 15 machine gun for defence

Bombs: (Bf 110 C-4/B)
2 x 250 kg (551 lb) bombs
2 x 500 kg (1,102 lb) bombs
2 x 1,000 kg (2,204 lb) bombs


Specifications (Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-2)

General characteristics
Crew: 2 (3 for night fighter variants)
Length: 12.3 m (40 ft 6 in)
Wingspan: 16.3 m (53 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.3 m (10 ft 9 in)
Wing area: 38.8 m² (414 ft²)
Loaded weight: 7,790 kg (17,158 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 605B liquid-cooled inverted V-12, 1,085 kW
(1,455 HP)/1,475 PS each

Performance
Maximum speed: 595 km/h (370 mph)
Range: 900 km (558 mi) (1,300 km (807 mi) with droptanks)
Service ceiling: 11,000 m (36,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 8 min to 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
Wing loading: max. 243 kg/m² (max. 99 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.279 kW/kg (0.170 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns:
2 × 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons 750 rounds total: 350 rpg + 400 rpg
4 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns with 1,000 rounds per gun "or"
2 × 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannons with 120 rounds for the left and 135 rounds
for the right cannon (G-2/U9 variant)
1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) twin-barrel MG 81Z machine gun installation in rear
cockpit, with 850 rounds per barrel (total 1,700 rounds)




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