It was in the role as a night fighter,
often armed with the surprisingly effective Schräge Musik upward firing
twin-autocannon offensive armament installation, that the Bf 110 and its pilots
achieved their greatest successes. Luftwaffe night fighter ace Heinz-Wolfgang
Schnaufer 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
Dornier Do 17 and Junkers Ju 88 also played a big role, but none so more than
the Bf 110
By 1942, production was scheduled to end,
and the aging Bf 110 was supposed to be replaced by the new Messerschmitt Me
210. The failure of the latter led to the Bf 110 being reinstated (G version)
and modified well beyond its original design.
Though out-dated in 1943, the Bf 110 G was built
in larger numbers than all other versions combined. The type found its true
niche in the defensive role in which its heavy armament, long range, and
ability to carry airborne radar made the Bf 110 useful again. Away from
opposition fighters, its destroyer capabilities could work once more. Mainly
used as night fighter, the improved G version was powered by two 1,475-hp
Daimler-Benz DB B engines, and fitted with flame dampers on the exhausts.
Mounting Lichtenstein radar, heavy MG 151 oblique-firing Schräge Musik guns
(and eventually 21-cm rocket tubes), the Bf 110 achieved remarkable successes
as much as a night fighter as day interceptor.
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 17/18 August 1943. Bf 110 units had been mass
equipped with the Schräge Musik 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 Command's Avro Lancaster bombers,
which lacked a ventral turret. Using this, NJG 5's Leutnant Peter Erhardt
destroyed four bombers in 30 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, Arthur Harris, convinced
a strategic bombing campaign against Germany's cities would force a German
collapse, pressed for further mass attacks. While RAF Bomber Command destroyed
Hannover's city centre and 86% of crews dropped their bombs within 5 km (3 mi)
of the aiming point, losses were severe. The Ruhr Area 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
a radar countermeasure; Window, to confuse German defences and introduced de
Havilland Mosquitos 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 Junkers Ju 88. In October 1943, General Josef Kammhuber
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 equipped force turned during late
August/September 1943. The night fighter arm claimed the destruction of 123 out
of some 1,179 bombers over Hamburg on one night; a 7.2% loss rate. During the
Battle of Berlin, 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 first three months of 1944.
Pilots reported the Bf 110G to be a
"mixed bag" in the air, in part due to all changes between the G and
F series. However the Bf 110G was considered a superior gun platform with
excellent all-around visibility, and considered, until the advent of the
Heinkel He 219, the best of the Luftwaffe night fighters.
Variants
Bf 110 G
Improved F-series, two 1,085 kW (1,475 PS)
DB 605B engines, tail rudders increased in size.
Bf 110 G-1
Not built.
Bf 110 G-2
Fighter-bomber, fast bomber, destroyer, often used against Allied heavy
bombers. (often equipped with rockets).
Bf 110 G-3
Long-range reconnaissance version.
Bf 110 G-4
Three-crew night fighter, FuG 202/220 Lichtenstein radar, optional
Schräge Musik, usually mounted midway down the cockpit with the cannon muzzles
barely protruding above the canopy glazing.
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 ()
Armament
Guns:
2 × 20 mm MG 151 cannons 750 rounds: 350 rpg + 400 rpg rounds
4 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns with 1,000 rounds per gun
1 × 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 81Z twin machine gun installation in rear
cockpit, with 850 rounds per gun
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