A wonderful reference for modellers and aviation enthusiasts on the
Messerschmitt Bf110 and its replacements, the Me210 and 410.
The Messerschmitt Bf 110 was designed in the middle of the thirties,
a twin-engine heavy fighter. Hermann Goring was a proponent of the BF 110, and
nicknamed it his Eisenseiten (Ironsides). Development work on an improved type
to replace the Bf 110, the Messerschmitt Me 210 began before the war started,
but its teething troubles resulted in the Bf 110 soldiering on until the end of
the war in various roles, alongside its replacements, the Me 210 and the Me
410.
The Bf 110 served with success in the early campaigns, the Polish,
Norwegian and Battle of 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
Bf110-equipped units were withdrawn from the battle after very heavy losses and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.
After the failure of the Bf 110, its designated successor, the Me210,
started a second career which was indeed infinitely more glorious since it
scored more kills not only than any other Luftwaffe night-fighter but also more
than all the aircraft of this type in all the air forces fighting in World War
II.
