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. Despite not living up to the Luftwaffe's expectations it did manage to serve Germany throughout the Second World War in the 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.

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.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Messerschmitt Bf 110E-2 destroyer that was piloted by Oberleutnant Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, who was attached to 5./Nachtjagdgeschwader 1, then deployed to St. Trond, Belgium, during June 1942. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 10-inches
Length: 8-inches

Release Date: January 2018

Historical Account: "Peeling Back the Night" - Although the Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighter proved to be something of a disappointment during the dogfights of the Battle of Britain, it did continue to serve successfully in a number of roles throughout WWII and developed into a particularly formidable nightfighter. With many of the world's most successful Nightfighter aces flying the Bf 110 during their operational careers, this night hunter took a heavy toll of Bomber Command aircraft, as they patrolled the skies of Northern Europe. As the most successful Nightfighter ace of WWII Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer flew the Messerschmitt Bf 110 exclusively and claimed an incredible 121 aerial victories from just 164 combat missions flown.

February 21st, 1945, proved to be Schnaufer's most formidable day, when he managed to bring down no fewer than nine RAF four-engined bombers in one day - two in the early hours of the morning and a further seven in just nineteen minutes that same evening. Messerschmitt Bf 110 G9+LN was the aircraft in which this supreme nocturnal predator claimed his first victory in June 1942.