Messerschmitt Me110 in aviation art
print by leading aviation artist. The Me110 used as a night fighter and
fighter bomber of the Luftwaffe. Aviation art prints available from the
aviation art print company.
Top Night Fighter by Stan Stokes.Major
Heinz Schnaufer, with 121 victories, was the top-scoring night fighter
ace of all time. He became a Luftwaffe pilot in 1942 and obtained his
first victory in June of that year. By August his victory count had
reached twenty-two and he was put in command of the 9th Staffel of the
IV/BJG1. On the evening of December 16, 1943 Schnaufer downed four RAF
Lancaster 4-engine bombers, and on February 21, 1945 he claimed a total
of nine Lancasters in one evening. He received the highest award which
could be obtained, the Diamonds to the Knights Cross, upon attainment of
his 100th victory. Schnaufer survived the War, but was killed in a
motoring accident in 1950. As depicted by Stan Stokes in his dramatic
painting entitled Top Night Fighter, Schnaufer, who primarily flew the
night fighter version of the Messerschmitt Bf-110 Zerstorer, homes in on
an RAF Lancaster heavy bomber. The Bf-110 grew out of Herman Gorings
specifications for a multipurpose aircraft capable of penetrating deep
into enemy airspace to clear the sky of enemy fighters in advance of
German bomber formations. The aircraft would also be utilized as a long
range interceptor, and as a ground support and ground attack bomber. The
Bf-110 prototype first flew in 1936. The prototype was under powered
with its Daimier Benz DB 600A engines. Several months passed before a go
ahead was given for large scale production which commenced in 1938.
Utilizingimproved DB 601 engines, the early production 110s were as fast
as any single engine fighter at that time, and had superior fire power.
Their biggest apparent weakness was in the areas of armor protection for
the crew, and in terms of maneuverability when compared to single seat
fighters. The 110 was produced in large numbers and in many different
variants. The 110D was the long range model. An additional belly tank
was fitted to that aircraft, with several later variants having the more
traditional drop tanks. The first serious test for the Bf-110 came
during the Battle of Britain. About 300 Bf-110s were involved. They
became easy prey for Hurricane and Spitfire pilots, and Bf-109s were
often required to assist the 110s in their own defense. On August 15,
1940, which became known as Black Tuesday, the Bf-110s were ravaged by
the RAF, and for the month over 100 aircraft were lost. On the Eastern
Front the Bf-110 performed admirably in the early stages of Operation
Barbarossa. With the Soviet Air Force weakened in the first several
weeks of the attack, 110s were effectively utilized in a ground attack
role. Ultimately, the Luftwaffe re-equipped a significant number of its
110s as night fighters. The aircraft performed well in this role because
it was a good gun platform with sufficient speed to overtake the RAF
night bombers. Such night missions were typically carried out with no
Allied fighter escort, so the 110 night fighters would not have to
engage or elude Allied fighters in this role.
Duel in the Dark by Robert Taylor.
The air war fought throughout World War II in the night skies above Europe raged six long years. RAF Hurricanes sent up to intercept the Luftwaffes nightly blitz on British cities had no more equipment than the fighters that fought the Battle of Britain during the day, but as the scale of nightly conflict developed, detection and navigation aids - primitive by todays standards - were at the cutting edge of World War II aviation technology. As the air war progressed the intensity of the RAFs nightly raids grew to epic proportions, and the Luftwaffe night-fighters became a critical last line of defence as their cities were pounded from above. By 1944 the Luftwaffe was operating sophisticated systems coordinating radar, searchlights and flak batteries, enabling effective guidance to increasingly wily aircrews flying equipment-laden aircraft. But the RAF had in turn developed their own detection equipment, and the nightly aerial contests between fighters and bombers were desperate affairs.........
The German High Command entered World War II with the notion that the war would be quickly won, and certainly without the need to fight at night. The RAF changed all that when Bomber Command, having suffered appalling losses in daylight, turned to attacking under the cloak of darkness. By mid-1940 the Luftwaffe was forced to hurriedly form its first night fighter wing utilising the Messerschmitt Bf110. Without specialised equipment, initially Luftwaffe pilots relied on visual acquisition, detecting enemy aircraft with the aid of searchlights. To combat intensifying RAF night attacks, new electronic methods of navigation and detection were developed, and by the end on 1942 the German night fighter force had almost 400 aircraft contesting the night skies. Almost 1300 British aircraft were destroyed in that year alone.The Bf110G-4 of 47-night victory pilot Oberleutnant Martin Drewes at dusk in March 1944, heading out to intercept in-bound British four-engined bombers over north west.........
Opening Gambit, Poland, 2nd September 1939 by David Pentland.
Porucznik Stanislaw Skalski of 142nd Eskrada, flying a Polish airforce PZL P-11c, downs a Messerschmitt 110 during the first days of WWII. Although officially credited as a Dornier bomber, it is now believed that the aircraft was an Me110 from 1/ZG1. The discrepancy is attributed to the fact that the reported aircraft used nose mounted cannons unlike the Dornier, and up until then the 110 was a well kept secret.
Item Code : DP0017
Opening Gambit, Poland, 2nd September 1939 by David Pentland. - Editions Available
Whilst flying with A Flight of 85 Squadron on 30th July 1940, Geoffrey Allard encountered a pair of Messerschmitt Bf.110s about 40 miles from the coast, apparently patrolling near a convoy. After Squadron Leader Townsend, flying Red 1, had made two unsuccessful attacks, Allard closed to 150 yards and began to fire continuously, eventually closing to just 25 yards, whereupon the starboard engine of the Bf.110 began to disintegrate. This was just one of eight victories that Allard claimed during the Battle of Britain to add to a previous eight that he had scored flying Hurricanes during the Battle of France.
Item Code : DHM1858
Close Combat by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
Image size 16.5 inches x 11.5 inches (42cm x 29cm)
none
£16.00
Night Hawks by Philip West.
The ever-vigilant crew of this Mosquito night-fighter successfully intercept a Luftwaffe Bf110 as it heads towards a bomber stream over target in Germany.
Boulton Paul Defiant of 151 Sqn, based at Wittering, attacking a Messerschmitt Me110. Following an exhausting summer during the Battle of Britain, 151 was designated a night fighter squadron and was equipped both with Hurricanes and Defiants. On the night of 15th January 1942, two Defiants succeeded in bringing down three German aircraft and further successes were recorded during enemy raids on Birmingham when a further nine kills were claimed.
Item Code : B0292
Night of Defiance by Ivan Berryman. - Editions Available
Slow, frail, out-dated and hopelessly outnumbered, Gladiator biplanes of 112 Squadron RAF tenaciously throw themselves into the fray, attacking Luftwaffe fighter-bombers in the battle for Crete, in April 1941. This painting shows Me110Cs of II./ZG76, having attacked naval units off the coast of Crete in early May 1941, being bravely intercepted by two Gladiators of 112 Squadron. Heavily outnumbered, the best the RAF pilots can hope for is to disrupt the Luftwaffe formation. And this they continued to do until, literally, they had no more aircraft left!
Item Code : DHM2615
Operation Mercury by Nicolas Trudgian. - Editions Available
As the first rays of daylight spread their golden glow over the vast expanse of sky above the Russian Front, the menacing roar of heavily armed Bf110s of 6./ZGI shake the cold air around them as they prepare for a dawn strike against enemy ground targets deep inside Russian territory. Above them, their Me109 escorts, alert for danger, constantly scan the distant skies for any enemy intruders that may be on the prowl and waiting for them. It is high summer, 1942. On the ground the German summer offensive towards the Caucasus is now in full swing, and General Paulus with the 6th Army has begun the long advance that will eventually lead it to the gates of Stalingrad. The Luftwaffe is at full stretch, it too has a major part to play against stiffening Russian resistance.
Item Code : DHM1800
Dawn Strike by Richard Taylor. - Editions Available
A Heinkel 219 and a Messerschmitt 110 of NJG-1 climbing out from their base a Munster Hansdorf, as they set out on a deadly mission. Ten aircraft took off to intercept a major raid on Dusseldorf, the night witnessing a fierce battle high above the darkened city. NJG-1 crews assisted with the downing of 19 RAF bombers, one Luftwaffe pilot being credited with no fewer than 6 victories that night. Below them the spectacular Ruhr Valley is vibrant in its mantle of winters first snowfall on the night of November 2, 1944
Item Code : DHM2055
Into The Cloak of Darkness by Nicolas Trudgian - Editions Available
