Showing posts with label Bf 110. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bf 110. Show all posts
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
Sunday, 22 April 2012
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstorer: C and D versions
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In late 30s, the first variants of the Bf 110 had already been delivery and commissioned into service with the Luftwaffe. The new fighter's perfomances had however been poor and disappointing, especially regarding its engines. In 1938 the Daimler Benz put into production the DB 601 engine: this new realization gave the Zerstorer the powerful and reliable propulsion system that its creators had always wanted.
The new version was labelled C. Ten pre-production C-0 served as evaluation aircraft, and January 1939 saw the delivering of the firsts C-1 to the newly-created Zerstorergruppen.
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| Bf 110 C-4/B of 1./ZG 1 |
On 31 August 1939, 159 Bf 110s were in service with I.(Z)/LG 1, I./ZG 1 and I./ZG 76. During the invasionof Poland, these units carried out the tasks for which the Zerstorer had been designed, escorting bombers over enemy territory, strafing enemy positions and columns on the ground and mantaining air superiority, downing several Polish PZL P.11. Losses were remarkably low, with just 12 Bf 110 lost.
A few months later, the fame and reputation of the Messerchmitt twin-engined fighter grew even more. On 18 December 1939, 24 RAF Wellington took off from their bases in Britain. Their mission was to fly to Heligoland Bight and attack any warship that could be found in the bay. The bombers were intercepted by Luftwaffe units in the area, among them I./ZG 26 and I./ZG 76 equipped with Bf 110s. At the end of the battle, 12 British bombers had been shot down, nine by Zerstorers and three by Bf 109s.
This early war experiences seemed to validate the 30s concept of the heavy fighter: many aviation planners and manufactures started to think about single-engined fighters as a thing of the past, due to their small dimensions and limited operational range. Things, however, were about to change.
In May 1940 the Wermacht launched operation Fall Gelb, the invasion of France and the Low Countries. Bf 110 units carried out the same missions they had flown during the Polish campaign, but this time results were considerably different. Against modern, fast and manouvrable single-engined fighter as the Dewoitane D. 520, and even the slower Morane-Saulnier MS.406, the Bf 110 proved to be a deadly trap for its pilots. 35% of the Zerstorer involved in the victorious blitzkgrieg were lost. But worse was to come.
Following the defeat of France, Luftwaffe turned its attention on Britain. The Jagd and Zerstorergruppen were tasked with achieving air superiority over Southern England, allowing the bombers to destroy RAF airfields and facilities on the ground, thus clearing the parth for the Wermacht to invade the British Isles. The Fighter Command squadrons were equipped with Hurricane and Spitfire fighters: they would have proved no match for the Zerstorers, which were literally savaged and massacred against technically superior enemies. On 10 August 1940, the Adlertag (Day of the Eagle) marked the beginning of the Battle of Britain. On that day, 289 Bf 110s were in the Luftwaffe order of battle. Less than a month later, 120 of them had been lost in combat.
Due to the amount of missions that Luftflotte 2 and 3 were asked to carry out, it was impossible to pull out Bf 110 units from the frontline, as it had been done for the even more savaged Stuka Gruppen. The Zerstorer were therefore diverted to minor roles, such as low-level raids against coastal targets and radar installatios. In missions such as these, they proved to be excellent raiders and scored significant successes, but they could do so only in particular conditions, when enemy opposition wasn't vigourous and organized.
The C-1 was main variant used for the Polish campaign but, from spring 1940, the Zerstorergruppen started receiving new example of the following series:
A few months later, the fame and reputation of the Messerchmitt twin-engined fighter grew even more. On 18 December 1939, 24 RAF Wellington took off from their bases in Britain. Their mission was to fly to Heligoland Bight and attack any warship that could be found in the bay. The bombers were intercepted by Luftwaffe units in the area, among them I./ZG 26 and I./ZG 76 equipped with Bf 110s. At the end of the battle, 12 British bombers had been shot down, nine by Zerstorers and three by Bf 109s.
This early war experiences seemed to validate the 30s concept of the heavy fighter: many aviation planners and manufactures started to think about single-engined fighters as a thing of the past, due to their small dimensions and limited operational range. Things, however, were about to change.
In May 1940 the Wermacht launched operation Fall Gelb, the invasion of France and the Low Countries. Bf 110 units carried out the same missions they had flown during the Polish campaign, but this time results were considerably different. Against modern, fast and manouvrable single-engined fighter as the Dewoitane D. 520, and even the slower Morane-Saulnier MS.406, the Bf 110 proved to be a deadly trap for its pilots. 35% of the Zerstorer involved in the victorious blitzkgrieg were lost. But worse was to come.
| Bf 110 C-4 of I./ZG52 flying over the English coast |
Following the defeat of France, Luftwaffe turned its attention on Britain. The Jagd and Zerstorergruppen were tasked with achieving air superiority over Southern England, allowing the bombers to destroy RAF airfields and facilities on the ground, thus clearing the parth for the Wermacht to invade the British Isles. The Fighter Command squadrons were equipped with Hurricane and Spitfire fighters: they would have proved no match for the Zerstorers, which were literally savaged and massacred against technically superior enemies. On 10 August 1940, the Adlertag (Day of the Eagle) marked the beginning of the Battle of Britain. On that day, 289 Bf 110s were in the Luftwaffe order of battle. Less than a month later, 120 of them had been lost in combat.
Due to the amount of missions that Luftflotte 2 and 3 were asked to carry out, it was impossible to pull out Bf 110 units from the frontline, as it had been done for the even more savaged Stuka Gruppen. The Zerstorer were therefore diverted to minor roles, such as low-level raids against coastal targets and radar installatios. In missions such as these, they proved to be excellent raiders and scored significant successes, but they could do so only in particular conditions, when enemy opposition wasn't vigourous and organized.
The C-1 was main variant used for the Polish campaign but, from spring 1940, the Zerstorergruppen started receiving new example of the following series:
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| Bf 110 C-5 of 7(H)(LG 2 at Stalino |
- C-2: fitted with an FuG 10 radio transmitter instead of the old FuG IIIaU
- C-3: with two 20 MG FF/M instead of MG FF
- C-4: with better protection for the gunner
- C-4/B: Jabo version, fitted with ETC 250 bomb racks and two DB 601Ba engines, later DB 601N.
- C-5: reconnaisance versions with guns reduced to four MG 17 and a Rb 50/30 camera installed.
All these changes led to a substantial increase in weight: the Zerstorer was now 222 kg heavier than the original C-1.
In addition to that, the Norwegian campaign in 1940 had highlighted the need for a long range fighter, able to escort German shipping in the North Atlantic and in the vast Arctic region of Norway, Finland and the Barents sea. The versions were designed to fullfill these duties. They were:
- D-0: pre-production series
- D-1: C-3 airframes with a 1,200 L belly-mounted tank, called Dachelbauch (Dachsund). CLICK ON THE PICTURE
- D-1/R-2: two 900 L drop tanks under each wing instead of the Dachelbauch
- D-2: two 300 L drop tanks under each wing and an ETC 500 bomb rack under the fuselage
- D-3: designed with a lenghtened tail fitted with a rescue dinghy. Able to carry both 300 L or 900 L drop tanks. CLICK RIGHT
These versions were never popular with their crews. They were extremely heavy, with low speed and bad manouvrablity. The Dachelbauch had in addition a dangerous feature: even when fuel was low, or totally ran out, the belly tank remained full of gas vapors. Many aircraft were lost when fire develloped inside these ill conceived tanks.
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| Did you asked yourself: why the nickname Dachelbauch (dachsund)? |
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Messerschmitt Bf-110 G versions
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In 1941, the Messerchmitt design team started to study new versions of the Bf-110, in order to upgrade it and adapt it to new operational standards. The best way to give the Zerstorer a new life was to mount new more powerful engines, which were indentified in the form of the DB 605 B-1. The new creation of Daimler Benz had weight and size almost equal to the DB 601, but could guarantee 1.475 hp at takeoff and 1.355 hp at 5,700 m.
The pre-production series G-0 was followed by the G-1, which was however soon cancelled. The first version to enter service was the G-2, which could operate both as a Zerstorer or as a Jabo (fighter bomber), thanks to the Rustsatze modification kits. The Bf 110 G-2 was introduced in May 1942: it was in many aspects similar to the F-4 version, with tail rudders increased in size, stronger landing gear and a mazimum loading weight of 8.290 kg. Defensive armament was increased with the adoption of a twin 7,9 mm MG 81Z, while the fixed guns consisted of four 7,92 mm MG 17 e two 20mm MG 151, loaded with 300 and 350 rounds respectively. It was possibile to add under the fuselage two ETC500 bomb racks, or a single WT pod with two 20mm guns. Under the wings, two further bomb racks or two 300 litres auxiliary tanks could be accomodated.
Using the G-2/R1 Rustsatze kit, it was even possibile to mount a 37mm BK 3,7 gun, manned by the gunner and loaded with 60 rounds. The weapon had a muzzle velocity of 1.170 m/s and could destroy a bomber with a single shot, but was also considerably heavy and reduced speed and service ceiling.
In 1943 it was finally recognized that the 7,9 mm were useless against four-engined heavy bomber, thus they were substituted in the Rustsatze G-2/R3 with a couple of MK 108 30 mm cannons, 135 round each. The G-2/R4 went even further, combining the R1 and R3: the 37 mm BK 3,7 plus the two 30 mm MK 108.
During 1943, the Bf-110 saw an unexpected second life as day fighter. The 8th Air Force launched its full scale daylight strategic offensive, sending huge formation of unescorted bombers against the Reich. The Luftwaffe High Command decided to reincorporate the Zerstorergeschwader into to Defence of the Reich ranks; it was thought that the Bf-110 could well support, with its heavy guns and long range, the Bf 109 and Fw 190 units. No less than eight Zerstorergeschwader participated in anti-bomber operations, namely:
- I. and II./ZG 1
- I., II., III./ZG 26
- I., II, III./ZG 76
This units fought with courage and skills, so much that the Bf-110 became known as Pulk Zerstorer, meaning "bomber formation destroyer". They were armed with combinations of 20mm, 30mm, 37mm guns plus two or four WGr 21 rockets and destroyed many B-17s and B-24s.
From January 1944, however, the introduction of the P-51 Mustang meant that the bombers were now escorted for their entire journery to and from Germany. As it had been proved four years earlier during the Battle of Britain, the Bf-110 couldn't survive agaist single-engined fighters. Losses rose quickly, and within June 1944 the Zerstorerwaffe was disbanded, its crew sent to fighter units and its aircraft passed to the Nachtjagd.
The nightfighter units had been using the Bf-110 from 1941 as their main interceptor. For these reasons, the G-4 was the first version designed and produced for nighfighting duties. Aircraft started to reach operational units in the summer of 1942, but engine problems prevented the version to be widely operational until the following year. The G-4 was armed as the G-2, and was also equipped with radar systems such as the FuG 202 Liechtenstein and the FuG 221, able to intercept British Monica radar emissions.
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| Bf-110 G-4 of NJG 1 |
Nightfighting Rustsatze included the G-4/U7 with the GM-1 booster and the G-4/U8 long range version, fitted with two 900 litres auxiliary tanks.
From mid-1944 onwards, the Luftwaffe decided to standardize the production onto the G-4/R3, armed with two forward-firing 20 mm cannons and two 30 mm ones, plus the optional Schrage Musik installation usually mounted behind the cockpit.
This latter weapon gave to nightfighter pilots the chance to attack British bombers from below, were they were most vulnerable as they lacked ventral guns.
The end of 1943 also saw the introduction of the FuG 220 Liecthenstein SN-2 which operated of a longer-wavelenght of 90 MhZ, less affected by electronic jamming. This version, however, required bigger antennas and had a minimum range of 500 metres. For this reasons, it was necessary to mount the Liechtenstein C-1 antenna on the nose, with its full set of four masts. As a consequence, dragg and weight rose alarmingly, reducing speed of 50 km/h (30 mph). Technological improvements allowed to produce SN-2 versions with a lower minimum range, therefore removing the big UHF C-1 antennas.
This improvements led to the final night version, the G-4c, which was used until the end of the war and became the favourite mount of many night fighter aces.
Despite being a failure as pure fighter, the Bf-110 had a second carrier as a night fighter and was one of the few aicraft produced for the entire duration of the conflict. 6,170 Bf-110 were produced, and three survived until today. They are located at:
- RAF Musem, London - Bf-110 G-4 nighfighter
- Deutches Technikmusem in Berlin
- Private museum of Helsingoer, Denmark
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| Bf-110 G-2 of 4./ZG 1 at Trapani, Sicily |
Monday, 23 May 2011
Wednesday, 30 March 2011
Duel under the Stars - The Story of Wilhelm Johnen
Wilhelm "Wim" Johnen was born on 9 October 1921 in Homberg, near Duisburg. As soon as he turned 18 Johnen joined the Luftwaffe, already sporting a glider pilot license. Accepted as an officer cadet, the future-Experte began his training at Pardubitz (Czechoslovakia), with Fliegerausbildungsregiment 32. After infantry training - a common feature for the early war training programms - Johnen spent several months practising on single-engined trainers, and qualified for his license on 21 September 1940. He was subsequently sent to Zeltweg, where C-Schule prepared pilots for operations on twin-engined aircrafts; there he flew He 111s and Do 17s and even Ju-52s. He then received Zerstorer training, finally graduating as a Leutnant.
On 18 May 1941 Johnen volounteered for the Nachtjagd; many Zerstorer pilots joined the newly-formed branch of the Luftwaffe, aware of the fact that the Bf-110 was at that time totally outclassed by single-engined fighters and unsuited for daylight operations. After six intense weeks of night fighting training, Johnen was transferred to 3./NJG 1, together with his gunner Gefreiter Albrecht Risop.
The pair flew his first operational mission on 11 July 1941 during which they intercepted a Wellington: Johnen positioned for the attack, but a moment before pulling the trigger, the bomber turned sharply to its right and disappeared. For that night, Johnen it was all they could see;i n his very first mission, Johnen had been showed with all the difficulties of night operations. The first victory came 8 months later, when on 28 March 1942 Johnen and Risop downed a Wellington west of Wesel. The bomber is thought to be Wellington X3589 KO-F from No. 115 Squadron.
A few minutes after their succesfull interception, Johnen sighted a four-engined aircraft; Gefreiter Risop was surprised:
"We've never seen that kind of bomber".
It was infact one of the firsts Short Stirlings intercepted over Germany. The four-engined bomber was slow and had a poor ceiling perfomance, but had something the Wellington had not: a ventral gunner. Johnen positioned his Bf-110 for a beam attack, slowed down levelling his speed to the bomber's. At the very same moment he pulled the trigger, the Stirling's gunner did the same hitting the aircraft's cockpit and engines; Gefreiter Risop died instantly, Johnen fought desperatly to extricate himself from the burning Messerschmitt without success; already convinced he was going to die, Johnen was uncosciouscly expelled from the cockpit without realizing how it could have happen, opened his parachute and landed in a grass field. He passed out and woke up at the hospital, with a badly burned leg.
In early December 1942, 3./ NJG 1 was re-designated 5./NJG 5 and transferred to north-eastern Germany. In this geographical area RAF raids were rare, therefore the Staffel flew only a small number of mission and interceted few bombers. In May of 1943, the unit eventually relocated to the Ruhr area, and on the night of 21/22 Johnen scored his third and fourth kills, almost a year after the second one, downing a Wellington and a Halifax which took part in Bomber Command's raid on Krefeld. Three nights later, on the 25th, Johnen shot down a Halifax for his fifth confirmed victory, and was subsequently promoted to Oberleutnant on the first day of July. From that point Johnen started to score steadily, downing a Stirling and a Halifax on 24 August, and his first Lancaster on 1 September.
In November, Bomber Command's AOC Arthur "Bomber" Harris launched a prolonged series of night raids against the Reich's capital, in what is now famous as the "Air Battle of Berlin". Harris' belief was that this campaign would have cost Germany the war, however the whole matter was a costly failure for the Bomber Command, which lost 1,047 bombers and over 7,000 aircrew from November 1943-March 1944.
Oberleutenant Johned shot down 7 Lancasters in January, 3 of which on the 27th, followed by other three on 15 February, elevating his score to 18. This series of successes led to his promotion as Staffelkapitan of 6./NJG 5, and in early April 1944 his unit moved to Eastern France, close to the Ruhr region. On 28 April Johnen downed at 01.31 a Lancaster, part of a force of 322 heavy bombers sent to bomb Friedrichshafen. Continuing his patrol Johnen attacked a second four-engined bomber but was hit by return fire on his port engine. While attacking the bomber, he had strayed over the Swiss border; illuminated by searchllights and with his aircraft badly damaged Johnen was forced to land at the nearest available airfield, which turned out to be Zurich-Dubendorf.
Johnen and his crew - Oberfeldwebel Mahle and Leutnant Kamprath - were interned by Swiss authorities. The damaged nightfighter was equipped with a SN-2 "Naxos" radar set and "Schrage Musik" guns; the Germans were deeply worried about leaving a sophisticatedly equipped nightfighter in the hands of a foreign government, even if it was a neutral one. The Bf-110 was blown up three days later: some sources claim it was destroyed by Gestapo's secret agents, while others suggest it was destroyed under German supervision in exchange for 18 Bf-109 G-6 delivered to the Swiss at a favourable price. Johnen and his crew were repatriated less than a week later.
In the meantime, the crewmen's families had been arrested, since it was at first believed that the three had defected; with their comeback, their families were luckily released and the incident covered up.
In May, II./NJG 5 was redesignted III./NJG 6, with Johnen in charge of 8. Staffel. The unit moved to the Austro-Hungarian border, with the task of defending Budapest and Wien from allied bombers operating from Italian bases. In the span of three months, Johnen downed 14 enemy bombers - 7 Halifaxes, 4 Mitchells and 3 Wellingtons.
With his score now standing at 33, Johnen was promoted Hautpmann and awarded the Knight's Cross on 29 October. Despite his personal honours, the situation for Luftwaffe units in the area was dangerous: the Red Army was rapidly advancing through Hungary and Reich's Southern borders were threatened; the Gruppe was therefore forced to relocate within German territory, around Munich. Johnen was nominated Gruppenkommandeur of III./NJG 6 on February and on 15/16 March scored his last kill, shooting down a Lancaster over Wurzburg.
Johnen's Gruppe surrendered to American forces on 30 April, after having destroyed all his serviceable Messerschmitts. After a brief captivity, Johnen settled to Munich and attended university, achieving a engineering degree in construction. He worked for Willi Messerschmitt for a short time, and then started his own company. He also wrote his biography, "Duel under the Stars", one of the first English-written books about the Luftwaffe. Wilhelm Johnen died on 7 February 2002 at Uberlingen, at the age of 81.
Awards : Ehrenpokal (20 March 1943)
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (23 July 1944)
Ritterkreuz (29 October 1944)
A few minutes after their succesfull interception, Johnen sighted a four-engined aircraft; Gefreiter Risop was surprised:
"We've never seen that kind of bomber".
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| Gefreiter Risop's graveyard |
In early December 1942, 3./ NJG 1 was re-designated 5./NJG 5 and transferred to north-eastern Germany. In this geographical area RAF raids were rare, therefore the Staffel flew only a small number of mission and interceted few bombers. In May of 1943, the unit eventually relocated to the Ruhr area, and on the night of 21/22 Johnen scored his third and fourth kills, almost a year after the second one, downing a Wellington and a Halifax which took part in Bomber Command's raid on Krefeld. Three nights later, on the 25th, Johnen shot down a Halifax for his fifth confirmed victory, and was subsequently promoted to Oberleutnant on the first day of July. From that point Johnen started to score steadily, downing a Stirling and a Halifax on 24 August, and his first Lancaster on 1 September.
In November, Bomber Command's AOC Arthur "Bomber" Harris launched a prolonged series of night raids against the Reich's capital, in what is now famous as the "Air Battle of Berlin". Harris' belief was that this campaign would have cost Germany the war, however the whole matter was a costly failure for the Bomber Command, which lost 1,047 bombers and over 7,000 aircrew from November 1943-March 1944.
 |
| Johnen's Bf-110 G-4 at Dubendorf |
Johnen and his crew - Oberfeldwebel Mahle and Leutnant Kamprath - were interned by Swiss authorities. The damaged nightfighter was equipped with a SN-2 "Naxos" radar set and "Schrage Musik" guns; the Germans were deeply worried about leaving a sophisticatedly equipped nightfighter in the hands of a foreign government, even if it was a neutral one. The Bf-110 was blown up three days later: some sources claim it was destroyed by Gestapo's secret agents, while others suggest it was destroyed under German supervision in exchange for 18 Bf-109 G-6 delivered to the Swiss at a favourable price. Johnen and his crew were repatriated less than a week later.
In the meantime, the crewmen's families had been arrested, since it was at first believed that the three had defected; with their comeback, their families were luckily released and the incident covered up.
 |
| Johnen aircraft's tail |
In May, II./NJG 5 was redesignted III./NJG 6, with Johnen in charge of 8. Staffel. The unit moved to the Austro-Hungarian border, with the task of defending Budapest and Wien from allied bombers operating from Italian bases. In the span of three months, Johnen downed 14 enemy bombers - 7 Halifaxes, 4 Mitchells and 3 Wellingtons.
With his score now standing at 33, Johnen was promoted Hautpmann and awarded the Knight's Cross on 29 October. Despite his personal honours, the situation for Luftwaffe units in the area was dangerous: the Red Army was rapidly advancing through Hungary and Reich's Southern borders were threatened; the Gruppe was therefore forced to relocate within German territory, around Munich. Johnen was nominated Gruppenkommandeur of III./NJG 6 on February and on 15/16 March scored his last kill, shooting down a Lancaster over Wurzburg.
Johnen's Gruppe surrendered to American forces on 30 April, after having destroyed all his serviceable Messerschmitts. After a brief captivity, Johnen settled to Munich and attended university, achieving a engineering degree in construction. He worked for Willi Messerschmitt for a short time, and then started his own company. He also wrote his biography, "Duel under the Stars", one of the first English-written books about the Luftwaffe. Wilhelm Johnen died on 7 February 2002 at Uberlingen, at the age of 81.
Awards : Ehrenpokal (20 March 1943)
Deutsches Kreuz in Gold (23 July 1944)
Ritterkreuz (29 October 1944)
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