Aviation Archive Issue 25 - 2016 UK

(Jacob Rumans) #1

68 HEAVY FIGHTERS OF WW2


F


rom the inauspicious beginnings of
the flawed Messerschmitt Me 210,
the Hornisse emerged to become
Hitler’s favourite bomber destroyer. For a
short period it was the scourge of US heavy
bombers raiding Germany, but when the
long-range Mustang and Lightning fighters
arrived, the hunter became the hunted.
The concept of the Me 210 was born
in late 1937 as a successor to the Bf 110.
Utilising components of its predecessor, the
Messerschmitt Me 210 first flew on 5 September
1939, powered by two Daimler-Benz DB
601A engines. It proved to be extremely
unsatisfactory, being difficult to handle and
suffering from extreme instability. The design
was improved by deleting the original twin
vertical surfaces, inherited from the Bf 110, and
fitting a large traditional vertical stabiliser and
rudder. Encouraged, the RLM placed an order
for 1,000 Me 210As in mid-1940, but the aircraft
continued to handle badly and the programme
was plagued by a number of crashes, including
that of the second prototype which broke
up during dive trials. By 14 April 1942 about

Messerschmitt


Me 210/410 Hornisse


200 Me 210s had been delivered, but it was
still patently obvious that only major design
changes would have any chance of correcting
the faults and construction was halted.
However, phoenix-like, the Messerschmitt
Me 410 rose out of the ashes. A visual
comparison of the two aircraft would suggest
that there were very few differences, and this
was indeed the case. Though essentially a
straightforward modification of the Me 210,
the ‘new’ machine was designated the Me410
to avoid association with its notoriously flawed
predecessor. What made the Me 410 ‘special’
was the introduction of the new Daimler-
Benz DB 603A which offered up 1,750hp each
through a twin engine arrangement. These
powerplants were mounted to lengthened,
streamlined nacelles at each wing, extending
significantly over the leading edges. The new
version also included a lengthened fuselage
and new, automatic leading edge slats, both of
which had been tested on Me 210s and were
found to dramatically improve handling. The
Hornisse (Hornet), as it became known, was
crewed by two (pilot and dedicated gunner)

and as a heavy fighter was fitted with two
20mm MG151 cannons along with two 7.92mm
MG17 machine guns (mounted in the nose).
Additionally, a pair of 13mm MG131 type
machine guns were used in side blister mounts
(remote-controlled operation) as a defensive
measure against trailing, intercepting enemy
aircraft. The bomb load carried could total up
to 2,200lb of conventional drop stores held in
an internal bomb bay. The first prototypes of
the Me 410 flew towards the end of 1942 and
production began in January 1943.
The Me 410 proved faster than just about
every other heavy fighter available to the
Luftwaffe in 1944, with the exception of the
He 219 Uhu, which was only available in
very small numbers. Variations in the Me 410
family included a variety of fighter-bomber/
reconnaissance forms as well as several

Above: Designed as a successor to the Bf 110, the
Messerschmitt Me 210 was essentially a failure,
hounded throughout its short life by problems
of instability and performance. However, with a
bit of modification and new engines, the design
evolved into the impressive Me 410.
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