Osprey Aircraft of the Aces 25 : Messerschmitt Bf 110 Zerstorer Aces of World War 2

On 18 December 1939 Luftwaffe fighters fought a series of short sharp clashes over 30 minutes across some 150 km of the North Sea, claiming destruction of no less than 38 of the attacking RAF bombers. Although the RAF losses were to prove far fewer, they were none the less severe enough to finally convince Bomber Command of the folly of unescorted daylight raids. Although the defending Luftwaffe fighters had been a mixed force of Bf 109s and Bf 110s, the latter had played a prominent, if not dominant part. Thus, the machine which was arguably the most successful fighting aircraft to emerge from the recent campaign against Poland had now - in an entirely new role in defence of the Reich - been instrumental in delivering a telling defeat on the RAF. The Bf 110s continued success now seemed assured... This book is the first of its type to be devoted exclusively to the Zerstörer day fighter aces, spanning the war years from Poland to the defence of the Reich. Although Messerschmitt's single-engined Bf 109 has received most of the plaudits for achieving virtual air superiority over Europe in 1939-40, the exploits of the manufacturer's twin-engined Bf 110, the Ju 88 and the Me 410 Zerstörer in the first year of the war also make for very impressive reading. Indeed, on the eve of World War 2 a posting to a Bf 110 unit was considered to be the best career move available in the Luftwaffe. Text and illustrations by John Weal.

Contents

• The Early Successes
• First Reversal
• The Steady Decline
• Appendices