Messerschmitt Bf 110C
Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Jabs, II/ZG 76
France, Summer 1940
(Corgi AA38501)
- Engine: Two 1,100 h.p. Daimler-Benz DB 601A-1 inverted-Vee type
- Span: 53 ft 4 in
- Length: 39 ft 7 in
- Height: 13 ft 7 in
- Weight: 13,289 lb loaded
- Crew: Two
- Max Speed: 336 mph at 19,685 ft
- Service Ceiling: 32,810 ft
- Normal Range: 876 miles
- Armament: Two 20 mm MG FF canon and four 7.9 mm MG 17 machine guns in fuselage nose and one 7.9 mm MG 15 gun in rear cockpit
- Notes: The Messerschmitt Bf110 was a twin-engined heavy fighter, known to the Luftwaffe as a Zerstorer. It proved devastatingly effective in the early months of WWII, as the Luftwaffe conquered everything in its path. The Bf110's high speed, concentrated firepower and loiter capabilities made it the ideal support aircraft for bombing raids into enemy territory. The Battle of Britain served as a bitter lesson for the German Zerstorer groups, as they fell easy prey to the fighters of the Royal Air Force, which were organized and committed. The Spitfires and Hurricanes were also able to fight, re-arm and re-fuel and fight again, which allowed then to engage the 110's several times each day. In the hands of an experienced and talented pilot, however, the Bf110 was a formidable adversary. This 'shark mouthed' machine was the mount of Oberleutnant Hans-Joachim Jabs, who became one of the Luftwaffe's most successful Zerstorer pilots and was credited with a total of 50 confirmed kills.
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