Warplanes of Germany: Luftwaffe Messerschmitt Me 210

Messerschmitt Me 210

(Luftwaffe Photo)

Messerschmitt Me 210 in Luftwaffe service. The Messerschmitt Me 210 was a German heavy fighter and ground-attack aircraft of World War II. Design started before the war, as a replacement for the Bf 110. The first examples were ready in 1939, but they proved to have unacceptably poor flight characteristics due to serious wing planform and fuselage design flaws. A large-scale operational testing program throughout 1941 and early 1942 did not cure the type's problems. The design entered limited service in 1942, but was soon replaced by the Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse, a further development of the Me 210. The failure of the Me 210's development program meant the Luftwaffe was forced to continue operating the Bf 110 after it had become outdated, despite mounting losses.

Deliveries to frontline units started in April 1942 and the plane proved to be even less popular with pilots. Production was stopped at the month's end by which time only 90 had been delivered. Another 320 partially completed airframes were placed in storage. In its place, the Bf 110 was put back into production. Although the Bf 110 was now equipped with the newer DB 605B engines and greater firepower, it was still an outdated design.

The Luftwaffe started receiving their Hungarian-built planes in April 1943, and the Hungarians in 1944; when they entered service they were more than satisfied with them. Production ended in March 1944, when the factory switched over to produce the Bf 109G. By that time, a total of 267 Me 210C had been built, 108 of which had been given to the Luftwaffe. The Me 210s of the Luftwaffe operated mostly in Tunisia and Sardinia and were quickly replaced by the Me 410. (Wikipedia)

Variants

Me-210C-1, C-2, C-3 and D-1 equipped with DB605B engines and MW-50 methanol injection device. These were variants of the A-1, A-2 and B-1 aircraft.

Me-210D-1 and Da-1, reconnaissance aircraft equipped with DB605 engines and armed with MG 151 and 2xMG 131. The aircraft were equipped with the following photo equipment: 1xRb 20 or Rb 50, or 2xRb 75 or Rb 50. Work on this modification was not carried out .

Me-210E-1, F-1 and F-2, equipped with DB603 engines. These were attack aircraft, also known as Me-210S-1. Aircraft of this type were in many ways similar to the A-1, but had an armored cockpit, bomb bay, engines and an oil cooler. There was also an S-2 variant fitted with DB605 engines. Seven Me-210A-1s were converted into two-seat training aircraft. The alteration was carried out by the Hamburg company Blohm & Voss. One "Hungarian" Me-210Ca-1 (W.Nr.0316009) was remade in a similar way.

The Me-210A-1 (W.Nr.2319) was converted by DLH Staaken into a naval reconnaissance aircraft. This specimen was flown on May 7, 1943. In total, about 550 Me-210 aircraft were built. The exact number is difficult to determine, since individual aircraft and different series were counted differently.