A highly capable twin-engined destroyer, fighter-bomber, and night fighter, the Messerschmitt Bf 110 (unofficially the Me 110) was, in Hermann Goering's estimation, the pick of the Luftwaffe's offensive fighters. Drawing on the personal recollections of pilots and aircrew, as well as the individual histories of principal units and non-Luftwaffe operators, 'The Messerschmitt Bf 110 Story' charts the aircraft's operational service in Poland, the Battle of Britain, North Africa, and the Eastern Front. It offers deep technical analysis on the aircraft's design and performance alongside competitors, such as the Focke-Wulf Fw 57 and Henschel Hs 124, and opponents, like the French Potez 630/631 series and Polish PZL.38. The few Bf 110s that have survived in preservation are also explored in this comprehensive operational and technical account of the Luftwaffe's famous Zerstoerer.
Jan Forsgren has an MA in history and is the author of nineteen books, including 'Sinking the Beast' (2014), 'The Junkers Ju 52 Story' (2016), 'Messerschmitt Bf 109' (2017), and 'The Fieseler FI 156 Storch' (2021), all published by Fonthill Media. He has written numerous aviation-related articles for various magazines worldwide, including 'Aeroplane', 'Aviation Historian', 'Flugzeug Classic', and 'FlyPast'. He has also written articles on the air forces in Southeast Asia, which are available on www.aeroflight.co.uk.
Introduction; The Zerstoerer Heavy Fighter Concept; The Other Kampfzerstoerer Contenders; The Focke-Wulf Fw 57; The Henschel Hs 124; Development of the Heavy Fighter Outside of Germany; The Potez 630/631 Series; The P.Z.L. P.38 Wilk; The Messerschmitt Bf 110; Developing the Messerschmitt Bf 110; The Messerschmitt Me 261; French Interest in the Zerstoerer; Into Service; Blitzkrieg Operations; Battle of Heligoland Bight; Operation Weserubung; Invasion of France and the Low Countries; Swiss Interlude; The Battle of Britain; Rudolf Hess flies to Scotland; The Balkans and Greece; Invasion of Crete; Iraqi Venture; North Africa; The Eastern Front; Defending the Reich by Night and Day; Swiss Bargain; Italian Interlude; The End; Other Uses; Glider Tugs; Messerschmitt Bf 110 Experten; Messerschmitt Bf 110 Units; Technical Description; Messerschmitt Bf 110 Variants; Planned Messerschmitt Bf 110 Variants; Messerschmitt Bf 110 Armament; Airborne Intercept Radars; Foreign Operators; Preservation; Appendices; Bf 110 Production; Endnotes; Bibliography; Index
