German crossGermany's Balkenkreuz aircraft marking

Germany's Messerschmitt Me 210 Zerstörer (destroyer) heavy fighter

Photos

Messerschmitt Me 210 fighter:
Germany's Messerschmitt Me 210 fighter 		Messerschmitt Me 210 fighter:
Germany's Messerschmitt Me 210 fighter		    
Messerschmitt Me 210A-1 fighter:
Germany's Messerschmitt Me 210A-1 fighter
Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook 		Messerschmitt Me 210A-1 fighter:
Germany's Messerschmitt Me 210A-1 fighter
Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook 		   

Design

The Messerschmitt Me 210 was designed in 1937.1,2 The Me 210 was to be a replacement for the Bf 110.2

Armament

The Me 210 had remotely controlled barbettes in the sides of the fuselage that fired to the rear.2

Prototype

The Me 210 prototype first flew on September 2, 1939 / September 5, 19392.1,2 It initially had twin fins and rudders.1 It was powered by two Daimler-Benz DB 601A engines.1

Test Pilot Pans the Me 210

Fritz Wendel, test pilot, said that the Me 210 had "all the least desirable attributes an airplane could posses."2

Production

1,000 Me 210s were ordered off the drawing board.2

Construction of the Me 210A-0s started in early 1941.2 Production was halted in 1942.1,2 About 90 Me 210A-1s were completed by this time and another 370 were on the production line.2 Some of these unfinished planes had a deeper and longer fuselage, automatic wing slots, and new air brakes applied to them.2 170 of these were completed.2

  • Me 210A-0: 942
  • Me 210A and Me 210B: 3522
  • Me 210C: 2672
    • Produced by DAF in Hungary for the Royal Hungarian Air Force.2
    • Delivered between 1943 and March 1944.2
    • 108 used by Luftwaffe.2
  • Total: 6192

Variants

  • Me 210A-0: Pre production.2
  • Me 210A-1: Production model.1 Heavy fighter bomber.2 Entered service in 1941.1 Had two 20 mm forward firing guns and two 7.92 mm machine guns in remotely controlled barbettes on the fuselage sides.1
  • Me 210A-2: Fighter bomber.1 Dive bomber fighter.2 Could carry 4,409 lb / 2,000 kg bomb load.2
  • Me 210B: Reconnaissance.2
  • Me 210B-1: Photo reconnaissance.1
  • Me 210C: Had Daimler-Benz DB 605B engines (1,475 HP).1,2
  • Me 210D: Had Daimler-Benz DB 605B engines (1,475 HP).1

Usage

Germany and Hungary used the Me 210.2

The Me 210s were used on the Eastern Front from early 1942.2 The modified Me 210s were used in the Mediterranean late 1942.2

Specifications

  Messerschmitt Me 210
Type Fighter bomber2
Reconnaissance2
Crew 22
Engine (Type)  
Cylinders  
Cooling  
HP  
Propeller blades  
Dimensions  
Span 53' 7.25"2
16.34 m2
Length 39' 9.25"2
12.12 m2
Height 14' 0.5"2
4.28 m2
Wing area  
Weight  
Empty  
Loaded  
Performance  
Speed  
Climb  
Service ceiling  
Range  
Armament  
  Messerschmitt Me 210A Messerschmitt Me 210A-1
Type   Fighter bomber3
Crew    
Engine (Type) 2: Daimler-Benz DB 601F2 2: Mercedes-Benz DB 6013
Cylinders Inverted V 122  
Cooling   Liquid3
HP 1,350 each2 1,270 each3
Propeller blades 3 each2  
Dimensions    
Span   55'3
Length   36' 4"3
Height    
Wing area    
Weight    
Empty   15,586 lb2
7,070 kg2
Loaded   21,350 lb3, 21,397 lb2
9,705 kg2
Performance    
Speed   370 mph3
Speed @ 17,820' /
5,430 m 		  350 mph2
563 kph2
Climb to 13,125' /
4,000 m 		  7.5 minutes2
Service ceiling   22,965'2
7,000 m2
Range   1,491 miles2
2,400 km2
Armament    
Nose   2: 20 mm2
2: 7.9 mm MG2
2: Cannon3
4: MG3
Barbettes in fuselage sides   2: 13 mm MG2,3
Bombs   2,200 lb3, 2,205 lb2
1,000 kg2
  Messerschmitt Me 210C
Type  
Crew  
Engine (Type) 2: Daimler-Benz DB 605B2
Cylinders  
Cooling  
HP 1,475 each2
Propeller blades 3 each2
Dimensions  
Span  
Length  
Height  
Wing area  
Weight  
Empty  
Loaded  
Performance  
Speed  
Climb  
Service ceiling  
Range  
Armament  

Sources:

  1. Fighting Aircraft of World War II, Editor: Karen Leverington, 1995
  2. Aircraft of WWII, Stewart Wilson, 1998
  3. Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook, Ensign L. C. Guthman, 1943