Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse
This article needs additional citations for verification. (January 2018) |
Me 410 | |
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Me 410 A-1/U2, RAF Museum Cosford, 1985 | |
Role | Heavy fighter, fighter-bomber |
Manufacturer | Messerschmitt |
First flight | 14 March 1942 |
Introduction | 1943 |
Retired | 1945 |
Primary users | Luftwaffe Hungarian Air Force |
Produced | May 1943-August 1944 |
Number built | 1,189 |
Developed from | Messerschmitt Me 210 |
The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse (Hornet) is a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber, or "Fast Bomber" in English, used by the Luftwaffe during World War II. Though an incremental improvement of the Me 210, it had a new wing plan, longer fuselage and engines of greater power. The changes were significant enough for the aircraft to be renamed the Me 410.
Design and development
Development of the Me 210 had been under way since 1939 but the aircraft proved unstable and was never considered for full-scale production. Modifications to the layout produced the Me 210C and 210D, which proved somewhat superior. As studies progressed on the Me 210D, and with a separate parallel attempt to improve upon the 210 with the Messerschmitt Me 310 in the second half of 1943—which provided almost no aerodynamic improvement over the 210's risky handling qualities—it was instead decided to introduce a new model, the Me 410.
The major change between the Me 210 and 410 was the introduction of the larger (at 44.5 litres, 2,720 cu in displacement) and more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines. They each provided 1,750 metric horsepower (1,730 hp; 1,290 kW) compared to the 1,475 metric horsepower (1,455 hp; 1,085 kW) of the DB 605s used on the Me 210C[Note 1]. The extra power increased the Me 410's maximum speed to 625 kilometres per hour (388 mph), greatly improved rate of climb, service ceiling, and most notably the cruising speed which jumped to 579 km/h (360 mph).
The more powerful engines also improved payload capability to the point where the aircraft could lift a war-load greater than could fit into the bomb bay under the nose. Consequently, shackles were added under the wings for four 50-kilogram (110 lb) bombs. The changes added an extra 680 kg (1,500 lb) to the Me 210 design, but the extra engine power more than made up for the difference. As with the Me 210, the 410's rear gunner used the same pair of Ferngerichtete Drehringseitenlafette FDSL 131/1B turrets mounted on each side of the aircraft, each still armed with a 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine gun, retaining the same pivoting handgun-style grip, trigger and gunsight to aim and fire the ordnance as the 210 did.[1]
The new version included a lengthened
The wing panels of the earlier Me 210 had been designed with a planform geometry that placed the aerodynamic center further aback compared with the earlier Bf 110, giving the outer sections of the wing planform beyond each engine nacelle a slightly greater, 12.6° leading edge sweepback angle than the inner panels' 6.0° leading edge sweep angle. This resulted in unsuitable handling characteristics in flight for the original Me 210 design. The new Me 410 outer wing panels had their planform geometry revised to bring the aerodynamic center further forwards in comparison with the Me 210, thus making the leading edge sweepback of the outer panels identical to the inner wing panels with both having identical 5.5° sweepback angles, which improved handling.
Deliveries began in January 1943, two years late and continued until September 1944, by which point a total of 1,160 of all versions had been produced by Messerschmitt
Operational history
The Me 410 night bomber proved to be an elusive target for the RAF night fighters. The first unit to operate over the UK was V./KG 2, which lost its first Me 410 on the night of 13 – 14 July 1943, when it was shot down by a de Havilland Mosquito of No. 85 Squadron RAF.
The Me 410 was also used as a
They were moderately successful against unescorted bombers through 1943, with a considerable number of kills against USAAF day bomber formations being achieved. However, the Me 410 was no match in a dogfight with the lighter Allied single-engine fighters such as the
From mid-1944, despite being Hitler's favourite bomber destroyer, the Me 410 units were taken from Defence of the Reich duties and production was phased out in favour of heavily armed single-engine fighters as dedicated bomber destroyers, with the Me 410s remaining in service flying on reconnaissance duties only.[5] Some Me 410s were used with Junkers Ju 188s during the Battle of Normandy, for high-altitude night reconnaissance.
Variants
The Me 410B-series was similar to the A-series but replaced the pair of 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17s with 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns. The originally planned 1,900 hp (1,400 kW) DB 603G engine had been cancelled in early 1944, so all Me 410Bs used DB 603A or DB 603AA engines. The DB 603G would have increased the maximum speed to 630 kilometres per hour (390 mph) and cruising speed to 595 kilometres per hour (370 mph), although the weight increased once again. The versions were the same as with the A-series, the Me 410 B-1 and Me 410 B-3 filling the same roles as the earlier A-1 and A-3 versions, also with the option of using the same Umrüst-Bausätze factory conversion kits as the A-series.
Several experimental models were also developed. The Me 410 B-5 added shackles under the fuselage to carry a torpedo, and removed the MG 131s in the nose to make room for the FuG 200 Hohentwiel 550 MHz UHF-band maritime patrol radar. The bomb bay was not used in this version in order to make room for a 650-litre (170 US gal) fuel tank, and the rearward-firing remote turrets were replaced by another 700 L (180 US gal) fuel tank for long-range missions. The Me 410 B-6 was a similar anti-shipping conversion, but intended for the short-range coastal defence role only. For this mission, it did not use a torpedo, and was instead a simple modification of the B-1 with the FuG 200 radar. The Me 410 B-7/B-8 were updated B-3 reconnaissance models that were only built as prototypes.
The Me 410C was a high-altitude version drawn up in early 1944, with two new wing designs that increased
The Me 410D was a simpler upgrade to the B-series to improve altitude performance than the C-series. It would be powered by the DB 603JZ engines, and had a revised forward fuselage to increase the field of view of the pilot and reduce drag. It also replaced portions of the outer wing panels with ones made of wood to conserve
Operators
- Luftwaffe was Me 410 main operator during 1943-45
- Stabsschwarm & 2.(F)/Aufklärungsgruppe 22
- 1.(F)/Aufklärungsgruppe 33
- 1.(F)/FAGr.121
- 1.,2(Ekdo).,5.(F)/Aufklärungsgruppe 122 (later FAGr 122)
- Seenotgruppe 80 (sea recon and rescue)
- 9.,20./ZG 1 'Wespen'
- 2.,4.,6.,Stab/ZG 26'Horst Wessel'
- 1.,2.,3.,/ZG 76
- Eprobungskommando/(Z)25
- 5.(nacht),14.(nacht),15.,16./KG 2(night intruder)
- 1.(Jagd),2.(nacht),5.(Erg/jagd),6./KG 51'Edelweiss' (long-range night ops)
- 1./NJG 5 (Mosquito chaser)
- 3./NJG 1(Mosquito chaser)
- Royal Air Force received at least two captured aircraft during war and shortly after.
- No. 1426 Flight RAF operated a single Me 410 A-3 (WNr.10259, RAF serial TF209) during the war.
Surviving aircraft
Two Me 410s survive:
- Me 410 A-1/U1 (W.Nr.10018, converted from Me 210 airframe)
- This Aircraft held by the American National Air and Space Museum and stored awaiting restoration, at the Paul E. Garber Preservation, Restoration, and Storage Facility, located in Suitland Maryland. It was found intact at an airfield in Trapani, Sicily, in August 1943 bearing the markings of the Luftwaffe's 2.Staffel/Fernaufklärungsgruppe 122 and was shipped to the United States in 1944; it was given the US serial number FE499,[6]
- Me 410 A-1/U2 (W.Nr.420430)
- This aircraft is part of the collection of the Vaerlose, Denmark in May 1945. It was one of six Me 410s that were taken to the UK in 1945 for evaluation, but the only one to be later selected for preservation and to avoid being scrapped. It underwent restoration in 1986, after which both engines were successfully run on the ground. It was moved to Cosford in 1989 and has remained there since.[7]
Specifications (Me 410 A-1/U-2)
Data from The warplanes of the Third Reich,[8] German Combat Planes[9]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 12.484 m (40 ft 11.5 in)
- Wingspan: 16.3513 m (53 ft 7.75 in)
- Height: 4.280 m (14 ft 0.5 in)
- Wing area: 36.2031 m2 (389.687 sq ft)
- Airfoil: root: NACA 23018-636.5; tip: NACA 23010-636.5[10]
- Empty weight: 7,518 kg (16,574 lb)
- Gross weight: 9,651 kg (21,276 lb)
- Fuel capacity: 550 imp gal (660 US gal; 2,500 L) in four wing tanks
- Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 603AV-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines, 1,290 kW (1,750 hp) each for take-off
- 1,360 kW (1,850 PS) at 2,100 m (6,890 ft)
- 1,195 kW (1,625 PS) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft)
- Propellers: 3-bladed VDM constant-speed propeller
Performance
- Maximum speed: 507 km/h (315 mph, 274 kn) at sea level, 624 km/h (388 mph; 337 kn) at 6,700 m (21,980 ft)
- Cruise speed: 587 km/h (365 mph, 317 kn)
- Range: 1,200 km (750 mi, 650 nmi) at maximum continuous cruise speed, 1,690 km (1,050 mi) at economical cruise speed
- Ferry range: 2,300 km (1,400 mi, 1,200 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
- Time to altitude: 6,000 m (20,000 ft) in 10 minutes 42 seconds
Armament
- Guns: ** 2 × 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 17 machine guns with 1,000 rpg, firing forward
- 2 × 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 cannon with 350 rpg, firing forward
- 2 × 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 cannon with 250 rpg in the bomb bay, firing forward
- 2 × 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine guns with 500 rpg, each firing rearward from FDSL 131/1B remote-operated turret, one per side
- Rockets: 4 × 21 cm (8.3 in) Werfer-Granate 21rockets
- Bombs: up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of disposable stores[11]
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era
- Bristol Beaufighter
- de Havilland Mosquito
- Kawasaki Ki-102
- Messerschmitt Bf 110
- Northrop P-61 Black Widow
- Rikugun Ki-93
Notes
- ^ The interim Me 310 design experiment actually used the DB 603 powerplant choice first.
References
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: Luftwaffe - Messerschmitt Me 410 (Schnellbomber) (YouTube). spottydog4477. Event occurs at 2:55 to 3:25. Retrieved October 26, 2019.
- ^ Hess 1994, p. 82.
- ^ Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 137.
- ^ Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 183.
- ^ Caldwell & Muller 2007, p. 198.
- ^ West, Jim. "Me 410A-2/U1 FE-499". www.indianamilitary.org. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
- ^ Simpson, Andrew. "Museum Accession Number 85/A/78, Individual History: Messerschmitt Me410A-1/U2 W/NR.420430/AM72/8483M." Royal Air Force Museum, 2007. Retrieved: 23 December 2011.
- ISBN 0385057822.
- ^ Wagner, Ray; Nowarra, Heinz (1971). German Combat Planes: A Comprehensive Survey and History of the Development of German Military Aircraft from 1914 to 1945. New York: Doubleday. p. 261.
- ^ Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
- ^ Rechlin E'Stelle Erpr. Nr. 1929. Br.B.Nr. 773/43 g.Kdos.
Further reading
- Caldwell, Donald L.; ISBN 978-1-85367-712-0.
- Hess, William. N. (1994). B-17 Flying Fortress - Combat and Development History. Motor books. ISBN 0-87938-881-1.
- Scutts, Jerry (1994). Mustang aces of the Eighth Air Force. Oxford: Osprey Aerospace. ISBN 1-85532-447-4.
- Stocker, Werner; Petrick, Peter (2007). Messerschmitt Me 210/Me 410 Hornisse/Hornet : an illustrated production history. Hinckley: Midland. ISBN 978-1-85780-271-9.