Bf110 Defensive Circle

[csThor]

I always thought that the Bf 110 was grossly misused in the BoB. With its relatively high speed and devastating armament it would have been more sensible to sent it on far-ranging fighter sweeps pretty much like the P-51 was used a few years later. It could have disrupted the stream of RAF squadrons forming up over their airfields, it could have made low-level strafing runs against airfields and it could have picked off stragglers and damaged aircraft trying to get back to their bases. It had the range, the speed and firepower to do so ... It was just used in the most pointless way one can think of.

There was one amusing scenario way back on the old german Warbirds server where I flew in a Bf 109 G-6 and we were supposed to escort Bf 110 G-2 packed for bomber hunting. Well, things didn't work out quite as planned ... the Bf 110s suddenly found themselves over an untidy gaggle of P-51s and when the contact reports came in we started sweating in our 109s. But then the chat buffer exploded with kill messages when, as one P-51 pilot called it afterwards, "it started raining 110s". I looked once at the kill messages, then twice ... then came a disbelieving "Am I seeing things? Those 110s killing the Mustangs?" And finally our whole 109 group was laughing via TeamSpeak. I think the Zerstörer guys got some fifteen or twenty P-51s in the process but no B-17.

[=KAG=Bersrk]

Do You mean WarBirds:FH?

[csThor]

Neg, that was before FH. There was an old WB 2.01 server first by Netplayer, then by Tiscali/Gamesmania. It's been gone for years now.

[=KAG=Bersrk]

Ahhh... Golden age I started to fly Bf110C in WB:FH in 2003 I'll never forget those dogfights in "Caesar" versus hordes of Spitfires and Hurricanes in 39-40

[Erkki]

Originally Posted by csThor

I always thought that the Bf 110 was grossly misused in the BoB. With its relatively high speed and devastating armament it would have been more sensible to sent it on far-ranging fighter sweeps pretty much like the P-51 was used a few years later. It could have disrupted the stream of RAF squadrons forming up over their airfields, it could have made low-level strafing runs against airfields and it could have picked off stragglers and damaged aircraft trying to get back to their bases. It had the range, the speed and firepower to do so ... It was just used in the most pointless way one can think of.

There was one amusing scenario way back on the old german Warbirds server where I flew in a Bf 109 G-6 and we were supposed to escort Bf 110 G-2 packed for bomber hunting. Well, things didn't work out quite as planned ... the Bf 110s suddenly found themselves over an untidy gaggle of P-51s and when the contact reports came in we started sweating in our 109s. But then the chat buffer exploded with kill messages when, as one P-51 pilot called it afterwards, "it started raining 110s". I looked once at the kill messages, then twice ... then came a disbelieving "Am I seeing things? Those 110s killing the Mustangs?" And finally our whole 109 group was laughing via TeamSpeak. I think the Zerstörer guys got some fifteen or twenty P-51s in the process but no B-17.

To the above... Apparently the few times the Bf 110s were not assigned to escorts, plus Erp.Gr.210, they were rather successfull both air to ground and air to air. In a strategy game Eagle Day (and the redone, Gary Grigsby's Eagle Day to Bombing The Reich), the Bf 110s are artifically forced to escort and bombing only(latter for just 2 units), because "it would be a game killer" if allowed to sweep or do free hunt.

[csThor]

I've got "Eagle Day" (or rather MatrixGames' remake combined with BTR) and I was pretty disappointed that I cannot really use "my" forces as I see fit.

*posturing on* I'm the Reichsmarschall, dammit! I can do whatever I like. *posturing off*

[Feuerfalke]

Originally Posted by csThor

I always thought that the Bf 110 was grossly misused in the BoB. With its relatively high speed and devastating armament it would have been more sensible to sent it on far-ranging fighter sweeps pretty much like the P-51 was used a few years later. It could have disrupted the stream of RAF squadrons forming up over their airfields, it could have made low-level strafing runs against airfields and it could have picked off stragglers and damaged aircraft trying to get back to their bases. It had the range, the speed and firepower to do so ... It was just used in the most pointless way one can think of.

Agreed. IMHO yet another example of what an idiot Hitler and his helpers were in using modern weapons right and to see the importance of weapons-development.
Hitler looked at WW2 from his little WW1 infantry experience and shaped all branches to support tanks and infantry. He didn't realize most of the potential of the technology at his hand or possibilities offered. Not to mention his poor ego ruining most crucial operations.

[swiss]

Well, it wasn't Hitler(he was an idiot anyway), but Göring and his staff.
Think of the supplies he promised for the Russia campaign; 500t airlift per day, no prob.
Couldn't even bring in 100t...
What an arrogant stupid fuçk.

[=KAG=Bersrk]

Originally Posted by Erkki

To the above... Apparently the few times the Bf 110s were not assigned to escorts, plus Erp.Gr.210, they were rather successfull both air to ground and air to air.

Actually, "zerstorer" Bf110's dont needed escort.

"JaBo" was need escort always. In cases when they had no escort and had no air-to-air losses together with successfull mission - there were just no (or very little) RAF fighters precense.

Just remember 15.8.40 raid, when "Rubs" and all his Stab./Erpr.Gr210 were shot down (cowardly fighters of JG52 just left them treatly for death), or 27.9.40 event, when Bf110's of ZG26 were so much outnumbered that were no able to move inland and meet ErprGr210, when it came under attack of several RAF Sqdn's. Again, Gr.Kdr. and StaKa-2 were killed, together with other losses.

Bf110 JaBo were no need escort in 41-42 in Russia. But not in the Battle of Britain.

[Erkki]

Thats what I meant, when they were not assigned to the silly close escort role themselves.

It paid back to the allies, easily, as a night fighter, though...