This Nazi Bomber Was Germany s Stupidest Design nationalinterest.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from nationalinterest.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Nazi Germany s Would-Be Wonder Weapon Was an Epic Fail
Germany wanted a fighter with a longer range. Instead, it built Frankenstein s monster that was too big to maneuver.
Here s What You Need To Remember: There is never a free lunch in aircraft design. Carrying all that extra fuel meant a bigger, heavier aircraft. A bigger, heavier aircraft required two engines and two propellers, which added even more weight. The result was that the Bf 110 weighed more than four tons, or twice that of the Bf 109.
In the mid-1930s, Nazi Germany had a problem. Its twin-engined medium bombers, such as the Heinkel 111, had a range of perhaps 1,500 miles. However, the Luftwaffe s single-engined fighter plane, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, had a range of only 400 miles (it wasn t until mid-World War II that fighters carried drop tanks). Before 1939, airpower enthusiasts believed the bomber will always get through enemy air defenses, but the Germans also realized they needed a fighter capable of escort
The combination aircraft was decent, but was eventually outclassed by Allied warplanes.
Key point: This heavy fighter-bomber was made to solve a certain problem. However, it would not be able to hold its own throughout the entire war.
In the mid-1930s, Nazi Germany had a problem. Its twin-engined medium bombers, such as the Heinkel 111, had a range of perhaps 1,500 miles. However, the Luftwaffe s single-engined fighter plane, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, had a range of only 400 miles (it wasn t until mid-World War II that fighters carried drop tanks). Before 1939, airpower enthusiasts believed the bomber will always get through enemy air defenses, but the Germans also realized they needed a fighter capable of escorting bombers all the way to the target and back.