Messerschmitt Bf-110 T Torpedo BomberWurschtmaxe wrote: ↑Sat May 07, 2022 6:03 pm Very nice! Great icons of the wide spread variations of the 110 (and 210) destroyer family. But what is the Bf 110T? Sounds completly Fantasy.
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German Air Force, Mediterranean Theatre, 1942
In 1942 the German Air force was still looking for a suitable Torpedo Bomber to use in the Mediterranean theatre. With the allied forces growing in the region Germany needed a quick fix to stem the tide. It was only a matter of time before the allies built up enough forces to invade Africa from the West. Having an effective torpedo bomber to engage the allied fleet would help stop that invasion. While the He-111 was used successfully in the Torpedo bomber role, the Germans never had a truly successful torpedo platform like the Italian Savoia-Marchetti SM.79. Early attempts to use the Bf-110 as a Torpedo bomber failed because of the weight of the payload. With an eye towards the Sm.79, a third engine was grafted onto the nose of a standard Me-110E Zerstorer. Since the nose contained the main armament of the 110, it was decided to graft the nose of an Me-109E fighter including the armament package (2 Mg and 1 x 20mm cannon). While less than the standard armament of the 110 (4x 20mm cannon), the provided armament could still be used to suppress AA fire during the torpedo run. It was decided to retain the rear gunner as some protection would be needed during a low and slow torpedo run.
Initial testing proved successful (with some handling problems) and the third engine added a lot of speed to the new fighter. The new heavy fighter was cleared for torpedo testing. Two aircraft were built for testing, but immediately problems were found. Again the weight was a problem and the new engine made the aircraft nose heavy. When the torpedo was dropped, the aircraft would attempt to nose over which was dangerous in a low level torpedo run. Prototype 2 was lost when it nosed into the water after a drop. Fortunately for the crew the low altitude and speed made for a "soft" landing and the crew escaped unharmed. While several hits were scored on dummy targets, controlling the aircraft after a drop proved too hard and the concept was abandoned. Soon after the project was cancelled, the allies launched Operation Torch at the end of 1942 and the Germans had much bigger problems to worry about in the Mediterranean.
