Corgi AA38503 Me110C-4 – ZG52, late 1940

The Messerschmitt Bf110 was a twin engine heavy fighter known to the Luftwaffe as the ‘Zerstorer’ (Destroyer). It proved devastatingly effective during the early months of WW2, as the Luftwaffe swept through Poland, Norway and France, where its high speed and concentrated firepower made it the ideal support aircraft for bombing raids into enemy territory. However the aircraft’s lack of agility in the air was its main weakness and this was exposed during the Battle of Britain when the ‘Zerstorer’ pilots came up against the well organised Spitfires and Hurricanes of the RAF. They were easy prey for the British fighters and suffered such heavy losses that some Bf110 units were withdrawn from the battle and redeployed as night fighters