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Info Eduard - February 2011
Page 20
HISTORY
Peter Kaššák
&
Flak 18
Messerschmitt Bf 110 G-2
The development of the war situation on the fronts
during 1942-43 led Luftwaffe Headquarter representatives
and engineers of aviation projects to think about
alternative modications to existing aircraft, in an effort to
increase re power while keeping the speed advantage
over enemy aircraft. The successful installation of the
Flak 18 37 mm cannon on the Junkers Ju 87 was made
legendary by results gained by its most successful pilot,
Hans-Ulrich Rudel. However, the concept of the Ju 87
itself was by now painfully obsolete. As a result, other
combinations of similar or larger caliber guns on more
modern aircraft of the German Luftwaffe was looked into.
There are known installations of the BK 5 (Bordkanone)
50 mm cannon on the Me 410 under the designation
Ümbausatze U4, which was successfully tested in action
by Erprobungskommando 25 and ZG 26. Also, Ju 88s
were undergoing tests with two types of large caliber
cannon. The aforementioned BK 5 was carried by the
Ju 88P-1. Versions P-2 and P-3 are noted for carrying
two cannons of the same type under the fuselage. The
second tested gun was the Pak 40 75 mm cannon. One
of the purest concepts of an aircraft carrying a large
caliber gun was the Henschel Hs 129, which, as the B-2,
carried the Rheinmetall Pak 40 (Panzerabwehrkanone)
75 mm gun.
One of the longest serving Zerstörer aircraft types
was not ignored. The Messerschmitt Bf 110G was
outtted with a Flak 18 37 mm cannon. According to
some sources, 43 G-3 subtypes and 107 aircraft G-2s
underwent the transformation also known as Rüstsatz
R1. Only part of this re-equipment took place, and these
were sent to frontline units.
The Flak 18 gun was derived from the old Rheinmetall-
Borsig Flak 18 cannon, and was a very easy installation
under the fuselage of the aircraft. With its barrel length
of 2,106 mm, the whole cannon measured 3,750 mm
in length, and had a weight of 343 kilograms. Fire rate
was 140 rounds per minute. Each magazine carried six
37mm shells, Hartkernpanzergranatpatrone Leuchtspur
ohne Zerleger. The cannon had eleven magazines at its
disposal. Its changing was a manual operation, and was
done by the Bordfunker. The effective range of the gun
was at maximum 800 meters.
Bf 110s equipped with the Flak 18 rst saw action over
the Eastern Front as ground attack aircraft. In the second
quarter of 1943, Panzerjägerstaffel ZG 1 was put together,
based at Seschtschinskaja as a part of ZG 1. Not much is
known about this special unit. It only existed for about two
months, from June until the beginning of August, 1943.
Its bases were, at various times, the airelds at Ledna-
Ost and Brjansk. Its crews ew the Bf 110 G-2/R1, and
were embattled during Operation Citadelle, known as the
Battle of Kursk, which lasted from the 5th of July to the
23rd of August, 1943.
From the available fragments of information, we were
able to piece together the following information:
First documented loss of Panzerjägerstaffel ZG 1 was
Bf 110G-2 W.Nr.6290, which was lost on July 9th, 1943,
due to technical failure and was 40% damage rated at
Ledna-Ost airled.
Four days later, on July 13th, antiaircraft guns brought
down Bf 110G-2 crewed by pilot Lt. Werner Mihatch
and Uffz. Harry Weiss. The pilot bailed out and suffered
wounds, the treatment of which lasted through to the
autumn of 1943. The body of the Bordfunker was lost with
the aircraft west of Gorodok. (In June, 1944, Lt. Mihatch
Main photo: A pair of Messerschmitt Bf 110 Gs of 4. Staffel ZG 76 with
the R1 mod. The lead bird, M8+LM has light colored, likely white, verti-
cal stabilizers. This could be either attributed to being the ight leader’s
aircraft, or a repaint after repairs. The photo is dated autumn, 1943.