KITS 04/2023

Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3578, 9./ZG 26, Barly, France, August 1940

In the beginning of the war this Zerstörergruppe

was equipped with Messerschmitts Bf 110D.

III./ZG 26 converted to 110s in the beginning of 1940

under the command of Hptm. Johannes Schalk.

Before the war, this aviator commander the

Austrian Jagdgruppe 1 and he was also one of the

first Bf 110 pilots decorated with Knight’s Cross.

On September 3, 1940, Ofw. Hott behind the

controls of this One-Ten, participated with the

whole III./ZG 26 in escorting Do 17 from II./KG 2

on their raid to the North Weald airfield. While

defending the bombers, his aircraft was damaged

and Ofw. Hott crash-landed it at Wissant,

France. The damage was assessed as being at

eighty percent. This aircraft was camouflaged

in RLM 70, 71 and 65 colors. There is a 9./ZG 26

insignia painted on the both sides of the nose

– a white cock at the fighting stance. The aircraft’s

individual letter, repeated on the wingtip, is

painted in the Staffel color i.e. yellow. There

are three white bars painted on the vertical tail

surfaces marking the enemy aircraft shot down.

Bf 110C-4, WNr. 2095, 4./ZG 1, Trier-Euren, Germany, June 1940

II./ZG 1 was established on May 15, 1939, based

on I. Gruppe JG 54 and equipped with the singleseat Bf 109D and Bf 109E. The conversion to the Bf

110C two-seat heavy fighters took place in March

1940 in the Northern Germany. After the transfer

to the western border, in the preparation for the

attack on the Netherlands, Belgium and France,

the unit was incorporated into the Luftflotte 2

under which command it flew combat missions

until the surrender of France. Then the II./ZG 76

was renamed as III. Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader

76. The unit’s insignia in the form of three wasps

painted on the aircraft nose, was retained even

after the unit’s transfer.

Bf 110C-2, WNr. 3257, Hptm. Heinz Wagner/Stfw. Adolf Schmidt, CO of 4./ZG 76, Abbeville, France, August 1940

II. Gruppe Zerstörergeschwader 76 was

established on May 1, 1939, by renaming I./ZG 144.

It was equipped with single-seat Messerschmitt

Bf 109D which in February and March they

traded for Bf 110. Flying One-Tens the unit took

part in the attack on the Netherlands, Belgium

and France and after France surrendered the

April 2023

unit was transferred to Abbeville airfield on the

French coast from where it started to fly bomber

escorts to the targets in the Great Britain. The

last flight of the Messerschmitt Bf 110C-2 marked

M8+BM and crewed by Hptm. Heinz Wagner and

radio operator Stfw. Adolf Schmidt, was a bomber

escort to the Luton airfield with the adjacent

industrial area which took place on August 30,

1940. The plane was most probably shot down

by P/O William McKnight (flying as a wingman to

S/Ldr Bader) at the altitude of 1,000 feet.

It crashed on Enfield Sewage Farm, Wharf

Road, Ponders End near the large reservoir and

the crew was killed.

INFO Eduard

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