View source for Messerschmitt Me 210

{{Short description|German heavy fighter}}
{{more citations needed|date=September 2014}}
<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Infobox aircraft
| name = Me 210
| image = File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-363-2270-18, Frankreich, Flugzeug Me 210.jpg
| image_caption = A Luftwaffe Me 210 A-1 of the ''Versuchsstaffel 210'' test squadron, over France in 1942
| aircraft_type = [[Heavy fighter]], [[ground-attack aircraft]], [[fighter-bomber]], [[dive bomber]]
| manufacturer = [[Messerschmitt]]
| designer = 
| first_flight = 2 September 1939
| introduction = 1942
| retired = 1945
| status = 
| primary_user = ''[[Luftwaffe]]''
| more_users = [[Royal Hungarian Air Force]]
| produced = 
| number_built = 90 Me 210A in Germany <br>
267 Me 210Ca-1 in Hungary
| variants = [[Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse]]
| developed_from = [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]]
}}

The '''Messerschmitt Me 210''' was a [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[heavy fighter]] and [[ground-attack aircraft]] of [[World War II]]. Design started before the war, as a replacement for the [[Messerschmitt Bf 110|Bf 110]]. The first examples were ready in 1939, but they proved to have unacceptably poor flight characteristics due to serious [[Planform (aeronautics)|wing planform]] and fuselage design flaws. A large-scale operational testing program throughout 1941 and early 1942 did not cure the type's problems. The design entered limited service in 1942, but was soon replaced by the [[Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse]], a further development of the Me 210. The failure of the Me 210's development program meant the ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' was forced to continue operating the Bf 110 after it had become outdated, despite mounting losses.<ref name=RAFMuseum>{{Cite web |title=Me 210 {{!}} Worth a Thousand Words - Air Diagrams {{!}} Archive Exhibitions {{!}} Exhibitions & Displays {{!}} Research |url=https://www.rafmuseum.org.uk/research/archive-exhibitions/worth-a-thousand-words-air-diagrams/me-210/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=RAF Museum |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Messerschmitt Me 210 |url=http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_me_210.html |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=www.historyofwar.org}}</ref>

==Design and development==
Messerschmitt designers had started working on an upgrade of the Bf 110 in 1937, before the production version of the Bf 110 had even flown. In late 1938, the Bf 110 was just entering service, and the [[Reich Air Ministry|RLM]] started looking ahead to its eventual replacement. Messerschmitt sent in their modified Bf 110 design as the Me 210, and [[Arado Flugzeugwerke|Arado]] responded with their all-new [[Arado Ar 240|Ar 240]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Messerschmitt Me 210 Twin-Engine Heavy Fighter / Fighter-Bomber Aircraft |url=https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.php?aircraft_id=1384 |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=www.militaryfactory.com}}</ref>

The Me 210 was a considerable departure from the 110, but used many of the same parts. The main differences were a modified nose area that was much shorter and located over the [[center of gravity]], an internal bomb bay, an all-new wing designed for higher cruise speeds and a highly advanced remote-control defensive armament system that gave the gunner a far wider field of fire. On paper, the Me 210's performance was impressive: It could reach 620&nbsp;km/h (390&nbsp;mph) on two 1,350&nbsp;PS (1,330&nbsp;hp, 990&nbsp;kW) [[Daimler-Benz DB 601|Daimler-Benz DB 601F]] engines, making it about 80&nbsp;km/h (50&nbsp;mph) faster than the Bf 110, and nearly as fast as single-engine fighters of that era.

The Me 210's main [[landing gear]] followed some of the design philosophies that had resulted from the main change in the earlier [[Junkers Ju 88|Ju 88]]'s main landing gear design, where each main gear had a single gear strut that twisted through 90° during retraction, to bring the main gear wheel resting atop the lower end of the main strut when retracted rearwards into the wing. Unlike the Ju 88, however, the Me 210's main gear wheels were inboard of the main gear struts when fully extended, whereas the Ju 88's were outboard of the struts.

[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-363-2271-21, Frankreich, Flugzeug Me 210, Bomben.jpg|thumb|right|220px|The Me 210 featured a [[bomb bay]], unlike its predecessor, the [[Messerschmitt Bf 110|Bf 110]]]]
[[File:Me 210 and 410 Wing Planform Comparison.jpg|thumb|right|Comparison of the wing planforms of the Me 210 and its successor, the Me 410 ''Hornisse''.]]

The Bf 110 carried its ordnance externally beneath the wings and [[fuselage]], but this created drag; the Me 210 avoided this problem by housing the bombs in an enclosed [[bomb bay]], in the nose of the aircraft. The Me 210 could carry up to two 500&nbsp;kg (1,100&nbsp;lb) bombs. The Me 210 had dive brakes fitted on the tops of the wings, and a Stuvi 5B [[bombsight]] ("Stuvi"-''Sturzkampfvisier'', dive-bombing sight) in the nose, for shallow-angle [[dive bomber|dive bombing]]. In the fighter role, the bomb bay was fitted with four 20&nbsp;mm [[Autocannon|cannon]].<ref name=airpagesru>{{Cite web |title=Messerschmitt Me-210 - Heavy Fighter |url=https://airpages.ru/eng/lw/me210.shtml |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=airpages.ru}}</ref>
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-445-1861-19, Nordafrika, Arbeit an Bordwaffen einer Me 210-410.jpg|thumb|left|The FDSL 131 remote gun turret of an Me 210 being maintained]]

For defence, the Me 210's rear gunner was armed with two 13&nbsp;mm (.51&nbsp;in) [[MG 131 machine gun]]s. Each of these was fitted into half-teardrop-shaped ''Ferngerichtete Drehringseitenlafette'' FDSL 131/1B [[Gun turret|turret]]s mounted on each side of the aircraft, and was remote-controlled from the gunner's position in the rear of the glazed cockpit area with a unique gun-aiming setup. This unit had a pivoting handgun-style grip, trigger and gunsight at its center, to aim the guns vertically—with both turrets elevating and depressing together when operated - and horizontally, in pivoting each gun separately, outward away from the fuselage side when aimed to one side or the other.<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/TxzQ4tIVh0I Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200118011701/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxzQ4tIVh0I Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite video |title=Wings of the Luftwaffe: Bf-110 "Destroyer" |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxzQ4tIVh0I |medium=YouTube |publisher=Ryan98063 |access-date=May 22, 2021 |time=16:51 to 17:35 }}{{cbignore}}</ref> The rear of the [[cockpit]] [[Aircraft canopy|canopy]]'s lower side glazing panels were bulged out to allow the gunner to see in almost any rearward-facing direction. The guns were electrically fired, and an electrical contact breaker acted as a form of "interrupter" as used on many forms of multi-engined, turret-armed WW II aircraft, preventing the gunner from shooting off the Me 210's [[tailplane]].

An order for 1,000 Me 210s was placed before the prototype had flown. In time, this would prove to be a major error. The first [[prototype]] flew with DB 601B engines in September 1939, and was considered unsafe by test pilots. Stability was bad in turns, and it tended to [[Hunting oscillation|oscillate]], even while flying level. At first, the designers concentrated on the twin-[[rudder]] arrangement that had been taken from the 110, and replaced it with a new and much larger single [[vertical stabilizer]]. This had almost no effect, and the plane continued to "snake". The Me 210 also suffered from terrible [[Stall (fluid mechanics)|stalls]]. With the nose up or in a turn, the stalls whipped into [[Spin (flight)|spins]] when the automatic [[leading-edge slats]] opened. The second prototype, '''Me 210 V2''', was lost this way in September 1940, when the pilot could not get out of the resulting spin and had to abandon the aircraft. The chief test pilot commented that the Me 210 had "all the least desirable attributes an aeroplane could possess." It took 16 prototypes and 94 preproduction examples to try to resolve the many problems. Nevertheless, the RLM was desperate to replace the Bf 110s currently in service, and ordered full production in early 1941. The type exhibited grossly inadequate handling characteristics, and as a result, several elements of the airframe were redesigned, including lengthening the rear section of the fuselage by 92&nbsp;cm (36-1/4 inches), designated as ''lang'' ("long"). The Me 210C was built with [[Daimler-Benz DB 605|DB 605]] engines, as well as incorporating the changes to the [[airframe]]. The Hungarian authorities were satisfied with the Me 210C in its current state, and purchased a production license for the type, to fill the role of the [[Varga RMI-1 X/H]], designated Me 210Ca (a = ''ausländisch'' or 'foreign') as well as for its DB 605 engines. Several airframes were also purchased, to be completed in Hungarian factories for practice while the assembly lines were set up. Production started in the ''Dunai Repülőgépgyár Rt.'' (Danubian Aircraft Plant) as the '''Me 210Ca''' with the DB 605B engine, under an agreement where the ''Luftwaffe'' received two of every three produced.

The Me 210 was eventually developed into the [[Messerschmitt Me 410]], with [[Daimler-Benz DB 603|DB 603]] engines.

==Operational history==
[[File:Bundesarchiv Bild 101I-363-2270-09, Frankreich, Flugzeug Me 210.jpg|thumb|right|A Me 210 flying over France, 1942]]
Deliveries to frontline units started in April 1942 and the plane proved to be even less popular with pilots. Production was stopped at the month's end by which time only 90 had been delivered. Another 320 partially completed airframes were placed in storage. In its place, the Bf 110 was put back into production. Although the Bf 110 was now equipped with the newer [[Daimler-Benz DB 605|DB 605B]] engines and greater firepower, it was still an outdated design.

The ''Luftwaffe'' started receiving their Hungarian-built planes in April 1943, and the Hungarians in 1944; when they entered service they were more than satisfied with them. Production ended in March 1944, when the factory switched over to produce the [[Messerschmitt Bf 109|Bf 109G]]. By that time, a total of 267 Me 210C had been built, 108 of which had been given to the ''Luftwaffe''. The Me 210s of the ''Luftwaffe'' operated mostly in [[Tunisia]] and [[Sardinia]] and were quickly replaced by the [[Me 410]].

==Variants==
;Me 210 A-0
:Pre-production aircraft.
;Me 210 A-1
:Two-seat twin-engined [[fighter-bomber]] and [[heavy fighter]].
;Me 210 A-2
:Two-seat twin-engined [[dive bomber]] and heavy fighter.
;Me 210C
:Improved airframe, DB 605 engines.
;Me 210 Ca-1
:Hungarian-licensed production version of the Me 210C with [[Daimler-Benz DB 605|Daimler-Benz DB 605B]] engines.
;Me 210 Ca-1 (40&nbsp;mm)
:Some Hungarian Me 210 Ca-1s were modified to carry a [[Bofors 40 mm Automatic Gun L/60|40 mm Bofors]] autocannon in the lower fuselage in order to destroy Allied bombers. In addition, these aircraft could carry 152 mm rockets (modified version of the Hungarian copy of [[Nebelwerfer|Nebelwerfer 41]]) for ground attack. The [[44M Lidérc]] anti-bomber [[Proximity fuze#Acoustic|acoustic proximity fused]] air-to-air rocket was under development for the Me 210, but the project was not finished before [[Siege of Budapest|the fall of Budapest]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hatala |first=András |date=2009 |title=44M Lidérc, az első magyar légiharc-rakéta (I. rész). |journal=Haditechnika |volume=2009/2 |pages=87–90}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Amdrás |first=Hatala |title=44M "LIDÉRC" rocket |url=http://www.eeoda.de/2010/1010_FB2_44M-Rakete-1.pdf |website=eeoda.d}}</ref>
;Me 210D
:Improved Me 210C, project only

==Operators==
;{{flag|Germany|Nazi}}
*''[[Luftwaffe]]'' operated 90 German-built Me 210A and 108 Hungarian-built Me 210 Ca-1.
**''Eprobungsgruppe(A) 210'' (first testing unit)
**''Versuchstaffel 210''
**''3./SKG 210''
**''16./KG 6''
**''1.,2.(F)/Aufkl.Gr.122'' (Me/DAF 210C-1 user)
**''FAGr 122''
**''Stab/AG 22''
**''II.,III.,7.,8.,9./ZG 1 'Wespe''' (Me/DAF 210C-2 [Ca-1] user)
**''10./ZG 26'' (Me/DAF 210C-2 [Ca-1] user)
**''I.,II./NJG 1''
**''NJG 101''
;{{flag|Hungary|1920}}
* [[Royal Hungarian Air Force]] operated 179 Hungarian-built Me 210 Ca-1. The type was relatively successful against Soviet aircraft and the last Me 210s were destroyed by their crew at Parndorf ''([[Hungarian language|Hungarian]]: Pándorfalu)'' after the fall of Hungary in March 1945 due to the lack of fuel and spare parts.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.repulestudomany.hu/kulonszamok/2014_cikkek/2014-2-24-0133_Ozsvath_Sandor.pdf|title=A Messerschmitt 210-es többfeladatú repülőgép|last=Ede|first=Ádám|website=Relpüléstudomány}}</ref>
**'' 1° and 2° RKI Század "Villám"'' (Evaluation wing), RKI (Hungarian Aviation Institute)
**''5/1.Légi Század "Bagoly"'' (NF Sqn)
**''102.Gyorsbombázó, 102/1.Század "Sas"''
**''102.Gyorsbombázó, 102/2.Század "Tigris"''
**''102.Gyorsbombázó, 102/3.Század "Villám"''

;{{flag|Japan}}
*[[Imperial Japanese Army Air Service]] 
**received one aircraft (Me 210A-2 W.Nr.2350) bought in Germany for tests and delivered by [[blockade runner]]. It was operated by the Testing unit of the First Tachikawa Air Army Arsenal.

==Specifications (Me 210Ca-1)==
[[File:Me 210 w trzech rzutach.jpg|right|300px|Me 210 3-view drawing]]
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Messerschmitt Me 210/410 in action,<ref name="Punka">{{cite book |last1=Punka |first1=George |title=Messerschmitt Me 210/410 in action |date=1994 |publisher=Squadron/Signal Publications |location=Carrollton, Texas, US |isbn=0897473205 |page=20}}</ref> The warplanes of the Third Reich,<ref name=Green>{{cite book |last1=Green |first1=William |title=The warplanes of the Third Reich |date=1970 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York, US |isbn=0385057822 |pages=610–617 |edition=1st 1973 reprint}}</ref> German Combat Planes<ref name="Wagner">{{cite book |last1=Wagner |first1=Ray |last2=Nowarra |first2=Heinz |title=German Combat Planes: A Comprehensive Survey and History of the Development of German Military Aircraft from 1914 to 1945 |date=1971 |publisher=Doubleday |location=New York, US |page=258}}</ref>
|prime units?= met
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew= two
|length m= 12.2
|length note=
|span m= 16.3
|span note=
|height m= 4.2
|height note=
|wing area sqm= 36.2
|wing area note=
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil='''root:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 23018-636.5]]; '''tip:''' [[NACA airfoil|NACA 23010-636.5]]<ref name="Selig">{{cite web |last1=Lednicer |first1=David |title=The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage |url=https://m-selig.ae.illinois.edu/ads/aircraft.html |website=m-selig.ae.illinois.edu |access-date=16 April 2019}}</ref>
|empty weight kg= 7,069
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight note=
|max takeoff weight kg= 9,705
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity= {{cvt|2500|L|USgal impgal}} in four wing tanks
|lift kg=<!-- lighter-than-air -->
|lift note=
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number= 2
|eng1 name= [[Daimler-Benz DB 605B]]
|eng1 type= [[V12 engine|V-12]] inverted liquid-cooled piston engine
|eng1 hp= 1,455 
|eng1 note= for take-off
|power original= 1,475 PS
|prop blade number= 3
|prop name=VDM constant-speed propellers
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed kmh= 580
|max speed note=
|max speed mach=<!-- supersonic aircraft -->
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km= 1,818
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling m= 8,900
|ceiling note=
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading note=
|disk loading kg/m2=
|disk loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=

|more performance=
<!--
        Armament
-->
|guns=<br>
**2 × {{cvt|20|mm|3}} [[MG 151/20 cannon]]
**2 × {{cvt|7.92|mm|3}} [[MG 17 machine gun]]
**2 × {{cvt|13|mm|3}} [[MG 131 machine gun]]s (rear armament), one each in FDSL 131/1B remotely operated turret
|bombs=maximum {{cvt|2204|lb|order=flip}} internally
* 2 × {{cvt|500|kg}} [[SC500 bomb]]s
* 2 × {{cvt|250|kg}} [[SC 250 bomb]]s
* 8 × {{cvt|50|kg}} [[SC 50 bomb]]s 
|rockets= 
|missiles= 
|hardpoints=
|hardpoint capacity=
|hardpoint rockets=
|hardpoint missiles=
|hardpoint bombs=
|hardpoint other=

|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{aircontent
|related=
* [[Messerschmitt Bf 110]]
* [[Messerschmitt Me 310]]
* [[Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Arado Ar 240]]
* [[Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke]]
* [[Varga RMI-1 X/H]]
|lists=
* [[List of military aircraft of Germany]]
* [[List of aircraft of Hungary in World War II]]
|see also=
}}

==Bibliography==
===Citations===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
* "Hornisse&nbsp;... The Last Zerstorer". ''[[Air International]]'', October 1981, Vol. 21 No. 4. {{ISSN|0306-5634}}. pp.&nbsp;181–185, 197–200.
* Mankau, Heinz.  "Messerschmitt Bf 110, Me 210, Me 410: an illustrated history". Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub., 2003.  {{ISBN|978-0-7643-1784-2}}
* Petrick, Peter.  "Messerschmitt Me 210/Me 410 Hornisse/Hornet: an illustrated production history".  Hinckley: Midland, 2007. {{ISBN|978-1-85780-271-9}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Mujzer|first1=Peter |title=Les Messerschmitt Me 210Ca hongrois (première part) |journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=January 1997 |issue=46 |pages=10–14 |trans-title=The Hungarian Messerschmitt Me 210Cas |language=French |issn=1243-8650}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Mujzer |first1=Peter |title=Les Messerschmitt Me 210Ca hongrois (deuxième part) |journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=February 1997 |issue=47 |pages=14–18 |trans-title= |language=French |issn=1243-8650}}
* Punka, George.  "Messerschmitt Me 210/410 in Action".  Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, 1994.  {{ISBN|0-89747-320-5}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
* [http://www.cockpitinstrumente.de/archiv/Dokumente/ABC/m/Messerschmitt/Me%20210/Me%20210%20Bedienvorschrift%20Wa.pdf German WW II manual for Me 210's armament]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk4Aiscs3jM Me 210 video, showing various features of the aircraft, much of it wartime footage]

{{Messerschmitt aircraft}}
{{RLM aircraft designations}}{{Weapons of Hungary}}{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Messerschmitt aircraft|Me 210]]
[[Category:1940s German fighter aircraft]]
[[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1939]]
[[Category:1940s Hungarian fighter aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable conventional landing gear]]