Bf 110G-2 'Pulk-Zerstörer'....

[Erich]

Jan

think this op is one of the biggest US cover ups in the Allied air war for Europe

NJG 1,2,3,5, and 6 were involved with their NF's

Stab, and II./ZG 26 were involed and claimed 3 B-17's.

I. and III./ZG 76 claimed 10 B-17's and lost 4 Bf 110G-2's.

LW claims total were around 91 US aircraft though a bit overinflated think it is quite possible US forces lost well over 70 A/C this op putting it as the top loss operation over Germany.

there was a book written by a Dutch author on this mission several years ago.

this info has been from many years ago but I have a note the 1st BD with B-17's was hit by 110's and the lead pathfinder was shot down on a duel raid to Oschersleben and Halberstadt while the 3rd BD with B-17 was also hit by 110's with rockets over Brunswick. now whether the NJG's night fighters added to the carnage am not 100 % sure but must have added to the chaos that would be fact.

 

[Lucky13]

That's the other Revell G-2 sorted then my friend....thanks a bunch! Appreciated indeed!

 

[B-17engineer]

I have a Revell G-2 I'm thinking of building

 

[Erich]

got to it H the upper nose 3cm or without, with aero covers on the upper nose and lower nose 2cm as standard and then the belly tray with the twin 2cm cannons, this all pretty much the cue for 1944 for ZG 1, 26 and 76, dispensed with 3.7cm and upper nose 3cm cannons. twin rocket launchers under each wing was also standard until the ZG's dumped the 110 G-2 entirely the unit II./ZG 1 kept the 110G-2 through the summer of 44 till disbanded and the units cadre went to single engine fighters

 

[Lucky13]

So, would this nose be correct for a ZG 76 'G-2, at this time and place then Erich....?

Thanks again!

 

[Erich]

yes though the circular cap fittings, well they should be more angular if this makes sense, maybe those earlier photos posted on the thread or elsewhere will help ? Don;t think I have a good real closeup of the nose of the variant showing the 2cm lower in the nose only

 

[Lucky13]

I know what you mean Erich....the top pic of the G-2 in post 22, shows them rather well in John Vasco's second '110 book, more angular and oval in shape....right?

 

[Erich]

am looking through a German publication right now. not sure how to explain this but maybe Vasco has some other hidden pics. the ventilator up in the front/camera of the nose is pushed forward in almost a bulge type of setting the holes for the upper nose cannons are not even present but as I said a very much contoured bulge right in the front.

It also appears that I. and II./ZG 76 used a dual white ring over the spinner hub from the fall of 1943 into 1944

 

[Lucky13]

There's a profile in the same book of a G-2 from I./ZG 76, M8+UH, small M8, narrow white band, almost at the beginning of the tail, white spinner tip and a narrow white band on the same. Here and in the pics of the same crate, the air intake is square in shape....did the intakes come in different shapes on the 'G-2?

 

[Erich]

the proifle should have a wide yellow band as seen in photos. narrow white band was for ZG 26 birds. not sure about the nose appartus it should of been one and the same once the techs sent drawings back to the factory for a more streamlined nose cap/deletion of the upper 2cm cannons

 

[Lucky13]

Here's the profiles from John Vasco's second volume of the '110 zerstorer. Need to get the other books at some point.

 

[Erich]

well that band in the photo does not look quite right and compared to the bold white U does not look white to me, I say yellow as it should be from all photo evidence I have

Jan can you do a closeup up of the upper left corner pic as it shows the band better. yellow as the colour for ZG 76, I. gruppe may have worn a narrow white band of short duration but again that was for ZG 26

 

[Lucky13]

Wish that I could do better Erich...

 

[Erich]

yes it looks white, odd think it is really short term as I say this when ZG 76 went over to the Me 410A's their band for a time was red.

 

[Lucky13]

Yeah? Luftwaffe, did things that can keep you awake at night.... Another question on the G-2, any idea how common and which ZG's had them armed up with the MG 151/20 in the nose and the 3,7 cm cannon?

 

[Erich]

not common. remember the ZG 76 photos I posted and I think on your thread............I hope. yellow wide band on the fuselage, maybe I did not.

both ZG 26 and 76 used the heavy crates. I have gun cam footage of one firing on the rear of a B-24 box with one Lib getting ripped pretty badly in the engines

rats I was thinking of the pics I posted on page numero uno, that does show the true colours of the fuselage bands in question Jan

 

[Lucky13]

The ones in post #5? 4 2 cm's, lower nose, the belly gunpod and the two 3 cm's....

 

[Erich]

as you can see in that image I posted a yellow N over a yellow wide band. that arms configuration was not often used either. I must point out that in the fall of 43 numerous and some innovative arms ideas were used. in the case of the 2 Bf 110G-2's posted that are "wearing" just 2cm cannon no 3cm

wish I could post up the other 6 images that I have of 2Z+BP, MP, EP etc. the wide band almost looks yellow through the filter the radio op is taking with his camera, but it is white. this is on the first page showing the 110's banking in the winter skies

 

[Lucky13]

My bad! 6 x 2 cm cannons are bad enough.... Shame that you can't see the code on the crates with the 2 cm's and 3 cm's!

 

[Erich]

yes the last one is a ZG 26 bird with narrow white band in the other pic that Paul enlarged on another page