The Cheating Plane that Became a Killer at Night

On the night of August 17, 1943, the Royal Air Force's bombers embarked on a perilous mission deep into the heart of Nazi Germany. Unbeknownst to them, the enemy had a cunning strategy in store.
Defending the German skies for years, the Messerschmitt BF 110, also known as the backbone of the Nachtjagdgeschwader, faced its true test in 1942 when British heavy bombers began appearing on the horizon.
Suddenly, chaos erupted. Aircraft shuddered violently, and the deafening echoes of explosions reverberated through the darkness. They were under attack - from an invisible opponent.
They couldn't see where the enemy was coming from; there were no telltale signs, no tracers to follow. Few even saw the elusive German fighters. Fewer still returned fire.
Astonishingly, the RAF bombers reported nothing unusual despite excellent visibility. They couldn't fathom the new weapons or tactics employed by the German night fighters.
Tracerless ammunition and attacks on their blind spots left them bewildered. At first, they thought it was just exceptionally accurate flak. But it would be years until the Germans’ secret was unveiled.
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Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.
As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.
All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.

[@nickwillobey2205]

My Dad came up against these aircraft on night raids..... formidable!!! The Junkers ju88 was just as deadly.

[@melvinlee7862]

"Illegal" stated in the context of war never ceases to amuse me.

[@user-og1ux8nr3i]

Illegal because it was produced when it was illegal to do so.

[@charlesharper2357]

This site has the most ridiculous titles.

[@charlesharper2357]

@@user-og1ux8nr3i Nonsense.

[@joseveintegenario-nisu1928]

UK and France and USA have no legitimacy to issue any rules on any internal Germany issue, including industrial products, simply, if something raises problems to them, don't buy it.

[@joseveintegenario-nisu1928]

So you say Bf-110 outperformed Me-109 in mockdogfight, but failed in front of Spitfires and Hurricanes? Something does not match there.

[@chrisfrizzell1050]

My uncle shot 1 down on a bombing run in a B17. Same mission a crew member got a Medal of Honor. B17 was named the Jersey Bounce Jr. if you're interested.

[@JoaoRibeiro-jn6qj]

of course i'm the B-17

[@bobmarley1686]

Wish I was sounds cool

[@sullacicero2610]

Not particularly.

[@MeBallerman]

I will not claim that your uncle was false - but for each and every German fighter shot down during the Battle of Germany, the Americans typically had 20-40 gunners to claim the same fighter. The worst-ever over-claiming from the US Bomber Wing was something like "100 German fighters shot down, and xx damaged" - the truth was that on that occasion the Luftwaffe had one (1) fighter shot down, and zero (0) damaged. The US bomber gunners were notorious for over claiming. On Quora, I read a claim by a young American (not a WW2 guy, but a nerd (like me)). He wrote that the rear gunners of the US bombers alone shot down over 10,000 German fighters.Not the "gunners", but the REAR GUNNERS. They certainly did not lol. The GUNNERS (all of them) might have shot up 500 or so German fighters down (exact figures are impossible to establish) I hinted him about his gigantic mistake - causing him to delete my comment, and block me. Anyways; your uncle could of course be right about it - but then again. There might also have been 20-40-60 other gunners from the flight wing to claim that Bf 110. I will look up Jersey Bounce Jr.

[@chrisfrizzell1050]

@@MeBallerman it’s in the after action report, and they were all alone after being badly damaged and left behind. There was no other B17 to claim these downed aircraft and no other gunners on the only B17 there claimed the same aircraft. He also had a bf109 he downed that mission. They were a lone B17 that the Germans sent pretty much all their aircraft at for easy pickings, so German planes to shoot down were not hard for them to find on this mission. Next time do some more research before commenting, thank you :)

[@barfuss2007]

What is "illegal"??? Ridiculous.

[@flickingbollocks5542]

AI writes his script. He has none of his own. Maybe it may have something to do with the Treaty of Versailles, but I think he’s taking 💩

[@dannybell926]

Yep. Earned a fat thumbs down from me

[@martinsuter3531]

"Illega"l - aka CLICK BAIT!

[@rich546]

Yeah, I knew it was click bait but this guy puts out good content so I watched and enjoyed it.

[@JohnSmith-gd2fg]

@@rich546 If you look up the Wikipedia page equivalent for some of the Dark Skies stuff, you will find it almost word for word with the script of the videos.

[@bf-696]

So, at what point was the BF-110 actually illegal?

[@ChrisSmith-lo2kp]

it may have been developed when post-WW1 germany was still not allowed to have an air force - reason for the bf110 already being outmoded at the beginning of WW2

[@derin111]

Under the terms of the Treaty of Versailles Germany was forbidden to maintain an airforce. Therefore technically, from its very inception, this aircraft long with many other types was illegal.

[@maximkretsch7134]

​@derin111 But it should be added that in fact it was the Treaty of Versailles which was illegal.

[@paktahn]

@@maximkretsch7134 one could more than argue that it caused ww2

[@mikepalmer2219]

Probably pre war restrictions. I am just guessing though.

[@ChrisSmith-lo2kp]

illegal in the sense its very early development may have taken place in post-WW1 germany when they were not allowed to have an air force - reason why it was already outmoded at the beginning of WW2

[@jimcampbell8061]

Most likely the reason. Interesting how many chances the allies had to shut down German re-armament but after being bled white during WWI couldn't find the will to act.

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

Outmoded? Ok, zoomer. It’s called obsolete to non NPCs

[@harrybo5482]

Major Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer from Calw/Germany: Mit insgesamt 2.300 Starts und 1.133 Flugstunden war Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer der erfolgreichste Nachtjäger (121 Bomberabschüsse auf 164 Feindflügen) der Geschichte. Ritterkreuz ( 31.Dezember 1943) Eichenlaub (27. Juni 1944) Schwerter (30. Juli 1944) Brillianten (16. Oktober 1944).

[@arpinkus]

Who cares?

[@harrybo5482]

You

[@Sacto1654]

The RAF never really figured out the _Schräge Musik_ until they were able to capture crashed examples of later production Ju-88C-6c and Bf 110G night fighters. And even then the ventral turret on the Avro Lancaster were not effective in protecting against _Schräge Musik_ attacks.

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

One RAF bomber made it back to the UK, heavily damaged. Assessors then saw the bullet holes and their angle of fire.

[@iroscoe]

Which was odd as between the wars the RAF had experimented with fighters from Westland and Vickers armed with 37mm heavy automatic cannon mounted in a similar way , so someone really should have thought that perhaps the Germans might do the same thing .

[@michaelellis3091]

The British machine guns were often not effective, because they used rifle ammunition, (.303 Calibre) where as the Americans used heavy machine guns (.50 caliber)! The Nazi Bf-109 used (.51 cal) and a 20mm! What is wrong with this picture? I believe the Brits eventually, adopted the .50 cal Browning from the US!

[@SteveBrownRocks2023]

The 110 made a great night fighter!

[@minhthunguyendang9900]

& the Me410 a great day fighter for fortress-busting

[@jwaustinmunguy]

The RAF countered with Intruder aircraft such as the Beaufighter and Mosquito, which patrolled German airfields in the dark and attacked these nightfighters. By the end of the war, they could home in on emissions from the German radar sets until they were close enough to user their RADAR to attack.

[@flyboywbl]

Your Docs are incredible. Thanks for the great history lesson!

[@ronaldbyrne3320]

Enlightening, thank you.

[@krismurphy7711]

My Uncle was crew on a Royal Canadian Air Force Wellington Bomber over Belgium...night mission...1942...when a ME110 shot his plane down. One survivor...not him.

[@gennadiyleyfman6920]

Deep respect

[@karlhinton7484]

the 110 proved its mettle as a ground attack aircraft....... Shows a JU 88 dropping bombs

[@ExcuseMePhoney]

This is why you don't let AI do your research, scriptwriting, directing, narration and image selection.

[@MarkkuKoljonenwTinja]

Thanks!

[@joeharris3878]

One pilot with crew shot down 9 Lancasters , landed, rearmed and refueled and ended the night having shot down 11 RAF bombers. The pilot ended the war credited with 121 enemy airplanes shot down.

[@jiyuhong5853]

that was Schnaufer

[@joeharris3878]

@@jiyuhong5853 yes , I saw an animated movie about that night some months ago the world wide web. Yesterday I read his story on the online dictionary Wikipedia. A killer for sure... just 23 years old. Horrible times for the limeys. Even worse for the people of Hamburg, Hanover, Dresden etc.

[@freebeerfordworkers]

@@jiyuhong5853 Yes and it is interesting that five of the 6 kills in one night were Halifax's the remaining one was a Lancaster. The Halifax could not reach the same altitude as the Lancaster so they were easier to get at and tended to take more casualties. Not that it makes any real difference a four engine bomber shot down is a 4 engine bomber shot down

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

Doing the Lords work

[@igotfriendsinlowplaces2971]

@@joeharris3878allies war crimes all

[@orlando1a1]

Thank you for an excellent video - though I'm not sure what it is, that is illegal, about this aircraft?

[@dhroman4564]

The Illegal aircraft come on dark skies don't go down the thumbnail titling rabbit hole.

[@thestig6979]

With that many adverts you know he has

[@martinsuter3531]

Yes, the "Dark Skies thumbnail titling rabbit hole" - AKA *CLICK BAIT!*

[@wmffmw1854]

Some still believed in Chivalry and considered radar guided night attacks cowardly and called for Night Fighters to be outlawed. Until they had one of their own that is.

[@MGB-learning]

Outstanding video and presentation

[@joeharris3878]

The US army air corps P 61 black widow ight fighter used the same method.

[@wilburfinnigan2142]

joeharris actually the US had a similiar plane in the P38, about the sametime frame,and the Brits Mosquito......nothing unique about the Me110, and it was dominated by the P51nmustang !!!

[@2-Hands]

"JAZZ" Music...

[@dannyderden8545]

One of my favorite WW II era planes to fly in simulated air battle...not nearly as nimble or fast as others, but the armament and air stability compensate and fit my style of flying.

[@C-Zam]

Judging from the thumbnail and the intro, I thought it had something to do with electricity or something like that. That would have been cool.😄

[@skepticalobserver2135]

Ridiculous title, but interesting history.

[@minhthunguyendang9900]

Well, the 110 was pathetic as an escort fighter during the Battle of 🇬🇧 when itself needed to be escorted by its little brother 109. Later it redeemed itself as a fortress-buster.

[@nigel900]

Both Beautiful and Menacing. 👍🏻

[@daystatesniper01]

Good video , i have sat in the pilots seat in the one in Hendon , good visability all round , and the Jaguar of it's time a good cross over aircraft .

[@drydogg]

Great video! Would you do one on the English WWII Night Fighter program? They not only developed radar sets for planes, but technology to track German night fighters.

[@andrewrichards912]

Almost all single engined fighters outclassed it from 1940, it didn't just happen with the P51

[@GilbertdeClare0704]

Affirmative. We had FIVE Me110s get shot down around here in Essex, within a few weeks of each other in 1940.....by HURRICANES

[@G_C340]

@@GilbertdeClare0704Presumably they bounced them or got them into turn fights because the ME110 could outrun the Hurricane.

[@GilbertdeClare0704]

@@G_C340 From the crash reports, they were all escorting Dorniers or Heinkels coming up the estuaries and were bounced by flights of Hurricanes. A friend of mine at Junior school still had a short belt of 13mm ammunition from the crash that his elder brother had "acquired"

[@damienmaynard8892]

The Fw-187 Falke would have been better than the 110 - single seat but equal speed (record setting), range, more agile and just as much development potential. Weird mix of Tech-marvels and Tech-idiots in the Luftwaffe. The circle circus...... and Brown was not infallible nor all-knowing.

[@cecilboatwright3555]

You don't mention the Kammhuber Line or ITS contribution to the OVERALL effectiveness of the Luftwaffe Night Fighter defense over Europe ONCE.

[@michaelmazowiecki9195]

Illegal only in termps of weapons limitations imposed on Germany in 1919. The Bf110 was a failure in the Battle of Britain as it lacked manoeuvrability so it was used as a night fighter.

[@JSFGuy]

Even at this time.

[@trevorgale1176]

The Bf 110 was obsolete in 1940 in it's designed role (heavy fighter), however it did well as a night fighter, Germany failure to find and produce modern designs to replace the 109&110 cost them.

[@olroy17]

I guess the 262 doesn't count? 😊

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

Not really. It was outstanding in many respects, but too few of them, too late . . . @@olroy17

[@philiphumphrey1548]

I think it's more the case that big twin engine fighters like the BF110 and Bristol Beaufighter were never going to hold their own in daylight against single engine fighters. The only plane of this type that came close was the P38 Lightning, but that had a lot of problems. The night fighter role was ideal for Beaufighter and 110, early onboard radar was heavy and needed a separate operator. The British did experiment with putting radar in the single engine Bolton Paul Defiant, but that reduced the planes meagre performance even further.

[@trevorgale1176]

The 262 was the best fighter of WW2, my comment was "find and produce", they created the 262, delayed production, then couldn't produce enough to make a impact. My point being the 109&110 should of ceased production by 1942, the FW190 & 262 could of and should of been in mass production by the end of 1942. Instead the manufacturing capacity was wasted.@@olroy17

[@marcwinfield1541]

Heinkel 219! Too few produced. Amazing aircraft used as a night fighter. Shot down Mosquitos easily not to mention heavy bombers. Shame more were not produced...

[@gyorgyrabenschwartz9610]

The worker @ 4:45 in Lederhosen is kool!

[@whiskey_tango_foxtrot__]

110 was a very decent long range interceptor and ground attack aircraft. It was not designed to go 1 on 1 with nimble single engine fighters.

[@-Zevin-]

It actually was a good fighter too, it's one of my biggest pet peeves about the battle of Britain and the myths surrounding the 110. Even in big documentaries it's constantly repeated that the 110 was outdated and incapable of fighting aircraft like the spitfire and thus was withdrawn from daylight combat because of terrible losses, this is only partially accurate. A while back on forums some people actually dug up win/loss statistics of the 110 and when it was used properly it was about as successful as the bf109. The real failure of the 110 was a failure of German high command, having the 110s cruise with the bombers at slow speed as escorts, like large "heavy fighters" in WW1 would have flown. This put the 110s at a significant disadvantage, as it was slow and at a lower altitude to initiate combat from, negating its advantages in firepower, and certainly in a scenario like this a spitfire had a much greater power/weight ratio rate of climb etc. This did lead to quite a few unnecessary 110 losses. However these losses lead to some incorrect conclusions about the 110. When the 110 was flown as the pilots wanted, at high altitude above and ahead of the friendly bombers it actually did great, even against single engine fighters (Hurricane and Spitfire) The 110 while lacking in acceleration, rate of climb had a extremely good dive limit, comparable and in some cases even greater than many single engine fighters, using a energy and altitude advantage the 110s could dive down on fighters in excess of 400mph with incredible firepower in the nose. Doing these high speed slashing attacks prevented the 110 from being caught up in a dogfight in the first place, while the 109s came in behind tying up more fighters and allowing the 110s to reposition and dive again for a subsequent attack. While the 110 wasn't perfect it was a far better fighter than most people realized when used correctly, it's just unfortunate for the Germans that Hermann Göring was a outdated fool picturing air combat as if it was 1918.

[@richardbanker3910]

Certainly the Me109 tried the “hit and run “ tactics but if Spitfires and Hurricanes survived these tactics, both British fighters could out turn the Me109 in the same way that Zeroes could out turn early British and American aircraft. No good having all those cannon and machine guns if they can’t be brought to bear on the opposing fighter and getting all macho about them. The Me 110 was at more at a disadvantage because it wasn’t as agile and Galland’s book testified to the Me110 in the Battle of Britain. Especially with the two upward firing cannon, the Me110 came into its own as a night fighter against British bombers and you needed the second crew member to operate their air to air radar. That made it a better aircraft at night than the Me109 or Fw 190. You need to get the facts right

[@-Zevin-]

@@richardbanker3910 ", both British fighters could out turn the Me109 in the same way that Zeroes could out turn early British and American aircraft." That worked out great for the Japanese right? Oh that's right energy fighting tactics dominated, and the maneuverability of the Japanese aircraft became a moot point. The 110 was a great night fighter too no doubt, yet the 110 even in the battle of Britain when deployed properly as a leading fighter at attitude had a similar loss to victory rate as the bf109, as in it certainly wasn't worse than the German single engine fighters. One big reason it stopped being used over Britain was it was expensive, you could fly and maintain two 109 vs 1 110, and of course once the 190 was in the air too it was simply decided to hold the 110 back for more important work, not only night fighting, but as a fighter bomber. If you are going to use a expensive aircraft, and risk losing 2 men instead of 1 you need it to perform more critical work. It's worth pointing out that there was a much bigger war than the battle of Britain, where the 110 continued to be used in daylight operation for years, as both a fighter and attack aircraft with much larger scale and more intense operations... and the 110 continued to have a good record, although continuously fell behind developmentally until the introduction of the eventual 410. The 110 performed well on the eastern front, and this is somehow overlooked when the largest part of WW2 by far was in the east, 80% of German casualties of the entire war were on the eastern front.

[@richardbanker3910]

@@-Zevin- The Zero worked out very well for the Japanese for the first year or so of the Pacific war till the Hellcat , Corsair and Spitfire mark 8 came along. It was superior to the Tomahawk and Aircobra. Also the experienced Japanese fighter pilots were lost in the Midway battle. Manoeuvrability isn’t everything but it counts. The Me110 wasn’t discontinued in the Battle of Britain because it was expensive but it wasn’t up to the Hurricane and Spitfire. The Me109 was the top German fighter. Adolf Galland’s book The First and the Last made clear that Me109s were needed to defend the Me110. If the Me110 was any good, then German bombers wouldn’t have been limited to daylight bombing of London but could have gone further afield with the Me110’s greater range. I don’t doubt that the Me110 was able to operate in other theatres of war which I detailed. Just don’t get hung up on all those macho cannons, etc.

[@-Zevin-]

​@@richardbanker3910 First of all no the Japanese A6m was not superior to the P-40 or P-39, that is nonsense, the P-40s record alone with the flying tigers not only against A6M but against a large variety of excellent land based fighters definitively proved the superiority of energy fighting "boom and zoom" tactics against more maneuverable aircraft. On the Bf110 you are just repeating the same trite old myths I was debunking in the first place. You talk about getting hung up with macho cannons and you ignore its high dive speed limit, toughness, range and the purpose of a long range interceptor. Also you seem to ignore that the Bf110 was never intended to be used as a slow close bomber escort... My entire point about it failing at this role because of its comparatively low climb rate, power to weight ratio that gave single engine fighters a significant advantage. When used as a leading high altitude fighter it performed very well, because it could hunt for, then dive on its targets at very high speed, it didn't matter the Spitfire had greater maneuverability if the 110 had the initiative in the fight, it could engage and disengage at will at higher speed, you also ignore its factual track record in multiple theatres of the war in daylight operations, it's actual kill/loss ratios when employed properly. Bf110 performed significant and successful daylight operations well past the battle of Britain. "If the Me110 was any good, then German bombers wouldn’t have been limited to daylight bombing of London but could have gone further afield with the Me110’s greater range." and this right here is the most naïve confused part, as if the Me110 "if it was any good" would have single handedly won the battle of Britain for the Germans, that "if it was any good" it would have allowed Germany to successfully shoot down 100% of enemy aircraft and they could have pushed deeper and deeper past London. Did you ever stop to consider that both the Bf110 being good, and the Spitfire also being good are both possible at the same time? Did you also consider the possibility that the reasons for Germanys failure during the battle of Britain was far more complicated that it all hinging on the ability of a single fighter aircraft? Do you realize how absurd of a argument that is?

[@ezrabrooks12]

Good Video/Info.

[@fldon2306]

Built a model of the ME-110 as a kid. Germans had a radar equipped night-fighter version as well, with an X-configuration of antennas across the nose.

[@foxxy46213]

110 could of been there mossie. I always thought it was a good looking aircraft that never lived up to its hype

[@Jack-bs6zb]

Whereas the Mosquito was an ‘overachiever’ !

[@TheEulerID]

The Mosquito was a lot faster, more manoeuvrable, climbed faster and, when it came to night fighting, it was the bf-110 that became the prey, and the Mosquito, the hunter due to the vastly superior allied radar, whilst the bf-110 suffered from the aerodynamic drag of all those external antennas.

[@Jack-bs6zb]

@@TheEulerID ... and it carried as much bomb load as the hyped B17, bless it.

[@damienmaynard8892]

The Ta-154 and He-219 were the German mossie. The former was literally named Moskito. The latter, in the last model (never tested by Winkle-Brown), was capable of matching the de Havilland Mosquito and even beating it more often than not. Called Uhu - eagle owl.

[@vernonjaworskiartistry]

How about a video on the Dornier 217

[@rc_jimy]

one of the best looking planes in ww2 !

[@johnmcgregor3671]

A 110 from NJG54 brought down my great uncle and his pilot in their halifax in late june 43 over maastracht the aircraft was halifax jd147 vrc the story is actually on the web as they in there dying moments were known as the heros of roermund

[@ClimateScepticSceptic-ub2rg]

Good video, but the word 'illegal' in the title is baffling, or was it a typo?

[@Knot_Sean]

I feel like a continuation of the Bf-110’s through the 210’s and 410’s should’ve emphasized maneuverability to the heavy aircraft as best as they could since no turret is really going to save you in a fight. If they could have gotten better engines and wings I think they could have made a contender to postwar F7F’s and Hornets. Something to counter B-29’s if they ever came to europe.

[@joseveintegenario-nisu1928]

RAF passed an order for several hundred Wellington heavy bombers before summer 1939, Roy Fedden stated in his memories he had realized war was impossible to avoid. Yes, if those who decided starting again a war against Germany thought it was impossible to avoid, it was impossible to avoid. A silly example of self-fulfilling forecast. Gesund +

[@DaveGIS123]

I thought the Bf-110 was a pretty airplane, but my dad hated them. Later I heard why. My dad was an observer with an RAF air/sea rescue squadron and flew missions over the North Sea in Avro Ansons. He said it was a helpless feeling going to war in a plane that couldn't fight and couldn't run away. He and his crew always kept an eye out for enemy fighters because they knew, if they were attacked, they'd be shot down and would be just another 'kill' for a German pilot. The Ansons would fly in line-abreast, about 500' apart and 500' altitude, searching the last known position of a crash for signs of life. If they found survivors, one aircraft would circle while another would go find an air/sea rescue launch, and report it's position using Morse code and a lamp. Sometimes, when a single Annie found a dinghy and couldn't leave it to find a launch, they'd be forced to break radio silence and call for help. This was dangerous because the Germans had radios too, and would home in on their position. My dad said sometimes it was a race to see who'd get to the dinghy first: an air/sea rescue launch or an E-Boat. Sometimes the Germans would dispatch fighters too. That's what happened one day when my dad found an allied pilot afloat in a dinghy. They radioed the pilot's position, then climbed into the clouds where they could hide but still keep the dinghy in sight. A formation of Bf-110s appeared and circled the dinghy, obviously looking for my dad's Annie to shoot it down. They could see an RAF launch far in the distance, approaching. By now the Messerschmitts must have been low on fuel, and decided to return to their base. But then, as my dad watched, one of the Bf-110s dropped out of formation, pointed it's nose at the dinghy, and blew it out of the water... My dad witnessed a war crime. That's why he hated Bf-110s.

[@damienmaynard8892]

Yet early in the war, one Annie was attacked by 4 Bf-109's and shot down three of them - then got back to base safely without crew injuries - underestimated, I guess. I understand your Dad, my Dad's ship was attacked by more than 20 kamikazes in the Philippines. They killed his skipper and 21 crewmates - and blew up the Ommaney Bay , escort carrier, and an ammunition ship right in front of him. Five more kamikazes attacked later as they left the area for repairs - none hit and none survived the AAA. The gunners were pi$$ed!

[@DaveGIS123]

@@damienmaynard8892 Actually, from what I read, 9 Me-109s attacked a flight of 3 Ansons on 1 June 1940 near Dunkirk. One of the Ansons shot down 2 Me-109s and damaged a 3rd. That might be the incident you're thinking of. I think the Anson's gunner was a good shot! (Edit: The Royal Air Fore Museum's website says the Anson was flown by Pilot Officer Philip Peters of 500 Squadron, RAF. He manoeuvred his Annie so both the air gunner and the radio operator could concentrate their fire on the enemy, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for successfully not getting killed). My dad's Anson had a special modification: In addition to one VGO in the turret, his plane had 2 beam guns mounted one per side. If they were ever attacked, the air gunner would remain in the turret while the radio operator would man the left gun and my dad, the navigator, would man the right gun. There must have been almost no room for both of them to work without bumping into each other. He said he only used his machine gun once, when he shot up a German trawler that was being used as a picket ship to give the Germans advance warning of Allied bombers. He'd been briefed that, if they ever saw one of those trawlers, they should 'dissuade' it. So he did.

[@PeterCieply]

I bet. Those guns must have been blazing.

[@davidcomtedeherstal]

The Me 110 was no illegal aircraft.

[@flickingbollocks5542]

It had unpaid speeding fines.

[@davidcomtedeherstal]

@@flickingbollocks5542 🤣

[@bjshifflett5408]

When it was built it violated a WWI treaty which was probably also illegal. Germany was not allowed to have a air force, This was not explained in the video but was once taught in school to everyone. that treaty made WW2 almost certain.

[@jeebusk]

You must be illegal 🚫

[@kiqueenbees]

Versailles treaty banned the airforce. But Germny went ahead anyway.

[@alien4422]

So tell me how did P51s shoot down ME110 night fighters at night?

[@nunyadambusiness6902]

Radar?

[@burnttoast111]

I think the point of the comment about the P-51 was in regards to the changing roles of the 110. The P-51 was used for long-range bomber escort, providing protection a lot further than before. The 110 could operate offensively against the bombers much more easily under those conditions, but with fighter protection, the 110's became much more vulnerable. It's kind of parallel to luftwaffe refits which happened during the winter of 1942 - 43 (IIRC, could be off by a year), where a lot of German fighters were up-gunned, including with gun pods, etc., at a time when longer range fighter escorts were provided in much greater numbers to allied bombers. The results were reduced performance for the German fighters, and significantly higher loss rates for them.

[@johnwalsh7256]

The US navy had the radar guided Hellcat night fighter.

[@grumpyoldfart3891]

During WWII, it was statistically impossible for a B17 to complete 25 missions without losing any men. But it did happen at least 3 times. Th most noticeable time was Th Memphis Belle. My late father in law was th tail gunner on one of th other planes. He came home with a chest full of ribbons. He folded up his uniform, put on his coveralls, then went to work and raised 6 kids. One of my all time heroes.

[@foxxy46213]

Is this shlagger muzic

[@emphopho]

Schräge muziek

[@KgaogelokhumoMojalefa]

​@@emphophoamazing the translation is not jazz music it's weird music

[@user-ut9gr9mn2i]

The German air force also put into the air two other aircraft the first was backed on the DO-17 name the owl that has heavy firepower as 8 heavy machineguns in the nose and a early German airborne radar and the other was the doner arrow with under wing rockets and heavy machineguns and canon

[@TakManSan]

Precursor of the A10 Warthog?

[@michaeldeering5907]

how is it illegal?

[@stemartin6671]

Due to the restrictions put on germany after ww1.

[@chrisbritt4266]

If that's the case send all drone aircraft are effectively illegal during world war two so there's no point i'm saying this one pacifically is illegal

[@TIMMEH19991]

clickbait to get you to watch

[@flickingbollocks5542]

Unpaid speeding fines.

[@TheStrathmoreChannel]

​@stemartin6671 When the Nazi Party came to power, they stopped complying with the treaty. While the German airforce was still secret they trained in the Soviet Union.

[@Strider1954]

Nothing but abuse is illegal in war, and even then...

[@paktahn]

the only time what you do matters is when you dont win

[@outlet6989]

The producer wanted to use the word Eagle in the title. He tried so many ways to work that word into the title he became tongue-tied. As a result he ended up mis-spelling the word. Did he forget tne most known Bf 110, the one flown by R. Hess?

[@peterkavanagh64]

The gamgs cannot see how they fit in in a wprk wsy therfore the death sentwnce has to be passed thorigh to make sure they do not not not do

[@mrofnocnon]

Looks a lot like the de havilland Mosquito.

[@rogerodle8750]

Tracerless ammo -- all video of BF110 firing from underneath -- tracer ammo.

[@micksmith106]

Not ilegal ...just good tactics ...and planning .

[@sim.frischh9781]

Is there any plane Winkle DIDN´T fly???

[@SpitfireMk9b]

He never flew the Wright Bros “Flyer”,

[@sim.frischh9781]

@@SpitfireMk9b ...guess i made this one too easy XD

[@auro1986]

so only you only do legal things and anything made by others is illegal ?

[@billtaylor2050]

You can get readers without resorting to clickbait titles. Doing so just devalues an otherwise interesting site.

[@xxxlonewolf49]

Yep

[@EllieMaes-Grandad]

It's a distinct trait with this channel.

[@silverwings1843]

Kettle Drums !!!!!!!!!!!

[@truthhurts9241]

If you made this faster and more powerful, lighter and more maneuverable you could have your own version of the Mosquito......You know what, just grab your pencils, go home and start again!

[@davideather5979]

illegal???

[@tomniedringhaus2755]

A factory worker wearing lederhosen at 4:45.

[@maximkretsch7134]

Yes, Regensburg.

[@user-nz5or1pg3k]

‘Illegal clickbait titles used by previously credible KZbin channel’ should be your next clip title.

[@nunyadambusiness6902]

Versailles treaty said Germany couldn't have an air force, so these planes were built ILLEGALLY, clueless 🤡...

[@Idahoguy10157]

Goring wanted to replace the 110 with a German version of the DH Mosquito.

[@johnbrobston1334]

However the Germans couldn't replicate the Mosquito. One doesn't generally think of "wood glue" as being a strategically important military secret, but in this case apparently it was.

[@Idahoguy10157]

@@johnbrobston1334 …. Britain had an abundance of skilled woodworkers. Before stressed aluminum was common the aircraft industry used wood and fabric. The Hawker Hurricane still used that technology.

[@johnbrobston1334]

@@Idahoguy10157 Different technology. The Mosquito was made of molded plywood, different structure from a fabric-covered wood frame. Making molded ply that was durable in weather was a very new technique at the time. The British had a glue that met all the requirements--it had an open time long enough to allow lamination and sufficient water resistance that it didn't come apart in the rain. The glues used on conventional wooden aircraft at the time didn't need that long open time. The Germans never managed to replicate that glue.

[@DanielCurti]

Write "illegal" in a war context is almost funny.

[@timphillips9954]

This is like a poor mans mosquito

[@thisisnumber0]

Illegal?

[@tonybarnes3658]

What is the aircraft at 13.23? Not a bf110. And,as many have asked already, how was th bf110 illegal??

[@nunyadambusiness6902]

Versailles treaty said Germany couldn't have an air force

[@andyshaw325]

I don't get it. The P51 didn't end the 110s night dominance because it was a day fighter only? I thought it was the introduction of the R.A.F Mosquito night fighters and intruders which turned the night battles more in the British favour.

[@billynomates920]

bet this is the belly busters.

[@DrMotherFouci]

What's up

[@stevendonovan9762]

I haven't watched you for a while because the melodrama was a bit much. Judging by your tone I think you've improved some but the "illegal" is indication there's still a ways to go.

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

This video's name was changed.

[@petergore1972]

Peter Gore Seer, The German Anti Guns Would Take Down All Aircraft, Both German And Alied Planes.

[@TheEulerID]

The Spitfire was faster than the bf-110, so I do not know where the idea that they could just race away comes from.

[@user-og1ux8nr3i]

The spit wasn’t used as a night fighter

[@TheEulerID]

@@user-og1ux8nr3i Given I was clearly referencing the claims made @8:26 in the video that the bf-110 used its higher top speed to escape from the British fighters in the Battle of Britain, then what has night fighting got to do with it? If I was referencing that, I would be comparing it with the Mosquito.

[@user-og1ux8nr3i]

@@TheEulerID -- sorry, misunderstood.

[@rich546]

I’m not so sure that the spitfire was faster in a dive, that may be where the “race away” comes from even though it’s not mentioned.

[@bryanwheeler1608]

@@rich546 The same tactics that P40s used against Zeros.

[@glennsan1998]

So just what exactly was illegal about this airplane?

[@michaellawrence5492]

War is never legal even if someone says otherwise. The objective of war if caught in one is to win. The victory does not win in the end either. Only the ones who are really peace makers.

[@xxxlonewolf49]

Click bait title wasn't needed, wtf.

[@anthonyburke5656]

For such a logical nation, it puzzles me that the Nazi regime didn’t learn from the designs of the Mosquito or the Beaufighter. The “flying pencil” wasn’t that great in its design purpose, I can’t figure out why they didn’t do the obvious and adapt it along the lines of a Beaufighter design. The Nazis obviously recovered crashed Allied aircraft and studied them, was it arrogance?

[@saltyroe3179]

The twin engine fighter destroyer was a failed concept. The only successful one of WW2 the P38, and it wasn't a good dogfighter.

[@will5989]

So what made it “illegal”?

[@crataeguscrusgalli]

"downing 2,751 RAF bombers that year" - I wonder how many more losses were suffered by the Commonwealth air forces in that year? I can't imagine that other Commonwealth air forces, like the RCAF, would be included with RAF losses.

[@basilmcdonnell9807]

The Commonwealth units were reported as part of the RAF.

[@barrybarlowe5640]

Illegal? It was war. What's illegal in war?

[@mrkrabs4913]

Bro I wouldn’t call it pathetic 💀it was just used in the wrong roll over Britain did great at night and in the ground attack role

[@RemusKingOfRome]

For all their technical brilliance, the Germans never developed a heavy fighter with a large turret containing 4 X 20mm cannons. This aircraft would not need to "dog fight" single engine fighters, just fly straight and level and let the turret gunner destroy all who came near.

[@bryanwheeler1608]

Sounds a lot like the Fairey Battle, though it had machine guns. Do you really think fighters would all obediently queue up so the turret gunner could shoot at them. If the turret was on top, the fighters would attack from below, if underneath the fuselage, they would attack from above. B17s bristled with guns & still got shot down.

[@RemusKingOfRome]

@@bryanwheeler1608 Actually I was thinking 2 turrets, top and bottom, each having 2 X 20mm cannons. Pilot controls front firing guns, rear observer controls the cannons when facing rearward.

[@Baza1964]

Bolton Paul Defiant.

[@RemusKingOfRome]

@@Baza1964 Boulton Paul P92, britains weak attempt at something like my idea.

[@Baza1964]

​@@RemusKingOfRome, yes, it didn't work as designed, I wasn't sure you knew about it .

[@BillyJ244]

So what was so illegal about it?

[@HammerJammer81]

LOL Illegal?

[@Hex-Mas]

was it illegal because it had a switch emulator on it?

[@Andrew-df1dr]

Please use the metric system. Only three countries don't use it.

[@johnkochen7264]

So where is it illegal?

[@karilang9377]

Germany didn't have the right to develop military planes according to the Treaty of Versailles.

[@whiskey_tango_foxtrot__]

It's illegal cause it worked...

[@xxxlonewolf49]

Wasn't "illegal" Click bait bullshit title

[@vojkostar]

what is illegal in war anyway ?

[@juliusraben3526]

Shooting POW, gassing enemies, using dumdum rounds, white phospherous.. but dont worry, they call it the geneva suggestion for a reason!

[@jdslack9999]

If I am not mistaken the ME 110 did not employ "Schrage Musik" cannons, as the cockpit layout would have not provided enough space to emplace it. The He-219 was, as far as I know was the only German aircraft to employ it. The P=61 did not have it either as the upper turret guns did not elevate IIRC. Ditto the comments on why the ME110 was "illegal"

[@galier2]

Nope. You can even look on wikipedia how it was installed in the Bf110. Dornier Do217 N2 and Junkers Ju-88 G1 were also equipped with SM (the Ju88 eing the plane with the heighest success rate of it).

[@jdslack9999]

Wow, learned something new. Thank you for the info.@@galier2

[@bryanwheeler1608]

@@galier2 JU88 was the most successful German night fighter full stop!

[@tonybarnes3658]

Photo in wiki I think of a Bf110 canopy with the muzzles of the cannon protruding through it.

[@daveriddell3704]

The 110’s were Boom and Zoom fighters

[@mtacoustic1]

Secret? Perhaps. Illegal? No; anything goes in wartime.