Messerschmitt Me 410

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse ("Hornet") was a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber used by Luftwaffe during World War II developed from the badly flawed Me 210. Essentially a straightforward modification of that type, the Me 210 had garnered such a negative reputation it was renamed the Me 410 to avoid association with its predecessor. Plans to introduce the Me 210 had been underway since 1939, but the aircraft proved to be extremely unsta... more

The Messerschmitt Me 410 Hornisse ("Hornet") was a German heavy fighter and Schnellbomber used by Luftwaffe during World War II developed from the badly flawed Me 210. Essentially a straightforward modification of that type, the Me 210 had garnered such a negative reputation it was renamed the Me 410 to avoid association with its predecessor. Plans to introduce the Me 210 had been underway since 1939, but the aircraft proved to be extremely unstable and never considered acceptable enough to enter full-scale production. A number of modifications to the layout produced the Me 210C and D, which proved to be superior to the earlier versions. As studies progressed on the Me 210D, it was instead decided to introduce a "new" model, the Me 410. The major change between the Me 210 and 410 was the introduction of the larger and more powerful Daimler-Benz DB 603A engines, which improved power to 1,750 PS (1,730 hp, 1,290 kW) compared to the 1,475 PS DB 605s used on the Me 210C. The engine... less