The Messerschmitt Bf 110 F-2 Long Range Zerstörer – Jagdbomber or Jabo was a dual engine long range heavy fighter. It was a destroyer / night fighter – reconnaissance airplane with a crew of two. One pilot and one radio controller / navigator / rear gunner.



This particular Messerschmitt Bf 110 F-2 was part of 10(Z)/JG5, Jagdgeschwader 5, and has the Dachshund / Badger dog as mascot painted on its nose. The dachshund has a Russian Polikarpov I-16, also named Rata (rat), in its mouth. The Zerstörerstaffel of JG5 had three Badger dogs as mascots, Bamse, Herdla and Lockheed. Lockheed was named after the first victory of the destroyer fighter wing. Herdla was named after an airfield used by Jagdgeschwader 5 and Bamse was a Norwegian name for a bear, Bamse was thick furred. They were brought back from leave by Lt. Dieterichs.
This Messerschmitt Bf 110 LN+NR Werknummer 5052 was flown by Lt. Helmut Ziegenhagen and his radio operator Franz Kirchmayer. On 12 January 1943 the Bf 110 was shot down over the railway-line by Russian Flak near Pinsavaara. Pilot Helmut Ziegenhagen forced landed on the frozen Lake Pyavozero in Russia, both crew members were wounded. The day after they were picked up by Finnish soldiers and the Bf 110 sank when the thaw set in. It was recovered and brought to the United Kingdom in the nineties. A few years later it was brought to Berlin and was rebuilt using parts of the Messerschmitt Bf 110 E-2 long range Zerstörer (Werk No. 4502) registration number M8+ZE LN+CR 1./(Z)JG5 and Bf 110 C-4 fighter-bomber (Werk No. 3235) registration number LN+ER 1./(Z)JG77.
Luftwaffe Pilot Lt. Helmut Ziegenhagen survived the war and died on 14 December 1995.






The Bf 110 uses two Daimler-Benz DB 601B-1 engines. This plane is often referred to as Me 110 by the Allied forces and as folk designation. There are only 2 original Messerschmitt Bf 110 left, one in England, and one in Germany. One in Denmark is build up from parts of different planes. Photographed in Berlin at the Deutsches Technik Museum in 2016.






Again, excellent photos. This museum in Berlin is superb, and well worth visiting if you have a day to spare. There is a lot to see in there.