Zerstörergeschwader 2 Zerstörergeschwader 2

Bf 110 C-4, 3M+MH, W. Nr. 3116 of 1./ZG 2, Below and overleaf: Views of Bf 110 D-0, 3M+LH, W. Nr. 3201, of 1./ZG 2 that has suffered port
also displaying one victory bar on the fin. undercarriage failure. The pilot is Gerhard Granz, and the fact that both he and his Bordfunker
are wearing life jackets would indicate an impending mission against England, or a return from
a mission over the Channel. Oblt. Granz was shot down into captivity over England on 7th
September 1940 flying Bf 110 C-4, 3M+BB,.W. Nr. 3246, when Gruppenadjutant of I./ZG 2 The
cable running along the top of the port fuselage side was a common feature of the ‘D’ variant
and the early ‘E’ variant of the Bf 110.

Above: Gerhard Granz in the

cockpit of a different Bf 110, note
the ‘Bernburg Jäger’ is under the
cockpit on this example.

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Messerschmitt Bf 110 D-0,

3M+LH of 1./ZG2

Left: The red hand emblem of 1. Staffel, ZG 2.

Right: The Bernberg Jäger emblem of I. Gruppe, ZG 2.

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Bf 110 C, 3M+BK, of 2./ZG 2 requiring attention to both engines. The heavy oil
staining on the undercarriage doors points to a problem of leaking from the oil
radiators. The I. Gruppe emblem can be seen beneath the cockpit. The third
character ‘B’ in the fuselage code is red outlined with white. The early war style
solid upper surface camouflage of RLM 70 and RLM 71, with RLM 65 undersurfaces,
is carried.
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Zerstörergeschwader 2
With engines running, the pilot in the cockpit and a ground
mechanic in attendance on the port wing root, Bf 110 C-4, 3M+EK,
W. Nr. 2065, of 2./ZG 2, is ready to move out of its revetment in
a tree-lined field at Berck-sur-Mer once the chocks have been
removed. The third character in the fuselage code, ‘E’, is red
outlined with white. On 3rd September 1940 this aircraft collided
with a Bf 110 of 3./ZG 2 during combat over England. The
crew, Fw. Kurt Wagenbreth (pilot) and Uffz. Aribert Schubarth
(Bordfunker), baled out too low and were killed.
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Two views of 2./ZG 2 about to take off. 3M+LK and 3M+NK are nearest
the camera. On 2nd September 1940 Oblt. Kurt Müller (Staffelführer)
with Uffz. Johannes Korn (Bordfunker) on board force-landed 3M+NK,
a Bf 110 D-0, W. Nr. 3193, on one engine at Berck-sur-Mer following
combat over England. On the following day, Müller and Korn were in
Bf 110 C-4, 3M+HL, W. Nr. 2133, a 3./ZG 2 machine, when it collided
with the Bf 110, 3M+EK, of Wagenbreth and Schubarth of 2./ZG 2,
mentioned earlier. Müller survived into captivity; Korn lost his life.

Bf 110 C, 3M+GK of 2./ZG 2, seen here in 1941 with Ergänzungs-Zerstörergruppe Værløse. This aircraft carries the
early war solid two-tone camouflage down the fuselage sides. The third character of the code, ‘G’, is black outlined
with white, and an emblem can been seen on the nose. It looks like a partially completed ‘Dragon’ emblem of I./ZG
52, later II./ZG 2, and it is possible that this aircraft was passed to 2./ZG 2 from one of those units with an incomplete
emblem, and 2./ZG 2 did not bother to remove it. The yellow band on the fin is believed to be a mark of the training
unit and not a marking carried during the Battle of Britain, since the other aircraft in formation with varying fuselage
codes also carry the band.

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This page and following page: Two views of

Bf 110 C-2, 3M+LK, W. Nr. 2131, of 2./ZG 2,
now sporting a white nose. White-nosed Bf
110s began to appear around the middle of
August 1940.

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A recovery operation has started for this Bf 110 C-2, 3M+AL, W. Nr. 3561, of 3./ZG 2.
The ‘A’ is in yellow without any outline, and the tips of the spinners are also in the
Staffel colour of yellow. The white nose would indicate mid-August 1940 onwards.

Bf 110 C-2, 3M+AL, W. Nr. 3561, in a dismantled state, most

likely in preparation for being transported to a repair facility.

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Bf 110 C, A2+BB, a machine of the Gruppenstab of II. Gruppe,

Zerstörergeschwader 2 (II./ZG 2). When the I. Gruppe of
Zerstörergeschwader 52 (I./ZG 52) was redesignated II./ZG 2 at the
end of June 1940, it retained its unit identity code (A2) as well as the
individual Gruppe and Staffel letters (B, H, K and L).

In flight view of A2+BB showing the later style camouflage of RLM 65 light blue up the fuselage
sides and a soft demarcation with the top surface camouflage of RLM 71 and RLM 02. The
third character in the fuselage code is black outlined with white, when the normal practice
would be for it to be in the Gruppenstab colour of green outlined with white.

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