With strong firepower and range, the Bf 110 initially seemed like an ideal multipurpose aircraft. But in combat, it failed to meet expectations.Its major weakness was agility.

One Bf 110 was used by Rudolf Hess to make his eventful flight to Scotland on the night of May 10, 1941. Part of the fuselage of that aircraft is now in the collection of the Imperial War Museum.

A bigger, heavier aircraft required two engines and two propellers, which added even more weight. The result was that the Bf 110 weighed more than four tons, or twice that of the Bf 109.