Use in The Luftwaffe
During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe used Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Bf 110s based in France as escort fighter-bombers. Flying with the Heinkel He 111 and Junkers Ju 88 medium bombers, they would drop their light bomb-load and—for a brief period—fight off the British fighters. Although flying from relatively close airfields in France, the Bf 109 was operating at the very edge of its range, while the Bf 110, specifically designed for the escort role, had inferior performance and was easily outperformed by the Supermarine Spitfire and the Hawker Hurricane employed by the Royal Air Force.
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