Number 29 in Osprey's popular 'duel' series is this next one on two of the major protagonists in the early air war of WWII. Though both were designed around the same time, both were developed for very different purposes. The Hurricane was to be a fast point defense fighter, replacing current biplane aircraft and while a monoplane, was very much built in the same way as the earlier biplanes with tube frame and fabric fuselage and wings.

The Bf-110, however, was designed to be a heavily armed bomber destroyer, able to bring down bombers with its heavy armament of cannon and machine guns. It was a twin engine aircraft that carried a second crew member to operate the the radio gear, rear gun and to help navigate. It was fast, but could hardly be called nimble and was not designed for dog fighting other aircraft.

Yet in the first year of the war, these two planes met with great regularity in the skies over France and over Britain, with the Hurricane generally getting the best of things, but it was not always the case.

The 110 units were built up as the elite of the Luftwaffe and were tasked with bomber escort, something that was not in the aircraft's original design, but something the crews took on. The bomber groups liked having escort all the way to the target, so both groups were happy with the arrangement. In the campaigns of the early war, the 110 was very successful as much through numbers as anything as the plane often did not do as well in one to one aerial combat with the more nimbler fighters. Even in France, thanks as much to the style of fighting that was offered by the Allied forces, the 110 did well.

However, this all changed in the skies over Britain. There, the RAF changed to the tactical fighting style of the Jagdwaffe with a two plane element being the basis for fighter units. The 110s took a pounding and by the end of the Battle of Britain, were absent from the skies, moving on to more 'zerstroyer friendly' skies.

Author Tony Holmes follows a tried and true format in this Duel book by first providing the design and development of both aircraft. There is then a section on the technical specifications of each followed by a look at the military in which both were used and how they trained for battle. Next is a look at the situation prior to the start of the war and then a look at some of the more important battles in which these two adversaries faced each other. Finally, an analysis of how these taircraft fared; their strengths and weaknesses.

Overall, it makes for a most interesting read and provides a good look at these two important early war designs. It is a book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I'm sure you will as well. Like all Osprey titles it is one that I can easily recommend to you.

December 2010

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