Bf 110 Crew - June 26, 1944

[John Vasco]

HGabor,

I think you are perpetuating an error that has appeared in books for many years. Let me clarify things for you.

At the start of the war:
2N = I. & II./ZG 1;
M8 = I. & II./ZG 76.

July 1940:
I./ZG 1disbanded;
II./ZG 1 becomes III./ZG 76, and continues to use the code 2N;
I. & II./ZG 76 remain in being.

1941:
I./ZG 76 had been incorporated into the night fighter force;
II./ZG 76 remained in being;
III./ZG 76, with the code 2N. A small detachment of crews help form I./JG 77. The I./JG 77 Bf 110s continued to use the code 2N until June 1941.
Meanwhile, from 24 April 1941, the rest of III./ZG 76 became II./SKG 210, and took on that unit's code of S9.
II./ZG 76 eventually was moved into the night fighting force.

January 1942:
I. & II./SKG 210 were re-designated I. & II./ZG 1. Unit code S9 retained;
III./ZG 1 formed with Bf 109 Es;
Later in the year III./ZG 1 were equipped with Me 210As;
First record of the code 2N with ZG 1 (from loss/damage lists)was on 8 November 1942 when Me 210 A-1, 2N+AT belly landed at Castelli airfield.

1943:
First recorded use of the code 2N on a ZG 1 Bf 110 (from loss lists) was on 28 May 1943 when a 10./ZG 1 Bf 110 G-2, 2N+PU, was shot down;
I./ZG 1 continued to use S9 until it was disbanded;
II./ZG 1 remains in being and continues to use S9;
Late 1943 moves were made to re-form ZG 76.

1944:
First recorded use of 2N by II./ZG 1 (from loss lists) was on 7 January 1944 when Bf 110 G-2, 2N+OM of 4./ZG 1 was shot down on a combat mission.

In 1944, ZG 76 used the code M8, and ZG 1 used the code 2N. If you see photographs of Bf 110 G-2 day fighters in books with the code 2N captioned as ZG 76 aircraft, this is wrong. They were ZG 1 aircraft. If you want to see photos of late war ZG 76 Bf 110s carrying the M8 code, look in my 'Zerstorer, Volume 2' from Classic Publications, pages 177 (two photos), 186 (top and middle) and 190 (top).

I hope this clarifies things for you, and puts to bed once and for all the matter of unit codes on Bf 110s in 1944.

John Vasco