The Me 410 was a sort of hybrid between fighter and bomber. It could be considered either a large fighter or small bomber.
The Me 410 was no match in a dogfight with the lighter Allied single-engine fighters such as the North American P-51 Mustang and Supermarine Spitfire.
It could carry 1,000 kg of bomb payload–about 2,200 lbs–which put it in the medium bomber category. It seems to have been used primarily for two purposes:
- Nighttime raids against the U.K.
- Attacks on the Allies’ strategic bombers
It seems to have been reasonably effective in both roles. The Me 410 was smaller, lighter, and more maneuverable than the strategic bombers it was supposed to attack. On the other hand, it could carry a significantly heavier weapons load than a typical small, single engine fighter. There was even an abortive effort to equip the M2 410 with the same main gun used on the Panzer III. A more typical anti-bomber armament was a 50 mm cannon, or air-to-air rockets.
Once the Americans began sending Mustang fighters with their bombers all the way to the target, Germany began sending fighter escorts of its own. German fighters would counter American fighters, while the Me 410s went after the bombers.
