The Messerschmitt Bf 110, was designed in the middle of the thirties at a time when the worlds major air forces wanted to equip themselves with a long-range but also powerfully armed fighter. After a relatively convincing start in Poland in September 1939, the performance of the Zerstörer (destroyer) units declined rapidly with heavy losses, so much so that at the end of the Battle of Britain, it was decided to withdraw the Bf 110s from service and cease production. After the failure of its designated successor, the Me 210, the Bf 110 started a second career in a role for which it was not at all designed: nightfighter. The Zerstörers second career was indeed infinitely more glorious since, in this new role the twin-engined plane turned out to be a formidable opponent for Allied aircraft: it scored more kills not only than any other Luftwaffe nightfighter but also more than all the aircraft of this type in all the air forces fighting in World War Two