Messerschmitt Bf 110G-4/R-6, WNr. 730301, D5-RL
History
Werknummer 730301 served with 1./Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (NJG 3), a Luftwaffe night fighter squadron, during the latter stages of the war. Stationed at Grove Airfield (now Karup) in Denmark, it participated in defending against Allied night bombing raids over Denmark and Northern Germany.
Following Germany's surrender in May 1945, British forces discovered 37 Bf 110 variants among the 1,146 German aircraft found on Danish airfields. Werknummer 730301 was among these, and it was selected for preservation by the British Air Ministry in May 1946. The aircraft was transported to the UK and underwent various repaints, including a white primer scheme in the 1960s and a bare metal finish in 1976. In 1980, it was transferred to the RAF Museum in Hendon, where it remains on display in Hangar 5.
This Bf 110G-4/R6 is one of only two intact examples of its type, making it a rare and invaluable piece of aviation history.