During the Battle of Britain, the Luftwaffe used Messerschmitt Bf 109s and Bf 110s based in France as escort fighter-bombers. Although flying from relatively close airfields in France, the Bf 109 was operating at the extreme of its range and unable to remain for long with the bombers if it was to have fuel to return, while the Bf 110, specifically designed for the escort role, had inferior performance and was easily outperformed by the Royal Air Force Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes. In those few situations where the German bombers were escorted only by 110s, the RAF fighters could simply ignore them and attack the bombers almost unhindered.