History of Henschel Hs 123

The Hs 123 produced by Henschel became the last combat biplane used by the Luftwaffe en route to World War II (1939-1945). Originating from the German demand for dive bombers in 1933, several Henschel Hs 123 test aircraft were flown until 1935 (two of which were killed in diving accidents).

During the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), the German Condor Legion subsequently "tested" five of these aircraft, resulting in improvements to the design. The biplane would eventually operate under the banner of the Luftwaffe during German invasions of Poland, Belgium, France and the Soviet Union.

Like many single-seat military aircraft that appeared in the early to mid-1930s, the Henschel Hs 123 displayed some of the traditional design features of World War I aircraftfixed landing gear, biplane layout, open-air cockpit. The series was initially fielded under the pre-production designation Hs 123A-0 and was used by the Luftwaffe to evaluate the design.

The first production models became the Hs 123A-1, these models were equipped with 2 forward-facing 7.92mm machine guns and were powered by a BMW 132Dc radial piston engine. The dive bomber was also equipped with external fuel tanks under the fuselage or conventionally dropped bombs, and four additional brackets were provided on each wing panel (two per wing).

In terms of performance, the aircraft can reach a top speed of 211 mph with drop tanks and a range of 533 miles. Service is capped at 29,530 feet with a climb rate of 2,950 feet per minute.

The success of the Hs 123 with the Spanish Condor Legion finally provided some minor changes to the basic design. The proposed Hs 123B branding was dropped in favor of the under-development Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber, described elsewhere on this site.

After the appearance of the Hs 123 in 1936, the mighty Stuka followed in 1937, ending any remaining future of the Hs 123 in service with the Luftwaffe.

Additional combat operations were carried out by the Chinese, who purchased a stockpile of 12 biplanes and used them against Japanese naval targets during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

The series remained in service until 1944 before fully withdrawing from front-line roles, but continued to play important supporting roles until 1945, especially on the Eastern Front. Amazingly, the Spanish Air Force resisted until 1953.

Henschel Hs 123 Specification

Basic

Year:
1936
Staff:
1

Production

[250 units]:
Henschel Flugzeugwerke A.G. - Germany

Roles

- Ground Attack

- Close Air Support (CAS)

Dimensions

Length:

8.33m

Width:

10.5m

Height:

10.50 ft (3.2 m)

Weight

Curb Weight:

1,500 kg

MTOW:

2,215 kg

(difference: +1,576 pt)

Performance

1 x BMW 132Dc radial piston engine producing 880 hp and driving a twin-blade propeller in the nose.

Performance

Maximum Speed:

211 mph (340 km/h; 184 knots)

Service Limit:

29,528 ft (9,000 m; 5.59 mi)

Maximum range:

531 miles (855 km; 462 nmi)

Rate of climb:

899 m/min (2,950 ft/min)

Armor

Default:

2 x 7.92mm machine guns, mounted on fixed forward-firing mounts, firing synchronized via rotating propeller blades.

Optional:

The maximum bomb load on a total of five hardpoints (four lower wings and one centerline) is 992 lbs.

Changes

Hs 123A-1 - first production model

Hs 123B - Prototype model intended to succeed the Hs 123A series, although cancelled with the arrival of the effective Ju 87 "Stuka"; equipped with a BMW 132K 960 hp engine; two such prototypes built; the second equipped with 4 x 7.92mm machine guns and a fully enclosed cockpit.

Hs 123C - variant with 20mm gun.

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