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Henschel Hs 129

1942 WORLD WAR 2

History of Henschel Hs 129

The

Henschel Hs 129 fighter-bomber was a twin-engine close support aircraft built to German specifications in 1937, providing considerable armour protection for the pilot and crew, and capable of employing at least two 20mm guns. The resulting competition saw the Focke-Wulf design (Fw 189C) and the Henschel Hs 129 design enter the final round, with the Henschel company getting the nod.

The Hs 129 is by far the perfect aircraft for close support services. It's relatively underpoweredeven with twin Gnome Rhone radial enginesand the cockpit is small enough to fit just one person.

Visibility is reportedly far from superior, although the overall design compares to that of the Imperial Aviation Department. Armament consists of two nose-mounted MG FF 20mm cannons and two MG 17 7.92mm machine guns. The Hs 129V-1 prototype spawned ten Hs 129B-0 development models, which in turn spawned the first Hs 129B-1 production series.

Hs 129 was immediately transferred to the Eastern Front to confront Russian Panzer divisions.

By 1942, the Hs 129B-2 appeared due to the need to improve the existing Hs 129B-1 production model. The B-2 became a series with different armament provisions, including the R1 with 2 x 20mm cannons and 2 13mm machine guns, and the R3, which replaced the machine guns, replacing the larger caliber 37mm machine gun with the standard dual 20mm cannons.

The B-3 model line will produce about 25 with the larger 75mm gun system and go into final production of the Hs 129 system.

The Hs 129 were intentionally used in the East against Soviet power, although they were inevitably later used throughout North Africa and Europe (after D-Day). By all accounts, the performance results of the system were excellent, with the Hs 129 responsible for destroying hundreds of Soviet tanks, most notably the Battle of Kursk in 1943.

Hs 129 has proven to be a viable asset. Close Support is capable of attacking even the most stubborn Allied tanks with an array of artillery, machine guns and bombs.