Hs 129B

© Michael Bykov

The Hs 129B-2 from Stab/SchG1, Stalingrad, winter 1942-43.

The Henschel Hs-129 was the only WWII aircraft designed specifically to combat tanks. However, the power of powerplant the first aircrafts, equipped with engines "Argus" As-410A-1 of 2 × 465 hp, was insufficient and on Hs-129 began to be installed French engines, which were at the disposal of Germany after the capture of France.

The Gnome-Ron 14M 04/05 engine in takeoff mode developed a power of 700 hp, at an altitude of 4000 m its power was 660 hp. Simultaneously with work on the Hs-129V-3, 16 Hs-129A-l aircraft, which were now designated Hs-129B-0, were re-equipped for French engines.

Despite the high priority of the battlefield strike aircraft program, the first serial Hs-129B-1 (W.Nr. 0151) left the assembly line of the Schönefeld plant only in December 1941. The production aircraft took into account some of the pilots comments regarding poor visibility: they increased the area side glazing of the sliding part of the canopy, glazing appeared in the upper rear part of the canopy.

In May 1942, on the assembly line of the Schönefeld plant, the Hs-129 B-1 aircraft were replaced by the Hs-129B-2. From December 1941 to May 1942, the plant built 50 Hs-129B-l (W.Nr. 0151-0200). The transition to the new model did not cause a serious restructuring of production, since the aircraft of the V-2 variant differed from their predecessors only in the fuel system.

Bibliography

• "Aviation of Luftwaffe" /Viktor Shunkov/
• "Encyclopedia of military engineering" /Aerospace Publising/
• "Air war" /№ 17/