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#Post#: 10875--------------------------------------------------
Plane of the Week: the Henschel Hs-129
By: vonofterdingen Date: April 20, 2020, 3:07 pm
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One does not fly IL-2 by fighters alone. Periodically I tire
of fighter missions and want to take on a good old fashioned
ground-pounding mission. Personally, I am not too good at
dropping bombs unless I am in a dive bomber. So, in other attack
aircraft, I prefer cannons and rockets as my weapon of choice.
Favorite planes for those missions include our beloved
Strurmovik, the P-47, and this piece of badassery, the Henschel
Hs 129. Clearly giving a nod to the Sturmovik in its design, the
Hs-129 is a slow and low flying tank killer.
From Wikipedia:
The Henschel Hs 129 was a World War II ground-attack aircraft
fielded by the German Luftwaffe. The aircraft saw combat in
Tunisia and on the Eastern Front.
A key requirement of the original specification was that the
aircraft be powered by engines that were not in demand for other
designs. Prototypes with low-power German Argus As 410 engines
of 465 PS (459 hp; 342 kW) failed acceptance test, a more
powerful replacement was found with the French Gnome-Rhône 14M
engine of 700 PS (690 hp; 515 kW).
The design was relatively effective when it was first
introduced, and saw service on the Eastern Front in a variety of
front-line roles. As the war continued and anti-tank support
became the main goal, the aircraft was continually up-gunned,
eventually mounting a 75 mm gun in the anti-tank role that left
the plane barely flyable.
Even before the A-1s were delivered, the plane was redesigned
with Gnome-Rhône 14M radial engines, which were captured in some
number when France fell and continued to be produced under
German occupation. This engine supplied 700 PS (690 hp; 515 kW)
for takeoff, compared to the Argus at 465 PS (459 hp; 342 kW).
The Gnome-Rhone radials were also made in versions with opposite
rotation for the propeller, and were installed on the Hs 129
with the port engine rotating clockwise and the starboard
rotating counterclockwise, as seen from nose-on, thus
eliminating engine torque problems.
The A-1 planes were converted into Hs 129 B-0s for testing
(although it has been claimed that some As were sold to Romania)
and the pilots were reportedly much happier with the results.
Their main complaint was the view from the canopy, so a single
larger windscreen and a new canopy with much better vision were
added, resulting in the production model Hs 129 B-1.
B-1s started rolling off the lines in December 1941, but they
were delivered at a trickle. In preparation for the new plane,
I./SchlG 1 had been formed up in January with Bf 109 E/Bs
(fighter-bomber version of Bf 109 E) and Hs 123s, and they
delivered B-0s and every B-1 that was completed. Still, it was
not until April that 12 B-1s were delivered and the 4th staffel
(squadron) became ready for action. They moved to the Eastern
Front (to Crimea) in the middle of May 1942, and in June they
received a new weapon, the 30 mm (1.2 in) MK 101 cannon with
armor-piercing ammunition in a centerline pod.
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Deliveries of the new Hs 129 B-2 model began in May 1942,
side by side with the B-1 (of which just 50 planes had been
delivered at that point). The only difference between the two
were changes to the fuel system – a host of other minor changes
could be found almost at random on either model. These changes
accumulated in the B-2 production line until they could
eventually be told apart at a glance; the main differences being
the removal of the mast for the radio antenna, the addition of a
direction-finding radio antenna loop, and shorter exhaust stacks
on the engines.
In the field, the differences seemed to be more pronounced.
The Rüstsatz field refit kits were renumbered and some were
dropped, and in general, the B-2 planes received the upgraded
cannon pack using a 30 mm MK 103 cannon instead of the earlier
MK 101. These guns both fired the same ammunition, but the 103
did so at almost twice the rate.
By late 1942 reports were coming in about the ineffectiveness
of the MK 101 against newer versions of the Soviet T-34 tanks.
One obvious solution would be to use the larger 3.7 cm (1.46 in)
BK 3,7 (Bordkanone 3,7), recently adapted from the ground-based
Flak 18. These guns had already been converted into underwing
pod-mounted weapons for the Junkers Ju 87G and found to be an
effective weapon, despite the fact that only 12 shells per pod
could be accommodated. When mounted on the Hs 129, the empty
area behind the cockpit could be used for ammunition storage,
greatly increasing the supply compared to the Ju. The B-2/R3
package introduced the BK 3,7 3.7 cm (1.46 in) automatic cannon,
but relatively few aircraft were converted in favour of the B-3,
mounting the BK 7,5.
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In game…
Planes like the Hs-129 and the Sturmovik provided the
inspiration for today’s A-10 attack aircraft. The slow speeds,
heavy armament, and armor protection allow for low attacks on
columns of tanks while resisting most ground fire. However, you
are going to be in a boat load of trouble in the Hs-129 if you
run into enemy fighters. I remember flying a brief campaign for
this plane once (sorry, I don’t remember the name or author)
that took place on the eastern front. I came across a very large
number of Russian T-34s and was having an absolute blast
shooting them up…until the Yaks appeared. I guess that is why I
prefer flying fighters for the most part.
#Post#: 10884--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Henschel Hs-129
By: ben_wh Date: April 20, 2020, 5:49 pm
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Thanks, vonofterdingen.
In game ... plane like this, the IL-2 and the Beaufighter can be
fun to fly after countless sorties in fighter planes. They can
serve as great reminders that this sim was started as a ground
attack sim in the first place.
Cheers,
#Post#: 10885--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Henschel Hs-129
By: JG51_Ruski Date: April 20, 2020, 6:07 pm
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Very nice and as usual a good write up Thanks Von
#Post#: 10892--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Henschel Hs-129
By: larsresult Date: April 21, 2020, 5:57 am
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I recently read Martin Pegg's updated book on the Hs129 which
confirms it was more successful than previously reported. The
German and Romanian pilots enjoyed flying it and were successful
from 1942 to 1945. The only parts that weakened it were the
engines and poor rear view. The engines had added armour plate
in later versions. The usual evasion against fighters was fly at
zero feet and the cockpit view was superior to any other
allowing it to anticipate terrain and targets and out manoeuvre
following fighters.
There is an amazing piece of film showing an Hs129 in Tunisia
skimming the ground after attacking Allied tanks. The cameraman
is on a hill filming the attack when a Hs129 scrapes the ridge
in front of him as it flies overhead only inches above him. It
is included in a dvd of wartime newsreels called The Tunisian
Campaign in Colour.
#Post#: 10897--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Henschel Hs-129
By: cafs Date: April 21, 2020, 8:00 am
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Great one, Von!
Another, almost, forgotten plane. A good ground pounder, with
great maneuverability and firepower, but with a little
under-powered engines. That wasn't a fault of the Gnome-Rhone
powerplant, a well made and powerful engine for her size, but
the Luftwaffe's choice for an engine not fully commited by any
other aircraft production line.
#Post#: 10914--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Henschel Hs-129
By: vonofterdingen Date: April 21, 2020, 4:21 pm
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The story of the development of the aircraft is telling. As Lars
points out, it was probably better in reality than in
reputation. And there was certainly a need for a tank buster in
the Luftwaffe at that time. But from the reading I did, the
Hs-129's development suffered severely as the Luftwaffe directed
more and more resources into the fighters it needed to
counteract the incessant allied bombings.
#Post#: 10986--------------------------------------------------
Re: Plane of the Week: the Henschel Hs-129
By: Beowolff Date: April 26, 2020, 10:47 am
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Great review, Von! I LIKE this plane... and have flown it very
successfully against the game's ground targets. It handles very
well and it's guns are devastating. I even like the LOOK of it.
:o
Thanks for a good read, partner!
S!
Beo
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