Henschel Hs 123

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henschel_Hs_123

The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close-support
attack aircraft flown by the German Luftwaffe during the Spanish Civil War and
the early to midpoint of World War II. It proved to be robust, durable and
effective especially in severe conditions. It continued to see front-line
service until 1944, only to be withdrawn due to a lack of serviceable airframes
and spare parts (production ended in 1940).

Henschel was a German locomotive manufacturer. Soon after Hitler's rise to
power, Henschel decided to start designing aircraft, one of the first being the
Hs 123. The aircraft was designed to meet the 1933 dive bomber requirements for
the reborn Luftwaffe. Both Henschel and rival Fieseler (with the Fi 98) competed
for the production contract requirement, which specified a single-seat biplane
dive bomber. The first prototype, the Hs 123V1, was cleared for its maiden
flight on 1 April 1935; General Ernst Udet, a World War I ace, flew it on its
first public demonstration flight on 8 May 1935. The first three Henschel
prototypes, with the first and third powered by 485 kW (650 hp) BMW 132A-3
engines and the second by a 574 kW (770 hp) Wright Cyclone, were tested at
Rechlin in August 1936. Only the first prototype had "smooth" cowlings; from
that point on, all aircraft had a tightly fitting cowling that included 18
fairings covering the engine valves. The Henschel prototypes did away with
bracing wires and although they looked slightly outdated with their single
faired interplane struts and cantilever main landing gear legs attached to
smaller (stub) lower wings, the Hs 123 featured an all-metal construction, clean
lines and superior maneuverability. Its biplane wings were of a "sesquiplane"
configuration, whereby the lower wings were significantly smaller than the top
wings.

The Hs 123 was intended to replace the Heinkel He 50 biplane reconnaissance and
dive bomber as well as acting as a "stop-gap" measure until the Junkers Ju 87
became available. As such, production was limited and no upgrades were
considered, although an improved version, the Hs 123B was developed by Henschel
in 1938. A proposal to fit the aircraft with a more powerful 716 kW (960 hp)
"K"-variant of its BMW 132 engine did not proceed beyond the prototype stage,
the Hs 123 V5. The V6 prototype fitted with a similar powerplant and featuring a
sliding cockpit hood was intended to serve as the Hs 123C prototype.

Role
Dive bomber, close-support

National origin
Nazi Germany

Manufacturer
Henschel

First flight
First public display 8 May 1935

Introduction
1936

Retired
Spanish Air Force 1953

Primary user
Luftwaffe

Number built
250 (approx)

The aircraft entered service at StG 162 in autumn 1936. Its career as a dive
bomber was cut short when the unit received its first Ju 87A the next year.
Remaining Hs 123s were incorporated into the temporary Fliegergeschwader 100 at
the time of the Munich Crisis. The Geschwader (wing) had been created as an
emergency measure, equipped with obsolete aircraft and tasked with the ground
attack role. With the signing of the Munich agreement, the crisis was over and
the geschwader was disbanded, the gruppen being transferred to other established
units. By 1939, despite its success in Spain, the Luftwaffe considered the Hs
123 obsolete and the schlachtgeschwader (close-support wings) had been disbanded
with only one gruppe, II.(Schl)/LG2 still equipped with the Hs 123.

During the same time, at the request of Oberst (later Generalfeldmarschall)
Wolfram von Richthofen, chief of staff of the Legion Condor, five aircraft had
been deployed to Spain as a part of the Legion Condor, intended to be used as
tactical bombers.

In their intended role, the Hs 123s proved to be somewhat of a failure, hampered
by their small bomb capacity and short range. Instead, the Hs 123s based in
Seville were used for ground support, a role in which their range was not such a
detriment, and where the ability to accurately place munitions was more
important than carrying a large load. The combat evaluation of the Hs 123
demonstrated a remarkable resiliency in close-support missions, proving able to
absorb a great deal of punishment including direct hits on the airframe and
engine. The Nationalists in Spain were impressed with the Hs 123's performance
in battle, purchasing the entire evaluation flight and ordering an additional 11
aircraft from Germany. The Spanish Hs 123s were known as "Angelito" (dear angel
or little angel), and at least one Hs 123 was in service with the Ejército del
Aire (Spanish Air Force) after 1945.

The greatest tribute to the Hs 123 usefulness came in January 1943 when
Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen, then commander-in-chief of Luftflotte 4,
asked whether production of the Hs 123 could be restarted because the Hs 123
performed well in a theater where mud, snow, rain and ice took a heavy toll on
the serviceability of more advanced aircraft. However, the Henschel factory had
already dismantled all tools and jigs in 1940.

Specifications (Hs 123A-1)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 8.33 m (27 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft 5.5 in)
Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
Wing area: 24.85 m² (267.49 ft²)
Empty weight: 1,500 kg (3,307 lb)
Loaded weight: 2,215 kg (4,884 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × BMW 132Dc 9-cylinder radial engine, 880 hp (656 kW)

Performance
Maximum speed: 341 km/h (183 knots, 211 mph) at 1,200 m (3,900 ft)
Range: 860 km (463 nmi, 533 mi with drop tank; 480 km (298 mi) with 200 kg of
bombs)
Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,530 ft)
Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,950 ft/min) at sea level

Armament

2× 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, 400 rpg (field modification of 2× 20 mm (0.79 in)
MG FF cannon)
Up to 450 kg (992 lb) of bombs (1 x SC250 bomb under fuselage and 4 x SC50 bombs
under wings)




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