Henschel Hs 129

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Hs 129
A captured Henschel Hs 129 B-1 at Freeman Army Airfield, Indiana, 1946
General information
Type	Attacker
National origin	Nazi Germany
Manufacturer	Henschel
Status	Retired
Primary users	Luftwaffe Hungarian Air Force Romanian Air Force
Number built	865
History
Manufactured	June 1940 – September 1944
Introduction date	April 1942
First flight	29 May 1939[1]
Retired	1945

The Henschel Hs 129 was a ground-attack aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel Flugzeugwerke AG. Fielded by the Luftwaffe during the Second World War, it saw combat in Tunisia and on the Eastern Front.

During the latter half of 1930s, influenced by the experiences of German Condor Legion during the Spanish Civil War, the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM; "Reich Aviation Ministry") sought a new ground-attack aircraft. The specification required protection from ground-based small arms fire, for which Henschel's design (which was initially designated at the P 46) incorporated a steel "bathtub" with angled fuselage sides and a compact canopy that was fitted with tiny windows. A further requirement of the specification was that the aircraft be powered by engines that were not in demand for other types; accordingly, the Hs 129 was designed to be equipped with low-power German Argus As 410 engines, which were only capable of 465 PS (459 hp; 342 kW).

On 29 May 1939, the prototype Hs 129 performed its maiden flight. Early flight testing was largely unsatisfactory, the aircraft proving to be both underpowered and overweight as well as offering poor visibility to the pilot. These criticisms were addressed via the adoption of a revised canopy with greater glazing along with a more powerful replacement engine in the form of the French Gnome-Rhône 14M engine, which was capable of producing up to 700 PS (690 hp; 515 kW). As such, the Hs 129 A-0 was promptly succeeded by the Hs 129 A-1 and Hs 129 B-1. While Henschel faced competition to fulfil the requirement in the form of the Focke-Wulf Fw 189, the Hs 129 was both smaller and cheaper, and thus continued to hold the RLM's favour. Quantity production of the type was achieved during early 1942.

Introduced to Luftwaffe service in April 1942, the Hs 129 was relatively effective during its early years. It saw service on the Eastern Front in a variety of frontline roles. As the conflict progressed, an increased emphasis on anti-tank support led to the aircraft being continually up-gunned, eventually mounting a 75 mm anti-tank cannon. Only a small number of thus-armed Hs 129 B-3 aircraft were produced and saw action relatively late in the war. Production of the type peaked in 1943 and was terminated entirely in September 1944 in response to Nazi Germany's declining military position, although use of the HS 129 continued into the closing months of the conflict.^[2]