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The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close-support aircraft designed by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel. It was the last biplane to be operated by the Luftwaffe.

The Hs 123 started development in 1933 in response to a request for a single-seat biplane dive bomber. Henschel's design team opted to produce an aircraft with all-metal construction, relatively clean lines and a high level of manoeuvrability. Its principal competitor was the Fieseler Fi 98, which was eventually cancelled when the Hs 123 proved to be more promising. On 1 April 1935, the first prototype performed its maiden flight; four prototypes were produced, the fourth of which featured strengthened centre-section struts after two of the earlier prototypes were lost due to structural failures during high speed dives.

On its introduction to the Luftwaffe in the autumn of 1936, the Hs 123 quickly displaced the Heinkel He 50 biplane, but was viewed as a "stop-gap" until the arrival of the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka. In 1938, the type was dispatched to Spain to fight with the Legion Condor in the Spanish Civil War; the type reportedly performed well, particularly in the psychological impact of its attacks upon the Republicans. The Spanish Nationalists were impressed with the type and opted to procure additional aircraft. The temporarily organized 15th Squadron of the China Central Air Force Academy Group also flew combat missions with its Hs 123s around this time, attacking Imperial Japanese warships along the Yangtze River.

The Luftwaffe opted to dispatch the type during the early and middle portions of the Second World War, first deploying it during the Polish Campaign. In 1940, it saw action in the invasions of the Netherlands, Belgium and France in the Battle of France and the early part of the Balkans Campaign. Numerous Hs 123s saw combat during the start of Operation Barbarossa (the invasion of the Soviet Union) in 1941. The Hs 123 proved to be relatively robust, durable and effective in combat, especially in severe conditions (such as those present in the Eastern Front).It was commonly modified in the field to carry additional machine guns, more armour and other changes. It continued to see front-line service until 1944, only to be withdrawn due to a lack of serviceable airframes and spare parts (production ended in the autumn of 1938).

Design and development

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. This aircraft was designed to satisfy the requirement issued in 1933 by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM). This requirement sought a new dive bomber to equip the new Luftwaffe; it was specified that this aircraft should be a single-seat biplane. Henschel and rival firm Fieseler, who responded with the Fi 98, competed for the same requirement.

In comparison to the Fi 98, the Hs 123 was noticeably more streamlined and possessed relatively clean lines. The first three Henschel prototypes, the first and third of which were powered by BMW 132A-3 engines while the second by a Wright Cyclone, were tested at Rechlin in August 1935. Only the first prototype had "smooth" cowlings; the rest had a tightly fitted cowling that included 18 fairings covering the engine valves. The third prototype was the first to carry armament. During flight testing, the Hs 123 proved to be capable of pulling out of "near-vertical" dives but two of the first three prototypes crashed due to structural failures in the wings during high-speed dives.

Following the completion its tests, the Hs 123 was ordered into production with a BMW 132Dc engine. During the summer of 1936, the first production aircraft came off the assembly lines, that had been established at Henschel's Schönefeld and Johannisthal facilities. The Hs 123 was intended to replace the Heinkel He 50 biplane reconnaissance and dive bomber as well as to function as a stop-gap until the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka became available; production was limited and no upgrades were seriously considered.

Henschel opted to work on an improved version, the Hs 123B, during 1938. A proposal to fit the aircraft with a more powerful "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 engine and featuring a sliding cockpit hood was intended to serve as the Hs 123C prototype; 265 aircraft are believed to have been produced.

The majority of Hs 123s were delivered to the Luftwaffe and twelve Hs 123s were exported to China and 14 were transferred to the Spanish Aviación Nacional (the Nationalist Air Arm); both operators would use their aircraft in combat.

Operational history

Initial operations

thumb|A squadron of Luftwaffe Henschel Hs 123As in flight before the Second World War

During 1936, a small pre-production batch of Hs 123A-0s was completed and used for service evaluation by the Luftwaffe.

Spanish Civil War

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 in early 1937 as a part of the Legion Condor, intended to be used as tactical bombers.

Second World War

Service from Poland to Greece

At the outbreak of hostilities, the surviving 39 Hs 123s assigned to II. (Schl)/LG 2, were committed to action during the Polish Campaign. The Bf 109E fighter bomber was not capable of carrying any more bombs than the Hs 123, however, it did have a greater range and was far more capable of defending itself. It did have some downsides, including the notoriously tricky taxiing, ground handling, and takeoff/landing characteristics of the Bf 109, which were exacerbated with a bomb load.

At the beginning of the Balkans Campaign, the 32 examples of the Hs 123 that had been retired after the fall of France were taken back into service to equip 10.(Schl)/LG 2. 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 theatre 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.

After participating in the Battle of Kursk, SG 1 returned to Crimea, and there during late spring 1944, they finally gave up the aircraft that had served all over Europe from Spain to Leningrad. 7./SG 1 traded its last Hs 123s in mid-1944, for Ju 87s, a type that was to have replaced it back in 1937.

Follow-on designs

The success of the Hs 123 in the Spanish Civil War led the RLM to put out a request for a successor aircraft. At this point in history, the exact role of aircraft in support of the army was still being developed. This was perhaps the first dedicated attack aircraft design which was intended to fulfill the close air support role in the niche between the tactical bomber and the dive bomber. The successor chosen was the Henschel Hs 129.

Operators

; Republic of China

  • Republic of China Air Force – operated 12 aircraft using them as dive bombers.

; Nazi Germany

  • Luftwaffe

; Spanish State

  • Spanish Air Force – purchased the Condor Legion's remaining aircraft, and ordered an additional 11 aircraft from Germany. On the Eastern Front, volunteers of Escuadrilla Azul (15 Spanische Staffel/VIII Fliegerkorps) of JG 27 based in Vitebsk operated Hs 123's alongside II.(Schl.)/LG 2 units.

Specifications (Hs 123A-1)

thumb|Hs 123A-1

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography

  • Luftwaffe Resource Center: Henschel Hs 123
  • Henschel Hs 123