Henschel Hs 126
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| Henschel Hs 126 | |
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| Type | Reconnaissance |
| Manufacturer | Henschel |
| Maiden flight | August 1936 |
| Introduced | 1937 |
| Retired | 1942 |
| Primary users | Luftwaffe Bulgaria Greece Croatia Spain |
| Produced | 1937 – 1942 |
| Variants | Hs 126A-0, Hs 126A-1, Hs 126B-1 |
The Henschel Hs 126 was a German two seater reconnaissance and observation aircraft of World War II that derived from the Henschel 122. The pilot was seated in a protected cockpit under the parasol wing and the gunner in an open rear cockpit. The prototype aircraft frame was that of a Hs 122A fitted with a Junkers engine. The Hs 126 was well received for its good short takeoff and slow-flying characteristics which were needed at the time. It was put into service for a few years but was soon superseded by the general purpose, STOL Fieseler Fi 156 "Storch" and the medium range Focke-Wulf Fw 189 "flying eye".
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[edit] Prototype
The first prototype was not entirely up to Luftwaffe standards; it was followed by two more development planes equipped with different engines. Following the third prototype, ten pre-production planes were built in 1937. The Hs 126 entered service in 1938 after operational evaluation with the German Condor Legion contingent to the Spanish Civil War.
[edit] Service
By the time the Hs 126A-1 joined the Luftwaffe, the re-equipping of reconnaissance formations was already well advanced, and by the start of the Second World War in September 1939, Germany already had several good short range observation and long range recon aircraft. Late in the war, it was used in glider tug and night ground attack roles, but production of the Hs 126 ended in 1941 and the type was retired from the front line in 1942.
[edit] Specifications (Hs 126B-1)
General characteristics
- Crew: Two (pilot and observer/gunner)
- Length: 10.9 m (35 ft 7 in)
- Wingspan: 14.5 m (47 ft 7 in)
- Height: 3.8 m (12 ft 4 in)
- Wing area: 31.6 m² (340 ft²)
- Empty weight: 2,030 kg (4,480 lb)
- Loaded weight: 6,820 lb (3,090 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Bramo 323 9-cylinder radial engine, 634 kW (850 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 356 km/h at 3,000 m (221 mph at 9,850 ft)
- Combat radius: 998 km (620 mi)
- Service ceiling: 8,530 m (28,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 550 m/min (1,800 ft/min)
- Wing loading: 97.8 kg/m² (20.1 lb/ft²)
- Power/mass: 0.21 kW/kg (0.13 hp/lb)
Armament
- 1 × forward-firing 7.92 mm MG 17 machine gun
- 1 × flexible 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun in the observer/gunner
- Up to 150 kg of bombs
[edit] References
[edit] Notes
[edit] Bibliography
- Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1970 (fourth impression 1979). ISBN 0-356-02382-6.
- Luranc, Zbigniew. Henschel Hs 126 - Skrzydła w Miniaturze (in Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: Wydawnictwo Avia-Press, 1995. ISBN 83-902964-0-3.
- Nowarra, Heinz J. Nahaufklärer, 1910-1945: Die Augen des Heeres (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag, 1981. ISBN 3-87943-808-0.
- Pęczkowski, Robert and Panek, Robert. Henschel Hs 126. Sandomierz, Poland/Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2008. ISBN 83-89450-40-1.
- Smith, J.Richard and Kay, Anthony. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company Ltd., 1972 (third impression 1978). ISBN 0-370-00024-2.
- Wood, Tony and Gunston, Bill. Hitler's Luftwaffe: A pictorial history and technical encyclopedia of Hitler's air power in World War II. London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1977. ISBN 0-86101-005-1.
[edit] See also
Comparable aircraft
Related lists List of World War II military aircraft of Germany - List of military aircraft of Germany
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