The Henschel Hs 126 was a German two-seat reconnaissance and observation aircraft of World War II that was derived from the Henschel Hs 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 low-speed characteristics which were needed at the time. It was put into service for a few years, but was soon superseded by the general-purpose, STOLFieseler Fi 156Storch and the medium-range Focke-Wulf Fw 189 "flying eye".
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 Legion Condor contingent to the Spanish Civil War.
Operational historyedit
By the time the Hs 126 A-1 joined the Luftwaffe, the re-equipping of reconnaissance formations was already well advanced. By the start of World War II in September 1939, the Hs 126 served with Aufkl.Gr 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 21, 23, 31, 32 und 41. They were used with great success in the attack on Poland where it proved itself as a reliable observation and liaison aircraft. Its use continued after the end of the Phony War in May 1940. It suffered some losses when intercepted by Allied fighter aircraft: 20 Hs 126s were lost between 10 and 21 May 1940.
Its successor, the Focke-Wulf Fw 189 entered service in 1940 but the Hs 126 remained the main short range reconnaissance aircraft until 1942. 47 squadrons equipped with Hs 126s participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941. The Hs 126 was also used in North Africa, such as with the 2./Aufklärungsgruppe (H)/14 which used the type until the end of 1942.
Late in the war, it was used in glider tug and night ground attack roles, but production of the Hs 126 ended in January 1941[1] and the type was retired from the front line in 1943.[2]
On 12 September 1943 Henschel 126s were used to tow 10 DFS 230 attack gliders from Pratica Di Mare airfield near Rome to the Gran Sasso on a raid to rescue Benito Mussolini. Mussolini had been imprisoned there after being deposed by the Grand Council of Fascism, followed by a decree from the King of Italy. The Henschel was a smaller tow plane compared the usual Junkers Ju 52 three-engine tow plane and struggled to gain altitude to clear the mountains on the way. This led to confusion when the lead Kette of three gliders turned to gain altitude allowing Otto Skorzeny's group of three gliders to assume the lead.[3]
Greeceedit
At the outbreak of Greco-Italian War of 1940–41, the Royal Hellenic Air Force (Ellinikí Vasilikí Aeroporía, RHAF) had in service 16 Henschels, with 3 Observation Mira, under III Corps, based in Thessaloniki and Veria. Two days after the start of the war, on 30 October, there was the first air battle between Italian Regia Aeronautica and the RHAF when some Henschel Hs 126 of 3/2 Flight from 3 Observation Mira took off to locate Italian Army columns. But they were intercepted and attacked by Fiat CR.42s of 393aSquadriglia. A first Henschel was hit and crashed, killing its observer, Pilot Officer Evanghelos Giannaris, the first Greek aviator to die in the war. A second Hs 126 was downed over Mount Smolikas, killing Pilot Officer Lazaros Papamichail and Sergeant Constantine Yemenetzis.[4]
Gerdessen, Frederik. "Estonian Air Power 1918 – 1945". Air Enthusiast, No. 18, April – July 1982. pp. 61–76. ISSN 0143-5450.
Gerdessen, F. Versatile Informer in Estonia. Air Enthusiast 105, May/June 2003, p. 76. ISSN 0143-5450
Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers, 1970 (fourth impression 1979). ISBN0-356-02382-6.
Lapierre, P. & Taghon, P. (June 2000). "Henschel 126 "contre" l'Angleterre" [Henschel 126 Against Britain]. Avions: Toute l'Aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (87): 26–35. ISSN 1243-8650.
Lawrence, Joseph (1945). The Observer's Book Of Airplanes. London and New York: Frederick Warne & Co.
Luranc, Zbigniew. Henschel Hs 126 - Skrzydła w Miniaturze (in Polish). Gdańsk, Poland: Wydawnictwo Avia-Press, 1995. ISBN83-902964-0-3.
Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press. ISBN0-7137-0860-3.
Nowarra, Heinz J. Nahaufklärer, 1910-1945: Die Augen des Heeres (in German). Stuttgart, Germany: Motorbuch Verlag, 1981. ISBN3-87943-808-0.
Pęczkowski, Robert and Robert Panek. Henschel Hs 126. Sandomierz, Poland/Redbourn, UK: Mushroom Model Publications, 2008. ISBN83-89450-40-2.
Smith, J. Richard and Anthony Kay. German Aircraft of the Second World War. London: Putnam & Company, 1972 (third impression 1978). ISBN0-370-00024-2.
Wood, Tony and Bill Gunston. Hitler's Luftwaffe: A Pictorial History and Technical Encyclopedia of Hitler's Air Power in World War II. London: Salamander Books Ltd., 1977. ISBN0-86101-005-1.
April 17, 2024
henschel, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, january, 2013, le. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Henschel Hs 126 news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message The Henschel Hs 126 was a German two seat reconnaissance and observation aircraft of World War II that was derived from the Henschel Hs 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 low speed 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 Hs 126Role ReconnaissanceNational origin Nazi GermanyManufacturer Henschel AGOFirst flight August 1936Introduction 1937Retired 1943Status RetiredPrimary users LuftwaffeBulgarian Air Force Croatian Air Force Hellenic Air Force Spanish Air ForceProduced 1937 1941 Contents 1 Development 2 Operational history 2 1 Greece 3 Operators 4 Specifications Hs 126 B 1 5 See also 6 References 6 1 Notes 6 2 BibliographyDevelopment editThe 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 Legion Condor contingent to the Spanish Civil War Operational history editBy the time the Hs 126 A 1 joined the Luftwaffe the re equipping of reconnaissance formations was already well advanced By the start of World War II in September 1939 the Hs 126 served with Aufkl Gr 10 11 12 13 14 21 23 31 32 und 41 They were used with great success in the attack on Poland where it proved itself as a reliable observation and liaison aircraft Its use continued after the end of the Phony War in May 1940 It suffered some losses when intercepted by Allied fighter aircraft 20 Hs 126s were lost between 10 and 21 May 1940 Its successor the Focke Wulf Fw 189 entered service in 1940 but the Hs 126 remained the main short range reconnaissance aircraft until 1942 47 squadrons equipped with Hs 126s participated in the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 The Hs 126 was also used in North Africa such as with the 2 Aufklarungsgruppe H 14 which used the type until the end of 1942 Late in the war it was used in glider tug and night ground attack roles but production of the Hs 126 ended in January 1941 1 and the type was retired from the front line in 1943 2 On 12 September 1943 Henschel 126s were used to tow 10 DFS 230 attack gliders from Pratica Di Mare airfield near Rome to the Gran Sasso on a raid to rescue Benito Mussolini Mussolini had been imprisoned there after being deposed by the Grand Council of Fascism followed by a decree from the King of Italy The Henschel was a smaller tow plane compared the usual Junkers Ju 52 three engine tow plane and struggled to gain altitude to clear the mountains on the way This led to confusion when the lead Kette of three gliders turned to gain altitude allowing Otto Skorzeny s group of three gliders to assume the lead 3 Greece edit At the outbreak of Greco Italian War of 1940 41 the Royal Hellenic Air Force Elliniki Vasiliki Aeroporia RHAF had in service 16 Henschels with 3 Observation Mira under III Corps based in Thessaloniki and Veria Two days after the start of the war on 30 October there was the first air battle between Italian Regia Aeronautica and the RHAF when some Henschel Hs 126 of 3 2 Flight from 3 Observation Mira took off to locate Italian Army columns But they were intercepted and attacked by Fiat CR 42s of 393a Squadriglia A first Henschel was hit and crashed killing its observer Pilot Officer Evanghelos Giannaris the first Greek aviator to die in the war A second Hs 126 was downed over Mount Smolikas killing Pilot Officer Lazaros Papamichail and Sergeant Constantine Yemenetzis 4 Operators edit nbsp Estonia Estonian Air Force order canceled due to annexation nbsp Nazi Germany Luftwaffe nbsp Kingdom of Greece Royal Hellenic Air Force nbsp Spanish State Spanish Air ForceSpecifications Hs 126 B 1 edit nbsp 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 3 090 kg 6 820 lb Powerplant 1 Bramo 323 9 cylinder radial engine 625 kW 838 hp 850 PS Performance Maximum speed 356 km h at 3 000 m 221 mph at 9 850 ft Range 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 312 in MG 17 machine gun 1 flexible 7 92 mm 312 in MG 15 machine gun in the observer gunner Up to 150 kg 330 lb of bombsSee also editAircraft of comparable role configuration and era ANF Les Mureaux 113 LWS 3 Mewa Westland Lysander Levente II Mitsubishi Ki 15 Stinson L 1 Vigilant Stinson L 5 Sentinel Polikarpov Po 2 Aeronca L 3 GrasshopperRelated lists List of aircraft of World War II List of World War II military aircraft of Germany List of military aircraft of GermanyReferences edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Henschel Hs 126 Notes edit Munson 1978 p 92 Simkin John Henschel Hs 126B Archived 2012 12 03 at the Wayback Machine Spartacus Educational Retrieved 12 September 2012 Raid Rescuing Mussolini Robert Forczyk Osprey Publishing April 2010 64 pages ISBN 9781846034626 Carr 2012 p 4 17 Bibliography edit Carr John On Spartan Wings Barnsley SY Pens amp Sword Military 2012 ISBN 978 1 84884 798 9 Gerdessen Frederik Estonian Air Power 1918 1945 Air Enthusiast No 18 April July 1982 pp 61 76 ISSN 0143 5450 Gerdessen F Versatile Informer in Estonia Air Enthusiast 105 May June 2003 p 76 ISSN 0143 5450 Green William Warplanes of the Third Reich London Macdonald and Jane s Publishers 1970 fourth impression 1979 ISBN 0 356 02382 6 Lapierre P amp Taghon P June 2000 Henschel 126 contre l Angleterre Henschel 126 Against Britain Avions Toute l Aeronautique et son histoire in French 87 26 35 ISSN 1243 8650 Lawrence Joseph 1945 The Observer s Book Of Airplanes London and New York Frederick Warne amp Co Luranc Zbigniew Henschel Hs 126 Skrzydla w Miniaturze in Polish Gdansk Poland Wydawnictwo Avia Press 1995 ISBN 83 902964 0 3 Munson Kenneth 1978 German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour Poole Dorset UK Blandford Press ISBN 0 7137 0860 3 Nowarra Heinz J Nahaufklarer 1910 1945 Die Augen des Heeres in German Stuttgart Germany Motorbuch Verlag 1981 ISBN 3 87943 808 0 Peczkowski Robert and Robert Panek Henschel Hs 126 Sandomierz Poland Redbourn UK Mushroom Model Publications 2008 ISBN 83 89450 40 2 Smith J Richard and Anthony Kay German Aircraft of the Second World War London Putnam amp Company 1972 third impression 1978 ISBN 0 370 00024 2 Wood Tony and Bill Gunston 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 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Henschel Hs 126 amp oldid 1215420681, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
