Henschel Hs 126 [Paperback]

Henschel Hs 126 was a two-seater, all-metal hinged monoplane with fixed landing gear. The first prototype  Hs 126 V-1 (D-UBYN)  had its flight-test in August 1936. It was powered by a 12-cylinder liquid-cooled JUMO 210 C engine. By the end of 1937 ten preproduction Hs 126 A-0s were delivered. Aircrafts were produced at the Henschel-Werke plant and also at AGO Flugzeugwerke.Hs 126 had exceptional short landing performances. Armament consisted of two machine guns cal. 7.92 mm: pilots fixed MG-17 in front (with 500 rounds) and defense MG-15 in the observer cockpit (with 975 rounds). For the optional close support missions it was capable to carry bombs on two side racks (2?10 kg or 2?50 kg). It also had radio equipment and, after gaining combat experience, some machines were equipped with side armor plates of 8 mm steel.The first combat employment of several Hs 126s took place in Spain, where they were used as tactical reconnaissance within Ausfklarungsgruppe 35, and where they received the code name Super Pavo. Loses in the Spanish civil war were minor. Some Henschels were also sold to Greece, Bulgaria and Estonia.At the beginning of World War II (invasion of Poland) the Hs 126s were the backbone of reconnaissance units of the Luftwaffe. From 29 staffelns this machine was deployed in 23 of them (267 Hs 126s were in combat units, of which 234 were combat-ready). However, the Polish campaign showed that Hs 126 was a vulnerable airplane. Germany lost about 41 of them to a AA fire and Polish fighter actions, and another 40 were seriously damaged.The Hs 126 participated in missions over all WW2 fronts: from Africa, the Soviet Union, and West Europe to the Balkans. On the 1st of June 1941, Hs 126s were still used by operational combat units as well as flying schools. However, rising loses resulted in withdrawing the type from combat units, but it was still presented in big numbers. For example, in March 1942 from 35 Aufkl?rer Staffels on East Front 16 operated Hs 1l%