Germany's Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance

Photos

Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance, towing a glider:	Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance:	Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance:	Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance:
Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance:	Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook	Henschel Hs 126 reconnaissance: Aeronautics Aircraft Spotters' Handbook

Design

The Henschel Hs 126 was based on the Henschel Hs 122.^1,5

The Henschel Hs 126 was of all metal construction.⁴

Wings

The high lift parasol wing was designed by Friedrich Nicolaus and this allowed the Hs 126 to use short and rough landing strips.^1,3

Cockpit

Access was via a ladder on the side.¹

The rear of the cockpit was open to the elements.¹ The gunner/observer had a handheld camera and also operated a Zeiss Rb topographic camera that was located in a bay behind him.¹ The canopy had deflector panels to shield the gunner's gun from the slipstream.¹

Undercarriage

The wheels had long struts which gave it a none high appearance on the ground.¹ To reduce drag, spats were sometimes fitted.¹

Engine

Initially the plan was for the Hs 126 to be fitted with the Bramo Fafnir but with delivery problems it started out being fitted with a BMW 132Dc.³ The Hs 126B-1 was fitted with the Bramo Fafnir as deliveries improved.³

Prototype

The Hs 126V1 prototype first flew in the autumn of 1936 (August 1936³).^1,2

Production

Production of the Hs 126 ended in January 1941 as it was replaced by the Focke-Wulf 189.¹ Around 800 were produced.²

• Prototypes: 3³
• Henschel Hs 126A-0: 10^2,3
• Henschel Hs 126A and Henschel Hs 126B: 790³
• Henschel Hs 126: 803³
  • Manufacturer: Henschel Flugzeugwerke A.G.⁴
  • Production: ? - January 1941⁴

Variants

• Henschel Hs 126V1: Powered by a Junkers Jumo 210C inline V 12 (600 HP).^2,3
• Henschel Hs 126V2: New vertical tail.² Had Bramo Fafnir 323 radial engine (850 HP).^2,3
• Henschel Hs 126V3: New vertical tail.² Had Bramo Fafnir 323 radial engine (850 HP).^2,3
• Henschel Hs 126A-0: Service test variant.²
• Henschel Hs 126A-1: Had a BMW 132Dc Radial engine (880 HP).^1,2,3 Went into service in 1938.⁴
• Henschel Hs 126B-1: Production version.² Better engine and high altitude performance.⁴ Went into service in 1939.⁴

Usage

Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Greece (16 Hs 126A-1), and Spain used the Hs 126.³

The Hs 126 was sometimes used to bomb and strafe.¹

Spain

In 1938 six were delivered to the Condor Legion in the Aufklarungsgruppe 88.^1,2,3 Five of these survived to be turned over to Spain.³

Luftwaffe

The Luftwaffe first received Hs 126s in the spring of 1938 into the Aufklarungsgruppe 35.^1,2

Invasion of Poland

The Hs 126 supplied 13 squadrons in the invasion of Poland.¹

Invasion of Russia

In June 1941, there were 48 Staffeln that had Hs 126B-1s.^1,2

North Africa

There was on squadron of Hs 126s used in North Africa.¹

Gliders

From 1942 the Hs 126 was withdrawn from front line service and used to tow gliders.¹ They were also used in anti-partisan duties in the Balkans.³

Nighttime

In mid 1942 some special night units that specialized in close support operations were equipped with the Hs 126.¹ These were the Nachtschlachtgruppen.²

Specifications