Henschel Hs 123 The Henschel Hs 123 was a single - seat biplane dive bomber and close - support attack aircraft flown by the German " Luftwaffe " during the Spanish Civil War and the early to midpoint of World War II . Although an obsolete design , it proved to be robust , durable and effective especially in severe conditions . It continued to see front - line service until 1944 , only to be withdrawn due to a lack of serviceable airframes and spare parts . 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 . The aircraft was designed to meet the 1933 dive bomber requirements for the reborn " Luftwaffe " . Both Henschel and rival Fieseler ( with the Fi 98 ) competed for the production contract requirement , which specified a single - seat biplane dive bomber . The first prototype Hs 123 , the Hs 123V1 was cleared for its maiden flight on 1 April 1935 , and General Ernst Udet , a World War I ace , flew the first prototype on its first public demonstration fight on 8 May 1935 . The first three Henschel prototypes , with the first and third powered by 485 kW ( 650 hp ) BMW 132A - 3 engines and the second by a 574 kW ( 770 hp ) Wright Cyclone , were tested at Rechlin in August 1936 . Only the first prototype had " smooth " cowlings ; from that point on , all aircraft had a tightly - fitting cowling that included 18 fairings covering the engine valves . The Henschel prototypes did away with bracing wires and although they looked slightly outdated with their single faired interplane struts and cantilever main landing gear legs attached to smaller ( stub ) lower wings , the Hs 123 featured an all - metal construction , clean lines and superior maneuverability . Its biplane wings were of a " sesquiplane " configuration , whereby the lower wings were significantly smaller than the top wings . The overall performance of the Hs 123 V1 prototype prematurely eliminated any chance for the more conventional Fi 98 , which was cancelled after a sole prototype had been constructed . During testing , the Hs 123 proved capable of pulling out of " near - vertical " dives ; however , two prototypes subsequently crashed due to structural failures in the wings that occurred when the aircraft were tested in high - speed dives . The fourth prototype incorporated improvements to cure these problems ; principally , stronger centre - section struts were fitted . After it had been successfully tested , the Hs 123 was ordered into production with an 656 kW ( 880 hp ) BMW 132Dc engine . The Hs 123 was intended to replace the Heinkel He 50 biplane reconnaissance and dive bomber as well as acting as a " stop - gap " measure until the Junkers Ju 87 became available . As such , production was limited and no upgrades were considered , although an improved version , the Hs 123B was developed by Henschel in 1938 . A proposal to fit the aircraft with a more powerful 716 kW ( 960 hp ) " 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 powerplant and featuring a sliding cockpit hood was intended to serve as the Hs 123C prototype . Nonetheless , production of the type ended in October 1938 with around 250 aircraft in all series . Operational history . Prior to World War II . A small pre - production batch of Hs 123A - 0s was completed in 1936 for service evaluation by the Luftwaffe . This initial group was followed by the slightly modified Hs 123A - 1 series , the first production examples . The service aircraft flew with an armoured headrest and fairing in place ( a canopy was tested in the Hs 123V6 ) as well as removable main wheel spats and a faired tailwheel . The main weapon load of four SC50 50 kg ( 110 lb ) bombs could be carried in lower wing racks along with an additional SC250 250 kg ( 550 lb ) bomb mounted on a " crutch " beneath the fuselage . The usual configuration was to install an auxiliary fuel " drop " tank at this station that was jettisoned in emergencies . Two 7 . 92 mm ( . 312 in ) MG 17 machine gun s were mounted in the nose synchronized to fire through the propeller arc . The aircraft entered service at StG 162 in autumn 1936 . Its career as a dive bomber was cut short when the unit received its first Ju 87A the next year . Remaining Hs 123s were incorporated into the temporary " Fliegergeschwader " 100 at the time of the Munich Crisis . The " Geschwader " ( wing ) had been created as an emergency measure , equipped with obsolete aircraft and tasked with the ground attack role . With the signing of the Munich agreement , the crisis was over and the " Geschwader " was disbanded , the " Gruppen " being transferred to other established units . By 1939 , despite its success in Spain , the " Luftwaffe " considered the Hs 123 obsolete and the " Schlachtgeschwader " ( " close - support wings " ) had been disbanded with only one " Gruppe " , " II . ( Schl ) / LG2 " still equipped with the Hs 123 . 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 as a part of the " Legion Condor " , intended to be used as tactical bomber s . In their intended role , the Hs 123s proved to be somewhat of a failure , hampered by their small bomb capacity and short range . Instead , the Hs 123s based in Seville were used for ground support , a role in which their range was not such a detriment , and where the ability to accurately place munitions was more important than carrying a large load . The combat evaluation of the Hs 123 demonstrated a remarkable resiliency in close - support missions , proving able to absorb a great deal of punishment including direct hits on the airframe and engine . The Nationalists in Spain were suitably impressed with the Hs 123 under battle conditions , purchasing the entire evaluation flight and ordering an additional 11 aircraft from Germany . The Spanish Hs 123s were known as " " Angelito " " ( dear angel or little angel ) , and at least one Hs 123 was in service with the " Ejército del Aire " ( Spanish Air Force ) after 1945 . Second Sino - Japanese War . 12 Hs 123s were also exported to China , where they were used extensively as dive bombers against Japan ese warships along the Yangtze River , especially in 1938 . World War II ( 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 in the Polish Campaign . This single unit proved to be particularly effective . Screaming over the heads of enemy troops , the Hs 123s delivered their bombs with devastating accuracy . A frightening aspect of an Hs 123 attack was the staccato noise of its engine that a pilot could manipulate by changing rpm to create " gunfire - like " bursts . The Hs 123 proved rugged and able to take a lot of damage and still keep on flying . Operating from primitive bases close to the front lines , the type was considered by ground crews to be easy to maintain and reliable in field conditions . The Polish campaign was a success for an aircraft considered obsolete by the " Luftwaffe " high command . Within a year , the Hs 123 was again in action in the " blitzkrieg " attacks through the Netherlands and France . General Guderian was continually impressed by the quick turnaround time offered by II . ( Schl ) / LG 2 . Often positioned as the " Luftwaffe " s most - forward based combat unit , the Hs 123 flew more missions per day than other units , and again proved their worth in the close - support role . With Ju 87s still being used as tactical bombers rather than true ground support aircraft and with no other aircraft capable of this mission in the " Luftwaffe " arsenal , the Hs 123 was destined to continue in service for some time more , although numbers were constantly being reduced by attrition . The Hs 123 was not employed in the subsequent Battle of Britain as the English Channel proved a formidable obstacle for the short - ranged aircraft . The sole operator , II . ( Schl ) / LG 2 went back to Germany to re - equip with the Messerschmitt Bf 109 E fighter bomber ( " Jabo " ) variant . The Bf 109E fighter bomber was not capable of carrying any more bombs than the Hs 123 . It did however , have a greater range and was far more capable of defending itself . On the downside were the notoriously tricky taxiing , ground handling and takeoff / landing characteristics , especially 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 . The aircraft performed well enough to warrant its use in Operation Barbarossa . World War II ( Eastern Front ) . At the start of Operation Barbarossa , the single " Gruppe " of the " Luftwaffe " that was dedicated to ground support was II . ( Schl ) / LG 2 , operating 22 Hs 123s ( along 38 Bf 109Es ) . In service use on the Eastern Front , the remaining aircraft had been field - modified with the main wheel spats removed , additional armour and extra equipment fitted as well as mounting extra machine guns and even cannons in under - wing housings . Some volunteers of " Escuadrilla Azul " ( 15 Spanische Staffel / VIII . " Fliegerkorps " ) of JG - 27 detached in " Luftflotte " 2 managed Hs 123s in collaboration of II . ( Schl . ) / LG 2 units for ground strikes along Bf 109E - 7 / B fighter - bombers during 1941 - 42 period . During the initial drive , the unit participated in action along the central and northern parts of the front , including a brief time in support of the fighting around Leningrad , and participating in the battles for Bryansk and Vyazma . The first weeks revealed problems associated with using the Bf 109E which was plagued by undercarriage and engine problems in the fighter - bomber role . Its liquid - cooled inline engine was also more vulnerable to small arms fire than the Hs 123 ' s radial . The winter brought hardship to all German forces in Russia , and the pilots in the open cockpits of the Henschels suffered accordingly . Despite this , they took part in the Battle of Moscow . In January , the unit was re - designated as the first dedicated ground attack wing ( in German " Schlachtgeschwader 1 " , SchlG 1 ) . The Hs 123 became a part of 7 . / SchlG 1 . This " new " unit participated in operations in Crimea in May 1942 , after which it operated on the southern sector for some time , participating in the Second Battle of Kharkov and going on to take part in the Battle of Stalingrad . In the meantime , the small number of operational Hs 123 continued to slowly dwindle . Aircraft had been salvaged from training schools and even derelict dumps all over Germany to replace losses . The aircraft that had supposedly replaced the Hs 123 , the Ju 87 , also started to be assigned to ground support units , leaving tactical bombing to newer aircraft . The greatest tribute to the Hs 123 usefulness came in January 1943 when " Generaloberst " Wolfram von Richthofen , 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 theater 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 taking part 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 . By 1945 , the Hs 123s that remained serviceable were reassigned to secondary duties such as supply dropping and glider towing . Legacy . The Henschel Hs 123 proved the adage that a rugged and reliable aircraft could be an effective combat weapon . Despite its antiquated appearance , the Hs 123 proved itself a formidable adversary in every World War II battlefield in which it fought . No Hs 123s are known to have survived .