Italeri 1294 - 1/72 Henschel Hs-129 B2 WWII  [IT-1294S]

Period: Second World War

Country: Germany

Model Dim.: 13,5 cm

HENSCHEL HS-129 B-2

Near the end of the 30s, the Luftwaffe required the German industry to produce a small and maneuverable ground attack twin-engine aircraft. The first Henschel HS 129 were delivered in the Spring of 1942 and were immediately used on the Russian front. The Henschel HS 129 was fitted with two 700 hp Gnome-Rhône 14M Mars 14-cylinder two-row air-cooled radial engines, allowing the aircraft to fly at more than 250mph despite its heavy load. Armed with two 7,92mm MG17 machine-guns and two 20mm MG 151 autocannons, it could also carry several different bomb types for ground strikes. In the difficult theater of the Eastern front, it immediately found its use as an effective anti-tank aircraft. To boost its tank-killing capacity, it was fitted with a powerful 30mm MK 101 autocannon, mounted in an external port under the fuselage. During the war, more than 800 HENSCHEL HS 129 were built.