Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop. "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941

[Dizzyfugu]

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Some background:
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. It proved to be robust, durable and effective especially in severe conditions.

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 flight 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.

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The Henschel prototypes did away with bracing wires and although they looked slightly outdated with their single faired interplane struts and cantilever main landing gear legs attached to smaller (stub) lower wings, the Hs 123 featured an all-metal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.

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


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, and production of the type ended in October 1938 with around 250 aircraft in all series.

The Hs 123 was used in various conflict theatres, including the Spanish Civil War, the 2nd  Sino-Japanese War and the invasions of Poland and Greece. Later, the Hs 123 took part in the North Africa campaign and the Eastern Front, where the machines were kept in service until literally none was left in servicable condition in 1944, and a few soldiered on in second line duties such as supply dropping and glider towing in 1945.

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


During the Afrika Korps' two-year campaign in North Africa, duties were dominated by the Siege of Tobruk in 1941, which lasted for over seven months. Together with the more modern and capable Ju 87, a handful of Hs 123s served during the Battle of Gazala and the First Battle of El Alamein, as well as during the decisive Second Battle of El Alamein, which drove Rommel back to Tunisia.

Outfitted with dust filters and adapted to nocturnal duties (e. g. with flame dampers on the exhausts and guns), the Hs 123s flew interdiction missions and primarily hunted for unarmored vehicles or outposts. As the tide turned and Allied air power grew in the autumn of 1942, the German attack aircraft became very vulnerable and losses were heavy.


1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The entry of the Americans into North Africa during Operation Torch made the situation far worse and the slow Hs 123s suffered heavy losses. Even the relatively new Ju 87 had become obsolete in what was now a fighter-bomber's war. The Bf 109 and Fw 190 could at least fight enemy fighters on equal terms after dropping their ordnance but the dive bombers could not, so that the HS 123 was completely retired from North Africa in early 1942 and the remaining machines sent to the Eastern Front.

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



General characteristics:
    Crew: 1
    Length: 8.33 m (27 ft 4 in)
    Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft 5.5 in)
    Height: 3.20 m (10 ft 6 in)
    Wing area: 24.85 m² (267.49 ft²)
    Empty weight: 1,500 kg (3,307 lb)
    Loaded weight: 2,215 kg (4,884 lb)

Powerplant:
    1× BMW 132Dc 9-cylinder radial engine, rated at 880 hp (656 kW)

Performance:
    Maximum speed: 341 km/h (183 knots, 211 mph) at 1,200 m (3,900 ft)
    Range: 860 km (463 nmi, 533 mi with drop tank; 480 km (298 mi) with 200 kg of bombs)
    Service ceiling: 9,000 m (29,530 ft)
    Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,950 ft/min) at sea level

Armament:
    2× 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns with 400 RPG in the upper fuselage
    Up to 450 kg (992 lb) of bombs (1x SC250 bomb under fuselage and 4x SC50 bombs
    under wings), alternatively a 300l drop tank under the fuselage;
    field modification of 2× 20 mm (0.79 in) MG FF cannon in underwing pods



The kit and its assembly:
A quick interim build, waiting for the In the Navy GB to start  . Some time ago I had bought a cheap Airfix Hs 123 but had no clear plan for it. But in order to reduce the kit pile, I decided to take this one to the hardware stage.
When I delved into the Hs 123's history I was astonihsed that this tough little aircraft had not been deployed to North Africa, and so the idea of a tropicalized version was born.

Further inspiration came from a Ju 87 photo of the 1941 era which showed a Stuka in desert camouflage and roughly blackened undersides and distinctive side markings. That became the benchmark, together with the Luftwaffe's practice to use outdated types as night attackers.

Since no big conversion was planned, the Airfix kit (which is, despite some sink holes on the thick wing struts and fitting issues between the lower wings and the fuselage) turned out to be an easy build with IMHO good (raised, though) details - and the voluminous pilot figure conceals the lack of internal details.

Anyway, I made some minor changes/additions:
- For the night attacker role I added longer exhaust pipes (1mm iron wire) with flame dampers (styrene) on the flanks.
- A bigger carburetor fairing (with a dust filter) was added under the engine.
- Flaps lowered and some details like engine braces and wires added
- The machine received gun pods under the wings, instead of the four SC50 bombs. The optional podded MG FF (with 65 RPG) were a real world option, but I was not able to find material that shows the pods' shape, so I made my own. In this case the pods come from a Hawker Hurricane, but the barrels were scratched from styrene.

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


Painting and markings:
The more creative part. During the early stages of the Afrikafeldzug a lot of German verhicles still bore their standard livery - tanks and trucks were painted in Panzergrau and aircraft arrived in RLM 71/70/65 or, newer types, in RLM 74/75/76. Anyway, everything more or less unsuited for the new theatre of operations.

Consequently, many aircraft received improvised camouflage in field workshops, using any paint at hand: mostly Italian colors. Therefore, a huge number of German aircraft received individual paint schemes with 'Giallo Mimetico' (of which several tones existed, ranging from pale yellow to earth brown) and/or 'Verde Mimetico'.  The yellow was frequently applied over the original camouflage, so that the original paint would be visible. The dedicated desert camouflage tone RLM 80 (Olivgrün) was already a frequent sight, as well as RLM 78 for the undersides, but the German sand tone RLM79 turned up relatively late, towards the end of the North Africa campaign.

My night attacker Hs 123 was to carry a typical improvised scheme on the upper sides: the type's standard RLM 70/71 splinter scheme with a low waterline was to be roughly painted over, with light green splotches added, while the original colors would here and there shine through.

The paintwork was built up accordingly with enamels and brushes. For the upper sides I used Humbrol 91 (Black Green) and Modelmaster 2081 (Dark Green), for the Italian extra colors I used Humbrol 237 (Sand) and Modelmaster 2149 (RAL 6003).

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


On the undersides, the finish was to represent the former RLM 65, but overpainted with flat black but well worn. The leading edges and some areas (e. g. under national markings) were primed with light blue (Modelmaster 2078), and then a coat of flat black was added (Revell acrylics). After drying, the lower surfaces were carefully and directionally wet-sanded, so that the blue came through again.

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) - WiP by dizzyfugu, on Flickr


The national markings on the fuselage were painted over with thinned black acrylic paint, so that they remained barely visible. The typical white fuselage band for operations in the Mediterranean was also painted over on the sides and from below, so that only the dorsal quarter remained visible. The squadron code (T6) is actually there, but in very small black letters. The control letter for the aircraft's group beyond the yellow code color (a 'P') was left away - not an uncommon practice.  The aircraft's individual code (the yellow D) would be the only clearly visible fuselage marking.

The squadron's emblem on the cowling comes from a Peddinghaus aftermarket sheet, placed on a dark green basis, and the crosses on the upper wings were placed on dark green squares, as if the new camouflage had been painted around these older markings.

Further overall weathering was achieved through light dry-brushing and some further wet-sanding, the raised surface details of this kit makes this method very effective. Once all decals were in place, partly covered and everything sealed with matt acrylic varnish, some gun and exhaust soot was added with grinded graphite. The overall result looks rather rotten, but the aforementioned picture of the Ju 87 night attacker just left this impression!

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr

1:72 Henschel Hs 123 A-1 trop; "T6+DP" of VI./2. StG, Deutsche Luftwaffe, Tmimi (Libya), July 1941 (Whif/modified Airfix kit) by dizzyfugu, on Flickr



A quick build, realized in just two and a half days (plus the pictures, though, these took another two days), a nice weekend project. And even though not much was changed the fictional North Africa version appears pretty realistic – simple and effective.

[dumaniac]

nice camo

[PR19_Kit]

A 'nice weekend project' indeed Thomas, but for most of us it would have taken at least a week, maybe even longer! 

[zenrat]

 

[comrade harps]

A suitably improvised and grotty look  .

I am planning an Axis night attack Gladiator at the mo and seeing this is timely inspiration.

[Hotte]

Nice Henschel 

Hotte

[ChernayaAkula]

Nice work! 

[Dizzyfugu]

Thank you, everyone! 

[Glenn Gilbertson]

Good looking and believable!

[DogfighterZen]

Nice work on the kit and pics, love that underside shot!