The Henschel Hs 129 was a World War II ground-attack aircraft fielded by the German Luftwaffe. The aircraft saw combat in Tunisia and on the Eastern Front.

A key requirement of the original specification was that the aircraft be powered by engines that were not in demand for other designs. Prototypes with low-power German Argus As 410 engines of 465 PS (459 hp; 342 kW) failed acceptance test, a more powerful replacement was found with the French Gnome-Rhone 14M engine of 700 PS (690 hp; 515 kW).

The design was relatively effective when it was first introduced, and saw service on the Eastern Front in a variety of front-line roles. As the war continued and anti-tank support became the main goal, the aircraft was continually up-gunned, eventually mounting a 75 mm gun in the anti-tank role that left the plane barely flyable.

Pictured here is a 1:72 scale replica of a German Henschel HS-129 ground attack aircraft that was attached to 5./Schlachtgeschwader 1, then deployed to the Eastern Front during June 1942. Sold Out!

Dimensions:
Wingspan: 7-3/4-inches
Length: 5-1/4-inches

Release Date: June 2021

Historical Account: "Death from Above" - Schlachtgeschwader 1 (SchlG 1, since 1943 rather SG 1) was a German ground-attack wing during World War II. The first formation was on January 13th, 1942, from the II.(Schl)/Lehrgeschwader 2, initially with two Gruppen each made of four Staffeln. The second formation was on On October 18th, 1943, by renaming the existing Sturzkampfgeschwader 1 (StG 1). The new unit's name became abbreviated simply SG 1.

SchlG 1 gradually withdrew from Russia to become fully stationed in Kiev in October 1943. On October 18th, 1943, the Stab (staff) was disbanded and the personnel used to form the staffs of IV/SG 9, NSGr 3, and NSGr 7. Both Gruppen moved to other formations: the I/SchlG 1 was renamed the II/SG 77, except for the 1st Staffel which was disbanded and incorporated into the other Staffeln, and the II/SchlG 1 was renamed the II/SG 2, with 5th Staffel becoming 8th Staffel and the others retaining their numbers.

At the same time the independent Staffeln also became renamed: the 4.(Pz)/SchlG 1 was renamed to the 10.(Pz)/SG 9, and the 8.(Pz)/SchlG 1 was renamed 11.(Pz)/SG 9.