|
S u m m a r y
|
| Publisher's details and
Title |
Midland Publishing Military
Aircraft in Detail #2 - Henschel Hs 129 |
| Media: |
Soft Cover; 96 pages plus covers |
| Price: |
Available
for GBP£16.99 from Ian Allan |
| Review Type: |
First Read |
| Advantages: |
Logical format,
important but neglected subject; comprehensive coverage, profusely illustrated, easy to read text,
large format. |
| Disadvantages: |
|
| Recommendation: |
Highly Recommended |
Reviewed by
Brett Green
The second in Ian Allan Publishing's "Military Aircraft in Detail"
series covers the Henschel Hs 129. The author is well known Luftwaffe
and Rumanian aircraft researcher Denes Bernad.
The Henschel Hs 129 was a purpose-designed, heavily armoured and
armed tank destoyer.
The Spanish Civil War was used as a testing ground for new military
technologies. Legion Condor successfully employed the Stuka dive bomber
to handle stationary or slow moving targets such as buildings or ships,
but there was no satisfactory weapon to efficiently deal with tanks and
other fast-moving armoured and soft-skinned vehicles.
Tenders were therefore called for a heavily armed and armoured
aircraft to operate at low levels over the battlefield. Hamburger
Flugzeugbau, Focke-Wulf and Henschel responded to the specification,
with the Henschel design winning in the last round of selection against
Focke-Wulf's Fw 189 S.
This new title follows the same format as the first in the series -
96 glossy pages between soft covers, with descriptive text supported by
150 photos and diagrams.
The book is logically organised, commencing with background on the
requirement for a tank-killing aircraft, followed by the selection
process; development of the Hs 129; pre-series production, the Hs 129
B-1 - a greatly improved machine compared to the A variant; then the
B-2; ordnance and weapons including trials; final developments and the
end of the tank-killer - due to high fuel consumption!
Appendices include a reconstructed Hs 129 Production Table, a list of
Aircraft Variants and flight statistics, and Specifications (basic and
detailed).
The pages are prolifically supported by wartime photos and technical
drawings.
The Henschel Hs 129 was undoubtedly an important and successful
aircraft, and a true pioneer in the field of aerial tank hunting.
Despite this, it remains under-documented.
Denes Bernad's "Henschel Hs 129" book helps address this shortage of
information, and will be welcomed by modellers and Luftwaffe enthusiasts
alike.
Highly Recommended.
Thanks to Ian
Allen Publishing for the review sample
Review Copyright © 2006 by Brett Green
This Page Created on 21 December, 2006
Last updated 21 December, 2006
Back to HyperScale Main Page
Back to Reviews Page
|
Home | What's
New | Features
| Gallery |
Reviews | Reference
| Forum
| Search
Military
Aircraft In Detail #2