Re: Henschel 129s in Tunisia?
 

Hi Peter
yep yur right,I must get new glasses.
cheers
Jerry

Re: Henschel 129s in Tunisia?
 

Denes,...

Hi, would you know the name of the pilot that flew 0385 on its last mission??

The Luftwaffe Quartermaster's return only gives his unit and that he was unhurt?

Regards,

Martin

Re: Henschel 129s in Tunisia?
 

Hello Martin,

That's all the info I have on that particular airplane. Loss info from Quartermaster's records rarely mention the name of the pilot, this happened mainly if he was KIA.

You wrote: I am wondering how did you manage to get so precise details on your artefact?

By the way, according to my research - published in the book Henschel Hs 129 In Detail, Midland (UK), 2006 - the production block 0201-0450 was assigned to the B-2 sub-type.

Re: Henschel 129s in Tunisia?
 

Denes,

When the Henschel cockpit first arrived, and I knew nothing about it's origin, I treated it like a piece of archaeology and started from the ground up. I have tried to backup every step with hard evidence.

To answer your specific question I found out a lot of additional details about the Henschel such as how it was actually built and final proof of it's identity during the strip-down phase of its current ongoing restoration.

Initially several removable panels and parts had the numbers "0385" painted on them, this coupled with what I knew pointed to a B2. On the back of the master fusebox panel the circuit diagram indicated that the electrical layout was for a B1 or a B2, the panel itself was commissioned on the 24th October 1942.

(I also own one of the Manuals for the Henschel that the Americans used to work with the aircraft in Ohio, it clearly identifies that FE4066/EB105, was and is 0385.)

I stayed confused for sometime as although everything pointed to a B2, many of the parts including the KG14 sticktop were for the earlier B1's.

It seems that the interior is more B1 than B2, to me I thought that this was a clever use of parts, in that as production moved forward the aircraft would become more "modern".

Finally, after I started to analyse the electrical system I realized that I had the B2 fuel pump circuit breakers and the later fuel system.

When the hull was cleaned and all the leather skin interior removed it was noticed that the upper right-hand side attach mounts for the emergency undercarriage pump-down lever were all moved and rewelded, ie the welder mounted them all in the wrong place. This would have been a time consuming repair as there would have been quite a bit of grinding and rewelding involved to fix.

Then, when the roof of the hull was garnet cleaned the number "0388" appeared in foot long characters.
This discovery makes sense when you consider that the cockpit would have to have left the line for mods to occur.
Consensus points to the cockpit "0385" being mated to "0388" and on modification, "0388" becoming "0385".

There is some assuming going on here, but when you weigh it up?

It's late, and it has been a long day, and evening in the workshop, hope this all makes some sense,

Regards,

Martin