Henschel Hs 123
 

The number of Hs 123s built seems subject to debate.
Prototypes: 6 (all sources concur)
Hs 123 A-0: 16 or 18
Hs 123 A-1: from 235 to 265 (Wikipedia: 1 000 :D) but impossible to know if the prototypes and the pre-series are included.

Sources:
- Flugzeug Profile #42
- Wydawnictwo Militaria
- Green's Warplanes of the IIIrd Reich
- Vajda/Dancey's German Aircraft Industry and Production

Thanks for your help.

Chris

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

"Combat Aircraft of World War Two", by Weal & Weal, 1977 lists 610;

6 prototypes
604 A-1

No mention of the A-0.

Don

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Don,

601 machines built between '36 and '37 and only a handful to equip II.(Schl)/LG 2 in September 1939?
Where were the 500+ other aircraft still surviving?
Doesn't match.
Vajda/Dancey wrote that 187 had been accepted on a 235 order by 01.07.37.
Very doubtful that ca 400 more were built after 1938.

Chris

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Wikiepedia.de claimed 248 including 6 prototypes, 16 A-0 and 229 Hs 123 A-1/B-1. So possibly right number is 235 Hs 123 A-1/B-1 including 229 delivered.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

The Hs 123 was produced by Henschel, Berlin and Ago, Oschersleben.
The total number produced, including protoypes and pre-production series,
were 266 aircraft. There were three prototypes, V-1 W.Nr. 265/D-ILUA, V-2 W.Nr. 266 and V-3 W.Nr. 267/D-IKOU)ordered initially. Later V-4 (W.Nr.670/D-IZXY), V-5 (W.Nr. 796/D-INRA), V-6 (W.Nr. 797/D-IHDI)and V-7 (W.Nr. ??/D-IUPO) were all parts of the Hs 123A-0 series. There were two main production series, the Hs 123A-1 and Hs 123B-1, both versions were produced by both factories. The deliveries were:
May 1936 1 aircraft
August 1936 1 aircraft, September 1936 6, October 1936 9,
November 1936 11, December 1936 26, January 1937 24
February 1937 10, March 1937 63, April 1037 24, May 1937 7,
June 1937 22, July 1937 22, August 1937 15, September 1937 5,
October 1937 4, November 1937 12, December 1937 1,
February 1938 1, May 1938 1, September 1938 1.
The last thre aircraft were probably aircraft held by the factories for various test purposes and not taken over by RLM until after the original series production had seized.
Unfortunately, the record (In the BA/MA RL 3 series) does not give the number produced for each version.
In the RLM Flugzeug Lieferplan Nr. 5 of 1.4.1937, the total number on
order was 115 from Henschel and 140 from Ago. This figure of 255 aircraft reflect only A-1 and B-1 series aircraft. This should indicate that the remaining 11 aircraft was made up by the three real protoypes and eight Hs 123A-0 aircraft. Thus the total figure was 266 including everything.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Seaplanes - thx for answer! Any info on W.Nr. blocks?

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Great !
That sums it up...
Nothing to add, except thank you.

Chris

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Seaplanes,

Great summary, thanks.
I'm a bit confused, though.
In your overview you mention that production was of both A-1 and B-1 versions.
However, all other sources I checked only mention A-1 series production. The V-5 was supposed to be a B-version prototype with BMW 132K engine, but never taken into production. (Similarly V-6 as C-prototype).
This suggests all 255 production aircraft were A-1.
If however, part of production were B-1's, what was then the difference with the A-1?

Hope you can shed some light on this.

Regards, Pieter

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

B-1 was all metal, A-1 was mixed.

W.Nr. blocks are (known W.Nr's from losslists):

211-260
632
792-794
831-865
936-971

And next:
2248-2345
2424-2434
2731-2738

What does that mean?
3-digit for A-1 and 4 digit for B-1, or;
3-digit for Henschel and 4-digit for AGO?

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Also, more questions:
Hs 123 A-0: 16 built,
(Henschel) 628-635
(AGO Flugzeugwerke)788-795

A-0 W.Nr. does not contain Hs 123V-4 !

2. Hs123A in Spain

First batch arrived, sept.36:

Hs123 24*1 "Scull and 2 bones emblem"
Hs123 24*2 "Teufelkopf" emblem
Hs123 24*3 "Teufelkopf" emblem
Pilots:
Lt. Heinrich Brucker on 9.9.1937 had 1 victory with 2.J/88, I-16

Uffz. Emil (or Konrad?) Rückert abgeschossen bei einem Tiefangriff at Aravaca (Madrid) on 25.03.1937

Uffz. August Wilmsen, abgeschossen bei einem Tiefangriff at Bilbao on 11.06.1937

Second batch arrived, early 37:

Hs123 24*4 - no photo
Hs123 24*5
Hs123 24*6 - no photo
Pilots:

Fw. Fritz Hillmann (pilot from 2.J/88)
338 13.7.1937 Ofw. Fritz Hillmann 2.J/88 I-16 1 unconfirmed
339 17.7.1937 Ofw. Fritz Hillmann 2.J/88 I-16 2 unconfirmed
57 18.7.1937 Ofw. Fritz Hillmann 2.J/88 I-16 3

Uffz. Hermann Beuer (pilot from 1.J/88)

Third pilot unknown

Of those 6 a/c, 4 were lost and last 2 (24*3 and 24*5) were given to Aviacion Nacional

12 a/c arrived in 1939 and saw no action.

Hs123 24*7
Hs123 24*8
Hs123 24*9 - no photo
Hs123 24*10
Hs123 24*11 - no photo
Hs123 24*12
Hs123 24*13, crashed 5.12.41
Hs123 24*14 - no photo
Hs123 24*15 - no photo
Hs123 24*16 - no photo
Hs123 24*17 - crashed on 3.10.39 Escuadrilla de Bombardeo en Picada de la 2 Region Aeria
Hs123 24*18 - no photo

3. 12 Hs123 arrived to China in 1937. What W.Nr.s they had?

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

I have no definitive source for all W.Nos. for Hs 123 built. However, I do have about 50 W.Nos. from pre-war aircraft repair reports (BA/MA RL 3 Series). This give a good indication of the versions built.
Hs 123A-0 W.Nos. 632, 633, 670, 789, 790, 796 and 797.
Hs 123A-1 W.Nos. 819, 820, 832 and 837.
Hs 123B-1 W.Nos. 852, 853, 854, 857, 859, 860, 938, 939, 940, 947,
949, 950, 952, 953, 964, 971 and 976.
Hs 123A-1 W.Nos. 2247, 2248 and 2270.
Hs 123B-1 W.Nos. 2279, 2287, 2288, 2289, 2292, 2293, 2302, 2317,
2319, 2328, 2334, 2335, 2345, 2346, 2355, 2358, 2424, 2430 and 2431.
I also have a singel Hs 123B-1 with W.Nr. 2735, but his may be a typo.
This would lead to the conclusion that the Hs 123B-1 all metal aircraft was the predominant version built.
To Evgeny: what is the source for your production figures for the A-0 series and that the Hs 123V-4 never was a part of this series ???
The A-0 series would normally be produced by Henschel only. The licensee factories rarely built aircraft of the pre production series, like Ago in this case.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Seaplanes:

1. Yes, my mistake. I dont remember where I've got 2 manufacturers for A-0. So, all A-0 are from Henschel, Berlin.

2. I got following W.Nr.s from losslists:

1st manufacturer: 211, 223, 260, 632, 792, 794, 831, 832, 836, 837, 841, 848, 853, 855, 858, 863, 865, 936, 939, 943, 961, 969, 971

2nd manufacturer: 2248, 2250, 2256, 2268, 2270, 2271, 2274, 2285, 2287, 2291, 2292, 2300, 2302, 2312, 2320, 2325, 2327, 2330, 2332, 2333, 2333, 2336, 2344, 2345, 2424, 2426, 2431, 2434, 2731, 2738

1st and 2nd manufacturers - which was AGO and which was Henschel?

Also, from photos:

W.Nr's 968, 969, 970 of 3./St.G.2.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

I have now checked through the files of NARA T-177 roll no. 16 containing among other things, the very important RLM Flugzeugentwicklungsprogramm (aircraft development programs) from 1935 to 1937. Here all prototypes and 0-Serie aircraft are listed, many with W.Nos.
For 01.10.1936 the following info is given for the Hs 123:
Hs 123V-1 W.Nr. 265 1 x BMW 132. First flight in April 1935.
Hs 123V-2 W.Nr. 266 1 x Cyclone. First flight in May 1935.
Hs 123V-3 W.Nr. 267 1 x BMW 132. First flight in May 1935.
Hs 132V-4 W.Nr. 670 1 x BMW 132. First flight in April 1936. Prototype
for Hs 123A-0 series.
Hs 123V-5 W.Nr. 796. 1 x BMW 132J.
Hs 123V-6 W.Nr. 797 1 x BMW 132J.
Hs 123A-0 W.Nr. 628-634 and 788-785. Total 16 aircraft.

In the program dated 01.04.1937, the first three prototypes are no longer listed.
Hs 123V-4 W.Nr. 670 1 x BMW 132A.
Hs 123V-5 W.Nr. 796 1 x BMW 132G. First flight in March 1937.
Hs 123V-6 W.Nr. 797 1 x BMW 132K. First flight expected in May 1937.
Hs 123V-7 W.Nr. not given. 1 x BMW 132K. First flight expected in July 1937 but later delayed until December 1937.
Hs 123V-8 was a conversion of the Hs 123V-2.
Hs 123A-0. Same as above.

Unfortunately, I have no confirmed info as to which factory delivered the various series. Based on the A-0 series W.Nos. and the prototypes W.Nos., I believe that everything from 265 to 976 are from Henschel and the four digit in the 2000 series are from Ago production. But this is guessimations only. Can someone confirm. In case give your source for that information.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Addition:

II./LG2 losses in USSR 1941:

631, 820, 938, 940, 943, 966, 979,
2254, 2277, 2322, 2358, 2429, 2347, 2425, 2514,

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Henschel Jahresbericht gives Henschel factory production as seven prototypes, 103 series aircraft for RLM and 12 on export (china) which would leave the balance for the Ago factory.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Gentlmen:

From Hs123 losslists:

3 digit W.Nr.s:

1st block - 4 a/c: 260, 265, 266, 267. (Also, there are 231, but this is brobably typo)
2nd block - 3 a/c : 631, 632, 670
3rd block 10 a/c: 788 - 797 (missing W.Nrs. in losslists are: 790, 791, 793)
4th block - 48 a/c: 818 - 865 (missing numbers in losslists are: 819, 822, 824, 826, 827, 828, 829, 830, 833, 834, 838, 839, 840, 843, 844, 845, 849, 850, 851, 852, 854, 856, 860, 861, 862, 864)
5th block - 44 a/c: 936 - 979 (missing numbers in losslists are: 937, 941, 942, from 944 to 951, from 954 to 960, 963, 967, 970, 973, 974, 976, 977, 978)

Total (3 digit Werk numbers) - 109 (or 108)

4 digit W.Nr.s:
1st block 110 a/c: 2248 - 2358 (missing numbers in losslists - 2251 to 2253, 2255, 2258, 2259, 2262 to 2267, 2269, 2273, 2275, 2279-2281, 2283, 2288 - 2290, 2294 - 2299, 2303, 2304, 2307, 2309, 2313, 2316, 2319, 2321, 2323, 2324, 2329, 2331, 2334, 2335, 2337 to 2339, 2341, 2343, 2346, 2350, 2353, 2356)
2nd block 13 a/c: 2424 - 2436 (missing numbers in losslists - 2427, 2432, 2433)
3rd block - 10 a/c: 2729 - 2738 (missing numbers in losslists - 2730, 2734, 2736)

Total (4 digit Werk nummers) - 123.

That numbers could bot include those 12 were sent to China.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

A Henschel document states that 262 Hs 123s were built in total by both HFW and AGO (situation at the end of 1942). This comprises the seven prototypes.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

In addition the same Jahresbericht gives 15 Hs 123 A-0 and 88 A-1 so my conclusion would be
7 Prototypes
15 Hs 123 A-0
88 Hs 123 A-1
12 Export
140 built by AGO

By the end of 1942 only 109 Hs 123 out of 262 were still in the inventory of Luftwaffe the remainder were destroyed.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

The Flugzeugbestanende of 1/5/40 confirms 255 delivered - so excludes the prototypes. I put this and the 1944 listings on LEMB for download - http://www.luftwaffe-experten.org/fo...howtopic=11253

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

I read in Flugzeug-Profile #42 that Henschel bought back 12 Hs 123As from the German government to sell them to China.
So, it appears that they are not to be taken into account in the production figures.

As many different figures as sources... strange, isn't it?

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Thanks Steve, most usefeul.

One question.
What about this "F4U1" on the bottom of page 8 of the Jun/Jul 44 Flugzeugbestand?
Did the Germans capture a Vought Corsair?

Chris

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Corsair II (F4U-1A) JT404 from 1841. NAS stationed aboard HMS Formidable. A/C piloted by Sub Lt Mattholie was captured 17 July 1944 on Bodo Island after force-landing due to mechanical-fault.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Thanks for the link to these interesting documents!

When analysing ther content I found that some of the the pages in the 1944 documents have been mixed up, either in the original file or when the copies were made. Pages 9, 10 and 12 of "August-September 1944 belong to June-July 1944. In additon, a number of pages are missing: page 11 of June-July 1944 and page 9 of August-September 1944. Also April-May 1944 ends with half of page 8 and half of the last page, the rest is misssing.

Thanks for sharing!
Lennart Andersson

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Thanks. I did not know.
What was the subsequent fate of this aircraft?

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

My source for the total production of 266 Hs 123 including prototypes, 0-series, series and export aircraft, is the BA/MA RL 3/2617. This source has proven to be very precise in other respects, so why not for the Hs 123. There are many other sources with very different figures. I have a copy of a letter from RLM LC III 1a dated Berlin 11. January 1938, stating the total of Hs 123 taken over by RLM was 223 aircraft. Another letter of 25. June 1938 give the Hs 123 production as 255 aircraft taken over by RLM.

As a curiosity, I can mention that according to BA/MA RL 3/974 Flugzeugbestandlisten dated 31. January 1944, the total remaining number of the Hs 123 in the Luftwaffe were 13 aircraft. 9 aircraft served with aircraft units, 3 were in repair works and 1 served with a special (sonstige) unit.

Finally to Mikael, can I please have the record reference for the Henschel Jahresberichten.

Re: Henschel Hs 123
 

Corsair info...

http://www.warbirdinformationexchang...f3023a9#p75671

Sorry for Off Topic...