Did the HS 129 B-2 operate in Tunisia 1942/43?

[Boomerang]

Hello DK:

Great images!

There seems sound photographic evidence showing the Hs 129 equipped with the underfuselage antitank cannon and also fitted with underwing bombs, this of itself doesn't resolve the question about whether aircraft so fitted were used operationally.

Perhaps Allied intelligence reports could indicate whether Hs 129s with the underfuselage cannon/bomb combination were used against Allied forces in Tunisia.

Good luck with the modelling project - trust you have a steady hand for that scale.

Cheers

Boomerang

[Graham Boak]

Operationally, I'd suggest that the attack flight path needed to fire the cannon would differ considerably from that required to aim and drop the bombs. Generally, it was considered a bad idea to come back and attack a target for a second time, although being well-armoured might have influenced the pilots' opinions there. I suspect that the small bombs were used as "nuisance" weapons rather than for secondary attacks, but I agree that they would provide some operational flexibility. I doubt that they would have weight-limited the aircraft - at least in more temperate climes.

[Der Kommandeur]

Hi Boomerang
Hi Graham

Thank you for your input ... I am pleased my enquiry generated some interest.

Graham: I guess I was thinking that the bomb armament may be useful for targets of opportunity (for nuisance value, as you say) given that the canon would have had a limited amount of ammunition.

Boomerang: reasonably steady hand, helped by a big fat magnifying lens and (in the pipeline) custom decals for 4(Panzerjägdstaffel)/Schlachtgeschwader 2 ...

Thanks again.

DK