MPM Model 12-2022 Henschel Hs 126 B-1 nr 86

The Henschel Hs 126 was a two-seater reconnaissance and reconnaissance aircraft of German production in the high wing configuration with a fixed landing gear with a classic tail and a metal structure. The drive was provided by a single BMW-132 radial engine with 880 hp or a Bramo-Fafnir-323 A with 850 hp. The flight of the prototype took place in 1936, and serial production started in 1938 and lasted until 1942. The Henschel Hs 126 was created in response to the Luftwaffe demand for a short-range reconnaissance aircraft, operating in direct contact with the frontline troops. Henschel originally tried to meet this demand with the development of the Hs 122, but it was not successful. However, it turned out to be the basis for the development of the Hs 126. In the course of serial production, two versions of the Henschel Hs 126 aircraft were created: A and B. They differed only in the power unit. The Henschel Hs 126 turned out to be a reliable construction, resistant to both the Russian winter and the African sun, and served in combat on all European fronts of World War II. Machines of this type also took part in the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) in the ranks of the nationalists and during the September campaign in 1939. They were used in a marginal way after 1942, when they began to be replaced by Focke-Wulf Fw-189 planes.