Best Tank Killer of WW2 continued

[CharlesBronson]

I think the best after all is this , the HS-129.

And Les... nice signature , but my favorite is this:

This .475 Wildey Magnum will sweep dirty Harry efortless ..

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The 129 was very good at what it did.

 

[lesofprimus]

I disagree.... The gun and armored bathtub were very good.... The rest of the aircraft, and especially the engines, were crap...... It could kill tanks, sure, but a large percentage of 129's that were lost, were operational losses...

Those Goddamn Sucky-Ass French Gnome-Rhone 14M radial engines.. GRRRRRRRR.... Ruined a possible great anti-tank aircraft.........

By late 1942 complaints started about the MK103 (on the 129B-2) against newer versions of T-34.... For some reason the Luftwaffe skipped the 37mm cannon, and installed the big ass 75 mm gun from the Panzer IV, and created the HS-129B-3....

A huge hydraulic system was used to damp the recoil of the gun... The resulting system was able to knock out any tank in the world, but the weight slowed the already poor performance of the plane to barely flyable in this new Hs 129B-3 version......

B-3's only started arriving in June 1944, and only 25 were delivered by the time the lines were shut down.... A small number were also converted from older B-2 models..... Over the lines in Russia, they proved deadly weapons, but with only 25 of them they had no REAL effect on the war effort.....

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree with you Les to the point of the engines put into the Hs-129. She had great potential but needed better engines. What I am saying is she was good at what she did. Had she better engines she would have great period.

 

[lesofprimus]

The HS-129C was supposed to correct this, with new Italian Engines, but Italy surrendered before being accomplished....

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Bummer for the Germans. Oh well the Fw-190's did just fine for them also.

 

[plan_D]

Why did they equip it with French engines, then hope to correct it with Italian engines? They're Germany, they're the ones that should be making the engines!

 

[cheddar cheese]

I think some models were built with German engines, not sure though.

 

[lesofprimus]

One of the design specs for the -129 was the use of "Non-essential engines"...

I have not read anywhere that states that some had German engines in them......

Great pic...

 

[plan_D]

I see. That does explain it then. You'd think that if they put all the effort into the aircraft, then they'd at least test it with some decent engines.

 

[lesofprimus]

I agree.....

 

[Erich]

all Hs 129's had the Rhome French engine and the MK 103 with tungsten cored ammo was suitable to take out any Soviet tank even blowing the turret of the T-34. The B-3 was too slow to fire and really only ground time for one well placed shot on a Soviet tank and then the German a/c had passed. The SG gruppen with the Hs 129 did quite well according to their scores. the Hs type was taken down by Soviet tri-flak at least 80 % of the time instead of combat with Soviet fighters.

check out the epic book on the bird by Martin Pegg. A fantastic tome........

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I agree as I stated up there that the aircraft was good at what she did however I still think the aircraft could have been better if she had been built with better engines than the crap she had.

 

[CharlesBronson]

For some reason the Luftwaffe skipped the 37mm cannon, and installed the big ass 75 mm gun from the Panzer IV, and created the HS-129B-3....

Actually there was a 37mm version, even it was produced in small numbers, I think that this in particular is the best antitank aircraft of ww2.

 

[lesofprimus]

It was still severely underpowered and slow, making it easy prey for those Soviet quad flak guns....

But... With better engines and that 37mm, i would almost agree with you...

 

[Erich]

three barrel not four Les..........

the problem for the SG's is that the armored bathtub was not in sufficient numbers to be all over the Ost front. had the old biplanes been removed and replaced with the Henschel most likely Hell would of broken loose on the Soviet armored and MT forces. Same goes for replacement with the Ju 87G but the Junkers did not carry enough rounds. As I said the Mk 103 tungsten was effective enough and a lighter round than limited quantities of 37mm tungsten cores

E ~

 

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

The Ju-87's were replaced by Fw-190 correct?

 

[lesofprimus]

Most were...

 

[Erich]

the 10th staffel or Panzerstaffel of each of the main, say 1-9 SG's had Ju 87G's. The main portion of the gruppes were heading over to Fw 190F's and a few G's with the Panzerblitz rockets. man they were ugly according to veterans.

The Ju 87 D-3 and 5 were the standard night ground attack in NSGr 1 and 2 and 9 and possibly 3 but I would have to check the data base.

 

[lesofprimus]

The main portion of the gruppes were heading over to Fw 190F's and a few G's with the Panzerblitz rockets. man they were ugly according to veterans.

There are many stories of turrents flying 25 feet up into the air from those deadly Panzerblitz 190's.... One of the best Tank Destroyers for sure...