Anti tank aircraft in North Africa

[Doug]

I have been searching the internet but have only found contridictions to my questions which are:
1/ Was the Ju 87 tank buster with twin 3mm ATG's used in North Africa?
2/ Was the Henschel 129b with 30mm or 37mm ATG used in North Africa?
3/ How many rounds of 37mm ammo did the Henschel 129b carry?
Thanks Doug

[Zoe Brain]

1. Twin 37mm Ju-87 (Bordkanone BK 3,7) only on the Eastern Front.

In April 1943, the first production Ju 87 G-1s were delivered to front line units. The two 37 mm (1.46 in) cannons were mounted in under-wing gun pods, each loaded with a six-round magazine of armour-piercing tungsten carbide ammunition.
With these weapons, the Kanonenvogel ("cannon-bird"), as it was nicknamed, proved spectacularly successful in the hands of Stuka aces such as Rudel. The G-1 was converted from older D-series airframes, retaining the smaller wing, but without the dive brakes. The G-2 was similar to the G-1 except for use of the extended wing of the D-5. 208 G-2s were built and at least a further 22 more were converted from D-3 airframes.

The last of the Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered on 13th May, 1943.

2.
5th Staffel SchlG 1 was transferred to East Prussia in October to rest and refit with the Hs 129B2/R1. It departed for North Africa on 5 November 1942 and arrived in Tunis on 29 November. It flew its first combat mission the next day against British tanks and vehicle columns near Tebourba, followed by numerous missions over the next month. It was renamed 8.(Pz)/SchlG 2 in January 1943.

The B2/R1 had 20mm cannon and mgs, not a 30mm conformal pack.

3. "Relatively few" 37mm armed Hs 129B2/R3s were produced. They had 6 round magazines.

The 129B1/R2 with the MK-101 cannon had a 10 round box magazine initially, then a 30 round one later.
The 129B2/R2 had the faster-firing MK-103 - The gun was belt-fed and 100 rounds were carried. This variant first saw action in June 1943 at the Battle of Kursk, although the gun was not at first very reliable.

[Carl_Brisgamer]

Hi Doug,

Here's a couple of pics from Wings Palette of Tunisian Hs129's. My sources indicate the Henschels sent to North Africa were Hs129B-1 versions armed with 2 x 20mm MG151/20 and 2 x 7.92mm MG 17.

67980

67979

[Naharaht]

Some Henschel Hs129's were fitted with 75mm cannon in Russia.

[Zoe Brain]

Here's a couple of pics from Wings Palette of Tunisian Hs129's.

Top one is a 129B1/R1, bottom one a 129B2/R1. Easiest way of telling the two apart is the lack of aerial mast on the B2.


Some Henschel Hs129's were fitted with 75mm cannon in Russia.

25 to be exact. 129B2/R3 and 129B3

Few Hs 129s were actually installed with the BK 3,7 however, and the Rheinmetall firm decided to adapt for the aircraft (as had already been done with the heavy-gunned Ju 88P-1) their semi-automatic loading 7.5 cm Pak 40 anti-tank gun into a lighter-weight, fully automatic aircraft-mountable version, with a completely different and more aerodynamic muzzle brake to produce the Bordkanone BK 7,5 model. A huge hydraulic system was used to dampen the recoil of the gun, and an autoloader system with 12 rounds in the magazine was fitted in the large empty space behind the cockpit. This made for an easier design solution due to the PaK 40 already having a semi-automated firing mechanism. The gun and its recoil mechanism occupied a gun pod under the fuselage and a hole in the rear end of the pod allowed spent cartridges to be ejected. The resulting system was able to knock out any tank in the world, but the added weight further hindered the already poor performance of the airplane. The Hs 129 B-3 version was a very poorly handling aircraft.

B-3s finally started arriving in June 1944, and just 25 were delivered by the time the lines were shut down in September. A small number were also converted from older B-2 models. In the field they proved deadly weapons, but with only 25 aircraft available they had no effect on the war effort.

[Zoe Brain]

68136

Abandoned 129B2/R1 in Tunis.

A good history is at http://www.thescale.info/news/publish/hs129intunisia.shtml

Note that some received gunpacks in the field after delivery

Sunday 29 November 1942
Three Hs 129s of 5./Sch.G. 1 arrived in Tunis.

During the night of 29/30 November a truck was to arrive at Bizerta airfield to fetch Fw. Sander and two men, along with 800 rounds of 30 mm ammunition and weapons equipment for 5./Sch.G. 1. III./Z.G. 2 was to ensure immediate loading occurred. The three men were to arrive in Tunis by 05:30.

[Doug]

Thanks All Doug