The Henschel Hs 124 was Henschel's entry into the
Luftwaffe's twin-engine Kampfzerstörer (heavy fighter/light bomber) requirement, but was abandoned after this programme was split into separate
Zerstörer (heavy fighter) and
Schnellbomber (fast bomber) requirements. Three prototypes were planned, but only two were built[1]
The first prototype, the Hs 124 V1 had two liquid-cooled 12-cylinder
Junkers Jumo 210A
engines of 449 kW each (610 hp). It was fitted with a rotating turret with two 7.92mm
MG 15 machine guns in the nose.
The Hs 124 V2 had two 870 PS (860 hp; 640 kW)
BMW 132Dc 9-cylinder
radial engines and was armed with two 20 mm Mauser cannon, as well as a 7.92mm MG 15 machine gun, carrying up to 600 kg of bombs.
The proposed Hs 124 V3 was intended to have two 20mm
MG FF cannon and two 7.92mm
MG 17 machine guns in a solid nose, but was never built. The internal bomb bay of the Hs 124 was intended to hold six 100 kg bombs, or additional fuel plus eight 50 kg bombs on an under-fuselage rack and two more under each wing.[2]
Specifications (Hs 124 V2)
Data from Warplanes of the Third Reich,[3] Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt[4]
General characteristics
Crew: 3 (pilot, radio operator/gunner and bombardier)
^Nowarra, Heinz J. (1993). Die Deutsche Luftrüstung 1933–1945 Vol.3 – Flugzeugtypen Henschel-Messerschmitt (in German). Koblenz: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. pp. 22–24, 260–261.
ISBN978-3-7637-5467-0.
Bibliography
Green, William. Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York:Doubleday, 1972.
ISBN0-385-05782-2.
Munson, Kenneth (1978). German Aircraft Of World War 2 in colour. Poole, Dorset, UK: Blandford Press.
ISBN0-7137-0860-3.