Hs 123 A-1

Hs 123 A-1

Ju 87 B-2

Hs 123 A-1

Ju 87 B-2

Germany

I Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
1.0	1.0	1.3

Class:

Bomber

Dive bomber

Research:2 900

Purchase:700

This page is about the bomber Hs 123 A-1. For the Chinese version, see Hs 123 A-1 (China).

Description

The Hs 123 A-1 is a rank I German biplane bomber with a battle rating of 1.0 (AB/RB) and 1.3 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.59 "Flaming Arrows".

General info

Flight performance

The Hs 123 behaves very similarly to other Interwar-period designed fighter biplanes, relatively slow but highly manoeuvrable aircraft, this in particular being somewhat slower and with a lower climb rate because of its payload.

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,000 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	293	289	8000	15.8	16.5	8.2	8.2	294
Upgraded	325	310		14.4	15.0	16.8	12.0

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
577	590	320	240	190	~11	~7

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 220	< 220	< 380	> 270

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
850 m	660 hp	747 hp

Survivability and armour

• 5 mm steel - pilot's headrest

As with most Interwar-period designed biplanes, the Hs 123 A-1 has no armour and offers no protection to its pilot nor its critical components (engine, not self-sealing fuel tanks, oil-cooling systems), so the survivability depends on the pilot's skills. Being a metallic-frame, cloth-covered construction and not having self-sealing fuel tanks, regular Ball and AP rounds won't damage it a lot (unless they directly hit the pilot), but it's especially susceptible to Incendiary and Tracer rounds, which can ignite it if they hit the fuel tanks or the cloth cover itself.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Hs 123 A-1 is armed with:

• 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, nose-mounted (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

Suspended armament

The Hs 123 A-1 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (200 kg total)
• 1 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb + 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (450 kg total)

Usage in battles

Being a dive-bomber, its main role is rather self-explanatory. However, its frontal armament makes it feasible to be used in a fighter role, especially after dropping its bombs, which leaves a lighter and in consequence faster and more manoeuvrable plane.

In AB, the Hs 123 is a ground attacker/emergency fighter. Use your bomb load and guns to dispatch as many ground targets as possible, while making sure to keep the enemy off of your six. If someone does get on your six, pull a snap turn and keep him from getting a good shot on you for as long as possible. If you can't get onto his six you'll have to hope help arrives soon.

In RB, the tactics change massively. Use your bomber spawn to stay above the enemy team, and dive only after the enemy fighters have passed below you. Hit their tanks and other targets with your bombs through either dive bombing or low level bombing (set a 2 second fuse then fly as low as you can, dropping just before you lose sight of the target). After your bomb load is exhausted, engage soft targets for a while. If there are none it's time that you kill some of the enemy team, begin to climb and look for damaged fighters/attackers returning to their airfield, then pounce on them. Your 7.92 mm machine guns are good, but be sure to aim for wings, as most aircraft you'll face will likely be able to absorb most of the MG bullets you put into their fuselage.

The Stealth belt is recommended for ground attack, being made up of Armour-Piercing and Incendiary rounds, while Tracers are better suited for air targets (being Armour-Piercing and Incendiary thanks to its Tracer component).

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Controllable	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Combined	Not controllable 1 gear	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 7 mm
II		Compressor			ETC 250/IV
III	Wings repair	Engine	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Extremely sharp control input allows it to turn sharply
• Good manoeuvrability and nimble, can turn-fight other attackers / bombers like the SB series
• Powerful selection of bombs, up to 450kg.
• Fast BMW-132 radial engine
• Can be used as a fighter-bomber after dropping payload. Very useful in tank RB
• Although not effective, the MG-17 machine guns can decimate ground targets with a few bursts of fire
• Bomber spawn in RB gives it altitude advantage over enemy fighters

Cons:

• Easy to rip your wings off when diving past 450 km/h
• No gunner makes it defenceless when being chased.
• Lack of self-sealing tanks makes it easily to burn down
• Less manoeuvrable than proper biplane fighters like the I-15
• Bad climb rate means gaining altitude after diving is hard

History

First flying in 1935, the Hs 123 was Henschel's response to the 1933 Reich Ministry requirement for a dive bomber. After the successful delivery of 250 aircraft its christening of fire began. In 1936 the Hs-123 was sent to Spain where its usefulness as a close air support aircraft was well known. Being able to accurately place its powerful bombload and reliability outweighed its short range and it saw extensive service in that role. After the beginning of World War 2, The Hs 123 saw service on the front line airfields, where its quick turn time and ability to take heavy damage was appreciated by pilots and ground crews alike. Despite this, the Luftwaffe considered them obsolete and most squadrons re-equipped to Stukas or Bf 109 E's (Jabo variant).

At the beginning of Operation Barbarossa, the Hs-123 saw its rebirth, where its ability to survive heavy damage and its reliability shone through. Even in the winter, where more modern aircraft would fail to even start, Hs 123s could be counted upon to provide close air support through the bleakest of weather. In 1943, Generaloberst Wolfram von Richthofen asked if production of the aircraft could be restarted, however the jigs had been taken down in the Henschel plant all the way back in 1940.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.

Henschel & Son Corporation (Henschel und Sohn Aktiengesellschaft)
Attackers	Hs 129 B-2 · Hs 129 B-3
Bombers	Hs 123 A-1
Export	␗Hs 123 A-1
	Hs 129 B-2 (Romania) · Hs 129 B-2 (Romania)