HS 129 B-3 Tank Buster is a German Air unit in Steel Division II.
Background[ | ]
The experiences of the Spanish Civil War were instrumental in the development of the precepts of modern warfare in Nazi Germany and aviation was no exception. The concept of a dedicated ground-attack aircraft, once balked at, was vindicated by the Kondor Legion and its use of the Henschel Hs 123 against Republican targets, spurring the development of dedicated aircraft.
The Henschel Hs 129 was the result of this program, created after three years of experimentation and iteration. It was built with survivability in mind, with the entire nose area enclosed in steel armored plating, angled to increase effective protection from anti-aircraft fire. The cramped cockpit was almost impossible to move in, with some of the instruments and the gunsight mounted outside the canopy. The pair of counter-rotating engines were also armored and provided an excellent, stable platform for tank-busting weaponry.
The B-3 was the most effective variant produced, mounting a fully automatic 75mm PaK 40 in the ventral gun pod. Although theoretically capable of destroying any tank in the world, the excessive weight gave it poor air characteristics, which combined with the small production numbers (just 25) made it a footnote in the history of the war. However, it proved deadly whenever it was deployed, and the feat of mounting a gun this size on a plane this small was not surpassed until the introduction of the A-10 Warthog nearly 30 years later (not on larger planes; the United States managed to fit a similar gun on the B-26 during the same period).
Strategy[ | ]
- As far as tank busters go, the HS 129 is one of the most effective strike aircraft in its group. The B-3 is a class of its own, being essentially the A-10 Warthog of World War II. Although it has a limited ammo supply, it can destroy almost any enemy vehicle in a single attack run. Use it to root out enemy heavy tanks, particularly Rhinos and similar monsters that are a problem taking head on. However, remember that the Hs 129 takes a good, long while to rearm and as such every strike needs to be heavily considered.
- However, it needs either air superiority or heavy protection. It's not designed for dogfights and relatively slow, allowing enemy dogfighters to run it down with relative ease. At any rate, unless you are confident that you have control of the air, keep it closer to your side of the front and be ready to evacuate it at a moment's notice while deploying your own fighters to chase the enemy away.