Two biplanes (Avia B.534 and Henschel Hs 123)

[copeab]

Although both of these planes were obsolete in August 1939, they still saw some action. They could also be of some use ina campaign or adventure set just before the war.
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Avia B.534
Copyright 2005 by Brandon Cope

Although one of the most advanced biplanes in the world when it entered service (comparable in performance to the Gloster Gladiator, p.W:FH41), the Czech was badly outdated at the start of the war. It equipped 21 Czech squadrons at the time of the Nazi takeover. Some were used in the short border dispute with Hungary. Three squadrons were used in the invasion of Russia, but the B.534 was shortly relegated to training duties. Some 72 planes were transferred to Bulgaria starting in 1939; their only major use was on August 1st, 1943 when they intercepted B-24 heavy bombers returning from a raid on Romania's oil fields at Ploesti. Some 253 B.534-Ivs were built, out of a total of 566 of the series, making it numerically the most important Czech aircraft of the prewar years.
The B.534-IV uses 28.5 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage.
Avia B.534-IV

Subassemblies: Medium Fighter chassis +3, Recon Fighter Wings with Biplane option+2, three fixed wheels +0.
Powertrain: 634-kW aerial HP gasoline engine w/634-kW old prop and 150-gallon fuel tank [Body].
Occupancy: 1 CS Cargo: 7.

Armor F RL B T U
Body: 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2
Wings: 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2

Weaponry
4¥Aircraft LMG/7.92mm Model 30 [Body:F] (375 each)
6¥44-lb bombs [Wings:U]

Equipment
Body: Medium radio receiver and transmitter, navigation instruments, autopilot. Wings: 132-lb (60 kg) hardpoint under each.

Statistics
Size: 27'¥31'¥10' Payload: 0.76 tons Lwt.: 2.35 tons
Volume: 144 Maint.: 52 hours. Price: $15,000.

HT: 10.
HPs: 120 Body, 100 each Wing, 12 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 245 aAccel: 7 aDecel: 35 aMR: 8.75 aSR: 1
Stall speed 59.

gSpeed: 290 gAccel: 13 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.25 gSR: 2
Takeoff 265 yards, Landing 202 yards.

Design Notes
Design speed was 243 mph. The historical value has been used, as well as the actual wing area (254 square feet). The wing's HPs (and cost and weight) were doubled to provide a more realistic aMR. Loaded weight was decreased by 11%.

Variants
The B.534-I (1934) had an open cockpit and two of the fuselage LMGs were located in the lower wings. Top speed was 228 mph. Some 46 were built.
The B.534-II (1935) placed all four MGs in the fuselage and added bomb racks. 100 planes were built.
The B.534-III (1936) was the same as the B.534-II in game terms (adding fairings for the main wheels), with 46 built, 14 going to Yugoslavia and six to Greece.
The Bk.534 was similar to the IV, but with a 20mm Oerlikon cannon (20mm Short Aircraft Autocannon) mounted in the engine's V and two of the 7.92mm Model 30 MGs removed. However, there was a shortage of cannons and many of the Bk.534 mounted three Model 30 MGs instead. Some 120 were built.
The B.634 (1935) was a more streamlined version, but added weight negated any potential added performance. It did not enter production.
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Henschel Hs 123 dive bomber/ground support
Copyright 2005 by Brandon Cope

The Hs 123 was the immediate predecessor to the Junkers Ju 87 (p.W114) and was in service only a year before the Stuka replaced it. A single-seat biplane, the Hs 123 saw combat as a ground support aircraft, not being withdrawn from service until 1944 (in 1942, consideration was given to restarting production). Five planes were used by the Condor Legion in Spain in 1936, the same year the Hs 123 entered Luftwaffe service. It proved to be quite popular in the Balkans.

The Hs 123A-1 uses 29.5 gallons of aviation fuel per hour at routine usage.
Hs 123A-1

Subassemblies: Medium Fighter chassis +3, Recon Fighter Wings with Biplane option+2, three fixed wheels +0.
Powertrain: 656-kW aerial HP gasoline engine w/656-kW old prop and 90-gallon fuel tank [Body].
Occupancy: 1 XCS Cargo: 9.

Armor F RL B T U
Body: 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2
Wings: 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2 2/2

Weaponry
2¥Aircraft LMG/MG 17 [Body:F] (500 each)
551-lb bomb [Body:U]
4¥110-lb bombs [Wings:U]

Equipment
Body: Medium radio receiver and transmitter, navigation instruments, autopilot, 551-lb (250 kg) hardpoint Wings: 110-lb (50 kg) hardpoint under each.

Statistics
Size: 27'¥35'¥11' Payload: 0.91 tons Lwt.: 2.45 tons
Volume: 144 Maint.: 52 hours. Price: $14,500.

HT: 10.
HPs: 120 Body, 100 each Wing, 12 each Wheel.

aSpeed: 211 aAccel: 7 aDecel: 34 aMR: 8.5 aSR: 1
Stall speed 48.

gSpeed: 288 gAccel: 13 gDecel: 10 gMR: 0.25 gSR: 2
Takeoff 179 yards, Landing 136 yards.

Design Notes
Design speed was 233 mph. The historical value has been used, as well as the actual wing area (267 square feet). The wing's HPs (and cost and weight) were doubled to provide a more realistic aMR. Loaded weight was decreased by 6%.
The body hardpoint could also take an external fuel tank.

Variants
The original prototypes (1935) used a 485-kW engine.
The Hs 123B added two more MG 17's, an enclosed cockpit and a larger, 716-kW engine. However, the Ju 87 was entering production and only two prototype Hs 123B's were completed.
Some planes replaced the wing bomb racks with a pair of cannon pods, each with a 20mm MG FF (20mm Short Aircraft Autocannon).

A generous and sadistic GM,
Brandon Cope

[flyingwombat]

On the Henschel 123; I read, I think it was in Warplanes of the Third Reich by William Green, that there were requests in 1944 that Hs-123 prodcution should restart because the plane was in some ways better that the aircraft that replaced it.

[copeab]

Originally Posted by flyingwombat

On the Henschel 123; I read, I think it was in Warplanes of the Third Reich by William Green, that there were requests in 1944 that Hs-123 prodcution should restart because the plane was in some ways better that the aircraft that replaced it.

May have been 1942.

After posting the planes, I found some web pages on them I hadn't found before. Subsequently, I redid both designs, using the Medium Fighter chassis. This leaves a fair amount of excess space, but does, I think, a better job of getting close to historical weight and a reasonable HT. The original post has been edited to refelct these changes.

Brandon

[flyingwombat]

Originally Posted by copeab

May have been 1942.

After posting the planes, I found some web pages on them I hadn't found before. Subsequently, I redid both designs, using the Medium Fighter chassis. This leaves a fair amount of excess space, but does, I think, a better job of getting close to historical weight and a reasonable HT. The original post has been edited to refelct these changes.

Brandon

Have to look that up.

IIRC according what I read the Hs-123 was more able to operate from primitive airstrips that were the norm on the Eastern Front.

Thanks for doing the changes!

[copeab]

Originally Posted by flyingwombat

Have to look that up.

IIRC according what I read the Hs-123 was more able to operate from primitive airstrips that were the norm on the Eastern Front.

Thanks for doing the changes!

Also, in the Balkans, the Hs 123 faced very little fighter opposition.

It is possible that the Hs 123 had some sort of armor for the pilot, but I couldn't find any references. I did think that 50 HPs and HT 7 were inconsistent with it being known as a tough plane. The 20mm underwing cannons for it were not listed at all in my book source.

Brandon