Tank Buster
Hitler wanted Blitzkrieg from above. As the German military prepared to face off against Russia’s underestimated, yet formidable, tank forces in Operation Barbarossa, Hitler belatedly realized the need for a tank-hunting close-support aircraft. The Henschel Hs 129 was supposed to fill this role as Germany’s Panzerknacker, or tank breaker, however, it proved anything but.
Despite being piloted by record-breaking airman Rudolf-Heinz Ruffer while taking out 80 tanks, the plane struggled to achieve wider success in World War II. Unfortunately for the Luftwaffe, the Hs 129 was rushed to the battlefield saddled with requirements and design choices that doomed its capabilities early on. Development was too slow, production was flawed, and the aircraft was never built in the quantities necessary to impact any significant battles of the war…
– As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect. I do my best to keep it as visually accurate as possible. All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas. –
Credit to : Dark Skies
