World War II AircraftThe Henschel Hs 126 was the Luftwaffe's equivalent of the British Lysander; being a two-seat tactical reconnaissance aircraft designed for direct Army cooperation and capable of carrying light bombs. Following evaluation with the Legion Kondor in Spain; it entered Luftwaffe service in 1938 and served in its primary role until succeeded by more efficient types such as the FW189 in 1942; and rather longer as a glider tug; towing DFS230 gliders into actions as diverse as attempting to rescue Mussolini in Italy in 1943 and resupplying isolated Wehrmacht units on the Eastern Front. Sixteen were on serving with the Greek air force when the Italians attacked that country; two being shot down in their first encounter with Italian CR.42 fighters. Its Bramo 9-cylinder radial air-cooled engine of 800 hp conferred a top speed of about 220 mph; service ceiling was 28;000 feet and range was 620 miles. Armament was one fixed forward-firing 7.92 mm MG17 machine gun for the pilot and a similar weapon on a flexible mounting for the observer/gunner; maximum bomb load was 330 lb. The aircraft illustrated flew with Aufkl.Gr.10 [10th Reconnaissance Group].Illustration (Tim Brown); 2019.