Aangezien het leeuwendeel Nationalistas alhier bestaat uit CR-32, wat een hele gave kist is, heb ik besloten om daar een Heinkel He-51B naast te zetten, de minder succesvolle voorganger. Deze Hasegawa uitvoering komt zowel in een uitvoering met wielen als met drijvers. De drijversversie heeft niet in Spanje gevlogen maar de drijvers zijn mooier dan die van ICM, waar ik ook een He-51B van heb. Mooi voor de sparesbox dus.
Een beetje achtergrond:
Operational history
On 6 August 1936, six of the He 51s were delivered to Spain to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Initial operations were successful, with the Heinkels meeting and defeating a number of older biplane designs, with two Nieuport Ni-52 fighters, a Breguet 19 and a Potez 54 destroyed on 18 August 1936, the first day of operations by Spanish-flown He 51s. Deliveries continued as the hostilities increased, with two Nationalist squadrons equipped by November, and the Legion Kondor forming three squadrons of 12 aircraft each manned by German "volunteers".
This time of superiority was short lived, with the arrival of large numbers of modern aircraft from the Soviet Union, including the Polikarpov I-15 biplane and new Polikarpov I-16 monoplane, together with the Tupolev SB bomber, which was 110 km/h (70 mph) faster. The He 51 proved unable to protect the Legion Kondor's bombers, forcing it to switch to night operations, while also unable to intercept the much faster SB. The He 51 was therefore withdrawn from fighter duty and relegated to the ground-attack role by both the Legion Kondor and the Spanish Nationalists, It was replaced in the fighter role by the Fiat CR.32 in the Nationalist Air Force, with the Legion Kondor receiving Messerschmitt Bf 109s from April 1937 to allow it to operate successfully in fighter operations.
While a failure as a fighter, the Heinkel proved successful as a ground-attack aircraft, being used by Wolfram von Richthofen to develop the close support tactics which were used by the Luftwaffe in World War II. It continued in use as a ground attack aircraft for the remainder of the Civil War, although losses were heavy. After the war the 46 surviving aircraft would be joined by another 15 new builds, and serve in the utility role in Spain until 1952.
The experiences in Spain would prove once and for all that the days of the biplane fighter were over. Although the later model Fiat biplanes were superior to the He 51 and continued to soldier on in Nationalist service, the I-16s were basically untouchable because of their speed. If the conditions were right, they could use their heavy armament in a quick pass and then leave; if things weren't so favorable, they simply flew away. The lesson learned by all of the participants was that speed was far more important in combat than maneuverability.
The He 51 continued in front-line service with the Luftwaffe until 1938, with it remaining in service as an advanced trainer for the first few years of World War II.
Kortom een niet zo succesvolle jager, maar wel goed inzetbaar voor grondaanvallen.
De kit, gekocht van de nu al bekende Limburger/hofleverancier van deze groepsbouw:
De inhoud:
Een klein beetje de cockpit uitgebreid met klokwerk en de kleine uitlaatjes ietwat uitgeboord.
Vanmiddag maar eens verder met deze Heinkel.
