The Hs 129 was designed to be a general purpose armored ground attack plane, but during the second part of the war it became the main anti-tank aircraft flown by the Luftwaffe. Armed with powerful weapons, the ‘Duck’ as it was called first appeared in May 1942 in the southern sector of the Soviet-German front. It saw action at the battles of Stalingrad, Kuban and Kursk salient and was also used in North Africa. Anti-tank squadrons equipped with these aircraft were sent to the frontline where the enemy threat was the greatest. Having many unique features, the Hs 129 B-2 was armed with a wide assortment of weapons including the 30mm MK 101 and MK 103 cannons.