Henschel & Son () was a German company, located in

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including

locomotive A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...

truck A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport freight, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construct ...

bus A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a motor vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van, but fewer than the average rail transport. It is most commonly used ...

es and

trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...

es, and

armoured fighting vehicle An armoured fighting vehicle (British English) or armored fighting vehicle (American English) (AFV) is an armed combat vehicle protected by vehicle armour, armour, generally combining operational mobility with Offensive (military), offensive a ...

s and

weapon A weapon, arm, or armament is any implement or device that is used to deter, threaten, inflict physical damage, harm, or kill. Weapons are used to increase the efficacy and efficiency of activities such as hunting, crime (e.g., murder), law ...

s. Georg Christian Carl Henschel founded the factory in 1810 at Kassel. His son Carl Anton Henschel founded another factory in 1837. In 1848, the company began manufacturing locomotives. The factory became the largest locomotive manufacturer in Germany by the 20th century. Henschel built 10 articulated steam trucks, using Doble steam designs, for

Deutsche Reichsbahn The ''Deutsche Reichsbahn'' (), also known as the German National Railway, the German State Railway, German Reich Railway, and the German Imperial Railway, was the Weimar Republic, German national Rail transport, railway system created after th ...

railways as delivery trucks. Several cars were built as well, one of which became

Hermann Göring Hermann Wilhelm Göring (or Goering; ; 12 January 1893 – 15 October 1946) was a German Nazism, Nazi politician, aviator, military leader, and convicted war criminal. He was one of the most powerful figures in the Nazi Party, which gov ...

's staff car. In 1935 Henschel was able to upgrade its various steam locomotives to a high-speed

Streamliner A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor " bullet trains". Less commonly, the term i ...

type with a maximum speeds of up to by the addition of a removable shell over the old steam locomotive. In 1918, Henschel began the production of gearboxes at the Kassel plant. In January 1925, Henschel & Son began building trucks and buses.

Overview of Henschel locomotive deliveries

World War II

Early in 1935, Henschel began manufacturing

Panzer I The Panzer I was a light tank produced by Nazi Germany in the 1930s. Its name is short for ( German for " armored fighting vehicle mark I"), abbreviated as . The tank's official German ordnance inventory designation was '' Sd.Kfz. 101 ...

tank A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engine; ...

s. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the firm was responsible for license production of the

Dornier Do 17 The Dornier Do 17 is a twin-engined light bomber designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Dornier Flugzeugwerke. Large numbers were operated by the ''Luftwaffe'' throughout the Second World War. The Do 17 was designed during ...

Z medium bomber, and in 1939–1940 it began large-scale production of the

Panzer III The ''Panzerkampfwagen III (Pz.Kpfw. III)'', commonly known as the Panzer III, was a medium tank developed in the 1930s by Nazi Germany, Germany, and was used extensively in World War II. The official German ordnance designation was List of Sd.K ...

. Henschel was the sole manufacturer of the

Tiger I The Tiger I () was a Nazi Germany, German heavy tank of World War II that began operational duty in 1942 in North African Campaign, Africa and in the Soviet Union, usually in independent German heavy tank battalion, heavy tank battalions. It g ...

, and alongside

Porsche Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG, usually shortened to Porsche (; see below), is a German automobile manufacturer specializing in luxury, high-performance sports cars, SUVs and sedans, headquartered in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Th ...

the

Tiger II The Tiger II was a Nazi Germany, German heavy tank of the World War II, Second World War. The final official German designation was ''Panzerkampfwagen'' Tiger ''Ausf''. B, often shortened to Tiger B.Jentz and Doyle 1993, p. 16. The ordnance inve ...

. In 1945, the company had 8,000 workers working in two shifts each of 12 hours, and

forced labour Forced labour, or unfree labour, is any work relation, especially in modern or early modern history, in which people are employed against their will with the threat of destitution, detention, or violence, including death or other forms of ...

was used extensively. The company's factories, which also manufactured

narrow-gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curv ...

locomotives, were among the most important Allied bomber targets and were nearly completely destroyed.

Aviation

Henschel Flugzeugwerke aircraft and missiles included: *

Henschel Hs 117 The Henschel Hs 117 ''Schmetterling'' (German for ''Butterfly'') was a radio-guided German surface-to-air missile project developed during World War II. There was also an air-to-air version, the Hs 117H. The operators used a telescopic sight and ...

''Schmetterling'' (Butterfly),

rocket A rocket (from , and so named for its shape) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using any surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely ...

-engined

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground or the sea to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-ai ...

* Henschel Hs 121, fighter and trainer (prototype) * Henschel Hs 122, army co-operation/reconnaissance *

Henschel Hs 123 The Henschel Hs 123 was a single-seat biplane dive bomber and close air support, close-support aircraft flown by the Germany, German aircraft manufacturer Henschel & Son, Henschel. It was the last biplane to be operated by the ''Luftwaffe''.. Th ...

, ground-attack (biplane) * Henschel Hs 124, heavy fighter and bomber (prototype) * Henschel Hs 125, fighter and trainer (prototype) *

Henschel Hs 126 The Henschel Hs 126 was a twin-seat parasol wing reconnaissance and observation aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel. The Hs 126 that was derived from the Henschel Hs 122. The pilot was seated in a pro ...

, reconnaissance * Henschel Hs 127, fast medium bomber (''Schnellbomber'' prototype) * Henschel Hs 128, high-altitude reconnaissance and bomber (prototypes) *

Henschel Hs 129 The Henschel Hs 129 was a ground-attack aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Henschel Flugzeugwerke AG. Fielded by the ''Luftwaffe'' during the Second World War, it saw combat in Tunisia and on the Eastern Front. ...

, ground-attack *

Henschel Hs 130 The Henschel Hs 130 was a German high-altitude Aerial reconnaissance, reconnaissance and bomber aircraft developed in World War II. It suffered from various mechanical faults and was never used operationally, only existing as prototype airframes. ...

, high altitude reconnaissance and bomber (prototypes) * Henschel Hs 132, jet-engined dive bomber (prototype) *

Henschel Hs 135 Henschel & Son () was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons. Georg Ch ...

delta wing A delta wing is a wing shaped in the form of a triangle. It is named for its similarity in shape to the Greek uppercase letter delta (letter), delta (Δ). Although long studied, the delta wing did not find significant practical applications unti ...

Henschel Hs 293 The Henschel Hs 293 was a World War II Nazi Germany, German Command guidance, radio-guided glide bomb. It is the first operational anti-shipping missile, first used unsuccessfully on 25 August 1943 and then with increasing success over the next y ...

-boosted

glide bomb A glide bomb or stand-off bomb is a standoff weapon with flight control surfaces to give it a flatter, gliding flight path than that of a conventional bomb without such surfaces. This allows it to be released at a distance from the target rat ...

* Henschel Hs 294, rocket-powered anti-shipping glide bomb * Henschel Hs 295 * Henschel Hs 296 *

Henschel Hs 297 The Henschel Hs 297 Föhn or 7.3 cm Raketen Sprenggranate was a small German surface-to-air rocket of the Second World War. The associated multiple rocket launcher was known as the 7.3 cm Föhn-Gerät. Design The Henschel Hs 297 Föhn (The Fo ...

''Föhn'', 73mm anti-aircraft rocket-launcher * Henschel Hs 298, rocket-powered

air-to-air missile An air-to-air missile (AAM) is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft (including unmanned aircraft such as cruise missiles). AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid-fuel roc ...

* Henschel Projekt P.75, a 1941 design with slightly swept-back wings placed at the rear, swept-back canards at the front, and double pusher propellers at the rear. * Henschel Projekt P.87, a

Schnellbomber A ''Schnellbomber'' (German; literally "fast bomber") is a bomber that relies upon speed to avoid enemy fighters, rather than relying on defensive armament and armor. Concept The concept developed in the 1930s when it was believed that a ve ...

design similar to the Hs P.75, except that the canards in the front are straight and the wing is curved. * Henschel 'Zitterrochen' (Torpedofish),

air-to-surface missile An air-to-surface missile (ASM) or air-to-ground missile (AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common prop ...

(pre-production only)

Trolleybuses

Manufacturing of trolleybuses began in 1941 and continued until 1962, ultimately totalling at least 680 vehicles, while Henschel also constructed the chassis for more than 240 others that used bodies by (which changed its name to

Duewag Düwag or Duewag (stylised in all caps), formerly Waggonfabrik Uerdingen, was a German manufacturer of rail vehicles. It was sold in 1999 to Siemens with the brand later retired. History Duewag was founded in March 1898 as Waggonfabrik U ...

many years later), of type ÜHIIIs and ÜHIIs. Almost all were purchased by transport companies in Germany or Austria, but Henschel's single largest order for trolleybuses was from

Buenos Aires Buenos Aires, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...

, Argentina, for 175 vehicles built in 1952–1953, and the São Paulo trolleybus system purchased 50 Henschel–Uerdingen trolleybuses in 1954. All but 50 of the 175 Buenos Aires vehicles were fitted with bodies made by Nordwestdeutscher Fahrzeugbau.

Post-war business

Manufacturing began again in 1948. In 1964, the company took over Rheinische Stahlwerke and became Rheinstahl Henschel AG (

Hanomag Hanomag (Hannoversche Maschinenbau AG, ) was a German producer of steam locomotives, tractors, trucks and military vehicles in Hanover. Hanomag first achieved international fame by delivering numerous steam locomotives to Finland, Romania and ...

). The truck production of Henschel was merged with that of Hanomag that spun off to form Hanomag-Henschel in 1969, this later went to Daimler-Benz, which discontinued the brand name Hanomag-Henschel in 1974. The production was switched to commercial vehicle axles, in this area it is the largest factory in Europe. In 1976

Thyssen-Henschel Thyssen Henschel was a German industrial firm and defense contractor. One part of the company '' Henschel Wehrtechnik'' was acquired by Rheinmetall in 1999 and was integrated into ''Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH'' in 2000. Products * TAM medium ...

, and 1990 ABB Henschel AG. In 1996, the company became ABB Daimler Benz Transportation Adtranz. The company was subsequently acquired by Bombardier (Canada) around 2002. In 2021

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

acquired

Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, with headquarters in Toronto and Berlin. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry. ...

. The Kassel facility still exists and is one of the world's largest manufacturers of locomotives. Main product built and serviced today in Kassel is the

Alstom Traxx Alstom Traxx (sold as Bombardier TRAXX before 2021) is a modular product platform of mainline diesel-electric and electric locomotives. It was produced originally by Bombardier Transportation and later Alstom, and was built in both freight an ...

Locomotives

Private, mining and industry railways ;Generation 1 * Henschel DH 110 * Henschel DH 200 * Henschel DH 360 * Henschel DH 550 ;Generation 2 * Henschel DH 240 * Henschel DH 360 * Henschel DH 390 * Henschel DH 440 * Henschel DH 630 * Henschel DH 875 * Henschel DHG 630 * Henschel DH 500 * Henschel DH 500 ;Generation 3 * Henschel DH 120 B * Henschel DH 180 B * Henschel DH 240 B * Henschel DH 360 B * Henschel DH 500 B * Henschel DH 120 B * Henschel DH 120 B * Henschel DH 120 B * Henschel DH 120 B * Henschel DH 360 Ca * Henschel DH 440 Ca * Henschel DH 500 Ca * Henschel DH 600 Ca * Henschel DH 700 Ci *

Henschel DH 360 D Henschel & Son () was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons. Georg Ch ...

* Henschel DH 700 D * Henschel DH 850 D Henschel Nameplate On M6 Locomotive

;Generation 4 * Henschel DHG 500 C * Henschel DHG 700 C * Henschel DHG 1000 BB * Henschel DHG 1200 BB ;Generation 5 * Henschel DHG 300 B * Henschel DHG 700 C * Henschel DHG 700 C-F * Henschel DHG 800 BB * Henschel DHG 1200 BB ;Generation 6 * Henschel DHG 300 B * Henschel DE 500 C ;Esslinger * Henschel DHG 160 B * Henschel DHG 200 B * Henschel DHG 240 B * Henschel DHG 275 B * Henschel DHG 330 C ;Bundesbahn * Henschel-BBC DE2500 ;Export * ''Henschel DHG 625 C'' as SJ-Series V 4 und SJ-Series V 5 * Henschel DH 600 C for Export to Ghana and Sudan *

Henschel NY5 Henschel & Son () was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting vehicles and weapons. Georg ...

for the Chinese Railways * Henschel NY6 for the Chinese Railways * Henschel NY7 for the Chinese Railways * Henschel DHG 2500 BB for

Indian Railways Indian Railways is a state-owned enterprise that is organised as a departmental undertaking of the Ministry of Railways (India), Ministry of Railways of the Government of India and operates India's national railway system. , it manages the fou ...

as WDM-3 - 8 built 1970 * Henschel DHG 900 BB for the

Indonesian Railways PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) (, abbreviated as PT KAI or simply KAI) is a major railway operator in Indonesia and one of the Public transportation, public railway companies in the country. It is State-owned enterprise, state-owned and pa ...

Notable employees

*Chief Designer Erwin Aders *Dr. Herbert A. Wagner (see

, Henschel Hs 294,

Supercavitation Supercavitation is the phenomenon of a cavitation bubble reducing skin friction drag on a submerged object and enabling high speeds. Applications include torpedoes and propellers, but in theory, the technique could be extended to an entire un ...

Operation Paperclip The Operation Paperclip was a secret United States intelligence program in which more than 1,600 German scientists, engineers, and technicians were taken from former Nazi Germany to the US for government employment after the end of World War I ...

) *

Konrad Zuse Konrad Ernst Otto Zuse (; ; 22 June 1910 – 18 December 1995) was a German civil engineer, List of pioneers in computer science, pioneering computer scientist, inventor and businessman. His greatest achievement was the world's first programm ...

References

External links

Henschel's Mittelfeld Werkes Tiger tank factory
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Henschel and Son Defunct aircraft manufacturers of Germany Rolling stock manufacturers of Germany Locomotive manufacturers of Germany Defunct bus manufacturers Truck manufacturers of Germany Companies based in Kassel German brands Defunct motor vehicle manufacturers of Germany Trolleybus manufacturers Bus manufacturers of Germany Electric vehicle manufacturers of Germany Henschel & Son