Hungarian Air force activity on 14 Mar 45
 

I need info on two MKHL combats on 14 Mar 45. Both apparently involved 325th FG Mustangs. In the first, 7/101 JGr Bf 109s downed one Mustang, possibly without loss. In the second, which is well documented from the American side, the Mustang pilots attacked a large formation of 2/102 SGr Fw 190Fs from the rear & were credited with downing 18. Several years ago (and apparently not archived) Csaba Becze posted here that three Hungarian Focke-Wulf pilots were killed in combat & a 4th hit a power line. Does anyone know how many planes were up? And from what airfields? How many were shot down? I assume both the fighters and fighter-bombers were in Luftflotte 4, but was there an intermediate control organization? And last, the correct (Hungarian) unit abbreviations would be nice to know. All I see are anglicized and germanicized versions.

Horrido!

Don

Re: Hungarian Air force activity on 14 Mar 45
 

Don,

Regarding the loss of the P-51, the following is from Gzörgy Punta's Hungarian Aces of World War 2 (Osprey):

Refering to Bf 109s of the 101. "Puma" Vadászezred (Fighter Regiment),
"... a formation of eight aircraft, whose pilots had been briefed to patrol over Simontornya and Ozora. Having reached this area, they were confronted by chequer-tailed Mustangs of the Fifteenth Air Force's 325th FG, escorting formations of B-24s and B-17s on their way back from an attack on Florisdorf. A number of P-38s were also in the area as well. With the Lightnings sticking close to the bombers, the Mustang pilots went looking for prey, and up to eight American fighters got into a dogfight with the Hungarians. Lt. Forró successfully engaged P-51D 44-63360 and saw rounds from his 30 mm cannon thudding into its cockpit and fuselage. The Mustang crashed south of Ozora."

The pilot referred to is Hadnagy (2/Lt.) Pál Forró who appears to have been a member of 101/2. V. Szd. (Fighter Squadron).

As far as unit designations go, the follwing is as best as I can determine from Hungarian Eagles by Sárhidai, Punka & Kozlik and Horrido by Bernád, Mujzer & Hangya:

The 101 Fighter Regiment was refered to as 101. Vadászezred (vadász = fighter, ezred = regiment.)

At this stage of the war the 101 consisted of three groups designated by roman numerals. 101/I., 101/II. and 101/III. Vadászosztály (V. Oszt.) (osztály = group).

Each group had 3 squadrons numbered 1 to 3 in 101/I., 4 to 6 in 101/II. and 7 to 9 in 101/III. As an example the second squadron would be 101/2. Vadászszázad (V. Szd.) (század = squadron.)

In Hungarian texts the unit types are not capitalized, neither are ranks.

Hope this is of some help to you.

Regards,
Tom

Re: Hungarian Air force activity on 14 Mar 45
 

Thanks, Tom --

This is very useful. Now I hope that someone (Csaba Becze, perhaps?) can fill me in on the Axis side of the 325th FG's other, and larger, combat of the day, which I'm almost certain was with the Hungarian "Schlachtflieger" unit.

Don

Re: Hungarian Air force activity on 14 Mar 45
 

That was one big slaughter of Hungarian FW190Fs by 325th FG Mustangs.

Edward L. Hsiao

Re: Hungarian Air force activity on 14 Mar 45
 

George Punka, “Messer, The Messerschmitt 109 in the Royal Hungarian ‘Honvéd' Air Force” (OMIKK, Budapest, 1995) ISBN 963 593 216 2, (page 95):

"The second mission of the day, a fighter sortie was mounted by a four-plane flight from the 101/7. FS under the command of Ens Kálmán. They attacked eighteen B-26 "Marauders" escorted by four Yak-9s at 3000 metres. After a ten minute air combat Ens Kálmán shot one of the bombers down at Alsódabas. This was his eleventh victory.

The eight aircraft, that took off after them, were flying fighter cover over Simontornya and Ozora. They were flying over the assigend territory, when suddenly checker-tailed P-51 "Mustangs" appeared at 4000 metres.

The American B-24 and B-17 bomber formations were on their way back from an attack on the Florisdorf area and were escorted by P-38 and P-51 fighters. The four-engined planes also bombed Érsekújvár and Komárom.The 'Lightnings' flew over Veszprém at 11.27 a.m. The "Mustangs" were out looking for prey. Six to eight American fighters got into a dogfight with the Hungarians. Lt. Forró succeeded in getting into firing position. He saw clearly that the rounds of his 30 mm cannon had hit the cockpit and the mid part of the fusleage. The plane, S/N 4463360 crashed south of Ozora."

The appendix (page 137) has no Bf 109 losses for 14 March.

Re: Hungarian Air force activity on 14 Mar 45
 

Ens. Kálmán István shot down an A-20G Boston, which for some reason was recorded as a B-26 Marauder, a model, that never flew over Hungary. He shot the soviet bomber down at Alsódabas, but the plane crashlanded and burned at Tatárszentgyörgy. The soviet plane was:

17 VA, 244 BAD, 260 BAP, 1. Sq.
Douglas A-20G-40-DO Boston
AAF S/N: 43-21603
R-2600-23 engine serials: 84825, 85000, Crew:

мл.л-т Захаров Петр Трофимович pilot
мл.л-т Толстогузов Петр Павлович navigator
ст.с-т Моисеев Николай Иванович radioman
ст.с-т Татарников Николай Михайлович gunner

IL-2 (S/N: 1875688, pilot: мл.л-т Радченко Прокофий Свиридович, gunner: р-й Наумов Константин Николаевич) of 17 VA, 306 ShAD, 672 ShAP, 3rd Sq. was damaged over Dinnyés, at Lake Velencei by 2 Fw 190s. It is not clear if they were Hungarian or German Fw 190s, but the Germans usually flew in larger numbers. The damaged soviet ground-attack plane crashlanded at Tököl airfield.

The 672 ShAP lost 5 IL-2s this time, one of them from the 1st Sq. fell in Lake Velencei. (IL-2, S/N: 1877788, AM-38F engine S/N: 255462, мл.л-т Ботин Николай Дмитриевич, е-р Новиков Николай Петрович crew, - KIA) See attached photos.