Hungarian Fighters on July 26 1944

[Michal]

Hello,

does somebody know something about losses and victories of MKHL on July 26 1944?

Thanks for help

Michal

[Csaba B. Stenge]

One P-38 was shot down near Vienna by 2nd Lt. László Molnár (as his 22nd personal kill)
One Bf 109 G-6 was shot down near Wiener Neustadt, its pilot, Ens. Leó Krizsevszky, killed.

[Michal]

Thanks. It was really quickly

[Csaba B. Stenge]

About Molnár's kill, everything was written in detais in my aces book. I tried to find the US pilot (Capt. Smyth), who baled out, but my attempts were unsuccesful (yet)

[Peter Kassak]

I have that book, nice piece of research, however all in Hungarian (so far )
BUt bio of Laszlo MOlnar has been in REVI magazine as well...check back issues..

[Stig Jarlevik]

Csaba

According to Györgi Punka and Osprey's Hungarian Aces book Molnar scored his only P-38 victory on June 14th, 1944.

On July 26th he is supposed to have shot down a Liberator

Comments please

Cheers
Stig

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Originally Posted by Stig Jarlevik

Csaba

According to Györgi Punka and Osprey's Hungarian Aces book Molnar scored his only P-38 victory on June 14th, 1944.

On July 26th he is supposed to have shot down a Liberator

Comments please

Cheers
Stig

Stig,

that's an error, my book is the correct one (it was a P-38 from the 14th FG serial no. 43-28260) My book contains 8 A/4 size pages full text about Molnár with many unpublished and accurate details (and some nice pictures about him too, he appears on the front cover as well).

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Csaba

Since I don't have your book and if it is in Hungarian I never will(!),
can you pls advise Molnars scoreboard? Punka is very hesitant and has large gaps.
Also what is your sources, and why should Punka have made so many errors with regard to Molnar?

Cheers
Stig

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Stig,

Molnár's eastern front scoreboard is incomplete (I mentioned every shot down type for 100% sure in my book, since I investigated the list succesfully, but the exact dates are not known in many cases)

I used every available and reliable Hungarian and German military sources, the remained docments at the families' hand (including Molnár's), etc. I'm a professional military historian, written my summa cum laude PhD about the RHAF in WW II as well, I'm trying to do all of my materials as accurate, as possible.

About the errors in the Osprey books: you can see a fresh topic about these books and their reliability in the book section as well. In my humble opinion unfortunately, the Osprey books are generally badly edited works printed in mass number just for scratching the surface, if you are interested in deeply a topic, you should choose different materials.
The Osprey books contains sometimes - I must say - simply retarded errors (confusing Budapest with Bucharest, etc...)

Regarding that particular claim: it was confirmed to Molnár by the Hungarian 63rd confidential air force command on 23 September, 1944 as a Lightning over German territory. It was published by Punka's Messer erroneously as a B-24 as well, it was just repeated in the Osprey book (which is based on the Messer).

[Stig Jarlevik]

Thanks Csaba

I notice you are unwilling to list Molnars complete scoreboard...

Glad you consider yourself to be professional and that you have and obviously continue to publish various items. Sorry to notice that none of them are in a, for me, readable language...

I am certainly not qualified to discuss the Osprey book series and their validity, but I find it strange you dismiss them out of hand as more or less rubbish. Badly edited? Why do you expect a British editor to be an expert on any Eastern European aviation? Bad English? Possibly, I have not read them in such context and would have to re-read them again to state an opinion! Scratching the surface? Of course! The layout of the series prohibit all kind of deeper text material and to my way of thinking is quite a good test of an author's qualifications to reach the essentials and, if you excuse me, cut the crap!

I also notice Denes Bernad did the book on Rumanian aces. I usually find Denes quite reliable, so what is wrong with his ace book?

I am also interested in what other material I should chose, in your opinion, to get better details than the Osprey books on Eastern European aces. I know that Denes seems to be a language wizard, and perhaps so are you, but unfortunately I DON'T belong to that group. I control English pretty accurately and I can read German and partly French so I can stumble myself through a text which is not too flowered with general words. But I cannot and will not be able to read ANY language beyond that. I think it also goes for most of the enthusiasts on this site as well, of course depending from which country you originate...

Cheers
Stig