A question to Hungarian Specialists

[Many Souffan]

Hello.

1/ I would like to know, where were based in Russia the Hungarian Fighter Squadrons ( and Which one?) at the end of july 1941.

2/ I am finishing a bio about Jan Reznak, And he told me some years ago that the 29 july 1941 (the date came from the late Mr Reznak) or around this date, he thought to pourchase a russian biplane, in the aera of Tulcino, in fact it was an lost Hungarian Fiat CR 32. He has seen that he touched the Plane which was saved by the Hungarian Flak of its base.

The afternoon an Hungarian Arado landed with an angry officer who want a punishemnt for the Slovak Pilot who inflicted damages to the Fiat CR 32.

The German officer commanding the base where the Slovak unit was replied that it was himself who had asked the pilots to take off in alert to shot it. The aircraft of any nationality should not be over the base. Even he was lost, without a prior authorization

So I would like to know if in the Hungarian documents, there is any comments, any infos (Name of the pilot and code of the plane?) about this friendly fire of something about a damaged CR 32 ?

By advance Thank you

[Csaba B. Stenge]

It was an attack against a CR.42 of 1/3. Fighter Squadron (not against a CR.32) which stationed at Annopol on that day. Since it was an insignificant event with no recorded damage, aircraft was not mentioned (and serial, markings are not known - actually the original documents not remained in that deep level from that squadron).
I mentioned the story in details in my 1/3. Fighter Squadron book on page 35.
http://www.konyvnet.hu/konyv.php?kon...XRrqEmoriF&cim=

[Many Souffan]

Hello Csaba.

Thank you very for your answer.

1/ It was The late Mr reznak himself who spoke about CR 42.

2/ If I understand what you have written there is nothing official about this event but you confirm that it was a friendly attack of a Slovak pilot ?

4/ Thank you for the link, but is there an opportunity to have the same link in English ?

Thank you.

[Csaba B. Stenge]

Hello Many,

You posted CR.32 in your first message, but there were no Hungarian CR.32s in Ukraine in July, 1941, those old, worn out planes stationed only at home bases. Only CR.42 and Re.2000 fighters flew combat sorties over Soviet territory.

It was not a classical friendly fire accident, since in a classical friendly fire accident, the attacker misindetify its target. In this case he deliberately attacked a so called allied aircraft. Hungarian pilots let him to approach from behind, since it was a so called allied aircraft, but he opened fire. Because of his inexperience and poor shooting, he was not able to inflict any recorded damage, although he expended all of his ammunition. Not the Hungarian anti-aircraft fire saved the CR.42s. It sounds a bit strange statement - the 1/3. fighter squadron had old hand, experienced and well trained pilots, they had only one novice, who flew just few sorties. Incidentally one of the pilots of the squadron had shot down two Slovak Avias on 24 March, 1939 (Sándor Szoják). In a real combat he would not have any chance against these pilots.

That attack was most probably because the pride of some Slovak aviators was hurt during that border skirmish against Hungary on 24 March, 1939 (on that day there was two engagement between Hungarian CR.32s and Avias and the CR.32s shot down seven Slovak aircraft without own losses).

The linked book was published in 2007 in Hungary and it has no English edition (I doubt ever will have).

Incidentally, if you want to write an objective biography of Ján Reznák, maybe worth a try a question in the neighbour topic ('overclaimers vs. reliable claimers') about his claims - you might get some interesting info from Russian experts, who compared his reported kills with actual Soviet combat activity and losses.