Magyar Warriors Volume II Book Review

By David L. Veres

Review

Dénes Bernád and Charles K. Kliment continue their seminal survey of the Hungarian military from the end of WWI to the end of WWII.

Spanning 432 pages, Volume II of Magyar Warriors: The History of the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces, 1919-1945 broadly divides into three intensely illuminating, enormously informative parts:

• The Royal Hungarian Air Force (MKHL) 1920-1945
• The Royal Hungarian River Flotilla And Seagoing Ships
• Operational History Of The Royal Hungarian Army (1938-45)

Danubian riverine accounts proved especially intriguing. And the "operational history" section wonderfully recaps pre-WWII and WWII army engagements. But air combat segments really snagged my interest.

Coverage chronologically courses from clandestine interwar activities through open rearmament efforts to WWII combat. And fascinating facts dominate details.

Hungarian airmen fought, for instance, to the conflict's bitter end. And had war continued, they would have manned Bf 109K-4s and, no doubt optimistically, received 60 jet fighters per month – Me 262s and, intriguingly, He 162 Volksjäger.

Absorbing anecdotes also abound. How about those three Soviet soldiers – still belligerents – who, temporarily abandoning their machine gun nest, joined their Hungarian enemies for chow? Text calls the incident an "extraordinary scene". And I call that a masterpiece of understatement.

Hundreds of rare photos illustrate the account. Maps, extended captions, biographies and tables also supplement the narrative. The authors' handy Hungarian-language pronunciation guide reappears. And the hefty hardback is admirably annotated.

But exactly what color is "Trinat G.367/F"? And I wish that p.74 shot of a Caproni Ca.135 really were, as the caption erroneously indicates, in color – not in B&W!

With thanks to Casemate Publishing for the review copy!