This work is dedicated for the most part to the fighting over Hungary
during the course of the Debrecen (6 October - 27 October 1944) and
Budapest (29 October 1944 - 13 February 1945) offensives, as well as the
Balaton Defensive Operation (6 - 15 March 1945), which the Red Army
carried out from autumn 1944 until the spring of 1945. The conduct of
these operations preceded an attempt by the Regent of Budapest, Miklos
Horthy, to pull his country out of the war. This attempt however was
unsuccessful - Vice Admiral Horthy was replaced under Hitler's orders by
the pro-Hitlerite henchman Szalasi, after which fierce and desperate
battles broke out both on the ground and in the air. Moreover the
Wehrmacht were constantly augmenting their forces, first and foremost
their panzers.
These battles took place with the Red Army Air Force enjoying numerical
superiority, the quality of Soviet aircraft at the end of the war had
improved significantly, and even the level of training for air force
personnel had been raised. It seemed that there were almost no air aces
left in the ranks of the Luftwaffe by the end of the war, and Soviet
airmen would have no problem securing a victory, however this was not
the case. Erich Hartmann, Hans-Ulrich Rudel, Gerhard Barkhorn, and many
others fought here. Amongst the Hungarians their highest scoring ace
Dezso Szentgyorgyi stood out, as did their outstanding Commander Aladar
de Heppes. Their enemies were Kirill Yevstigneyev, Grigoriy Sivkov,
Aleksandr Koldunov, Nikolai Skomorokhov, and Georgiy Beregovoy and their
comrades.
The very fact that from time to time they took place directly over
Budapest - one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, could be
considered a distinguishing feature of these battles. This made the city
into a battlefield, it was bristling with anti-aircraft artillery, was
frequently subjected to bombing raids, and between the end of December -
and the beginning of January many areas in the Hungarian capital had
been turned into improvised airfields, and landing strips where
transport aircraft and gliders would land with either German or
Hungarian markings. Despite all the efforts to set up an air bridge,
German command never succeeded in achieving this which forced those who
found themselves besieged in the city to attempt a breakthrough, after
which those remaining in the garrison surrendered. The long drawn out
battle near Lake Balaton ended in defeat for the German forces, and
their allies.
