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The 101st Home Air Defence Fighter Wing (''101. Honi Légvédelmi Vadászrepülő Osztály'') was an elite fighter-wing of the Royal Hungarian Air Force in World War II. Also known as the ''Puma'' after the unit's insignia, it was the most famous and well known of all Hungarian fighter units during the war. Created in the spring of 1944, it operated against US Fifteenth Air Force and the Soviet VVS during 1944-45 over Hungary and later, Austria. Analogue to Jagdverband 44, many of the highest scoring and most experienced Hungarian fighter pilots served in the unit, including the top scoring Hungarian ace of World War II, Szentgyörgyi Dezső. ==History of the unit== In the spring of 1944, following the German political takeover, the US Fifteenth Air Force, flying from bases in Italy, subjected Hungary to massed bombing attacks. The existing Hungarian fighter organisation was deemed tactically unsuitable for the effective protection of Hungarian air space from such attacks. Therefore, the Országos Légvédelmi Parancsnokság (Territorial Air Defence Command) decided to concentrate all existing fighters into a single fighter unit. The 101. Honi Légvédelmi Vadászrepülő Osztály was created from several existing Hungarian fighter units on 1 May 1944. The unit flew Messerschmitt Bf 109 G-6, G-14, G-10 fighters, from both domestic and German production. During 'The American Season', between May and August 1944, the 101. had claimed 15 P-51s, 33 P-38s and 56 four-engined bombers. The losses were, however, heavy, and the unit was pulled out for rest and refit for a brief period during the autumn. On 19 September 1944, the ''osztály'' (wing) was increased to the size of a fighter regiment, with Aladár Heppes in command. It was re-equipped with the latest Messerschmitt Bf 109G-10/U4 and G-14/U4 types equipped with MW-50 boost and the 3 cm MK 108 cannon. However, combat missions against the 15th USAAF had come to an end, and the 101st's main adversary was the Red Air Force. Retreating while fighting into Austria, the unit set its last remaining Bf 109s on fire on 4 May 1945 at Raffelding airbase, to prevent their capture by advancing U.S. troops. The 101st was the last Hungarian military unit to engage in combat during World War II. One example of a Hungarian Bf 109 from the 101. vadászezred, a G-10/U4 Werknummer 611 943 however survives to this day at the Planes of Fame Museum. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「101st Home Air Defence Fighter Wing」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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