Hungarian Forces

The Caproni bomber of the Hungarian Air Force

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Undercarriage failure of a Caproni Ca.135bis bomber of the Royal Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő). Insignias and markings of the aircraft reveal a photo taken after the end 1941 when the latter was adopted. After an evaluation in Italy, at the Guidonia’s Flight Test Center on November 1939, the Hungary agreed, 17 January 1940, for the purchase of a first batch of 36 Ca.135 with radial engines Piaggio P.XI R.C.40, power 1,000 HP at 4,000 meters (Ca.135bis) with contextual return to Caproni of 33 Ca.310 already employed by the Hungarian Air Force not at all satisfied by the latter. A second batch was of 32 Ca.135 transferred to Hungarian Air Force directly by the Regia Aeronautica which employed the Caproni bombers only for a very little time. This former Italian Air Force aircraft was the first Ca.135bis delivered to Hungarian Air Force and registered from B-501 to B-532. The 36 aircraft purchased fresh factory was delivered from 1940 (19 aircraft) to 1941 (27 aircraft) with military registration B-533/B-568. With the Caproni bomber the Bombàzo Osztàli 4./I (Bomber Group 4./1) replaced the German Junkers Ju 86K-9 from end 1940 to 27 June 1941 at Debrecen where was added to Bomber Group 4./IV establishing the IV Bomber Regiment. The Italian-built bomber was committed in the war against the Soviet Union. An important mission was accomplished on 12 August 1941 when three Ca.135, escorted by 18 fighter (12 Fiat CR.42 and six Reggiane Re.2000, also them of Italian origin), taken off from the Ukrainian airfield of Vinniza, destroyed the Nikolaev’s bridge, over Bug river, cutting out near 60,000 Soviet soldiers. During the mission the airplane of the pilots Istvan Szakonyi and Sandor Andras, with an engine out because AA fire, lost the contact with the escort, was attacked by Soviet fighters I-16 but, despite the heavy damages and only an engine still running, landed successfully on emergency airfield of Pjervomaysk. The Hungarian Air Force kept on use of the Caproni bomber until half 1942 when was replaced by the Junkers Ju 88 and phased out. Victor Sierra