Kingdom of Hungary (1939)
Fighter aircraft – Number used: 70 brought and 185 to 203 built under license
Despite not being adopted by the Italian Air Force, the Re.2000 would see some export success. Hungary bought a production license and 70 new aircraft for its Air Force. These would be supplemented by locally produced planes, both of which would see action during the Second World War. In Hungarian service, the Re.2000 would be known under the ‘Héja’ (Hawk) nickname.
Hungarian-Italian cooperation
During 1939, Hungarian Air Force (Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő) military officials were concerned with the need of acquiring more modern aircraft designs. As, during the 1930s, Hungary was a regular customer of Italian aviation equipment and planes (like the Fiat CR.32, for example), it was logical for the Hungarian Air Force military officials to turn to Italy for the acquisition of new aircraft.
By the end of 1939, Hungary sent a military delegation to purchase 70 fighter and 70 bomber planes. The Italians presented a number of different designs to this delegation, which included the Re.2000, Savoia-Marchetti S.M.79, and Ca.135bis. After a demonstration, the Hungarians were satisfied with the Re.2000’s performance. On 27th December 1939, a contract for the purchase of 70 new aircraft of this type was signed. This contract also included weapons, spare parts, onboard equipment, and a small number of airframes. Radios were not bought, as the Hungarians planned to equip them with domestically built R-13 ones. In addition, a license for domestic production was also obtained. The domestic production of the Re.2000 was to be carried out by MAVAG (Magyar Állami Vas, Acél és Gépgyárak/ Hungarian State Iron and Steel Works). The Re.2000s built-in Hungary were to be powered by domestically produced W.M. (Weiss Manfred) K-14 engines. The Italians were to deliver the first specimens by 15th January 1940.
As there were delays with the shipment of the first planes, the Hungarian Air Force sent a new delegation in April 1940 to Italy to determine what the problem was. To their astonishment, only one Re.2000 had been completed by this time. The Reggiane factory could not produce more planes due to a constant lack of raw materials. This single plane was flown to Hungary in May 1940. In Hungarian service, the first Héja received the serial number V-401 or V.401 (the V stands for Vadász/fighter). The remaining Héjas supplied by the Italians received the serial numbers V-402 to 470.
By the end of 1940, only 7 Héjas had been delivered to Hungary. The slow delivery rate was due to the shortage of materials, but also due to the fact that the Italian Air Force confiscated 9 planes for their own use. These would later be replaced by 9 newly built aircraft. The sources are not clear when the last aircraft arrived in Hungary. According to Gianni C., this happened at the end of 1941, but according to George P., this was on 29th May 1943!
The name
As already mentioned, the Re.2000 was known in Hungary under the Héja nickname. The origin of this name can be traced back to the Italian name given to this plane, “Falco”. In some sources, possibly in order to distinguish between the Italian and Hungarian built planes, the first were marked as Héja I and those built-in Hungary as Héja II. This article will use these two designations (when the precise model is noted by sources) but, for the sake of simplicity, the Héja I will be simply called Héja.
In Hungary
As the first Italian built Héja planes began to arrive in Hungary, they were intended to be given to different pilot training schools. Immediately after the arrival of the Héjas, the Hungarians noted a number of technical or structural problems with these planes. A great issue was the poor state and design of the throttles. These faulty throttles caused a number of accidents, with one Héja being lost in a fire during a landing accident. This issue with the throttles, despite efforts from Hungarian engineers, could not be solved until the end of 1941. Other issues with the Héjas were the poor state of the machine guns, which often jammed during firing or were misaligned, the instability of the canopy panels, and the lower quality of the wing skin. All this caused the Hungarians to make many modifications to the Héja in order to put them into service.
The Hungarian Héja II
With the contract to purchase 70 new fighters, the Hungarians also bought a license for production. The production of new planes was to be done by MAVAG. In order to avoid being dependent on Italian engines and to lower the overall price of the Re.2000, the Hungarians decided to upgrade this fighter with a domestically built engine. The initially planned new engine was a radial 14-cylinder air-cooled WMK-14 giving out 950 hp (or 930 hp, depending on the source). This engine was, in fact, a license-built version of the Gnome-Rhône Mistral Major K 14. One WMK-14 engine was sent to Reggiane to be installed in a Re.2000 in order to see if this modification was possible, but also to test its performance. The Italians, on the other hand, were never interested in this idea and preferred to sell the Re.2000 with its original engine. Due to the low interest and slow production rate of the Re.2000, nothing came from the Hungarian proposal. For this reason, the Hungarians decided that MAVAG should make these modifications.
In order to improve the potential flight performance of the plane, the Hungarian Ministry of Defence decided to use the stronger WMK-14B 1085 hp engine. For this reason, the manufacturer, Weiss Manfred, was to produce 329 new WMK-14B engines, of which 247 were to be used on Héja’s and the other 82 as spare engines.
The first plane to be powered with this engine was the Héja (V-401) supplied by the Italians. It was modified by MAVAG and then tested. The tests were successful and the order for 100 Héja II was given. The production was to be divided into two batches, a first one of 25 planes and a second with 75 planes after the first one was completed.
The Italians sent the needed documents for the production of the Re.2000 to Hungary in October 1940, which caused some delays for the Héja II production run. The first operational Héja II was built in June 1941 and was successfully tested the same month. By this time, the Hungarians also obtained a license production for the German Me-109 fighter. This plane was much better than the Héja II, but it was estimated that the production of Me-109s in any larger numbers could not be achieved until 1943. For this reason, it was decided to continue Héja II production as a temporary solution.
The preparations for the production of the first 25 Héja IIs began in November 1941. Despite the extra spare parts and airframes supplied by the Italians, the start of production could take place immediately. The reason for this was the lack of proper machine tools and production capacities of MAVAG, but also due to various testing and modifications. The second Héja (V-402) was reequipped with the stronger engine for testing purposes. It was flight tested at the Experimental Institute near Csepel. After a series of test flights, some modifications were required, like improving throttle controls and modifying the rear tailwheel.
Production of the Héja II began only in July 1942. Immediately at the start of production, problems with the Reggiane fuel tank seal were noted. The Hungarian engineers simply replaced it with 22 smaller 20-25 l fuel tanks. To their surprise, this modification actually improved the Héja II’s stability during flight, as it reduced fuel sloshing in the tank. The production of the first 25 planes (with the modified fuel tanks) was completed by October 1942. Before the start of the second series of 75 aircraft, an order for 100 additional Héja IIs was placed. The last Héja II would be built in early March 1944. Officially, the Héja II was accepted for service in late September 1942 by the Hungarian Air Force.
A Héja II (V-495) from the first batch was tested by test pilot Tibor T. in March of 1943. The production of the later series was slowed down due to difficulties with obtaining necessary parts from abroad (due to the Italian capitulation and the desperate state of the German economy). In addition, the WM factory was bombed in early April 1944. The factory was almost completely destroyed, with the loss of nearly all equipment and spare parts. For this reason, the Hungarians were forced to stop the production of the WMK-14 engine. WM was finally destroyed in another bombing raid in July 1944. For this reason, the production of a group of nearly 30 new Héja IIs could not be completed.
Technical characteristics
The Héja I was a regular Re 2000, the characteristics of which will not be repeated.
The Héja II was a low wing, metal construction, single-seat fighter plane. The fuselage consisted of a round frame covered with metal sheets held in place by using flush-riveting. The Héja II wings had a semi-elliptical design, with five spars covered with stress skin. The original Re.2000 fuel tanks, placed in the central part of the wing, were replaced with 22 smaller 20-25 l fuel tanks. The wings were equipped with fabric-covered Frise type ailerons. The rear tail had a metal construction with the controls covered with fabric.
The landing gear system was unusual. When it retracted backward, it rotated 90° before it fell into the wheel bays. For better landing, the landing gear was provided with hydraulic shock absorbers and pneumatic brakes. The smaller rear wheel was also retractable and could be steered if needed.
The Héja II was powered by one WMK-14B 1085 hp engine. With the stronger engine, the Héja II could achieve a maximum speed of 323 mph (520 km/h). A larger 10.5 ft (3.2 m) Weiss Manfred three-bladed and hydraulically controlled variable pitch propeller were used. Due to the installation of the new engine, the front fuselage design had to be changed and extended by 1.3 ft (40 cm). As the new engine had a somewhat smaller diameter, the pilot front field of view was increased. In addition, the engine cowling design was changed.
The pilot cockpit canopy opened to the rear and gave a good overall view of the surroundings. The Hungarian Héja II was not originally provided with the 0.3 in (8 mm) thick armor plate placed behind the pilot seat. The Hungarians tested domestically built ones, but the results of these tests are not clear. Most interior equipment, except the radio, was provided by the Italians.
The two 0.5 in (12.7 mm) Breda-SAFAT heavy machine guns were replaced with Hungarian Gebauer MGs of the same caliber. The Gebauer gun had a firing rate of 1000 rounds per minute. The ammunition for each machine gun was 300 rounds stored in a box magazine. With the installation of these machine guns, the upper part of the front fuselage had to be redesigned.
During the war
With the German attack on the Soviet Union in June 1941, Hungary, together with other Axis allies, joined this offensive. For the attack on the Soviet Union in early August 1941, the Hungarians dispatched the Independent Fighter Group, which consisted of two fighter squadrons equipped with CR.42 planes. The first Héja fighter squadron with seven (or six, depending on the source) planes was formed on 7th August 1941. It was stationed at Sutyska airfield near Vinnytsia, in Ukraine. A few days later, it was moved to Pervomayks and was put in a fighter escort role for Hungarian bombers. The first operational mission was to escort a group of Ca.135 bombers in attacking Nikolayev on the 11th of August. The first air victories were achieved in late August when three Héja fighters engaged a group of five Soviet I-16 fighters near Dniepropetrovsk. The Hungarian fighters managed to shoot down three I-16s with no losses. By the end of August, the Héja fighters had made in 151 sorties with five achieved victories. The Héja would see action on the Eastern front up to late October 1941, when they were recalled to Hungary. One aircraft was lost during the flight back to Hungary when it crashed somewhere over the Carpathian mountains. During its first year of service, the Héja’s were mostly used in bomber escort and occasional ground attack missions. As most of the Soviet Air Force was destroyed early on, there were few air encounters with enemy planes. In total, three Héja were lost, with one additional being damaged.
In preparation for the new German campaign on the Eastern Front in 1942, the Hungarian Air Force formed the 1st Fighter Group. This Fighter Group had a Squadron equipped with 12 Héja fighter planes commanded by Colonel K Csukas. This Squadron was combat-ready by 5th July 1942. As there were cases of Germans mistaking the Héja for Soviets planes, one Héja and also a CR.42 were sent to several German airfields in order to familiarize German pilots with these planes. Initially, the Germans gave the Hungarian fighters the task of patrolling and escorting reconnaissance and bomber planes near the front. On 13th July, the Héjas were tasked with defending the ground forces concentrating for the attack on Soviet positions.
By the end of July 1942, a second unit equipped with 11 Héja was deployed to the front. Both Héja units were moved to Ilosvoskoye in early August. The first squadron was tasked with a bomber escort mission, while the second with a reconnaissance escort mission. The 1st Fighter Group was in really bad shape due to maintenance problems, with only four Héja being operational by the 8th of August. This forced the Hungarians to ask the Germans for fighter cover for their troops.
In early August 1942, the Héja fighters were hard-pressed to stop the increasing number of Soviet bombing raids into Axis lines. On 7th August, a Soviet IL-2 managed to shoot down a Héja fighter which crashed into the ground. On the same date, Héja fighters intercepted a group of three German He-111 bombers which were accidentally bombing Hungarian lines and managed to shoot down one.
On 20th August, while making a take-off from an airfield near Ilosvoskoye, István Horthy (son of Miklós Horthy) lost his life in an accident. Author Maurizio D. T. notes that the accident was possibly caused due to the installation of a 0.98 in (25 mm) thick armor plate behind the pilot seat. There are also claims that the plane was sabotaged by the Germans due the Miklós Horthy allegedly showing sympathy for the English people, but this is improbable. The Germans were in no position to sacrifice trained fighter pilots or planes. Horthy probably simply crashed due to a pilot error or miscalculation.
By late August, the 1st Fighter Group lost four planes either due to enemy action or accidents and six more were damaged but in a state that could be repaired. By the end of August, Héja pilots managed to shoot down five enemy aircraft, with three more in September. By October 1942, most Héja pilots were recalled to Hungary to begin training on the new Me-109 planes. The remaining 13 Héjas were used on the Eastern Front up to late December, with only six still being operational.
During the Soviet attack on Axis positions around Stalingrad, the Hungarians sent all available planes, including the few working Héja fighters, to stop these attacks. The following days, a pair of Héja fighters sent to escort German bombers were attacked by Soviet fighters but managed to escape. By 15th January, the Héja performed mostly escort missions. The surviving Héjas met their fate when they were destroyed by their crew in order to avoid being captured, as they could not make an escape due to the harsh Russian winter.
No improved Héja IIs were used on the Eastern Front, as these were kept in reserve. As a shipment of more advanced Me-109G arrived in Hungary from Germany in late 1943, the Héja was mostly used for training. But, due to the increase of Allied bombing runs, they were put into action for the defense of Hungary skies.
By March 1944, Germans sent forces to occupy Hungary, as there was information that Hungarian politicians were negotiating with the Soviets for an armistice. During this occupation, the Germans prevented any further work or training on the Héja II. In April, the Allies made major bombing raids against Hungarian factories. This affected the supply of new spare parts, but, despite this, a group of 30 newly built Héja II was tested in April.
During the Allied Bombing raid by the 15th Air Force on Budapest (13th April 1944), the P-38 escort fighters were attacked by a group of Héja II fighters. During this engagement, one Héja II was damaged. Another group of 8 Héja II was sent to support the defense of Budapest. Four of these attacked Allied bombers but, due to heavy defensive fire, the attack had to be aborted. Two Héja II fighters were damaged and one had to make an emergency landing. The second group of four fighters failed to reach the bombers but ran into a group of P-47s. After a short engagement, one Héja II was shot down and one was damaged.
Due to the lack of spare parts, some 30 Héja II fighters could not be completed. The Hungarians tried to salvage any parts from damaged aircraft, but this was insufficient. In December 1944, there were six operational planes with the training unit ‘Puma’ Fighter Wing. The last Héja II was lost in early 1945 in an accident.
Héja wartime improvements and modifications
Based on the front line experience, in order to provide the pilots with better protection, the Hungarians asked the Italians for the design blueprints of the Re.2000 and Re.2001 0.3 in (8 mm) armored plates. The Re.2001 version was preferred, as it was much lighter at 110 lbs (50 kg), while the Re.2000 one was heavier, at 200 lbs (90 kg). The Italians, for some reason, did not agree to give these blueprints, so the Hungarians were forced to develop their own design. Author Maurizio D. T. mentions that a 0.98 in (25 mm) armor plate was added behind the pilot seat, which affected plane performance.
An additional fuel tank with 100 l was added into the fuselage in order to increase the operational range. It was equipped with a self-sealing coating in order to avoid any fuel leaks which could lead to a fire accident.
In the late part of the war, two planes were modified and equipped with dive brakes and bomb racks for 550 lbs (250 kg) or 1100 lbs (500 kg), in order to be tested for use as dive bombers. For further testing, one additional Héja II was modified for this. The tests appear to have been unsuccessful, as no production order followed for this modification.
By the end of 1942, there were plans to form a Night Fighter Squadron equipped with German radio equipment. As the promised equipment never arrived, no such unit was ever formed.
Production
The production of the first Héja II began in July 1942, with the first 25 completed by October 1942. Before the start of the second series of 75 aircraft, an order for 100 additional Héja IIs was placed. The last Héja II would be built in early March 1944. Depending on the sources used, the production numbers are different. The numbers go from 185, 192 to 203 planes. The difference in number may be caused by the fact that some sources include also the last 30 unfinished airframes.
- Héja I – 70 planes were purchased from the Italians
- Héja II – Hungarian built version
- Prototypes
- Héja II dive bomber – Three Héja IIs were modified for the role of dive bombers but were not accepted for service
- Héja II night fighter – There were plans to use the Héja II as a night fighter but due to the lack of necessary equipment no plane was ever used in this role.
Conclusion
The Héja provided the Hungarians with a much needed modern fighter plane. While it did see service, it was never used in any larger numbers due to problems with the delivery of new planes from Italy. Even when the improved Héja II was produced in Hungary, it was also plagued with slow production and distribution to combat units. By the time the Héja II was built in larger numbers, it was already outdated by late-war standards.
Héja II Specifications |
|
| Wingspans | 36 ft 1 in / 11 m |
| Length | 26 ft 6 in / 8.4 m |
| Height | 10 ft 4 in / 3.15 m |
| Wing Area | 220 ft² / 20.4 m² |
| Engine | One WMK-14B 1085 hp engine |
| Empty Weight | 4560 lbs / 2.070 kg |
| Maximum Takeoff Weight | 5550 lbs / 2,520 kg |
| Fuel Capacity | 500 + 100 l |
| Climb to 6 km (19,700 ft) | 6 minutes 10 seconds |
| Maximum Speed | 323 mph / 520 km/h |
| Cruising speed | 255 mph / 410 km/h |
| Range | 560 mile / 900 km |
| Maximum Service Ceiling | 25.700 ft / 8.140 m |
| Crew | 1 pilot |
| Armament |
|
Gallery
Heja, Illustration by Pavel Alexe
Heja II, Illustration by Pavel Alexe
Source
- Nešić, D. (2008). Naoružanje Drugog Svetsko Rata-Italija. Beograd
- David M. (2006). The Hamlyn Concise Guide To Axis Aircraft OF World War II, Bounty Books
- Maurizio D.T. (2002). Reggiane RE 2000 Falco, Heja, J.20, Instituto Bibliografico Napoleone
- G. Punka (1994), Hungarian Air Force, Signal Publications
- George P. Reggiane Fighters In Action. Signal Publication
- Jonathan T. (1963) Italian Civil And Military Aircraft 1930-1945, Aero Publisher
- Gianni C. (1966) The Reggiane Re.2000, Profile Publication Ltd.
- John F.B. (1972) Caproni Reggiane Re 2001 Falco II, Re 2002 Ariete and Re 2005 Sagittario, Profile Publications
- https://www.valka.cz/HUN-MAVAG-Heja-II-t6986