On 31 October 1918, Archduke Josef von Habsburg appointed the Chairman of the Hungarian
National Council Mihály Károlyi Prime Minister
of Hungary. After the abdication of Emperor
Charles, the Hungarian National Council proclaimed the Republic on 16 November. Although the country now gained independence,
extremely severe problems weighted on the
government both in the field of domestic and
foreign policies. The food shortage, the stagnant
public services and the high unemployment
imposed heavy burdens on the population.
At the same time, Czech, Romanian and Serbian
military intruded deep into the country with the
approval of the Entente. On 21 March 1919, the
new ultimatum of the Paris Peace Conference arrived, which demanded that Hungary abandon
a large part of the country and a line of demarcation that was unacceptable to the Hungarian
public be set. Given these terms, Mihály Károlyi
retired and left power to the Social Democratic
Party and the Hungarian Communist Party,
which proclaimed the Hungarian Soviet Republic.
Republic and Soviet Republic
The leaders of the Bolshevik soviet system,
which existed until 1 August, failed to stabilize
the situation of the country. It was only the
fights for national defense of the Red Army,
which had been formed in a rush, and their
temporary successes that kept the system alive.
Numerous staff officers of the future Horthy era
participated in the fighting against the Czech
and Romanian troops.
1 Count Mihály Károlyi’s speech to the revolutionary
crowd. Soldiers who had returned from the frontlines are also present.
2 The military situation on 31 March 1919, the proclamation day of the Soviet Republic of Hungary.
3 Propaganda poster, autumn 1918.
4 Mihály Károlyi and his wife, Countess Katalin Andrássy, leave the parliament building.
5 Tram line 15 with political slogans between the stations Városliget und Népsziget.
Hungary, which had become independent, immediately started forming the Hungarian Air
Force. Department 37, Aviation, was established
in the War Ministry, which was designed to form
an independent Hungarian Air Force from the
aircraft that had remained in Hungary and were
standing in the factories as well as the returning
pilots. In late December 1918 the Headquarters
of the Hungarian Air Force came into being.
The existing forces were structured to form eight
aviation squadrons with a total of about 68 aircraft. Following the proclamation of the Soviet
Republic, nine squadrons of the Red Air Force
constantly participated in the fights against
the Czechoslovak and Romanian troops. The
aircraft plants continued production in spite of
the chaotic domestic situation. The Hungarian
aircraft manufacturer Ungarische Flugzeugfabrik
AG (UFAG) now operated under the name Ungarisches Flugzeugwerk (MARE), and of course
the Lloyd Aircraft and Motor Company in Aszód
did not cease operations either.
The Independent Hungarian Air Arm
and the Red Air Force
Although the Hungarian General Machine Factory Corp. MÁG had stopped production at the
end of the war, it could resume the production
at the end of restructuring following the proclamation of the Soviet Republic in spite of major
difficulties regarding material supply. The Hungarian Automobile Joint-stock Company MARTA
continued working in Arad, which was occupied
by the French, and delivered engines to the factories in Budapest even in May 1919.
1 Seaplane of the Red Air Force at the seaplane station
of Csepel.
2 Fighter aircraft Aviatik-Berg D I with cockade of the
Red Air Force.
3 Reconnaissance aircraft Fokker B II with Red Star in
Mátyásföld.
4 Advertising about propaganda films, which were
brought to Hungary by Tibor Szamuely and the pilot
István Dobos from Moscow.
5 Fokker D VII fighter ready for take-off. In the background a Hansa-Brandenburg C I reconnaissance
aircraft can be seen.
6 Chrashed fighter plane Fokker D VII, which was built
in the Hungarian General Machine Factory Corp.
MÁG.
In September 1918 the German Supreme High
Command considered the war to be lost. General Ludendorff initiated a change of the constitution and the transfer of sovereignty to the social
democratic majority in the Reichstag. This way
he confronted the social democrats (SPD) with
the thankless task, to ask Germanys enemies for
armistice and peace – this was the origin of the
later “stab in the back legend”. At the end of October cases of insubordination took place in the
navy which extended into a revolution covering
the whole of Germany.
1 T he end of an air war hero, First World War
Many pilots found short term fame but also met
death at the battlefield. War and military aviation in
Germany ended with the Peace Treaty of Versailles.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
2 K
arl Liebknecht speaks to the masses, 8 December
1918
Following the Russian example Rosa Luxemburg
and Karl Liebknecht, the leaders of the Spartacus
League, tried to steer the revolution, which was
dominated by social-democratic-minded forces,
into the direction of a Republic of Councils. During
the night of 15 January 1919 both were murdered
in Berlin by officers of the Guards Cavalry Rifle Division.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History Dresden
On 9 November 1918 Imperial Chancellor Max
von Baden unauthorizedly declared the abdication of the Emperor. The same day the SPD
representative Philipp Scheidemann proclaimed
the »German Republic« in Berlin. Two hours later
Karl Liebknecht proclaimed the »Free Socialist
Republic«. The “Council of People’s Representatives” was convened as transitional government.
The leaders of the Spartacus League, Karl Liebknecht und Rosa Luxemburg, tried to continue
the revolution. On the evening of 15 January
1919 they were murdered in Berlin by members
of the Guards Cavalry Rifle Division. Four days
later elections for the National Assembly took
place in Weimar.
Collapse of the old system –
End of the war and Treaty of Versailles
With the Peace Treaty of Versailles sole guilt for
the war was attributed to the Central Powers
Germany and Austria-Hungary on 28 June 1919.
The German Reich had to accept cession abdication of territories, large reparations and disarmament requirements. Army and Navy were
drastically reduced, an air force was banned. But
hardly had the ink dried on the treaty, first attempts started to bypass armament restrictions.
3 N
ovember revolution, armed workers on a lorry
Berlin descended into chaos. As Berlin was considered as unsafe even after 1919 the new Republic
was founded in Weimar. Hence, a first civilian flight
connection was established between Berlin and
Weimar.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History Dresden
4 C
ompliance with the conditions
After the First World War Germany had to destroy or
to hand over most of the aircraft to the Entente.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History Dresden
5 C
ompliance with the conditions
In accordance with the Treaty of Versailles besides
of aircraft parts also aircraft engines had to be destroyed.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History Dresden
The intervention against the Soviet Republic
resulted in the complete military, economic and
political collapse. The leaders of the Entente
selected Admiral Miklós Horthy to rank first in
the new political system. Horthy did not have a
choice but to accept the tough terms for peace
which were imposed on Hungary in the Treaty
of Trianon. Thus, the National Assembly granted
Horthy the title of Regent on 21 March 1920.
The peace treaty, which was signed on 4 June
1920, was of catastrophic effect to the independent Hungary, which lost almost two thirds
of its previous territory and more than half its
population. Hungary’s borders were threatened
by the neighboring states of Czechoslovakia,
Romania and Yugoslavia in almost every direction. These future member states of the “Little
Entente”, which was directed against Hungary,
gained major Hungarian territories.
Peace Treaty and Consolidation
Since the economy was in ruins and unemployment was high, István Bethlen, who had been
appointed Prime Minister in 1921, regarded the
stabilization of the country and the society to
be his primary responsibility. His foreign policy
was governed by the revision of the terms of the
Treaty of Trianon, although he could not hold
this position officially. The fact that the victorious power Italy was not satisfied with the results
of the conclusion of peace either was helpful
in this respect. A rapprochement between the
two states started, which eventually resulted in
Hungary’s overcoming the isolation in the field
of foreign policy.
1 General Reginald Corton, Head of the British Entente
Mission in the Buda Castle in autumn 1919.
2 The members of the Entente’s Border Commission,
1919.
3 »No, no, never!« Propaganda poster against the
Peace Treaty of Trianon, 1920
4 Count Dr. Albert Apponyis signs the peace treaty of
Trianon on 4 June 1920.
5 A banner against the Peace Treaty of Trianon, which
was held during a demonstration in front of the
National Museum in November 1920.
6 Prime Minister Count István Bethlen in Berlin on 22
November 1930. (Source: Bundesarchiv)
While numerous engineers and workers of
aircraft industry still were moving abroad, the
Hungarian Aero Traffic Limited MAEFORT was
founded on 11 February 1920. On 7 November
1920, the regular air mail line Budapest-Szombathely started operations. The lifting of the
ban on flights imposed on Hungary in May 1922
opened up new business perspectives for the
emerging companies of civil aviation. The Hungarian air carriers MLRt (from 1931 on MALÉRT)
and Aeroexpress Rt (1923 – 1925) were able to
integrate into international air traffic.
The Hungarian Aero Association launched courses for the construction of model aircraft and
theoretical pilot training courses. The Sportflying
Association of the Technical University of Budapest set the development of low-cost sporting aircraft as its target. By this they wanted to
provide military training and educate technical
specialist personnel. In September 1926, the
Council of Ambassadors of the Victorious Powers
at last also lifted the restrictions imposed on the
production of civilian aircraft in Hungary.
The Beginnings of Civil Aviation
in Hungary
1 The designer Árpád Lampich and the biplane L-4
»Bohóc«. (Source: Fortepan)
2 Wreckage of Junkers F-13, crashed on 6 May 1923
during a flight near Csepel Island. (Source: Fortepan)
3 Junkers F 13 seaplanes operated by Aeroexpress
PLC, at Gellért Square on the Danube (Source:
Fortepan)
4 Passenger aircraft MALERT Fokker F VIII with five
seats.
5 Captain Frigyes Hefty in the uniform of the Royal
Hungarian Air Force.
Showcase:
1 A
wards from Frigyes Hefty, ace of the First World
War and later test pilot.
The regulations of the Peace Treaty of Versailles
dealt a severe blow to German Aviation. Larger
enterprises were partly relocated abroad, a lot
of smaller companies collapsed. At the end of
World War I about 120 companies employed
125.000 workers in the German aviation industry. After 1919 and until 1933 the number of
employees dropped to 3.200. In order to survive
many companies changed their product range.
Aircraft designer Edmund Rumpler for example
made an attempt in automobile manufacture.
Hugo Junkers returned to his entrepreneurial
roots, producing bathing furnaces again.
Some aircraft manufacturers opened up air
traffic as new area of business. One leading
example was the air transport company Junkers Luftverkehr AG, which merged with the
Deutsche Aero Lloyd on 6 January 1926, forming
the Deutsche Luft Hansa AG. Many companies
joined together in 1929 to form the »Reichsverband der Deutschen Luftfahrt-Industrie«
(German aviation industry association), which
had the purpose to safeguard and promote its
members’ interests.
Aviation industry and civilian aviation
in the Weimar Republic
In 1923 Tempelhof Central Airport became operational and developed into a European aviation
hub. During the following five years the traffic
volume increased from 150 passengers in the
first year to more than 40.000 passengers. This
success based in particular on increasing traffic
safety, which again was the result of an efficient
air traffic control service. All important airports
were equipped with radio transmitters for communication purposes and with radio directionfinding stations for positioning. At the end of the
1920s the whole area of the Reich was divided
into air traffic control districts
1 L arge commercial aircraft Dornier Superwal
After the war Dornier produced the famous Dornier
Wal flying boats in Switzerland and Italy, in order
to bypass the strict conditions of the Treaty of Versailles. In the Weimar Republic on he continued his
successful work with the Superwal flying boat from
1926.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
2 R
oute network of the Deutsche Lufthansa in1935
Within a short time the Deutsche Lufthansa established an extensive and international air transport
network. Also Erhard Milch contributed to the
meteoritic rise of the airline, who later became Secretary of State in the German Air Ministry which was
headed by Hermann Göring. There he was involved
in the build up of the secret air force.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History Dresden
3 F 13 – The success story of Hugo Junkers
Hugo Junkers constructed the passenger plane F.13
even before the ratification of the Treaty of Versailles
took place in 1919. As production in Germany had
been banned Junkers shipped the planes which
were packed in boxes to the USA. There the planes
were assembled and sold by the »Junkers-Larsen
Aircraft Corporation«.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
4 U
det U 12 Flamingo
After the war the famous war veteran and fighter
pilot Ernst Udet dabbled temporarily also in civilian
aircraft construction. The U12 Flamingo was a popular sports plane produced in license by the Hungarian Manfréd Weiss Works in Hungary.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
5 A
irport Berlin Tempelhof
The central airport Berlin Tempelhof was chosen as
headquarter of the Deutsche Lufthansa. Since the
late 1920ies the airport developed into a European
hub.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History Dresden
1 A
ir travel around 1930
Junkers large passenger aircraft G 31 offered
comfort like a flying dining-car, as it was popularly
called. In the G 31 the Lufthansa employed for the
first time a steward for the passengers.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History Dresden
2 H
ugo Junkers G 31
From 1926 onwards the passenger aircraft G 31
could carry up to 16 persons. The aircraft, of which
only 13 units were manufactured, was used in regular service by the Lufthansa, for example between
Berlin and London.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
3 D
ornier Do X
The Do X was the highlight of the flying boats of
Claude Dornier. Built in 1929 it was the largest flying boat of its time. As the aircraft was not suitable
for military purposes and due to a negative costbenefit-ratio the National Socialists effected a stop
of the production of the Do X.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
Showcase:
1 Model of Dornier Do X
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
Pictures
The military restrictions laid down in the Treaty
of Trianon forbad Hungary to maintain air forces
and to produce military aircraft. As a result and
in order to lessen the negative consequences of
the peace treaty, the Aviation Department which
was headed by Colonel István Petróczy swiftly
was put under the control of the Ministry of
Trade as Functional Department II (Aviation).
Between July 1921 and the end of 1922, airplanes and aeronautical equipment were confiscated and destroyed in Hungary. 119 airplanes,
77 engines and more than 200 propellers were
affected by this. The aircraft assembled in the
Hungarian factories since the end of the war
formed the majority of the destroyed material.
In many cases it was possible to disassemble
high-quality airplanes and to hide them, dismantled into individual components, in shelters,
barns and in attics, thus preventing them from
destruction.
The Air Office and the Establishment
of a Secret Air Arm
On 10 April 1924, the Air Office LÜH headed by
Colonel Károly Vassel was instituted as a secret
military structural unit. The LÜH basically was
a cover organization for the air arm, which
was funded from the budget of the Ministry of
Defense. Vassel wanted to create the enabling
environment for the establishment of a secret
air arm and its manning with trained personnel. Other cover organizations as well as civilian
organizations and institutions of internal order
were involved in these efforts. A system of airfields and meteorological stations developed
gradually under the guise of passenger and mail
air transport.
1 Béla Misik (later Csepreghy), Chief Inspector of the
Hungarian Aero Traffic Limited MAEFORT, which
was disbanded in 1921 by the Allied Military Control
Commission.
2 László Háry (in white shirt) and Károly Vassel (to his
left) on the airfield of Szeged, 1928
3 Colonel Károly Vassel, Director of the Air Office LÜH.
4 A WM Fokker C.V.D. formation over Székesfehérvár.
5 Staff of the Air Office LÜH, 1932. First from the left in
the top row is Károly Anderle, pilot in the First World
War, the first from the right is Captain Béla Misik
(Csepreghy).
Tallin
Riga
Moskau
Kovno
Lipezk
Berlin
Warschau
Prag
Wien
Bratislava
Budapest
In May 1922 first relaxations of the allied import
and building bans occurred in the field of civil
aviation. However, this was combined with strict
conditions limiting the technical parameters
of aircraft, which were fully revoked not before
1926. The construction of military aircraft continued to be forbidden. However, in secret and with
the knowledge of the German Government the
foundations were laid for the establishment of a
new air force.
The Treaty of Rapallo was concluded on the 16
April 1922 between the German Reich and the
Russian Soviet Republic, which also was internationally isolated to a large extent. In the treaty
secret military cooperation was agreed upon,
among others about the training of pilots and
aircraft technicians. For this purpose an aviation school and technical proving facility of the
Reichswehr went into operation close to the
Russian town of Lipezk in 1925. The so-called
»Wissenschaftliche Versuchs- und Personalausbildungsstation« (WIVUPAL) (Scientific test- and
training station) disposed about ca. 100 aircraft, about half of these were modern Dutch
fighter aircraft of the type Fokker D.XIII. Also the
Deutsche Luft Hansa AG, which was founded in
1926, carried out hidden training of future military pilots.
A clear breach of contract –
the prohibited Air Force takes shape
In 1928 the Reich Government provided more
than 20 million Reichsmark to promote the German aviation industry. Companies as Heinkel,
Dornier and Junkers constructed passenger
planes which also could be used as combat
aircraft after only minor modifications. Among
these were the Heinkel He 111, the Dornier Do
17 and the Junkers Ju 52. It had been possible
to use the latter, a trimotor passenger and transport aircraft, at least as “auxiliary bomber aircraft.
1 Isolated partners
In order to bypass the conditions implied by the
ban on aircraft construction and pilot training the
internationally isolated Germany was looking for a
suitable partner in the form of Soviet Russia, which
was isolated as well. The satirical weekly »Simplicissimus« made fun of the alliance, concluded in
Rapallo.
German Historical Museum
2W
inter training in Lipezk nearby Moscow
Between 1926 and 1933 about 120 pilots, 100 air
observers and numerous ground crews emerged
from the flight training of the Scientific test- and
training station »Wissenschaftlichen Versuchs- und
Personalausbildungsstation« (WIVUPAL) . The air
school used a number of Dutch, Russian and even
German planes.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
3&4 T wo photos from the photo album
Lipezk was an unobtrusive location in the Russian
countryside. The Germans tried to make them
at home as good as possible. Over time the site
developed into an efficient and modern training
centre, which comprised not only aircraft hangars
and workshops but also test beds, class rooms, a
modern dispensary with operation room as well
as suitable common rooms.
Bundeswehr Museum of Military History – Berlin-Gatow Airfield
The National Plant for Defense Materiel, which
had been founded on 7 January 1922, controlled
the production of all armament companies in
private ownership by disguised contracts. Owing to the ban on the construction of aircraft as
laid down in the Treaty of Trianon and the lack
of capital the construction of aircraft ceased to
exist almost completely. The manufacturing of
aircraft in small-scale workshops, whose dimensions generally could not be regarded to be
industrial, was designed to be a way out of this
situation.
Among them, the Neuschloss Lichting Aircraft
Plant and the Holzgewerbe AG (Wood Processing Joint-stock company) were the most important ones. Nine trainer aircraft and one sports
plane were manufactured in these facilities.
Between 1923 and 1924, there was the propeller
manufacturer of the EXPRESS Werke which employed 50 to 60 people. The Fejes Lemezmotor
és Gépgyár Rt. existed between 1923 and 1931;
it employed 20 to 30 persons on average.
The aircraft manufacturer Feigl and Rotter,
FEIRO, was one of the most sophisticated and innovative companies. Numerous workshops with
remarkable projects, inter alia a glider plane with
an auxiliary engine that was landed on three
points, were active between 1923 and 1925 and
employed 8 to 10 people on average.
Small-scale Workshops to serve
Aircraft Construction
1 Aerial view of the location of the Ungarische Flugzeugwerke MARE in 1919, where after the war the
Neuschloss Lichting Aircraft Plant and the Holzgewerbe AG (Wood Processing Joint-stock company)
worked.
2 The premises of FEIRO Works in Budapest, 1924 (Rotter family archives)
3 Sketch of a three points glider with auxiliary engine
designed by Lajos Rotter (Rotter family archives)
4 Trainer aircraft of FEIRO, which was given the name
»Dongó« (bumblebee). People from left to right:
Pilot Frigyes Hefty as test pilot, Lajos Rotter and the
brothers Feigl. (Rotter family archives)