Hungary's air arm grew up in secret during the 1930s, as the country was forbidden from building its own airforce following the defeat of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in World War 1. In June 1941, Hungarian pilots joined Germany in the invasion of Russia where they fought on until 1945. Bulgaria, on the other hand, never declared war on Russia, although it supported German efforts in Yugoslavia and Greece by declaring war on the Western Allies. From late 1943 through to mid-1944 Bulgarian pilots attempted to defend industrial and military sites from American bombers, but by July 1944 the Bulgarian armed forces had surrendered to the Russians. This book commemorates the 20 aces who hailed from Hungary and Bulgaria.

Author Biography

Gyorgy Punka is an aviation engineer based in Budapest. He has written several books and numerous articles on the Hungarian Air Force during World War 2. This is his first volume for Osprey. Stephan Boshniakov is an aviation researcher based in Sofia. He has done work in the past for the Bulgarian Aviation Museum. This is his first book for Osprey. Stephan Boshniakov is an aviation researcher based in Sofia. He has done work in the past for the Bulgarian Aviation Museum. This is his first volume for Osprey.