Lajos Tóth (fighter pilot)

Lieutenant Lajos Tóth (nickname: „Drumi”, 25. August 1922. Újfehértó – 11. Juni 1951. Budapest), was one of the most successful fighter pilot of the Royal Hungarian Honvéd Air Force in World War II. He scored 26 aerial victories against the Soviet Air Force and the USAAF 15. AAF. After the war he served in the "new" communist air force, but he was arrested and executed based on trumped up charges in a show trial in 1951.

The native form of this personal name is Tóth Lajos. This article uses Western name order when mentioning individuals.

Lajos Tóth
Nickname(s)Drumi
Born(1922-08-25)25 August 1922
Újfehértó, Kingdom of Hungary
Died11 June 1951(1951-06-11) (aged 28)
Budapest, Hungary
Allegiance Kingdom of Hungary
Service/branch
Years of service
  • 1940 – 1945
  • 1948 – 1951
RankCaptain
Unit
Battles/warsWorld War II

Early life/Royal Hungarian Honvéd Air Force

Lajos Tóth was born in 1922 in Újfehértó. He finished his studies in Pécs and joined to the Royal Hungarian "Horthy Miklós" Flight Academy (M. Kir. "Horthy Miklós" Repülő Akadémia) in 1940. He was a real talent, he had outstanding ability to the flying. He finished the Academy in Kassa with excellent ratings (first in his grade) as lieutenant on 6. December 1942. He was trained as a fighter pilot, and got the Messerschmitt training by JG107 in 1943. In summer 1943 he was transferred with the 5/2. Fighter Squadron to the Soviet front.[1] He shot down his first aircraft on 5 September 1943. The victim was a La-5. He was Shot dow by a soviet fighter on 3. October 1943. After a force landing in enemy territory he had to swim across the Dnieper river and was wounded on his left leg by a soviet machine gun, then he reached the german lines on 7. October. His record on the Eastern Front was 95 (or 93) sorties and 9 kills.[2]

In the Puma Group

The 101. Honi Légvédelmi Vadászrepülő Osztály (101st "Puma" Fighter Group) was formed on 1 May 1944. Lt. Tóth was transferred to the 101/2 "Retek" (Radish) Fighter Squadron. He continued to score his kills among the Pumas, and shot down 4 American planes. During the American Season, he was shot dow two times by the US fighters and survived them without injury. From 9. November 1944 he was leading the 101/2. Fighter Squadron. After the "American Season" ended, once again Soviet fighters became the main enemy. Lt. Tóth scored an additional 13 kills. He was promoted to First Lieutenant on 16 March 1945. He achieved his last two air victories on 14 April 1945, when he shot down two Il-2 over Austria. By the end of the war he had completed more than 181 sorties, and had 26 confirmed kills.[3]

After the war/Death

After the war, he returned home and became a pilot of the Hungarian People's Army Air Force between 1948 and 1951. He was promoted to Captain in 1950. On March 3, 1951, the ÁVH (State Protection Authority) arrested Lajos Tóth. He was sentenced to death for conspiracy within three months and executed on June 11, 1951.

He was rehabilitated in 1990 and promoted to posthumous lieutenant colonel.

His ashes, after a long search, were finally found in September 2002 in plot 298 adjacent to plot 301, under another name. He was identified in 2003 by DNA testing.

He was reburied on September 10, 2003 in plot 298 of the New Public Cemetery in Rákoskeresztúr.

References
Notes
  1. B. Stenge Csaba - Elfelejtett Hősök - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő ászai a II. világháborúban, Zrinyi Kiadó, 2016 p. 98.
  2. B. Stenge p. 105.">>B. Stenge Csaba - Elfelejtett Hősök - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő ászai a II. világháborúban, Zrinyi Kiadó, 2016 p. 105.
  3. B. Stenge p. 110.">>B. Stenge Csaba - Elfelejtett Hősök - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő ászai a II. világháborúban, Zrinyi Kiadó, 2016 p. 110.
Bibliography
  • Becze Csaba - Elfelejtett Hősök - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő ászai a II. világháborúban, Puedlo Kiadó, 2006, ISBN 963-9673-06-4
  • B. Stenge Csaba - Elfelejtett Hősök - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő ászai a II. világháborúban, Zrinyi Kiadó, 2016, second, extended edition ISBN 978-963-327-649-5
  • Pataki I./Rozsos L./Sárhidai Gy. - Légi Háború Magyarország Felett I., Zrínyi Kiadó, 1992, ISBN 963-327-154-1
  • Pataki I./Rozsos L./Sárhidai Gy. - Légi Háború Magyarország Felett II., Zrínyi Kiadó, 1993, ISBN 963-327-163-0
  • Punka György - Hungarian Aces of World War 2, Osprey Publishing, Oxford, England, 2002.
  • Punka György - A "Messzer" - Bf 109-ek a Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierőben, OMIKK, 1995, ISBN 963-593-208-1
  • Punka Gy./Sárhidai Gy. - Magyar Sasok - A Magyar Királyi Honvéd Légierő 1920 - 1945, K.u.K. Kiadó, 2006, ISBN 963-7437-51-7
  • Tobak Tibor - Pumák Földön-Égen, Lap és Könyvkiadó Kft., 1989, ISBN 963-7403-35-3


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