Tibor Tobak
Encyclopedia
Tibor Tobak was a World War II
fighter
pilot serving in the 3rd squadron of Hungarian
101. Honi Légvédelmi Vadászrepülő Osztály, who survived the war with two serious injuries and 4 confirmed and one uncorfirmed aerial victories. Shortly after the fall of communist rule he wrote a 300 page novel based on his notes, diaries and preserved personal letters. The 1991 book titled "Pumas on the ground and in the air" was praised for style, thrill, as well as day-by-day documentary
accuracy. It was subsequently translated to and published in German
and French
languages after three Hungarian editions.
The publication of Tobak's Puma book sparked unexpectedly great public interest in the history of pre-1945 Hungarian aviation
and air force
, which was a strictly banned subject during the communist bloc era. Tibor Tobak quickly became the key personality representing and organizing veteran Hungarian military aviator
s. He wrote several more short stories commemorating the service of Hungarian bomber and aerial reconnaissance units in World War II. He was decorated and promoted to the rank of a colonel
(retired) by the democratic government for his work in preserving an important part of Hungarian military history
.
Tobak's Puma book is organized into several chapters. These address his flight school and fighter academy studies, months of service as a courier pilot in Transylvania
, his entry to the Pumas and the first fights against USAAF
bomber formations during the summer and autumn of 1944. (The full Puma unit, nominally the "101st wing", was worth no more than thirty Me-109G6 fighter planes, yet sent alone to attack US formations consisting of 500 B-17 or B-24 heavy bombers and 300 P-51 Mustang
fighters). Tobak documents his severe injury and an adventurous journey to and from a hospital in Germany
through the chaos of day-and-night allied carpet bombing
campaign.
The final part of his Puma book deals with war on the soviet front, against Il-2
ground support battle-aircraft and their Yak
and Lavochkin
fighter cover, where the Me-109 was at disadvantage in low altitude operations. The book ends with the Puma's fighting retreat into Austria
and torching its remaining planes on Raffelding airfield on 6 May 1945, with the badly burnt Tobak watching from the sideline. The Puma unit eventually offeres itself captive to the US Army.
1944
1945
Tobak Tibor : Pumák és a többiek : Mindig túlerővel szemben. Budapest,: HungAvia, 1990.
Tobak Tibor: Pumák és boszorkányok. Zrínyi, Budapest, 1995.
Tobak Tibor: Les pumas rouges. Témoignage d'un as de la chasse hongroise, 1941–1945, Alerion, 1996.
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
pilot serving in the 3rd squadron of Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
101. Honi Légvédelmi Vadászrepülő Osztály, who survived the war with two serious injuries and 4 confirmed and one uncorfirmed aerial victories. Shortly after the fall of communist rule he wrote a 300 page novel based on his notes, diaries and preserved personal letters. The 1991 book titled "Pumas on the ground and in the air" was praised for style, thrill, as well as day-by-day documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
accuracy. It was subsequently translated to and published in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
and French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
languages after three Hungarian editions.
The publication of Tobak's Puma book sparked unexpectedly great public interest in the history of pre-1945 Hungarian aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
and air force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
, which was a strictly banned subject during the communist bloc era. Tibor Tobak quickly became the key personality representing and organizing veteran Hungarian military aviator
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s. He wrote several more short stories commemorating the service of Hungarian bomber and aerial reconnaissance units in World War II. He was decorated and promoted to the rank of a colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
(retired) by the democratic government for his work in preserving an important part of Hungarian military history
Military history
Military history is a humanities discipline within the scope of general historical recording of armed conflict in the history of humanity, and its impact on the societies, their cultures, economies and changing intra and international relationships....
.
Tobak's Puma book is organized into several chapters. These address his flight school and fighter academy studies, months of service as a courier pilot in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
, his entry to the Pumas and the first fights against USAAF
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
bomber formations during the summer and autumn of 1944. (The full Puma unit, nominally the "101st wing", was worth no more than thirty Me-109G6 fighter planes, yet sent alone to attack US formations consisting of 500 B-17 or B-24 heavy bombers and 300 P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
fighters). Tobak documents his severe injury and an adventurous journey to and from a hospital in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
through the chaos of day-and-night allied carpet bombing
Carpet bombing
Carpet bombing is a large aerial bombing done in a progressive manner to inflict damage in every part of a selected area of land. The phrase invokes the image of explosions completely covering an area, in the same way that a carpet covers a floor. Carpet bombing is usually achieved by dropping many...
campaign.
The final part of his Puma book deals with war on the soviet front, against Il-2
Ilyushin Il-2
The Ilyushin Il-2 was a ground-attack aircraft in the Second World War, produced by the Soviet Union in very large numbers...
ground support battle-aircraft and their Yak
Yakovlev
The Yak Aircraft Corporation is a Russian aircraft designer and manufacturer...
and Lavochkin
Lavochkin
NPO Lavochkin is a Russian aerospace company. It is a major player in the Russian space program, being the developer and manufacturer of the Fregat upper stage, as well as interplanetary probes such as Phobos Grunt...
fighter cover, where the Me-109 was at disadvantage in low altitude operations. The book ends with the Puma's fighting retreat into Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
and torching its remaining planes on Raffelding airfield on 6 May 1945, with the badly burnt Tobak watching from the sideline. The Puma unit eventually offeres itself captive to the US Army.
Air kills
Kill no. Date Type1944
- 16.11.1944 – La–5 - not confirmed
- 1. 22.12.1944 – Il–2
- 2. 22.12.1944 – Jak-9
1945
- 3. 16.03.1945 – Il–2
- 4. 21.03.1945 – Jak-9
Books written by Tibor Tobak
Tobak Tibor: Pumák földön-égen, Egy vadászrepülő kalandjai, Háttér, Budapest, 1989.Tobak Tibor : Pumák és a többiek : Mindig túlerővel szemben. Budapest,: HungAvia, 1990.
Tobak Tibor: Pumák és boszorkányok. Zrínyi, Budapest, 1995.
Tobak Tibor: Les pumas rouges. Témoignage d'un as de la chasse hongroise, 1941–1945, Alerion, 1996.