Manfred Weiss WM-23A Ezustnyil

[comrade harps]

Manfred Weiss WM-23A Ezustnyil
White 5, 10 Fighter Squadron, 4 Wing, Croatian Air Force Legion
May, 1943, Taman, occupied Socialist Union



The early life of the Manfred Weiss WM-23 was undermined by the limitations of its engines. The first prototype flew in September 1940 with the WM-K-14B (a license-built Gnome-Rhone 14Kfrs Mistral Major) and it was clearly overweight and underpowered. Many of these issues were dealt with in the second prototype (first flown in June, 1941), which incorporated numerous weight savings, featured a cut-down rear fuselage and a (heavily framed) bubble-like canopy and the more powerful Piaggio P.XIX radial. Although its bubble canopy provided excellent visibility for dogfighting, the plane was designed as an interceptor and its high wing loading gave it poor manoeuvrability; this was judged as insufficient for air combat on the Eastern Front. Worse still was the slow rate of deliveries. Powered by an imported Piaggio P.XIX, the Italian manufacturer proved to be unreliable and many airframes were rolled out without engines. To rejuvenate the MW.23 program, BMW 801 power eggs were acquired and bolted on to 23 MW.23A airframes to produce the MW.23B. A hastily cobbled together stop gap, the MW.23Bs were issued to interceptor squadrons but, after several accidents, were unofficially declared dangerous and rarely flown. The definitive BMW 801 powered MW.23C featured a longer fuselage, a larger tail, longer wings and an armament of 2 MG151/20 and 2 MG131s. Only 2 prototypes and 3 pre-series MW.23Cs were delivered, with 2 of the latter seeing brief combat service. The shortfall in MW.23 deliveries was made up by continued Heja III orders and, from mid-1943, the acquisition of Bf 109 Gs. According to Hungarian General, Deputy Defence Minister (August 1940 to March 1944) and Defence Minister (August 1944 to April 1946) András Littay, the selection and continued investment in the MW.23 was "a scandal." Before his death in Melbourne, Australia, in 1967, Littay told an interviewer from the Australian War Memorial that the Heja III was "an adequate" fighter, whereas the MW.23 "was chosen for political reasons."





Besides Hungary, the only other operator of the WM-23 was the Independent State of Croatia. Politically obliged to fight on the Eastern Front, the Croat puppet regime formed Croatian Air Force Legion (Hrvatska Zrakoplovna Legija or HZL) in July 1941 with 4 Fighter Wing and 5 Bomber Wing being sent to fight alongside the Luftwaffe. Although successful on the battlefield, there was continual friction between the Croat fighter pilots and their German masters, resulting in 5 defections during 1942 and the Luftwaffe refusing to assign more modern types than second-hand Bf 109Es to 4 Fighter Wing. The situation came to a head in November 1942, when with just three Bf 109E-7s airworthy from an inventory of just 7 planes, the 5th defection saw the unit withdrawn from the front and temporarily disbanded.

With a corps of new pilots commanded by a few loyal veterans, the HZL's 4 Fighter Wing was re-established at Fürth in Germany during December, 1942. Initially trained on old Bf 109Es and Fs, in January they were presented with a new, and unusual, mount, with the delivery of eight Manfred Weiss WM-23As to the airfield. Most of the Croats had no prior knowledge of the type, but those who did were incensed. Not only had they been lead to believe that Bf-109G-2s were coming their way, but relations between Croatia and Hungary were not good; Hungary, having annexed portions of Yugoslavia during the Axis invasion that included significant ethnic Croat populations, were now ethnically cleansing those areas. Considerable political pressure and numerous threats were directed towards the Wing's personnel in order to avert a mutiny.



A mixture of low morale, training accidents, adverse weather, logistical problems and maintenance issues slowed their progress to the front. On 30 March, 1943, 10 and 11 Fighter Squadrons of 4 Wing finally stood-up at Kersch IV airfield and they flew their Hungarian-built fighters in action the next day.



The Croatians found the MW-23A a difficult mount to adjust to. It was faster than their old Bf 109Es and boasted superior diving speed and climb rates, but was not good in a turning fight. These characteristics resulted in a change to tactics that emphasised vertical engagements. They had learnt this at Fürth, but their training had been inadequate and they suffered their first loss on their first combat mission, 1 April, 1943.

By 29 June, only three out of the 17 Luftwaffe-acquired MW-23As were serviceable from an inventory of just six surviving airframes, with just five "reliable" pilots still allowed to fly. While three pilots continued to excel in the air and rack up kills, the other 2 were flying cautiously in survival mode and avoiding contact with the enemy. Of the remaining pilots, they had been confined to barracks for ill-discipline or sent to the rear due to ill health and or injury. The few reliable pilots were consolidated into 10 Fighter Squadron (with 11 Fighter Squadron disbanded) and were allowed to continue combat operations until 20 July, by which time they had only a pair of airworthy airframes.

The HZL's 4 Wing was regenerated again at Fürth with a new intake of heavily-vetted pilots, this time flying new Bf 109 G-4 and G-6. This iteration of 4 Wing flew without defections on the Eastern Front from late October, 1943, to March, 1944, when losses and the need for the Croatians to defend their own airspace saw the HZL's fighter operations disbanded,

[Dizzyfugu]

Looks as if this sone has some Japanese ancestors...? 

Looks very natural, though, and not too far off of the original. 

[DogfighterZen]

 

[comrade harps]

Looks as if this sone has some Japanese ancestors...? 

Looks very natural, though, and not too far off of the original. 

Well spotted: it's a Ki-44 Tojo.

Started on Saturday morning, finished on Sunday afternoon. Quick and easy.

Kind of like a mini P-47 in appearance from some angels.

[zenrat]

Looks good.


Did you have to mention Tojo though?  I've now got the Hoodoo Gurus song stuck on my cerebral jukebox.

[NARSES2]

I like that 

[comrade harps]

Looks good.


Did you have to mention Tojo though?  I've now got the Hoodoo Gurus song stuck on my cerebral jukebox.

Just as well it wasn't coded as Nip, otherwise you'll have Mental As Anything on high rotation!

[Old Wombat]

Looks good.


Did you have to mention Tojo though?  I've now got the Hoodoo Gurus song stuck on my cerebral jukebox.

Yup!


Just to put others on the same page as Fred:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y66Db-AzsdE

Which brings to (my) mind another Hoodoo Gurus' song;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N56YnwlRU4c

[Old Wombat]

Looks good.


Did you have to mention Tojo though?  I've now got the Hoodoo Gurus song stuck on my cerebral jukebox.

Just as well it wasn't coded as Nip, otherwise you'll have Mental As Anything on high rotation!

Neither of which is a bad thing!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVnLJQIJw2Y