Personal Ju-52 of Hungarian Head of State


First Ju-52 aircraft were bought by Magyar Légiforgalmi Rt. (MALÉRT, originally Magyar Aeroforgalmi Rt, Hungarian Airtransport Holding Co.) between 1936 and 1941. First 7 aircraft arrived in 3 different versions (3e, 4e and 7e). The very first one, which was flown from Dessau by Ádám Krudy and Gyula Timár in 1936, manufacturing no. 5600, was Ju-52/3mg4e. It had only 8 passenger seats, but also a conference room. This particular machine was reserved by the command of the secret Air Force for Head of State - Regent Miklós Horthy.

Aircraft received civil registration HA-DUR (in Hungarian 'hadúr' means a warlord, also used as a title of the chief of the armed forces) and LÜH number 1001 (see SAFO No. 77), and had been named after the best scoring Hungarian WWI ace - lt. József Kiss. Despite civil registration aircraft was in a permanent (clandestine) military service. In 1938 it was temporarily lent to civil transport as HA-JUC. It was requested back (together with other two MALÉRT Ju-52) as military transport (but without any modification) in June 1941, with S.101 serials, and put for some months to a short front service (102/1 Transport Sq.). In 1942 (April 13) all the other civil Ju-52 were also enlisted. Hungarian manufactured armed Ju-52/3mg14e (PIRT - Pestszentlörinc Ipari Telepek (Pestszentlörinc Industrial Workshops)) received 'S' serials, ex-MALERT Ju-52 became 'U' series. S.101 became thus U-863. It was shot down by ground fire on Oct. 17, 1944. 


References
Magyar Szárnyak (Hungarian Wings) (Oshawa), IX, No. 9, 1981
A. Bonhárdt, G. Sárhidai, L. Winkler: A Magyar Királyi Honvédség fegyverzete (Arms of the Hungarian Royal Army), Zrinyi Kiadó, Budapest, 1992
N. Csanádi, S. Nagyváradi, L. Winkler: A magyar repülés története (History of the Hungarian Aviation), 2nd edition, Mûszaki Könyvkiadó, Budapest, 1977.

Photos (L. Jávor via author):
HA-DUR, 1936-38. It is also mentioned in publications that LÜH number 1001 was painted on the tail, however no such number is visible on the photo. Maybe the photo had been made prior to the assignment of the number ?
As HA-JUC, 1938-1941.
One of S.101-103 (c) enlisted in 1941. The chevron is almost invisible on the silver finish.
As U.863 (d) in post-1942 style of markings.

Drawings: Pict1, Pict2
(1) Ju-52/3mg4e, manufact. no. 5600, as HA-DUR. Silver and black finish, registration in black, red-white-green strips on the tail, Hungarian coat of arms on the rudder.
(2) Rudder of HA-DUR.
(3) Side of HA-DUR with the name of the aircraft.
(4) HA-JUC, red-white-green MALÉRT rings on the fuselage.
(5) In military service as S.101. Possibly due to the air superiority on the Eastern Front in that period the aircraft did not receive any camouflage at all. Position of the serials assumed.
(6) The last appearance, as U.863. Probably standard green/dark green German camouflage pattern.