Tuzkereszt History

Cadet Szeverényi

Lieutenant Kálmán Szeverényi was born on 25 February 1920 in the Hungarian city of Kecskemét, one of nine children in his family. After graduating from secondary school in 1938, he entered the Royal Hungarian Air Force Academy in Kassa (today Košice, Slovakia), where he trained as a fighter pilot. Upon completing his studies, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on 6 December 1942.

In July 1943, Szeverényi was posted to the Eastern Front, joining the 5/2 Fighter Squadron of the Royal Hungarian Air Force. Flying the Messerschmitt Bf 109, he achieved his first aerial victory on 7 October 1943 against a Soviet Lavochkin La-5 fighter. Remarkably, the Soviet pilot chose to bail out as Szeverényi's Messerschmitt closed in from behind, making it a victory achieved without firing a single shot.

This unusual encounter became both Szeverényi's first confirmed aerial victory and his only victory of 1943. It was an extraordinary beginning to the combat career of a young fighter pilot who would continue to serve with distinction during the war.

The story of Kálmán Szeverényi's first victory is a reminder that not every aerial success was decided by gunfire. Sometimes, the mere presence of an opponent in a superior position was enough to determine the outcome of an engagement.

Lieutenant Kálmán Szeverényi on his Messerschmitt Bf-109

During the first half of 1944, Lieutenant Kálmán Szeverényi was absent from active service while recovering from appendicitis. After regaining his health, he returned to operational flying and quickly resumed combat duty with his squadron.

Following his return, Szeverényi claimed his second aerial victory when he shot down a Soviet Douglas A-20 Havoc bomber near the Hungarian village of Tiszavasvári. The destruction of the aircraft was also claimed by German Lieutenant Heinz Ewald, a reminder of the difficulties often encountered in confirming aerial victories when several pilots engaged the same target.

Over the course of 1944, Szeverényi continued to add to his victory tally, earning a reputation as both a highly skilled fighter pilot and a respected opponent in the air. His growing experience and success placed him among the accomplished pilots of the Royal Hungarian Air Force during the final and increasingly intense stages of the air war over Hungary.

Despite a temporary interruption caused by illness, Kálmán Szeverényi returned to the cockpit with renewed determination, continuing a combat career that would establish him as one of Hungary's notable fighter pilots of the Second World War.


Three famous fighter aces, Fr. left; Kálmán Szeverényi, István Molnár and György Debrődy

Lieutenant Kálmán Szeverényi achieved his final aerial victory on 21 February 1945, when he shot down an American B-17 Flying Fortress during the closing months of the air war over Hungary. It would be his last success in combat.

The following afternoon, 22 February 1945, Szeverényi took off on what would become his 159th and final combat mission. During the engagement, his Messerschmitt Bf 109 was hit by gunfire from a Soviet fighter aircraft. Although only slightly wounded, he managed to bring his damaged fighter back toward friendly territory and attempted an emergency landing near the town of Tata.

As the aircraft touched down on the frozen, snow-covered ground beside a lake, it struck an unseen obstacle beneath the ice and came to an abrupt halt. The violent impact caused severe internal injuries. Szeverényi was transported to the military hospital in Tata, where he succumbed to his wounds later that day.

He was laid to rest by his comrades in Veszprém on 24 February 1945. Following the war, his remains were reinterred in the Szeverényi family grave in Kecskemét, where he rests today.

Lieutenant Kálmán Szeverényi's life ended at just twenty-five years of age, only weeks before the end of the war in Hungary. His story stands as a poignant reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and tragic fate shared by many young fighter pilots during the final months of the Second World War.

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This week, it was 70 years ago that Lieutenant Kálmán Szeverényi passed away from his injuries. A plaque was unveiled on the house in the town of Tata, that housed the hospital during the war.