{"title":"Csaba B Stenge","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"forgotten-heroes-book-csaba-b-stenge-9781911512684","title":"Forgotten Heroes","description":"Prior to the beginning of the Second World War, the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces - including the Air Force - prepared to engage the Little Entente forces; however, after a short skirmish prior to the war with the Slovaks, during the war, their opponents became the Soviet and American aviators. The Hungarian aces fought gallantly against such heavy odds and, after the war's end, the new Hungarian communist regime turned against them as well; this book is the unique story of the 38 Hungarian air aces of the Second World War. The overwhelming majority of the related materials have been lost or destroyed, so the author has demonstrated truly Herculean efforts during his 23-year-long extensive research to write this monumental work. The book is based mostly on previously unpublished primary sources from Hungarian, German, Russian and American Archives, and also on the preserved documents of the aces and their families. The text is not limited to the highly detailed biographies of the 38 Hungarian aces; it also covers some important and related aspects such as air victory confirmation systems, air combat tactics and obtained awards. Besides this, the book contains more than 350 rare images - many of them are previously unpublished - and a selection of superb color profiles, which show camouflage and markings for the aircraft of the aces.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49736308982033,"sku":"NGR9781911512684","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53469921968401,"sku":"GOR011220363","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1911512684.jpg?v=1751630906"},{"product_id":"forgotten-heroes-book-csaba-b-stenge-9781804512487","title":"Forgotten Heroes","description":"Prior to the beginning of the Second World War, the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces - including the Air Force - prepared to engage the Little Entente forces; however, after a short skirmish prior to the war with the Slovaks, during the war, their opponents became the Soviet and American aviators. The Hungarian aces fought gallantly against such heavy odds and, after the war's end, the new Hungarian communist regime turned against them as well; this book is the unique story of the 38 Hungarian air aces of the Second World War. The overwhelming majority of the related materials have been lost or destroyed, so the author has demonstrated truly Herculean efforts during his 23-year-long extensive research to write this monumental work. The book is based mostly on previously unpublished primary sources from Hungarian, German, Russian and American Archives, and also on the preserved documents of the aces and their families. The text is not limited to the highly detailed biographies of the 38 Hungarian aces; it also covers some important and related aspects such as air victory confirmation systems, air combat tactics and obtained awards. Besides this, the book contains more than 350 rare images - many of them are previously unpublished - and a selection of superb color profiles, which show camouflage and markings for the aircraft of the aces.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49746275827985,"sku":"NGR9781804512487","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1804512486.jpg?v=1751632342"},{"product_id":"baptism-of-fire-book-csaba-b-stenge-9781906033934","title":"Baptism of Fire","description":"This conflict is just a short episode from the turbulent history of Central Europe in the 20th century, which is little known even in the countries involved, and almost totally obscure outside them. From the international point of view the most important event in the middle of March, 1939 was that the Third Reich occupied the Czech territories, which was a failure of the Western powers, since they hoped that by the Munich Agreement (29-30 September, 1938), they could avoid any future conflicts with Adolf Hitler. That is why their contemporary media and their recent history books are filled with these events, and do not mention a small parallel conflict.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e From the Hungarian point of view, occupying its former territory of Sub-Carpathia was very important. Hungary was surrounded on three sides by the hostile Little Entente countries (Czechoslovakia, Rumania and Yugoslavia) and on the fourth side, since the Anschluss in March, 1938, by the Third Reich. To break this encirclement, it was necessary to restore the common border with Hungary's historical ally, Poland and this was achieved by the occupation of this territory. For the Hungarian Armed Forces, the short border conflict with Slovakia was only the closing phase of the occupation of Sub-Carpathia.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e From the Slovakian point of view, however, this is a far more important conflict. Slovakia became independent for the first time in its history in March, 1939. Parallel to Slovak independence, the Czech territories from the former Czechoslovakia were seized by the Third Reich and Sub-Carpathia was occupied by Hungary. The invasion of a border area of Slovakia by the Hungarians was considered by the Slovaks as a direct threat to the independence of the country.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e During the Hungarian occupation of Sub-Carpathia, their ground troops were supported by Hungarian reconnaissance and bomber forces. During the border conflict with Slovakia, a short but fierce clash started between the contending air forces. Slovak planes strafed and bombed Hungarian ground troops on 23 March 1939, but the heaviest clashes happened the very next day, when extensive air-to-air combat occurred. Clashes saw Hungarian Fiat CR.32s come up against Slovak Avia fighters and Letov reconnaissance and light attack planes. Also on that day, Hungarian Ju 86 bombers raided the main Slovak air base.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e The majority of Hungarian materials relating to the combat have been lost or destroyed, so author Csaba Stenge Ph.D. has put in a Herculean effort to construct this account. The text contains details of the historical background to the conflict, a full account of the combat, as well as notes on Hungarian aviators decorated for their performance, short biographies of Hungarian aviators credited with aerial victories, and a list of Hungarian anti-aircraft claims and aerial victories. Besides this, the book contains over 100 rare and mostly previously-unpublished images, as well as a selection of superb color profiles showing camouflage and markings for the aircraft of both air forces.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49777132929297,"sku":"NGR9781906033934","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1906033935.jpg?v=1751632700"},{"product_id":"baptism-of-fire-book-csaba-b-stenge-9781806721092","title":"Baptism of Fire","description":"Baptism of Fire reveals a pivotal early air war between Hungary and Slovakia, reshaping Central European Frontiers. Baptism of Fire explores a little-known but significant episode in the history of Central Europe on the eve of the Second World War: the brief but fierce border conflict that erupted between Hungary and the newly formed Slovak state in March 1939. While the Third Reich's annexation of Czech territories often dominates history books, Csaba B. Stenge focuses the spotlight on this parallel struggle between a newly independent Slovakia and a revisionist Hungary over the strategically vital territories of Sub-Carpathia. The narrative provides a meticulous reconstruction of the first aerial engagements of both the nascent Royal Hungarian and Slovak Air Forces. The author explores the early reconnaissance missions, air raids, and ground support operations carried out under difficult weather conditions and with limited resources. The chaos and technical challenges of a burgeoning air war are captured in detail, including the dogfights and the retaliatory bombing raid against the SpiÅ¡ská Nová Ves airfield, exposing the navigational errors and tactical improvisations that defined this 'baptism of fire' for both air arms. These engagements reveal valuable insights into military preparedness, coordination, and the realities of evolving midtwentieth-century air combat. This revised and expanded edition incorporates a thoroughly updated text, with additional detail and new insights drawn from further research by the author. The colour profile captions have been revised and extended to include additional technical and operational information on the aircraft depicted, while a number of new colour profiles have been commissioned. The volume is further enhanced by the inclusion of additional photographs and a new appendix, extending the scope and depth of the work. Drawing on years of research using scarce surviving archives and veteran reminiscences, this volume moves beyond mere strategy to honour the human cost of the conflict, bringing clarity to events long obscured and fragmented. With detailed appendices, rare photographs, colour illustrations, and pilot biographies, it serves as an essential record for military historians and aviation enthusiasts alike, documenting a forgotten episode that fleetingly reshaped the frontiers of Central Europe.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":53555801293073,"sku":"NGR9781806721092","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-csaba-b-stenge.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}