__NOTOC__ The Weiss WM-21 Sólyom () was a 1930s Hungarian

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dr ...

and

reconnaissance In military operations, military reconnaissance () or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, the terrain, and civil activities in the area of operations. In military jargon, reconnai ...

biplane A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...

which served in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was developed by the Manfred Weiss company.

Design and development

The WM-21 was designed to replace the WM-16, which was based on the yet older

Fokker C.V The Fokker C.V was a Dutch light reconnaissance and bomber biplane aircraft manufactured by Fokker. It was designed by Anthony Fokker and the series manufacture began in 1924 at Fokker in Amsterdam. Development The C.V was constructed in the ear ...

, and as such was considered unsuitable for operational service. The WM-21's structure was strengthened, and the aircraft received a new, more efficient wing set. A tailskid was fitted to allow for shorter landing runs on grass airfields. A conventional biplane, the Sólyom was powered by a Weiss WM-K-14A

radial engine The radial engine is a reciprocating engine, reciprocating type internal combustion engine, internal combustion engine configuration in which the cylinder (engine), cylinders "radiate" outward from a central crankcase like the spokes of a wheel. ...

, and had an open cockpit. A total of 128 aircraft were built by three different factories: 25 by Manfréd Weiss, 43 by

MÁVAG MÁVAG (''Magyar Királyi Állami Vas-, Acél- és Gépgyárak''; ''Hungarian Royal State Iron, Steel and Machine Factories'') was the largest Hungarian rail vehicle producer. MÁVAG company was the second largest industrial enterprise after the ...

, and 60 by MWG.

Operational history

Throughout the war, the

Royal Hungarian Air Force The Hungarian Air Force (, ), is the air force branch of the Military of Hungary, Hungarian Defence Forces. The primary focus of the present Hungarian Air Force lies in defensive operations. The flying units operate are organised into a single ...

used 48 of them for reconnaissance. They served alongside 38

Heinkel He 46 The Heinkel He 46 was a German Reich, German World War II-era monoplane designed in 1931 for the close Aerial reconnaissance, reconnaissance and Liaison aircraft, army co-operation roles. While it served with the ''Luftwaffe''s front-line units on ...

s, and 37 IMAM Ro.37s, supplemented by 13

Heinkel He 111 The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and medium bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a wolf in sheep's clothing. Due to restrictions placed on Germany a ...

s. They first entered service in 1939 with short-range reconnaissance units. Although they were active during the 1940 dispute with

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

, their first active operational use was during the Axis

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put fo ...

in April 1941. WM-21 Solyom

During the invasion of Yugoslavia, none of the WM-21s were lost in combat, but one was lost in an accident. From June 1941 they were used to support

Hungarian Army The Hungarian Ground Forces (, ) constitute the land branch of the Hungarian Defence Forces, responsible for ground activities and troops, including artillery, tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs), Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs), and g ...

units in

Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...

, and then against

Soviet partisans Soviet partisans were members of Resistance during World War II, resistance movements that fought a Guerrilla warfare, guerrilla war against Axis powers, Axis forces during World War II in the Soviet Union, the previously Territories of Poland an ...

. They lost another WM-21 on June 29, when the war against the Soviet Union was intensifying. Around 80 aircraft were also transferred to duties as trainers, as they were removed from operational use, until 1945.

Operators

; *

Specifications

References

Notes

Bibliography

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss WM-21 Solyom 1930s Hungarian military reconnaissance aircraft Weiss Manfred aircraft Biplanes Single-engined tractor aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1937 Aircraft with fixed conventional landing gear