Hungarian ground forces. Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia: the appearance of an army Hungary’s entry into the war against the USSR

The armed forces of these three countries are unable not only to attack, but also to defend; but they don’t expect to fight with anyone

Hasek's famous book about the good soldier Schweik is most interesting not for its humor, which by the end of the book becomes slightly intrusive and somewhat tiring, but for showing how the Austrians, Hungarians and Slavs, who at that moment were considered compatriots in the country called Austria, treated each other. Hungary.

“And in the middle of the street, the old sapper Vodicka fought like a lion with several Honvedians and Honvedian hussars, who stood up for their fellow countryman. He expertly swung the bayonet on his belt like a flail. Vodichka was not alone. Several Czech soldiers from various regiments fought shoulder to shoulder with him - the soldiers were just passing by.”

Honvedians are Hungarians. The case took place on Hungarian territory, through which a train with Czech soldiers was passing. And a few days after this massacre, Colonel Schroeder (an Austrian) showed Lieutenant Lukas, who commanded the Czechs, Hungarian newspapers in which the Czech “compatriots” were literally depicted as fiends of hell. And he said, in particular, the following: “We Austrians, be they Germans or Czechs, are still great against the Hungarians... I’ll tell you frankly: I like a Czech soldier better than this Hungarian rabble.”

That is, everyone hated the Hungarians, while the Germans and Czechs also, to put it mildly, did not like each other. Therefore, the Slavs did not feel the slightest desire to fight for this country.

Czech Army

After gaining independence in 1918, Czechoslovakia had very powerful armed forces (AF) and military-industrial complex. However, the inhabitants of the country did not have the desire to fight. The Czechoslovak army did not offer any resistance either to the Germans in 1938 or to the Warsaw Pact troops 30 years later. At the same time, at the beginning of the 90s, the country formally possessed very powerful armed forces - 3315 tanks, 4593 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 3485 artillery systems, 446 combat aircraft, 56 attack helicopters.

After the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, and then Czechoslovakia, both parts of it began to bring their armed forces to a natural state, which, however, completely coincided with pan-European trends. In relation to the Czech Republic, this was further aggravated by the fact that the country is now located in the depths of NATO and does not feel any external threat at all, which is quite fair.

Most of the weapons and equipment were produced in the Czech Republic itself, either under Soviet licenses or based on Soviet models; there also remains quite a lot of equipment of Soviet production itself.

The Czech Ground Forces today include seven brigades: 4th rapid reaction, 7th mechanized, 13th artillery, 14th logistics, 15th engineering, 31st RCBZ, 53rd electronic warfare.

The tank fleet consists of 123 T-72 (including 30 T-72M4CZ modernized in the Czech Republic, considered the most advanced version of this many-sided tank). There are 137 BRMs and armored vehicles (30 BRDM-2РХ, 84 Italian Iveco LMV, 23 German Dingo), 387 infantry fighting vehicles (168 BVP-1 (BMP-1), 185 BVP-2 (BMP-2), 34 BPzV (reconnaissance variant of the BMP-1)), 129 armored personnel carriers (five own OT-64 and 17 OT-90, 107 Austrian Pandurs).

The artillery of the Czech army includes 89 wheeled Dana self-propelled guns (152 mm) and 93 mortars.

The Czech Air Force consists of four air bases and one brigade. Combat aviation formally numbers 37 aircraft, but in fact it simply does not exist. The fact is that 14 JAS-39 fighters (12 C, 2 D) belong to the Swedish Air Force and are leased in the Czech Republic. 23 own-produced L-159 attack aircraft (19 A, 4 T1; another 41 A and two T1 are in storage and intended for sale abroad) can only be conditionally considered combat aircraft due to low performance characteristics. These vehicles were created on the basis of old training L-39s (the Czech Air Force now has 18 of them - eight C, ten ZA), so they are completely unsuitable for modern warfare.

Transport aviation includes four Spanish C-295s, 2 Yak-40s (two more in storage), two European A-319CJs, one Canadian CL-601, 10 L-410s (two more in storage); four An-26s are in storage.

Czech soldiers during military exercises in the village of Slatina, Kosovo. Photo: Visar Kryeziu/AP

There are 15 combat helicopters (ten Mi-35, five Mi-24V; another five Mi-24D and ten Mi-24V in storage) and 48 transport and multi-purpose helicopters (ten Polish W-3 Sokol, three Mi-8, 27 Mi-17, eight European ES135T; another six Mi-8 and one Mi-17 are in storage).

Ground-based air defense includes only 47 Swedish RBS-70 MANPADS.

In general, the combat potential of the Czech Armed Forces is negligible, morale is even lower than it was before. Which, however, has no significance either for the country itself or for NATO.

Slovak Army

After the artificial division of Czechoslovakia, carried out without taking into account the opinion of the country's population, Slovakia received 40% of the equipment of the armed forces of the disintegrated country and approximately the same share of the very powerful Czechoslovak military-industrial complex. Over the past 20 years, the country has lost most of its military and military-industrial potential; joining NATO in 2004 only accelerated this process. As before, the Armed Forces are armed only with Soviet and their own equipment, with the exception of seven armored vehicles from South Africa.

Ground forces include the 1st and 2nd mechanized brigades.

In service there are 30 T-72M tanks, 71 BPsV armored personnel carriers (based on the BMP-1), 253 infantry fighting vehicles (91 BVP-2, 162 BVP-1), 77 armored personnel carriers and armored vehicles (56 OT-90 (another 22 in storage), 14 Tatrapan, seven South African RG-32M), 16 Zuzana self-propelled guns (155 mm), 26 D-30 howitzers (122 mm), six M-1982 mortars (120 mm), 26 RM-70 MLRS (40x122 mm ), 425 “Malyutka” and “Sturm” anti-tank systems, 48 ​​“Strela-10” air defense systems, 315 “Strela-2” and “Igla” MANPADS.

The country's air force is armed with 12 MiG-29 fighters (including two MiG-29UB combat trainers); four more (including one UB) are in storage.

There are 11 transport aircraft (nine L-410 (two more in storage), two An-26), ten L-39C training aircraft (11 more in storage).

All 11 Mi-24 combat helicopters (five D, six V) are in storage, as are all nine multi-purpose Mi-8. There are 18 multi-purpose Mi-17 helicopters in service (including four rescue helicopters) and two Mi-2 (ten more in storage).

Ground-based air defense includes one division of the S-300PS air defense system and four batteries of the Kvadrat air defense system.

Hungarian Army

Another part of the late empire, Hungary, traditionally caused problems for everyone. First, Austria, with which it formed this very “dual monarchy,” that is, Austria-Hungary. Then, during the era of the Warsaw Pact - the USSR. Today, Hungary, having become a member of NATO and the EU, is creating problems for them, since its current leadership is taking steps in domestic politics that are very far from the norms of democracy. However, Brussels in both of its incarnations can only admonish Budapest; it has no other measures of influence on the eternal rebel.

Mi-8 helicopter during a Hungarian military exercise. Photo: Bela Szandelszky / AP

At the same time, Hungary is in very difficult relations with neighboring countries where there are significant Hungarian minorities - Serbia, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia. It is interesting that Romania and Slovakia are, as it were, allies of Hungary in the same NATO and EU.

As part of the Warsaw Pact, the Hungarian Armed Forces were the weakest. At the beginning of the 90s, it had 1,345 tanks, 1,720 infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 1,047 artillery systems, 110 combat aircraft, 39 combat helicopters. Naturally, all this was Soviet-made. The country has been a member of NATO since 1999. At the same time, it still has all the same Soviet equipment in its arsenal (except for Swedish fighters and French MANPADS), only it has become much smaller.

The ground forces include the 5th and 25th infantry brigades, two regiments (43rd communications and control support, 64th logistics), three battalions (34th special operations, 37th engineering, 93rd RCBZ).

In service - 156 T-72 tanks (most of them in storage), 602 BTR-80, 31 D-20 howitzers, 50 37M (82 mm) mortars.

The Air Force includes the 59th Air Base (which includes all aircraft), the 86th Air Base (all helicopters), the 12th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment (all ground-based air defense systems), and the 54th Radio Engineering Regiment.

The Air Force has only 14 combat aircraft - Swedish JAS-39 "Grippen" (12 C, 2 D), and, as in the Czech case, they formally belong to Sweden, and are leased in Hungary. In addition, 25 MiG-29 (of which six are UB), eight Su-22, 53 MiG-21 are in storage. The MiG-29s are up for sale, the rest are awaiting disposal.

There are also five An-26 transport aircraft, ten Yak-52 training aircraft (16 L-39ZO in storage), 12 Mi-8 multi-purpose helicopters (another 14 in storage) and seven Mi-17. There are 43 Mi-24 combat helicopters (31 D, eight V, four P) in storage.

Ground-based air defense consists of 16 Kub air defense systems (apparently no longer combat-ready) and 94 MANPADS - 49 Igla, 45 Mistral.

Thus, the combat potential of the Hungarian Armed Forces is negligible, not ensuring not only external ambitions in the territories of its neighbors, but also its own defense capability. However, this situation fully fits into modern European trends.

There are no foreign troops on the territory of all three countries described, and their total military potential is less than, for example, that of Azerbaijan alone. But since they will never fight with anyone anyway, this fact does not matter. Moreover, there is no doubt that in the near future the Czech, Slovak and Hungarian armies will be reduced even further.

Budapest has one of the smallest armies in the region - 23 thousand troops. In 1989, the number of Hungarian armed forces was 130 thousand. In addition to the general reduction of the army in the 1990s, since 2004 the country has abolished universal conscription. /kormany.hu

Hungary has not shown itself to be an active military ally of the West and a NATO member. A limited Hungarian contingent took part in the Bosnian War, the Kosovo operation, and the Afghan and Iraqi campaigns. /kormany.hu

Hungary has achieved the most tangible results in reforming the Air Force. The basis of this country's combat aviation is 12 Swedish Saab JAS 39C fighters. According to Global Firepower, the Hungarian Air Force operates 11 fighters and 11 bombers. /kormany.hu

But the Hungarian air defense system is very weak. The army is armed with the Soviet 2K12E Kvadrat short-range anti-aircraft system and the French Mistral man-portable systems. / Wikimedia

All helicopters of the Hungarian Armed Forces are Soviet-made. In total, Budapest has 18 helicopters: the multi-purpose Mi-8 and Mi-17, as well as the transport and combat Mi-24. / Wikimedia

Global Firepower indicates that the Hungarian military has 18 transport aircraft, but does not specify their type or make. And from media reports it follows that Budapest has several units of An-26 military transport turboprops. /Reuters

The Hungarian ground forces include two infantry brigades. The headquarters of the 5th Infantry Brigade "István Bocskai" is located in Debrecen, the headquarters of the 25th Brigade "György Klapka" is in Tata. The troops are armed with Soviet, Czechoslovak and Hungarian equipment. / Wikimedia

Experts note that there is no obvious military threat to Budapest, but the country needs a combat-ready army due to difficult relations with its neighbors: Serbia, Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia, where the Hungarian minority lives. /kormany.hu

The tasks of the Hungarian army are limited to ensuring the territorial integrity of the country and preserving its national sovereignty, as well as repelling possible aggression. /Reuters

On December 28, 2010, Budapest withdrew from service the fourth generation MiG-29 light fighters, which were delivered in 1993. More than 25 aircraft then became part of the 59th Tactical Fighter Wing. / Wikimedia

Today, Hungary actually has one fighter squadron (12 aircraft). According to experts, in peacetime conditions Budapest does not need to increase its air wing. The main focus should be on modernizing other types of aircraft. / Wikimedia

The current state of the Hungarian Armed Forces does not provide the minimum necessary defense capability, although the country’s military budget is more than $1 billion. Russian analysts believe that at one time Hungary was a very problematic member of the Warsaw Warfare Force, and today it is an equally problematic member of NATO. /kormany.hu

Within the ATS, Hungary was the weakest country. Nevertheless, the number of weapons of the Hungarian Armed Forces of the socialist period is impressive: almost 1.4 thousand tanks, 1.720 thousand armored vehicles, more than a thousand artillery pieces, over 100 combat aircraft. /Reuters

Now the Hungarian army has 32 T-72 tanks, 1.1 thousand armored vehicles, 300 artillery pieces and not a single self-propelled gun, 22 combat aircraft. /Reuters

The most combat-ready part of the Hungarian army are the military intelligence units. Hungary has at least two battalions that are capable of conducting special operations. Personnel training is carried out according to American standards. /kormany.hu

In general, Hungary's military reform did not achieve its results. Budapest spends less than 2% of GDP on the army. The Hungarian Ministry of Defense reduced the army and weapons several times, but was unable to ensure the transition to models of modern Western equipment. /

Story

Austria-Hungary

Hungarian self-defense units were formed during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-1849. They took part in battles against the Austrian army, as well as against the protests of national minorities in Hungary, who also demanded their independence. After the suppression of the uprising, the self-defense forces were disbanded.

In accordance with the 1867 agreement, Hungary was allowed to have its own armed forces ( Magyar Királyi Honvédség) as part of the imperial armed forces of Austria-Hungary. To train officers of the Hungarian army, the Louis Military Academy was created.

Hungarian soldiers, as part of the Austro-Hungarian troops, participated in the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion in China.

Hungarian military units took part in the First World War as part of the Austrian-Hungarian army. After the collapse of Austria-Hungary in the fall of 1918, the armed forces of Austria-Hungary ceased to exist. On October 17, 1918, the Hungarian parliament broke the union with Austria and declared the country's independence.

1918-1920

On March 21, 1919, the Hungarian Soviet Republic was created, the formation of the Red Guard began, led by Matthias Rákosi, which was reorganized into the Red Army on March 25, 1919, but during the fighting against Romania, Czechoslovakia and supporters of the restoration of the Kingdom of Hungary, the republic was destroyed.

On August 9, 1919, the new Hungarian government announced the re-establishment of the National Army ( Nemzeti Hadsereg).

On June 4, 1920, Hungary signed the Treaty of Trianon.

1920-1938

During this period, Honvéd was staffed by hire and consisted of 7 brigades:

• 1st Brigade ( 1. vegyesdandár), headquarters in Budpest
• 2nd Brigade ( 2. vegyesdandár), headquarters in Székesfehérvár
• 3rd Brigade ( 3. vegyesdandár), headquarters in Szombathely
• 4th Brigade ( 4. vegyesdandár), headquarters in Pecs
• 5th Brigade ( 5. vegyesdandár), headquarters in Szeged
• 6th Brigade ( 6. vegyesdandár), headquarters in Debrenz
• 7th Brigade ( 7. vegyesdandár), headquarters in Miskolc

On April 5, 1927, the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Arbitration was signed in Rome between Italy and Hungary, according to which Italy began supplying weapons to Hungary.

In 1928, the creation of armored units began: in addition to armored vehicles (the use of which was not prohibited by the Trianon Peace Treaty), three British Carden-Lloyd Mk.IV tankettes and six Swedish Strv m21/29 light tanks were purchased for the army. In 1931, 5 FIAT-3000B tanks were purchased from Italy, in 1934 - the first 30 CV33 tankettes, in 1936 - another 110 CV35 tankettes. In addition, in 1936, one Landsverk L-60 tank was purchased from Sweden.

In the 1930s, there was a rapprochement between Hungary and fascist Italy and Nazi Germany. On November 2, 1938, as a result of the Vienna Arbitration, Hungary, with support from Germany, received 11,927 km² of Czechoslovakia with a population of 1 million people. In 1938, Hungary abolished the restrictions on the armed forces imposed by the Treaty of Trianon. The number of brigades was increased to 21 in 1938, and to 24 in 1939.

On February 24, 1939, Hungary joined the Anti-Comintern Pact. In 1939-1940, the restructuring of the Hungarian economy for military needs began - the government adopted a five-year weapons development program, 900 industrial enterprises were placed under military control, military spending was increased (if in 1937-1938 they amounted to 16%, then by 1941 - 36%).

In April 1941, Hungary took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia. On April 12, 1941, pursuing the retreating units of the 1st Yugoslav Army, Hungarian troops occupied the area between the Danube and Tissa rivers, and subsequently occupied Bačka.

Also, in April 1941, units of the Hungarian army strengthened border security on the border with the USSR. Directly near the Soviet-Hungarian border line, army observation posts, trenches and machine gun points were equipped, and the deployment of field telephone lines began. At the beginning of June 1941, the border zone along the Soviet-Hungarian border was transferred to the military administration.

By June 22, 1941, the Hungarian armed forces consisted of three field armies and a separate mobile corps, 27 infantry, 2 motorized, 2 rangers, 2 cavalry and 1 mountain rifle brigade; the air force (5 air regiments, 1 long-range aviation reconnaissance division) included 269 ​​combat aircraft.

Until the morning of June 23, 1941, Hungary limited itself to active reconnaissance of the territory of the USSR, without starting hostilities. On the morning of June 23, 1941, at border pillar No. 6, a group of 60 German and Hungarian soldiers crossed the border into the USSR, and the 5th border outpost of the 95th border detachment of the USSR border troops entered into battle with the intruders. During the battle, the Soviet border guards retreated from the border line and entrenched themselves at the edge of the forest; the Hungarian soldiers did not dare to pursue the border guards and retreated into Hungarian territory, but the enemy fired and bombed the border outpost several times. The units of the 3rd, 4th and 5th commandant's offices of the 94th border detachment guarding the border with Hungary from June 22, 1941 until the morning of June 23, 1941 detained 5 border violators, 3 of whom were servicemen of the Hungarian army, another one was a foreign intelligence agent. At six o'clock in the morning on June 24, 1941, fire was opened from the territory of Hungary on the 13th outpost; under the cover of artillery fire, the Hungarian infantry battalion crossed the border and the outpost entered into battle with it; a crew of the 76-mm regimental gun of the Red Army arrived to support the outpost. After an almost three-hour battle, the Hungarian soldiers suffered significant losses and retreated to Hungarian territory. On the morning of June 25, 1941, the border was attacked by regular units of the Hungarian army. On June 27, 1941, Hungary officially declared war on the USSR.

On October 1, 1941, the Hungarian government allowed Hungarian citizens to serve in SS units and troops, while the recruitment and registration of Volskdeutsche volunteers was carried out by the German organization Volksbund.

In March 1942, the new Prime Minister of Hungary, M. Kállai, announced that “the fight against Bolshevism” was Hungary’s main task; fulfilling its obligations to Germany, in April 1942, Hungary sent the 2nd Hungarian Army to the USSR, and in June 1942, it pledged to increase the number of Hungarian volunteers in the SS troops from 20 thousand to 30 thousand in exchange for awarding land plots to “combat veterans” actions in the East".

In addition, Hungary increased the number of troops fighting the NOLA partisans in the occupied territory of Yugoslavia (by the end of 1942, three Hungarian divisions took part in operations against the Yugoslav partisans).

On March 18-19, 1944, with support from Germany, a change of government was carried out in Hungary. On March 22, 1944, the new Hungarian government pledged to continue the war alongside Germany. The territory of Hungary was occupied by German troops, and Hungarian troops were placed under German military command.

By mid-1944, the total number of Hungarian troops reached 700 thousand people, the number of Hungarian troops on the eastern front was constantly increasing: from 113 thousand in mid-1943 to 373 thousand by mid-1944.

On October 15-16, 1944, with support from Germany, a coup d'état was carried out in Hungary, and the leader of the Hungarian fascist Arrow Cross party, Ferenc Szálasi, came to power.

On the same day, October 16, 1944, the commander of the 1st Hungarian Army, General B. Miklos, and a group of officers went over to the side of the USSR. Subsequently, on December 2, 1944, the Hungarian National Independence Front was created in the city of Szeged, which included the Communist Party of Hungary, the Social Democratic Party, the National Peasant Party, the Party of Small Farmers, the Bourgeois Democratic Party and a number of trade union organizations; Subsequently, the creation of local authorities - national committees began. On December 21-22, 1944, a coalition Provisional Government was formed in Debrecen, headed by General B. Miklos. The government included 3 communists, 6 representatives of other parties and 4 non-party members. On December 28, 1944, the Provisional Government declared war on Germany and on January 20, 1945, concluded an armistice with the USSR and the Western Allies.

Hungarian troops continued to fight alongside German forces until the end of the war

The losses of the Hungarian armed forces on the side of the Axis countries on the Eastern Front during the war amounted to 809,066 military personnel killed, died from wounds and illnesses and missing, as well as 513,766 prisoners

In addition, Hungarian citizens served in SS units and troops (in the spring of 1944, the 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division was formed from Hungarian volunteers; in November - December 1944, the 25th, 26th and 33rd SS Divisions were formed , and in 1945 the formation of the 17th Hungarian SS Corps began. In total, up to 40 thousand Hungarians and 80 thousand Volksdeutsche Germans living in Hungary served in the SS units and troops.

Hungarian People's Army

On December 27, 1944, the Soviet command decided to create a railway construction detachment from Hungarian military personnel. Subsequently, in mid-January 1945, the formation of the 1st railway construction brigade began on the basis of the detachment, which was completed in February 1945. The brigade consisted of 4,388 personnel; the brigade commander was Captain Gabor Dendesh.

In the battles for Budapest, together with Soviet troops, 18 separate companies of Hungarian volunteers took part, most of which were subordinate to the 83rd Naval Rifle Brigade.

On February 11, 1945, 300 soldiers and officers of the 6th Infantry Regiment of the Hungarian Army went over to the side of the Soviet troops, including the regiment commander, Lieutenant Colonel Oscar Varihazy, and several staff officers. Subsequently, from the Hungarian soldiers who defected to the USSR during the battles for Hungary, the Buda Volunteer Regiment was formed, whose commander was O. Variházy, his deputy was Arpat Pangratz. By the time the battles for Budapest ended, the regiment consisted of 2,543 military personnel. Subsequently, the regiment took part in hostilities against German troops in Hungary.

In general, in January - April 1945, two (1st and 3rd) Hungarian railway brigades were created and operated on the 2nd Ukrainian Front, and at the beginning of May 1945, two (1 1st and 6th) Hungarian divisions. The 1st and 6th Hungarian divisions did not have time to take part in the fighting at the front, but individual units of the 6th Hungarian division took part in the disarmament of residual enemy groups in the Austrian Alps.

In addition, at the end of the war, over 2,500 Hungarians served in the Bulgarian People's Army (drivers, signalmen, warehouse workers, medical staff and conductors).

The USSR provided assistance in the creation of Hungarian military units - only in the period until May 1, 1945, the 2nd Ukrainian Front transferred to Hungary 12,584 rifles and carbines, 813 machine guns, 149 mortars, 57 artillery pieces, 54 vehicles, as well as engineering and clothing equipment, medicines and food.

In March 1946, the army units participating in protecting the country's borders ("border guard troops") formed a separate command of the Hungarian border troops.

After the signing of the peace treaty at the Paris Peace Conference on February 10, 1947, the creation of units of the Hungarian army began, which on June 1, 1951 received the name of the Hungarian People's Army ( Magyar Nephadsereg).

• On October 4, 1951, the first special forces unit was created in Sehesfehérvár - a separate parachute battalion.

In 1956, units of the Hungarian army participated in the suppression of anti-government armed protests, 40 officers of the Hungarian People's Army were awarded the Order of the Hungarian People's Republic, and over 9 thousand VNA military personnel were awarded medals. The 37th Infantry Regiment, commanded by Major Imre Hodošan, had distinguished itself during the fighting and was reorganized into the Budapest Revolutionary Regiment.

Subsequently, a military reform was carried out, during which the size of the army was reduced and a new uniform for military personnel was adopted (the traditional uniform of the Hungarian army was returned with some changes).

In 1968, Hungarian troops took part in the suppression of the Prague Spring.

In 1976, the “Law on Defense of the Motherland” was adopted, according to which the duration of military service was two years.

In 1989, the number of Hungarian armed forces exceeded 130 thousand. [ ]

Post-socialist period

In October 1989, the Hungarian government decided to transform the country into a parliamentary republic. Military reform began.

On March 15, 1990, the Hungarian People's Army was renamed the Hungarian Army ( Magyar Honvédség).

The country's government has committed itself to increasing military spending to 2% of GDP by 2006 so that the level of military spending corresponds to the level of NATO countries.

Hungary took part in the Iraq War from July 2003 to December 21, 2004. The losses of the Hungarian contingent in Iraq amounted to 1 soldier killed and at least 40 wounded.

Hungary takes part in the war in Afghanistan. In February 2003, a medical contingent was sent to Afghanistan, operating under German command until December 2003. Subsequently, on August 1, 2004, the first combat unit arrived in the country - a light infantry company, and later other military units. The losses of the Hungarian contingent in Afghanistan amount to at least 7 military personnel killed and at least 12 wounded, as well as several pieces of equipment.

Current state

The most numerous type of armed forces is the Ground Forces. The Air Force is the second largest. In addition, there are "naval" units patrolling the Danube.

Hungarian Defense Minister Ferenc Duhacs announced a reduction in the size of the Armed Forces from 30 thousand to 22 thousand, saying that Hungary no longer needs to strengthen the armed forces on the state’s borders in order to prepare to repel a perceived enemy. Their goal is to counter conflicts and manifestations of terrorism within the country.

There are 30 T-72 tanks in service.

Notes

1. the military balance 2010 p. 140
2. // Encyclopedic Dictionary of Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg. , 1890-1907.

The Hungarian Army is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense. However , like the army of any other country. In 2016 The strength of the Hungarian army was 31,080 military personnel in active military service, while the operational reserve brings the total number of troops to fifty thousand. In 2018, Hungary's military spending amounted to 1.21 billion $, which is about 0.94% of the country's GDP, well below the NATO target of 2%. In 2012, the government passed a resolution committing Hungary to increase defense spending to 1.4% of GDP by 2022.

Military service, modernization and cybersecurity

Military service is voluntary, although conscription may occur in wartime. In a significant modernization move, Hungary decided in 2001 to buy 14 fighter jets from the Americans at a cost of about 800 million euros. The Hungarian National Cyber ​​Security Center reorganized in 2016 to become more effective through cybersecurity.

Service outside the country

In 2016, the Hungarian armed forces had approximately 700 troops stationed abroad as part of international peacekeeping forces, including 100 troops serving with NATO-led peacekeepers in Afghanistan, 210 Hungarian soldiers in Kosovo and 160 troops in Bosnia and Herzegovina . Hungary sent 300 logistics units to Iraq to assist US troops with armed transport convoys, although ordinary citizens were against joining the war. During the operation, one Magyar soldier was killed by an Iraqi roadside bomb.

Short story

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the hussars brought international fame to this country and served as a model of light cavalry in all European states. In 1848-1849, the Hungarian army achieved incredible success against the well-trained and equipped Austrian forces, despite the latter's obvious superiority in numbers. Józef Böhm's Winter Campaign of 1848-1849 and Arthur Gerge's Spring Campaign are still taught to this day in prestigious military schools around the world, even at West Point Academy in the United States and Russian military academies.

In 1872, the Louis Military Academy officially began training cadets. By 1873, the Hungarian army already had more than 2,800 officers and 158,000 employees. During the Great (First World) War, out of the eight million people mobilized by the Austro-Hungarian Empire, more than a million died. In the 1930s and early 1940s, Hungary was preoccupied with recapturing the vast territories and vast numbers of population lost following the signing of the Treaty of Trianon at Versailles in 1920. Conscription was introduced on a national basis in 1939. The size of the Royal Hungarian Army grew to 80,000 men, organized into seven corps. During the Great Patriotic War, the Hungarian army took part in the Battle of Stalingrad on the side of the Germans and was almost completely destroyed. During the era of socialism and the Warsaw Pact (1947-1989), it was completely restored and reorganized, and thanks to the support of the USSR, it received full-fledged tank and missile forces.

According to the 2016 Global Peace Index, Hungary is one of the most peaceful countries, ranking 19th out of 163.

Hungarian Red Army

During the era of the Socialist Bloc and the Warsaw Pact (1947-1989), the army of this country was considered quite powerful. The period from 1949 to 1955 also saw a huge effort to build and arm the Hungarian army. By 1956, the huge costs of maintaining the military-industrial complex had practically ruined the country's economy.

Revolution

In the fall of 1956, armed uprisings against the government were suppressed, and the Soviets dismantled the entire Hungarian Air Force because a significant part of the army was fighting on the same side as the revolutionaries. Three years later, in 1959, the Soviets began helping rebuild the Hungarian People's Army and supply them with new weapons and equipment, as well as rebuilding the Hungarian Air Force.

After the revolution

Satisfied that Hungary was stable and loyal to the Warsaw Pact, the USSR withdrew its troops from the country. The new Hungarian leader asked Khrushchev to leave all 200,000 Soviet soldiers in the country as he had allowed the Hungarian People's Republic to neglect its own projected armed forces, which quickly led to the deterioration of the army. Large sums of money were saved in this way and were spent on quality social programs for the population, so Hungary was able to become the "happiest barracks" in the Soviet bloc. Since the mid-1970s, limited modernization has taken place to replace old military equipment stocks with new ones and allow the army to meet its Warsaw Pact obligations.

After the collapse of the Warsaw bloc

In 1997, Hungary spent about 123 billion forints (US$560 million) on defense. Since the late 90s, Hungary has been a full member of NATO, a military organization that unites most of the countries of Europe and America. Hungary provided air bases and support to the Alliance during its war against Serbia, and contributed several military units to serve in Kosovo as part of the NATO-led operation. Thus, Hungary repeated its actions at the beginning of World War II, when it, together with Italian-German troops, invaded the territory of what was then Yugoslavia. Just as Hungary's Black Army led by Matthias Corvinus struck fear into Slavic and Romanian rebels in the Middle Ages, modern Magyar troops participate in all NATO-led military campaigns, continuing to maintain their long-established image as the most ferocious soldiers in Eastern Europe.

Armed forces of the Warsaw Pact countries. Hungarian People's Army. September 25th, 2017

Hello dears.
We continue our conversation with you about the armies of the Warsaw Pact. And I hope you find it interesting :-))
Let me remind you that last time we recalled the armed forces of Czechoslovakia. If anyone missed it, you can watch it here: . Well, or by the tag Army.
Today we’ll talk a little about the armed forces of the Hungarian People’s Republic. And I’ll be honest, for me they had a strange army.
Hungarians have always loved (and what is important, they knew how to fight). Apparently genetic memory. I believe that, apart from the Japanese, it was the Hungarians who were the most powerful and combat-ready ally of the 3rd Reich in World War II. And after the war, they simply could not forget how to fight. But despite the fact that the Hungarian People’s Republic was the most “Western” of the people’s democracies - a sort of showcase of the achievements of socialism with its blackjack and whores, bright shops and even Formula 1, under the gentle management of Janos Kadar, flourished (they even coined the term “goulash communism”) - they were never fully trusted.

J. Kadar

Perhaps it all comes back to 1956, when a powerful anti-government uprising took place in Hungary. There they removed Rakosi, who had been the “ruler,” and the regime was softened greatly, but there was no trust.

This also applied to the army, although the Hungarian armed forces, together with the SA troops, suppressed this uprising. But nevertheless....until 1990 there were more Soviet troops on the territory of the Hungarian People's Republic than Hungarian ones.

So, the armed forces of the Hungarian People's Republic were called the Hungarian People's Army (Magyar Néphadsereg).

They were in the second echelon of the Warsaw Pact Organization forces. In a possible military conflict, Hungary was supposed to act against Austria with the support of Soviet troops.

The Hungarian People's Army was divided into 2 types of troops:
Ground troops
Air Force and Air Defense.
The border guards belonged to the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
The army was headed by the Minister of Defense. One of the most famous, perhaps, was Army General Istvan Olah.

There were several military educational institutions in the country, the main and most important of which was the Miklós Zrinyi National Defense University.

Service life (since 1976) - 2 years.

The Ground Forces included tank crews, signalmen, artillery, chemists, good landing units and even small units of sailors. The ground forces in the 80s were divided into 2 armies.
The 5th Army (headquarters in Szehesfehérvár) consisted of:
7th Motorized Rifle Division (headquarters in Kiskunfelegyháza)
8th Motorized Rifle Division (headquarters in Zalaegerszeg)
9th Motorized Rifle Division (headquarters in Kaposvár)
11th Panzer Division (staff in Tata)


The 3rd Army (headquarters in Cegled) consisted of
4 motorized rifle divisions (headquarters in Gyöngyös)
15th Motorized Rifle Division (headquarters in Nyiregyháza)

The headquarters of the Air Force and Air Defense Forces was located in Veszprém and consisted of an air defense brigade (headquarters in Budapest) and 2 aviation divisions (headquarters in Veszprém and Miskolc).

The total strength of the Hungarian People's Army was about 103,000. The troops had 113 combat aircraft, 96 combat helicopters, 1,300 tanks, 2,200 armored personnel carriers, 27 artillery installations, 1,750 machine guns, etc. But you have to understand that the majority of their fleet was made up of old cars. Only 100 were new T-72s, and the rest were T-54A and T-55, plus a huge number of T-34-85s either mothballed or formally in active service.
Well, we already talked about the Hungarian copy of the AK here:


Until the military reform of the late 50s, Hungarian troops followed the uniforms and insignia of the Soviet Army. The only difference is that the red star was thinner and was located in a white circle on weapons and uniforms. Then a new uniform in green and brown was adopted, and the basic element of the twentieth century Hungarian military uniform, the horned field cap, returned. Soldiers and officers switched from long overcoats to quilted jackets with a fur collar.

It's funny that a private in Hungary was always called Honved, that is, defender, warrior. It was also the name of the famous football club, home to the great Puskas, Grosic, Kocsis and co :-))

Hungarian troops participated in almost all ATS exercises and also participated in the suppression of the Prague Spring of 1968.
And finally, as always, some interesting photos :-)

























To be continued...
Have a nice time of day