Last issue, Frank covered the Hungarian Army from the beginning of the Russian campaign to the retreat and encirclement of the Hungarian forces at the Don River in 1943. In the second half of the article, he relates the events following the retreat from the Don to the end of the war.

Following the disastrous retreat from the Don River, there was a fierce outcry from the Hungarian Parliament and press for the immediate return of all Hungarian troops from the eastern front. The Germans, however, were more desperate than ever to retain as much as possible of the shattered Axis allied armies to shore up the crumbling combat front. An agreement was finally reached on March 30, 1943. The bulk of the remnants of the 2nd Army would be returned; however, one of its corps and the two most intact of its Light Divisions would reinforce the "Hungarian Security Group. "

The "Hungarian Security Group," in December of 1942, had already been increased by the addition of the 1st and 201st Security Divisions. The 2nd Army left behind the VII Corps with the 9th and 19th Light Divisions bringing the total forces of the security group to nine divisions. The VII Corps, now commanded by Lt. Gen. Laszlo vitez Dezso, took over the occupation duties around Kiev, while the VIII Corps, under Lt. Gen. Istvan vitez Kiss, was assigned to occupy the southern edge of the Bryansk Forest.

In late April, 1943, the 18th and 25th Security Divisions were dispatched to the eastern front as replacements for divisions which had served in the occupation forces for over a year. The Hungarian Army replaced some of the security divisions totally, while in others, individual battalions were rotated back to Hungary after about a year's service in Russia.

At the start of the Russian campaign, the Hungarian Army was organized on a system of nine infantry corps (each with three infantry brigades), a "Mobile Corps" (2 motorized and 2 cavalry brigades), and four independent brigades (2 alpine and 2 border guard brigades). During the first year of the campaign, units of the "Mobile" Corps were combined to create an Armored Division and a Cavalry Division.

Although the infantry brigades were at various times designated as "Security" Divisions or "Light" Divisions, they were still basically organized as brigades. In July of 1943, the Hungarian General Staff decided to reorganize the armed forces along the German model, thus doing away with their traditional "Dandar" system. 

The separate "Mobile" Corps was disbanded, and the Armored and Cavalry Divisions were subordinated to the I Army Corps. The Hungarian 1st Armored Division had been largely destroyed in the retreat from Voronezh, and until August or September of 1944, it was utilized primarily as a training and replacement unit. Meanwhile, in 1943, a 2nd Armored Division was being created. The remaining eight army corps (II-IX) each organized their existing troops into a threeregiment Infantry Division (designated as the 6th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th, 20th, 24th, and 25th Divisions respectively).

Additionally, each of the eight corps was assigned a three-regiment "Reserve" Division (to be designated as the 5th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 19th, 23rd, and 26th Divisions respectively). The bulk of the "Reserve" Divisions were to be created out of the "Security" Divisions currently serving with the Hungarian Security Group. The two Alpine Brigades, the 201st Security Division, and a single "Light" Division (the 27th) were retained from the old system.

Most of the Hungarian corps or army troops were also reorganized during this period. As an example, the engineer battalions, assigned to the various corps and armies, were removed and assembled into four new regiments:

101st Engineer Regiment: (the VI, VIII, and IX battalions)
102nd Engineer Regiment: (the II and VII battalions)
103rd Engineer Regiment: (the III, IV, and V battalions)
104th Engineer Regiment: (the 1, 151st, 152nd, 153rd battalions)

New corps troops were also formed, such as the eight "Assault Gun" battalions, equipped with Hungarianproduced Zriny II vehicles and German Hetzer or Sturmgeschutz III's.

In August, 1943, the Hungarian Security Group's VIII Corps (sometimes referred to as the Il Reserve Corps) was moved westward, taking up positions around Pinsk, BrestLitovsk, and Lutsk, along the southern edge of the Pripet Marshes. The VII Corps (sometimes called the I Reserve Corps) remained around Kiev until the advancing Soviet forces engaged the 19th Security Division during December, 1943. Thereafter, the VII Corps was also moved west to the area around Zhitomir and Vinnitsa.

During spring of 1944, the army reorganization finally concluded with the units of the Hungarian Security Group. Eight of the two-regiment "Security Divisions" were combined into six three-regiment "Reserve" Divisions. The VII Corps emerged as the 18th and 19th Reserve Divisions, and the 201st Security Division. The VIII Corps was reorganized into the 5th, 9th, 12th and 23rd Reserve Divisions. These "Reserve" Divisions were, however, still not at full strength, due to their minimal numbers of artillery, anti-tank, and flak units.

In March of 1944, Germany, alarmed by the increasing disaffection of Hungary's leaders, drew up plans for operation "Margarethe", which assembled troops on the borders of Hungary, preparatory to a complete military occupation of the country. A lastminute meeting was held between Hitler and Horthy, where Horthy agreed to re-organize his government into one which would co-operate one hundred per cent with Germany in its prosecution of the war. The new government was headed by the proGerman former Hungarian minister to Berlin, Dome Sztojay. One of the conditions of the agreement was that Hungary should mobilize all of its remaining military forces for immediate service on the eastern front.

A joint military conference detailed the schedule of military mobilization and cooperation which would be met by the Hungarians. A new Hungarian combat army was to be dispatched into the Soviet Union, and the occupation divisions of the Hungarian Security Group were to be released for frontline combat duties. The Hungarian 1st Army was ordered to assemble a combat force based on the nucleus of the VII Corps, now being commanded by Lt. Gen. Geza vitez Lakatos. Those Hungarian units which were at full mobilization were to join the army at once, and all others were to move out as soon as their mobilizations were complete.

The 1st and 2nd Alpine Brigades, which were manning frontier defenses in the Carpathian Mountains, moved into the combat lines east of Delyatin during the last week of March. The VI Corps, with the 16th and 24th Infantry Divisions, which were also at full mobilization, took up positions between Stryy and Stanislau in early April.

The Hungarian 2nd Armored Division, whose mobilization was nearly complete, was quickly supplied by the Germans with the equipment it lacked in order to get this division on the line by April 15. While the Germans supplied this unit with several vehicles, the tanks of the division were entirely Hungarian, consisting of 50 Toldi I tanks (mounting 20mm guns), 72 Turan I tanks (40mm guns), and 44 Turan II tanks (75mm guns).

Initially, Horthy selected Col. Gen. Istvan vitez Naday to command the 1st Army, giving him instructions to allow the army to be used only for defense, and to present the excuse of lack of training and equipment if he were pressed by the German military commanders. Field Marshal Erich von Manstein, to whom the Hungarians were subordinated, would not accept these protestations, and pressured Horthy to remove Naday. Replacing him on March 28, the Hungarian General Staff promoted the VII Corps commander, General Lakatos, who was more sympathetic to the German cause.

Von Manstein's Army Group "North Ukraine," which included the Hungarian 1st Army, carried out a general offensive during April of 1944. Initially gaining some territory in front of Stanislau and Delyatin, the front stabilized in mid-May between the villages of Kuty and Ottynia. The 25th Infantry Division, the 27th Light Division, and the 66th Border Guards Group (which was functioning as an independent third regiment to the 27th Light Division) were inserted into the stabilizing front lines by May 15th. At the same time, the 20th Infantry Division had been dispatched to reinforce the German 1st Panzer Army's positions to the north.

On May 10th, the 201st Security Division was disbanded, and its personnel split up as combat replacements and to bring the 18th and 19th Reserve Divisions to full strength in troops, if not in heavy weapons. On May 27, General Lakatos was also replaced, under German pressure, by Col. Gen. Karoly Beregfy as 1st Army commander.

By the end of May there remained only six divisions in Hungary not yet committed to the combat front. The 1st Cavalry Division, which had been held back by Horthy as high command reserve, was sent on June 10th to reinforce the VIII Corps in the southern Pripet Marshes, arriving on June 18th. The 7th Infantry Division, still completing its mobilization, was ultimately dispatched to join the 1st Army at the end of June. The 6th, 10th, and 13th Infantry Divisions, not scheduled to complete their mobilizations until the end of July, were assigned to the III Corps, which assembled the divisions along the eastern edge of the Carpathian mountains, in the so-called "Hunyadi" line. The final Hungarian division, the 1st Armored Division, was still in training and awaiting delivery of its Turan II tanks from the Hungarian factories. The tanks arrived in August, at which time the division was committed to combat, despite the fact that its training was not yet completed.

The 15th and 26th Reserve Divisions, originally listed in the table of organization of 1943, never achieved more than cadre strength. Their weapons had been removed to equip the 7th Infantry Division, and the cadres were disbanded. On August 5, following the retreat of the 1st Army, Horthy ordered that all remaining training and replacement formations be combined into ten replacement commands. These units, designated as the 2nd through 9th Replacement Divisions and 1st and 2nd Alpine Replacement Brigades, despite their names, usually contained only one to two infantry battalions and a battery or two of artillery.

On July 23, 1944, the Soviet armies attacked the positions of the Hungarian 1st Army. The main thrust was directed against the VII Corps' positions around Ottynia. The Soviets overran most of the 7th Infantry Division, and finally captured Stanislau. After a week of constant fighting, the Hungarians withdrew to the prepared positions of the "Hunyadi" Line. Holding this line, the Hungarian VI Corps fought off numerous Soviet assaults on the Tatar Pass over the next week, and then the front stabilized again.

On August 6th, the commander of the 1st Army was again changed, with Col. Gen. Bela vitez Miklos replacing Beregfy. On August 12th, the 18th and 19th Reserve Divisions were broken up, and their troops utilized to bring the other divisions back up to combat strength, replacing the estimated 17,000 casualties suffered in the retreat.

On August 24th, all of the replacement brigades and divisions were mobilized and placed on active duty. The 2nd Army command was reactivated with the 11 Corps, the 7th and 9th Replacement Divisions, and the two Alpine Replacement Brigades. To this force was added the 25th Infantry, 27th Light, and 2nd Armored Divisions, all of which had been released by the 1st Army. The new army, under Col. Gen. Lajos vitez Veress Dalnoki, was fon- ned to defend southern Hungary after the defection of Rumania to the Soviets.

The Siebenburgen area of the Carpathians, ceded to Hungary in 1940 by Rumania, was at this time defended by the 68th and 69th Border Guard groups, the newly-formed 9th Border Guards Brigade (combining the 65th, 67th, and 70th Border Guards Groups), and twenty of the "Szekel" militia battalions. To this, the 2nd Army added the 2nd and 3rd Replacement Division (each containing only a single infantry battalion and a single artillery battery of obsolete 1908 artillery pieces). This force, attacked from three sides on September 2nd by Soviet armor units and Rumanian infantry, was quickly overrun in about three days. The only unit able to withdraw from this action more or less intact was the 9th Border Brigade. The other units were completely destroyed, and their remnants were merged into the 8th Border Brigade.

During September, the Hungarian 2nd Army moved south into Rumania along the entire frontier to gain better defensive positions. As an example, the IV Corps, with the 1st Cavalry Training Regiment, the 6th Replacement Division, and the 1st Armored Division, beat back two Rumanian infantry and a Rumanian cavalry division to occupy the area around Arad. These units were, however, pushed back to the Hungarian border by Soviet armored forces a few days later. The poorly manned and equipped replacement division, after its first heavy action, was disbanded.

On September 14th, the Hungarian 3rd Army, under Col. Gen. Jozsef vitez Heszlenyi, was formed from the 5th and 8th Replacement Divisions, the 1st Armored Division, the 1st Cavalry Training Regiment, and the newly returned 20th Infantry and 23rd Reserve Divisions. Following the invasion of Hungarian territory, all units of the VIII Corps were returned from eastern Poland, with the 1st Cavalry, 12th and 23rd Reserve Divisions arriving by September 30, and the 5th Reserve Division shortly thereafter. (The 9th Reserve Division was apparently broken up to provide replacements for the other units.)

During the battles for Hungary which ensued, several additional Hungarian major units were formed, especially following October 15, when the German- backed Szalasi government took power in Hungary. The "SzentLaszlo" Division was formed from the 1st Airborne Battalion, the 1st and 2nd Elite Infantry Training Regiment (4 battalions), the 1st and 2nd Armor Training Regiments, the 1st and 2nd Reconnaissance Training Battalions, two river defense battalions, and a flak gun battalion. The Ist River Defense Brigade was formed from the 16th Border Guard Battalion, the 39th Independent Infantry Regiment, a provisional battalion of gendarmes, three artillery batteries, and a light field gun battalion. An "ad hoc" combat group, called at various times the Hungarian Assault Brigade or Group "Billnitzer", was created by combining the Armored Car Battalion with four of the Assault Gun Battalions (VIII, IX, X, and "Miklos").

In addition to the units formed by the Hungarians, the Germans began formation of several motorized infantry divisions from Hungarian refugees crossing into Austria; the units were to be completely officered by Hungarians. Only one division was completed, the "Hunyadi" Division. Four others, the "Kossuth", "Petofi", "Klapka", and "Gorgey", were still in various stages of assembly or training when the war ended.

The Hungarian Army, unlike the rest of the Axis allied armies, did not abandon the Axis cause. Despite several attempts by dissident politicians and army officers, only two units followed the dissidents. The 2nd Alpine Brigade went over in total to the Soviets in October, 1944, and about half of the 10th Infantry Division deserted to the Soviets after being encircled at Budapest. There were, of course, numerous individual cases of desertion. However, the bulk of the Hungarian officers and men remained faithful to the Axis, retreated into Austria and Slovakia, and continued to fight alongside the Germans, even after their home country was overrun.

More Germany's East Front Allies: Hungary Part 1

1941-1943
Carpathian Group Order of Battle: Aug 2, 1941
Field Formations, Arms and Equipment: Aug 2, 1941
2nd Army Order of Battle: Aug 1, 1942

More Germany's East Front Allies: Hungary Part 2

1943-1945
Security Group Order of Battle: April 15, 1943
Corps and Army Formations
1st Army Order of Battle: July 23, 1944
Field Formations: Arms and Equipment