The phrase "Hungarian tank building" in itself causes a smile today. In fairness, it should be noted that in the 1940s there were not many European countries could afford to produce tanks. Despite all attempts, the Hungarian designers failed to create competitive combat vehicles, they have always lagged behind the leading tank-building powers. The Hungarian Turan tank had no chance to catch up with the Soviet tanks in terms of security and firepower.
Medium tank 41.M Turan II
For all their shortcomings, Turan tanks took an active part in the fighting on the Eastern Front, and Hungary itself was one of the most loyal allies of Nazi Germany. Hungarian troops fought on the side of the Nazis almost until the very end of the war in Europe. In total, during serial production from 1942 to 1944, according to various estimates, up to 459 Turan tanks of various modifications were assembled in Hungary. The last combat operation of the Second World War, in which Turan tanks took part, was the battles near Lake Balaton in March-April 1945. It was in this area that the last combat-ready Hungarian tanks were lost, and some of the vehicles were captured by Soviet troops.
Czechoslovak roots of the Hungarian tank Turan
Despite the fact that the Hungarian troops took an active part in the battles on the Eastern Front, they did not gain any glory in these battles with the Soviet troops, and the Hungarians did not have much success in the battle with the Red Army soldiers. Hungarian units were most actively used in the southern direction of the Eastern Front, and the main theater of operations for the Hungarian army was the steppes, where the capabilities of motorized and tank units were best revealed. But with armored vehicles, the Magyar units had serious problems, Hungarian armored vehicles simply could not compete on equal terms with the Soviet medium tanks T-34 and heavy KV. This is not surprising, given that the Hungarian tank building originates only in the late 1930s.Before that, the Hungarian government tried to conclude contracts for the supply of armored vehicles with several countries at once. So, in Sweden, a light tank "Toldi" was ordered, the main armament of which was a 20-mm anti-tank gun. The mass of these combat vehicles did not exceed 8.5 tons, and the armor of the first series was 13 mm. The tank was created on the basis of the Swedish Landsverk L-60, one copy and a license for the production of which were acquired by Hungary. Naturally, the Hungarian military dreamed of getting better tanks with better weapons and security at their disposal. But attempts to negotiate with Germany on the purchase of Pz.Kpfw. III and Pz.Kpfw. IV ended in nothing. The same fate awaited negotiations with Italy for the transfer of a license for the production of medium tanks M13 / 40, negotiations dragged on until the summer of 1940, when the need for Italian vehicles simply disappeared.
Prototype of the Czechoslovak T-21 tank
The savior of the Hungarian armored forces was Czechoslovakia, which was completely occupied by the Nazi troops in March 1939. In the hands of Germany was the well-developed industry of the country, as well as numerous military developments, among which was the S-II-c or T-21 tank, developed by the designers of the Skoda company. The combat vehicle was developed on the basis of the successful Czech tank LT vz.35, which was widely used in parts of the Wehrmacht. The Germans were not interested in the T-21, so they were not against the transfer of ready-made prototypes to Hungary. In turn, the Hungarian experts considered the tanks the best among all the samples of medium tanks available to the country. At the same time, the Hungarians could not place an order for the production of tanks at the Skoda factories, since they were fully loaded with German orders.
The first prototype of the future Turan tank arrived in Hungary in early June 1940. After testing and passing 800 km without breakdowns, the car was recommended for adoption in July of the same year after a number of improvements and improvements were made to the design. Important changes included: the appearance of a commander's cupola; increase in frontal booking up to 50 mm; and an increase in the tank crew to five people, with the placement of three people in the tower. An example for the Hungarians when making changes to the design of the tank were the Germans, who were considered recognized authorities in tank building and the use of tank troops.
The version of the tank upgraded by the Hungarians was put into service on November 28, 1940 under the designation 40.M, while the tank received its own name "Turan". Delays in the transfer of technical documentation and the deployment of mass production of tanks, which simply did not exist in Hungary until the end of the 1930s, led to the fact that the first serial Turan tanks got to the tank school in the Hungarian city of Esztergom only in May 1942 of the year.
Tank late for the war
For its time, the Turan was by no means the worst combat vehicle in the world. It is important to understand that Czechoslovak engineers presented the first prototype of the future Hungarian tank back in the winter of 1937. The tank was originally developed for export, it was planned that the armies of Italy, Romania and Hungary would become its buyers. In May 1939, the tank changed its designation to T-21 and ended up in Hungary under this index a year later. For the late 1930s, the combat capabilities of the Czech tank were still good. Reinforced to 30 mm frontal armor (compared to the LT vz.35) and the presence of a 47 mm Skoda A11 gun made the vehicle quite formidable on the battlefield.The main problem was that the tank, developed in the late 1930s, was late for the war for which it was created. The Hungarian adaptation, although it received frontal armor reinforced to 50-60 mm (all armor plates were installed vertically or with slight angles of inclination) and a commander's cupola, was distinguished by the installation of a 40-mm semi-automatic gun of its own production 41.M, created on the basis of the German anti-tank gun PaK 35 / 36. Despite a good barrel length of 51 calibers, the gun could not boast of great armor penetration. At a distance of 300 meters at an angle of 30 degrees with the armor, the armor-piercing projectile of this gun pierced only 42 mm of armor, at a distance of a kilometer - 30 mm. The capabilities of the 40-mm gun were more than enough to deal with light Soviet tanks T-26 and BT-7, which formed the basis of the tank fleet of the Red Army in 1941, but they could not resist the new Soviet tanks T-34 and KV "Turans".
Hungarian medium tank 40.M Turan I with 40 mm gun
The problem was aggravated by the fact that the first serial Hungarian tanks began to roll off the assembly line only in 1942, they did not have time to take part in the attack on Stalingrad and the Caucasus. But this also saved them from a subsequent disaster, in which the 2nd Hungarian Army, which fought on the Eastern Front, according to various estimates, lost up to 150 thousand personnel, up to 70 percent of its materiel and all heavy weapons.
Assessment of the capabilities of the Turan tank
The full-fledged combat debut of the Turan tanks dragged on for two years; they took part in battles with the Soviet troops only in April 1944. By that time, the tanks that were late for the war tried to modernize. Already in 1942, in parallel with the Turan I, Hungary decided to start assembling the Turan II tank, the main difference of which was the presence of a 75-mm short-barreled gun with a barrel length of 25 calibers. The mass of this version of the Hungarian tank has increased from 18.2 to 19.2 tons. At the same time, the 8-cylinder gasoline engine with 265 hp remained the same. accelerated the car to 43 km / h when driving on the highway, the variant with a 40-mm cannon had slightly better performance - 47 km / h. The updated modification received the designation 41.M Turan II.Attempts by the Hungarian military to give the tank project from the late 1930s a second life should be recognized as unsuccessful. But they were unsuccessful precisely because of the time the tank appeared on the battlefields. Back in 1940 and 1941, the car would have looked advantageous compared to light tanks with bulletproof armor, which formed the basis of the armored forces of the Red Army. But in 1944, the main opponents of the "Turans" were medium tanks T-34 and T-34-85, which the Hungarian tankers simply could not fight on an equal footing. The 40-mm cannon did not penetrate the frontal armor of the T-34 from any distance, at least somehow it was possible to effectively penetrate only the lower part of the T-34's side armor plates. The transition to a short-barreled 75-mm gun did not significantly change the situation. In fact, in 1944, the Hungarian analogue of the German tank Pz.Kpfw entered the battlefield. IV, with which Germany started the war against the USSR. As an infantry support tank, the 41.M Turan II could be called a good vehicle, the 75-mm projectile had a good high-explosive fragmentation action, but it was a very difficult task for the Hungarian tank to fight modern Soviet armored vehicles and Lend-Lease Shermans.
Medium tanks 41.M Turan II with a 75 mm gun in the tank fleet
Projectile protection in 50-60 mm frontal armor looked good in the early 1940s. This was enough to withstand most pre-war anti-tank guns up to and including 45 mm. In fact, the "Turans" faced massive use Soviet troops with 57-mm and 76-mm cannons, which were guaranteed to pierce their armor at a distance of up to 1000 meters, and the 85-mm cannon of the updated "thirty-fours" did not leave any chance for the Hungarian tankers at all. The anti-cumulative screens that the Hungarians began to install on their armored vehicles in 1944 could not improve the situation. At the same time, the outdated riveted design of the installation of armor plates also did not increase combat effectiveness and machine survivability. When a projectile hit the armor, the rivets flew off and even if the armor did not penetrate, they could hit the equipment and crew of the combat vehicle. The three-man turret with a commander's turret did not save the situation either, which made it possible to unload the commander, who was able to direct the battle without being distracted by other tasks.
A worthy answer to the Soviet T-34 tanks could be the third version of the Turan modernization, which received the designation 43.M Turan III. But this tank, armed with a long-barreled 75-mm cannon (barrel length 43 caliber), with frontal armor reinforced to 75 mm, was represented by only a couple of prototypes, it was never mass-produced. In reality, when meeting with Soviet armored vehicles, which were presented in 1944 not only by the new T-34-85 and IS-2, but also by various self-propelled artillery, the Hungarian Turan tanks quickly moved from the category of combat vehicles to the category of scrap metal and fraternal graves for a crew of five.
Medium tank "Turan"
At the beginning of 1940, Hungarian specialists became interested in an experienced medium tank Gb2s (T-21) of the Czechoslovak company Jlkoda. The latter was a development of the well-known light tank of the same firm 1b2a (LT-35), with which the Hungarians were able to get acquainted in March 1939. Institute specialists spoke in favor of the T-21 military equipment, they considered it to be the best medium tank available. This car did not attract the Germans at all, and they did not mind transferring it to the Hungarians. On June 3, 1940, the T-21 was sent to Budapest, and on June 10 arrived at the Central test site Honvedshega in Khaimashkeri. After the tests, during which the T-21 passed 800 km without breakdowns, on August 7, 1940, the parties signed a license contract. On September 3, the car was adopted by the Hungarian army under the name "Turan" (Turan). Turan is the mythological ancestral home of the Magyars, located in Central Asia from where they began their migration to Europe in the 6th century. Soon the tank received the army index 40M.
Medium tank T-21
In preparation for mass production, the original Czech design underwent some modernization and changes. A Hungarian cannon and engine were installed, armor was strengthened, observation devices and communications equipment were replaced. This work was carried out under the guidance of the designer of the Manfred Weiss company, engineer Janos Korbul. First order for 230
military vehicles, issued by the Ministry of Defense on September 19, 1940, were divided between four companies: Manfred Weiss (70 units), Magyar Vagon (70), MAVAG (40) and Ganz (50). However, it was still a long way from the issuance of the order to its actual implementation. The start of production was hampered by the lack of a complete set of technical documentation, since latest drawings from Jlkoda were received only in March 1941. The implementation of drawings for modernization was also delayed. As a result, the first Turan prototype, made of non-armored steel, left the factory floor only on July 8. New tanks began to enter the troops only in May 1942. A total of 285 40M "Turan 40" tanks were produced, in domestic literature they are sometimes referred to as "Turan I".
The layout and design of the hull and turret, assembled with riveting on a frame of corners, basically corresponded to the Czech prototype. The thickness of the rolled armor plates of the frontal part of the hull and turret was 50 - 60 mm, sides and stern - 25 mm, roof and bottom - 8 - 25 mm.
Medium tank T-21 in the yard of the Skoda factory. Czechoslovak weapons were installed on the vehicle: a 47-mm vz.38 cannon and two 7.92-mm ZB vz.37 machine guns. MTO roof dismantled
The 40-mm 41M 40/51 gun was developed by MAVAG on the basis of the 37-mm 37M gun, intended for the V-4 tank, an anti-tank gun of the same caliber, and the Skoda 37-mm A7 gun. One 8-mm machine gun 34 / 40AM Gebauer was installed in the turret in a ball mount, the other - in the frontal hull sheet on the left, along with an optical sight, protected, like the barrels of both machine guns, by a massive armor casing. Gun ammunition included 101 shots, and machine guns - 3000 rounds.
Turan I
The tank was equipped with six periscopic observation devices and a viewing slot with a triplex in the front hull plate opposite the driver's seat. A radio station R / 5a was installed near the place of the gunner-radio operator.
Manfred Weiss-Z 8-cylinder V-twin carbureted engine with 265 hp. at 2200 rpm, it allowed a tank weighing 18.2 tons to accelerate to a maximum speed of 47 km / h. The capacity of the fuel tanks is 265 l, the cruising range is 165 km.
Medium tank "Turan I" during the crossing. 2nd Panzer Division. Poland, 1944
Transmission "Turan" consisted of a multi-disk main dry friction clutch, a planetary 6-speed gearbox, a planetary turning mechanism and final drives. The transmission units were controlled using a pneumatic servo drive. A backup mechanical drive was also provided.
It should be noted that, having a specific power of 14.5 hp / t, "Turan" had good mobility and maneuverability. They were provided, among other things, with convenient controls that did not require much physical effort.
Turan I with armored screens
Lengthwise cut
cross section
The layout of the tank "Turan I": 1 - installation of a course machine gun and optical sight; 2 - observation devices; 3 - fuel tank; 4 - engine; 5 - gearbox; 6 - turning mechanism; 7 - lever of the mechanical (backup) drive of the turning mechanism; 8 - gear lever; 9 - pneumatic cylinder of the tank control system; 10 - drive lever of the turning mechanism with pneumatic booster; 11 - machine gun embrasure; 12 - inspection hatch of the driver; 13 - accelerator pedal; 14 - brake pedal; 15 - main clutch pedal; 16 - mechanism for turning the tower; 17 - gun embrasure
The undercarriage was generally similar to the undercarriage of the light Czechoslovak LT-35 tank and, with respect to one side, consisted of eight small-diameter rubber-coated dual road wheels, interlocked in pairs and assembled into two carts, each of which was suspended on two semi-elliptical leaf springs. Between the front cart and the steering wheel, which had a gear ring, one double roller was installed, which made it easier for the tank to overcome vertical obstacles. The drive wheel was located at the rear. The upper branch of the caterpillar rested on five double rubberized support rollers. The design of the undercarriage provided the tank with a smooth ride without strong vertical vibrations and swaying.
In addition to the line tank, the Turan RK command variant was simultaneously developed, intended for commanders of companies, battalions and regiments. On this machine, there was not only a standard R / 5a radio station, but also an R / 4T radio station, the antenna of which was mounted on the aft sheet of the tower.
In May 1941, that is, even before the arrival of new tanks to the troops, the Hungarian General Staff raised the issue of modernizing the Turan in order to change its weapons, apparently, under the impression of the German Pz.IV tank. On the machine, which received the designation 41M "Turan 75" ("Turan II"), they installed a 75-mm 41M cannon with a barrel length of 25 calibers and a horizontal wedge gate. The turret had to be redesigned, increasing its height by 45 mm and changing the shape and dimensions of the fixed commander's turret. Ammunition was reduced to 52 artillery rounds. The remaining components and assemblies of the tank have not undergone changes. The mass of the car increased to 19.2 tons, the speed and cruising range slightly decreased. In May 1942, the Turan II was put into service, and in 1943 it was put into mass production; until June 1944, 139 units were produced.
"Turan I" from the 2nd Panzer Division. Eastern Front, April 1944
Commander's "Turan II". characteristic external difference this machine from a linear tank had three radio antennas on the turret. Of the weapons, only the course machine gun was retained; the turret machine gun and cannon are missing (a wooden imitation is installed instead of the gun)
Along with line tanks, command vehicles 43M "Turan II" were also produced. Their armament consisted of only one 8-mm machine gun in the front of the hull. The turret machine gun and cannon were absent, and instead of the latter, a wooden imitation was installed. The tower housed three radio stations - R / 4T, R / 5a and the German FuG 16.
Since the short-barreled gun was not suitable for fighting tanks, the Institute of Military Technology was instructed to work out the issue of arming the Turan with a long-barreled 75-mm 43M gun. In parallel, it was planned to increase the thickness of the frontal armor of the hull to 80 mm. The mass at the same time had to grow to 23 tons.
In December 1943, a sample of the 44M "Turan III" tank was made, but the serial production could not be deployed due to the lack of a sufficient number of guns.
In 1944, following the example of the German tanks Pz.NI and Pz.IV, they began to hang screens on the "turans" to protect them from cumulative shells. A set of such screens for "Turan" weighed 635 kg.
As already mentioned, the Turans began to enter the troops in May 1942, when the first 12 vehicles arrived at the tank school in Esztergom. On October 30, 1943, Honvedsheg had 242 tanks of this type. The 3rd tank regiment of the 2nd
tank division - it had 120 vehicles, and in the 1st tank regiment of the 1st tank division - 61 "Turan 40", another 56 units were part of the 1st cavalry division. In addition, two "turans" were in the 1st company of self-propelled guns and three were used as training ones.
Tanks "Turan 75" began to enter the Hungarian troops in May 1943; by the end of August there were already 49, and by March 1944 - 107.
In the photo above - a massive armor-mask of the recoil devices of the 75-mm gun.
In the center is an autonomous installation of a course machine gun, the barrel of which is covered with an armor casing. Bulletproof bolt heads are clearly visible. On the sides of the turret of this tank, in addition to screens, caterpillar tracks are placed.
Below - armored covers of the sight and course machine gun
In April of the same year, the 2nd Panzer Division was sent to the front, having 120 "Turan 40" and 55 "Turan 75" in its composition. The Hungarian medium tanks received their baptism of fire on April 17, when the division counterattacked the advancing Soviet units near Kolomyia. The tank attack on the impenetrable wooded and mountainous terrain was not crowned with success. By April 26, the advance of the Hungarian troops was stopped. In this case, the losses amounted to 30 tanks. In August - September, the division participated in the battles near Stanislav (now Ivano-Frankivsk), suffered heavy losses, and was withdrawn to the rear.
The 1st Cavalry Division took part in heavy fighting in eastern Poland in the summer of 1944, retreating towards Warsaw. Having lost all her tanks, she was withdrawn to Hungary in September.
Since September 1944, 124 Turans of the 1st Panzer Division fought in Transylvania. In December, fighting was already going on in Hungary, near Debrecen and Nyiregyhaza. In addition to the 1st, both other mentioned divisions also participated in them. On October 30, the battles for Budapest began, lasting four months. The 2nd Panzer Division found itself surrounded in the city itself, while the 1st Panzer and 1st Cavalry Divisions fought north of the capital. As a result of fierce fighting near Lake Balaton in March - April 1945, the Hungarian tank forces ceased to exist. At the same time, the last "turans" were destroyed or captured by the Red Army.
"Turan II" with mesh screens, modeled on the German "Tom type"
A soldier of the Red Army inspects the captured tank "Turan II", equipped with mesh screens. 1944
As already mentioned, the Hungarian medium tank was created on the basis of the Czechoslovak design of the mid-1930s. If the preparation for its mass production had not been delayed so much and had it been released by 1941, the Turan could have become a formidable opponent for the Soviet BT and T-26. But in April 1944, this angular riveted machine was already a complete anachronism. It should be noted that the Hungarians adopted the German experience with a significant delay: "Turan II" received a short-barreled 75-mm gun by analogy with the Pz.IV. at a time when German tanks were already rearming with long-barreled guns.
In 1942, again taking into account the German experience, the Hungarians decided to create their own assault gun. The only suitable base for it was the Turan, whose hull width was increased by 450 mm. In the 75-mm front sheet of the low-profile riveted armored cabin in the frame, a converted 105-mm MAVAG 40M infantry howitzer with a barrel length of 20.5 calibers was installed. Howitzer horizontal pointing angles ± 11 °, elevation angle - + 25 °. The ACS ammunition consisted of 52 rounds of separate loading. The car did not have a machine gun. The engine, transmission and chassis remained the same as the base tank. The combat weight was 21.6 tons. The crew consisted of four people. This most successful Hungarian armored fighting vehicle of the Second World War period, which received the designation 40 / 43M "Zrinyi 105" ("Zrinyi II"), was named after national hero Hungarian Miklós Zrinyi, was adopted in January 1943 and released in small quantities - only 66 units.
On October 1, 1943, assault artillery battalions of 30 self-propelled guns each began to form in the Hungarian army, which, along with German-made combat vehicles, began to receive Zriny assault guns. By 1945, all remaining self-propelled guns of this type were part of the 20th Eger and 24th Kosice battalions. The last units armed with these self-propelled guns capitulated on the territory of Czechoslovakia.
Zrinyi I
Zrinyi II
Armed with a 105-mm howitzer, the Zrinyi self-propelled gun was a powerful assault gun
Battery of self-propelled guns "Zrinyi II" during tactical exercises. 1943
"Zrinyi" were typical assault guns. They successfully accompanied the attacking infantry with fire and maneuver, but in 1944 they could no longer fight Soviet tanks. In a similar situation, the Germans re-armed their StuG III with long-barreled guns, turning them into tank destroyers. The Hungarians, with their more backward economy, such an event was beyond their strength.
Only two combat vehicles from the family of Hungarian medium tanks have survived to this day. "Turan 75" (number 2N423) and "Zrinyi 105" (number ZN022) can be seen in the exposition of the museum of armored weapons and equipment in Kubinka near Moscow.
In the most popular tank reference book of F. Heigl in the 30s, twice published in the USSR in the “Commander’s Library” series, four emotional lines were assigned to Hungary: “The Treaty of Trianon prohibits Hungary from possessing armored combat vehicles. However, in the heart of every Hungarian against this treaty there is a protest: “No! Not! Never!"
From this very peculiar information for a reference publication, one could conclude that the Hungarians did not agree with the terms of the agreement.
By the Trianon Peace Treaty, signed on June 4, 1920, the victorious powers in the First World War limited the number of armed forces of Hungary (a state that arose, as you know, after the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918) to 35 thousand people, while prohibiting having aviation, tanks and heavy artillery. An exception was made for 1 2 armored vehicles intended for police service.
Attempts to circumvent the restrictions of the treaty were made by Hungary repeatedly and not without success. In 1920, 14 German LK II light tanks were secretly acquired. The Entente Control Commission found out about this, but could not find the tanks. Having disassembled the cars into parts, the Hungarians carefully hid them. In 1928, five tanks were assembled and introduced into the 1st tank company.
It should be noted that England, seeking to oppose Hungary to the countries of the Little Entente - Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia, turned a blind eye to the violations of the Trianon Treaty. As a result, in 1931, the Hungarians acquired five Italian FIAT 3000В tanks, a year later - the English Carden-Loyd Mk VI tankette, and in 1937 - the German light tank Pz.lA.
In August 1935, the first large batch of combat vehicles was purchased in Italy: 25 tankettes CV 3/33, which received the Hungarian designation 35M; in 1936 - 125 tankettes CV 3/35 (37M). The Hungarians installed their 8-mm machine guns of the 34 / 37M model, produced under a Czech license by Gebauer, on them. The commander's vehicles were equipped with a square commander's cupola. Subsequently, tankettes fought in Yugoslavia, and in 1941, 65 vehicles participated in hostilities on the Soviet-German front.
In 1938, the Hungarian government adopted a plan for the modernization and development of the armed forces. In particular, a large place was given to measures to create armored forces. The main difficulty along the way was the lack of tanks, although the Hungarian industry was able to produce modern combat vehicles. To speed up the process, we took the path of acquiring licenses.
In March 1938, the Swedish company LandsverkAB in Landskrona ordered one copy of the Landsverk L60B tank. Upon arrival in Hungary, it underwent comparative tests along with the German Pz.lA. The Swedish car demonstrated incomparably the best combat and specifications. They decided to take it as a model for a Hungarian-made light tank, called the 38M To Id i.
As for medium tanks, the situation was somewhat more complicated. Own designs (Straussler V-3 and V-4 tanks) were still far from complete, and attempts to acquire military vehicles abroad (Landsverk's LAGO tank, Italian M11 / 39 and German Pz.IV) ended in failure.
At the beginning of 1940, Hungarian specialists became interested in an experienced medium tank S-2c (T-21) of the Czechoslovak company Skoda. The latter was a development of the well-known light tank of the same company S-2a (LT-35), which the Hungarians were able to get acquainted with in March 1939, when they occupied Czechoslovakia together with German units. Experts from the Institute of Military Equipment spoke in favor of the T-21, in their opinion, it was the best medium tank of all really available. The Germans were not at all interested in this car, and they did not mind transferring it to the Hungarians. After testing on August 7, 1940, the parties signed a license contract. On September 3, the tank was adopted by the Hungarian army under the name 40M Turan.
Attempts to create a heavy tank of their own design Tas ("Tosh"), armed with a German 75-mm KwK 42 cannon, were unsuccessful.
In 1943, on the basis of the Turan tank, the Zrinyi assault self-propelled guns, modeled after German assault guns, were developed and mass-produced.
The license for the production of another anti-aircraft self-propelled gun Anti based on the L60B tank was purchased from the Swedes. It was produced in Hungary under the name Nimrod and was based on the chassis of the Toldi light tank.
In 1932, the first attempt was made to create a Hungarian armored car. Then and later, until 1937, this work was carried out under the guidance of the talented engineer N. Straussler. By 1940, the 39M Csaba armored car was developed and launched in Hungary in a series.
In 1943, the project of a heavy armored car similar to the German four-axle BA Puma was completed, but they did not have time to start its production.
Hungary declared war on the Soviet Union on June 27, 1941. By this time, almost all Hungarian armored vehicles were part of the so-called "movable corps" (Gyorshadtest). It included the 1st and 2nd motorized brigades with the 9th and 11th tank battalions, respectively, and the 1st cavalry brigade with the 11th armored cavalry battalion. Tank battalions consisted of three tank companies of 18 vehicles each. The armored cavalry battalion had two mixed companies with CV 3/35 tankettes and Toldi light tanks. In total, the "moving hull" consisted of 81 Toldi tanks in the first line. Since the autumn of 1943, one of the companies of the tank battalions was armed with Nimrod self-propelled guns.
In 1943, the 1st and 2nd tank divisions were deployed on the basis of motorized brigades. Each division included a three-battalion tank regiment (39 medium tanks per battalion), a motorized infantry brigade, an artillery regiment, and other support and support units.
The 1st Cavalry Division, formed at the same time, included an armored cavalry battalion with 56 Toldi tanks.
In October 1943, the formation of assault gun battalions began.
The Hungarian army was also armed with foreign armored vehicles coming from Germany in significant quantities. At the same time, the Hungarians received both German-made combat vehicles and captured tanks captured by the Wehrmacht. It should be emphasized that since Hungary turned out to be the most reliable and combat-ready ally of Germany, it received the most modern German armored vehicles, as can be seen from the table below.
| tank type | 1939 | 1940 | 1941 | 1942 | 1943 | 1944 | 1945 |
| Pz.IB | 8 | ||||||
| Pz.Bf.Wg. | 6 | ||||||
| Pz.IIF | 00 | ||||||
| Marder II | 5 | ||||||
| Pz.38(t) | 108 | ||||||
| Pz.IIIM | 10 | 10-12 | |||||
| Pz.IVFl | 22 | ||||||
| Pz.IVF2 | 10 | ||||||
| StuG III Pz.IVH | 10 | 42 | 30 | ||||
| Pz.VI | 12 | ||||||
| Pz.V | 5-10 | ||||||
| StuG IIIG | 50 | ||||||
| Hetzer | 2 | 75 | 75 | ||||
| LT-35 | |||||||
| TKS/TK-3 | 15 - 20 | ||||||
| R-35 | 3 | ||||||
| H-35 | 15 | ||||||
| S-35 | 2 |
Light tank (konnyu harckocsi) 38M Toldi
The first large-scale tank of the Hungarian army. It is a partially redesigned swedish easy the Landsverk L60B tank, for the production of which a license was acquired in 1938. Produced by Ganz and MAVAG from 1939 to 1943. Manufactured 199 units.
Serial modifications:
38M Toldi I - basic version. The tank hull and chassis did not undergo significant changes compared to the Swedish prototype. The tower underwent minor changes: in particular, hatches in the sides, viewing slots, as well as a cannon and machine gun mantlet. Combat weight 8.5 tons, crew 3 people. Armament: 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle and 8 mm 34/37M machine gun. Manufactured 80 units.
38M Toldi II - additional armor protection of the frontal part of the hull and along the perimeter of the turret. 110 units were made.
38M Toldi Pa - 40-mm 42M cannon with a barrel length of 45 calibers and a coaxial 8-mm machine gun 34 / 40AM. The thickness of the mask armor is 35 mm. The mass of the tank is 9.35 tons, the speed is 47 km/h, the cruising range is 190 km. Ammunition 55 rounds and 3200 rounds. Converted from Toldi II 80 units.
43M Toldi III - the best version of the tank with frontal armor of the hull and turret increased to 20 mm. The gun mask and the driver's cabin were protected by 35 mm armor. The broadened stern of the turret made it possible to increase the ammunition load of the gun to 87 rounds. Manufactured 9 units.
The Toldi tanks entered service with the 1st and 2nd motorized and 1st cavalry brigades. These formations took part in the hostilities against Yugoslavia in April 1941, and two months later, as part of the so-called "mobile corps" - against the USSR. Initially, they consisted of 81 Toldi tanks, then 14 more arrived. With the fighting, the corps traveled about 1000 km to the Donets River, and in November 1941 returned to their homeland. Of the 95 Toldi that participated in the battles, 62 vehicles were repaired and restored, and only 25 of them due to combat damage, and the rest due to breakdowns in the transmission. In general, the operation of the tank showed that its mechanical reliability is low, and the armament is too weak (an anti-tank gun at a distance of 300 m pierced only a 14-mm armor plate located at an angle of 30 ° to the vertical). As a result, the tank could only be used as a reconnaissance and communications vehicle. In 1942, only 19 Toldi hit the Eastern Front. By February 1943, during the defeat of the Hungarian army, almost all of them were destroyed.
Since 1943, "Toldi" of all modifications, for the most part, were part of the 1st and 2nd tank and 1st cavalry divisions and took part in hostilities on the territory of the USSR, Poland and Hungary. On June 6, 1944, the Hungarian army had 66 Toldi I tanks and 63 Toldi II and Toldi NA tanks. During the campaign of 1944-1945, they were lost.
38M Toldi I
38M Toldi On
43M Toldi III
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TOLDI I TANK
COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 8.5.
CREW, people: 3.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 4750, width - 2140, height - 1872, ground clearance - 350.
ARMAMENT: 1 anti-tank rifle 36M caliber 20 mm, 1 machine gun 34/37M caliber 8 mm.
AMMUNITION: 208 shotgun rounds, 2400 machine gun rounds.
RESERVATION, mm: forehead, side and stern of the hull - 13, roof and bottom - 6, tower -1 3,
ENGINE: Bussing-NAG L8V/36TR, 8-cylinder, carbureted, V-shaped; power 1 55 hp (114 kW), displacement 7913 cm?.
TRANSMISSION: dry friction main clutch, planetary five-speed gearbox, locking differential, side clutches.
RUNNING GEAR: four double rubber-coated road wheels on board, two support rollers, front drive wheel; suspension - individual torsion bar.
OVERCOME OBSTACLES: elevation angle, deg. - 40; wall height, m - 0.6; moat width, m - 1.75; fording depth, m - 0.7.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION: R/5 radio station.
Medium tank (kozepes harckocsi) 40M Turan
A medium tank, which was a slightly modified version of the Czechoslovak experimental tank S-2c (T-21) from Skoda. In preparation for serial production, a Hungarian cannon and engine were installed on it, armor was strengthened, observation devices and communications equipment were replaced. The most massive Hungarian tank. In 1941 - 1944, 424 units were manufactured by Manfred Weiss, Magyar Vagon, MAVAG and Ganz.
Serial modifications:
40M Turan I - the first and most numerous variant. In design and layout, it is most similar to the Czech prototype. Manufactured 285 units.
41M Turan II - 75-mm gun 41M with a barrel length of 25 calibers, 56 rounds of ammunition. Changed the shape of the turret and commander's cupola. Combat weight 19.2 tons, speed 43 km/h, cruising range 150 km. 139 units were made.
Turans began to enter the troops in May 1942, when the first 12 tanks arrived at the tank school in Esztergom. On October 30, 1943, Honvedsheg had 242 tanks of this type. The 3rd Panzer Regiment of the 2nd Panzer Division, which had 120 vehicles, was the most complete of all. The 1st Panzer Regiment of the 1st Panzer Division had 61 Turan I, 56 tanks of this type were part of the 1st Cavalry Division. In addition, there were two Turans in the 1st company of self-propelled guns and three vehicles were used as training ones.
"Turan II" began to enter the army in May 1943, and in March 1944, there were 107 Turan II tanks in the Hungarian army.
In April, the 2nd Panzer Division was sent to the front, with 120 Turan I and 55 Turan II. Hungarian medium tanks were baptized by fire on April 17, 1944, when the division counterattacked the advancing Soviet units near Kolomyia. The tank attack on the impenetrable wooded and mountainous terrain was not crowned with success. By April 26, the advance of the Hungarian troops was stopped. In this case, the losses amounted to 30 tanks. In September, the division took part in the battles near Torda, suffered heavy losses, and was withdrawn to the rear.
The 1st Cavalry Division took part in heavy fighting in eastern Poland in the summer of 1944. Having lost all her tanks, she was withdrawn to Hungary in September.
Since September 1944, 124 Turans of the 1st Panzer Division fought in Transylvania. On October 30, the battles for Budapest began, which lasted 4 months. The 2nd Panzer Division found itself surrounded in the city itself, while the 1st Panzer and 1st Cavalry Divisions fought to the north of it. In the fierce battles near Lake Balaton in March - April 1945, the Hungarian tank forces ceased to exist. At the same time, the last "turans" were destroyed or captured by the Red Army.
On the basis of this machine, self-propelled artillery mounts and command tanks were produced.
40M Turan I
41M Turan II
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TANK 40M Turan I
COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 18.2.
CREW, people: 5.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 5550, width - 2440, height - 2390, ground clearance - 380.
ARMAMENT: 1 cannon 41 M caliber 40 mm, 2 machine guns 34/40AM caliber 8 mm.
AMMUNITION: 101 shots, 3000 rounds.
AIMING DEVICES: telescopic sight.
RESERVATION, mm: forehead of the hull - 50.-.60, side and stern - 25, roof and bottom - 8 ... 25, tower - 50.. .60.
ENGINE: Manfred Weiss-Z, 8-cylinder, carbureted, V-shaped, liquid-cooled; power 265 hp (195 kW) at 2200 rpm, displacement 14,886 cm3.
TRANSMISSION: dry friction multi-plate main clutch, planetary six-speed (3 + 3) gearbox, planetary slewing mechanism, final drives.
RUNNING GEAR: eight double rubber-coated road wheels on board, interlocked in pairs in two balancing carts, each of which was suspended on two semi-elliptical leaf springs, a thrust roller, five support rollers, a rear drive wheel; each track has 107 tracks 420 mm wide.
SPEED MAX, km/h: 47.
POWER RESERVE, km: 165.
OVERCOME OBSTACLES: elevation angle, deg. -45; moat width, m - 2.2; wall height, m - 0.8; fording depth, m - 0.9.
Self-propelled unit (pancelvadasz) 40M Nimrod
Light anti-tank self-propelled guns developed by the Swedish company Landsverk based on the L60B tank. In the Hungarian version, the SAU was based on the extended chassis of the Toldi light tank. At the end of the war, it was used mainly as a ZSU. In 1941 - 1944, 135 units were manufactured by MAVAG.
Serial modification:
on the chassis of the Toldi tank, extended by one track roller, a rotating turret with weapons, open from above, is installed. The tower accommodated five crew members. The 40-mm automatic gun is mounted on a pedestal in the central part of the hull.
The Nimrods began to enter the troops in February 1942. Since these self-propelled guns were considered anti-tank, they formed the basis of the 51st tank destroyer battalion of the 1st Panzer Division, which was part of the 2nd Hungarian Army, which arrived on the Eastern Front in the summer of 1942. Of the 19 Nimrods (3 companies of 6 self-propelled guns each plus the vehicle of the battalion commander) after the defeat of the Hungarian army in January 1943, only 3 vehicles survived.
Having suffered a complete fiasco in the anti-tank field, the Nimrods began to be used as a means of air defense for the ground forces, and very effectively.
As part of the 2nd Panzer Division during the battles with the Red Army in Galicia in April 1944, there were 37 ZSU of this type, of which 17 vehicles were in the 52nd Tank Destroyer Battalion. In addition, five companies of 4 vehicles each made up the air defense division. On December 7, 1944, the 2nd TD had 26 more ZSUs in service. 10 Nimrods took part in the German counterattack near Lake Balaton. Several of these self-propelled guns fought in the surrounded Budapest.
40M Nimrod
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS ACS 40M Nimrod COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 10.5.
CREW, people: 6.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 5320, width - 2300, height - 2800, ground clearance -350.
WEAPONS: 1 automatic anti-aircraft gun 36M caliber 40 mm.
AMMUNITION: 160 shots.
RESERVATION, mm: hull forehead - 1 3, side and stern - 7, bottom - 6, tower - 13.
ENGINE and TRANSMISSION - like a base tank.
RUNNING GEAR: five double rubber-coated road wheels on board, three support rollers, front drive wheel; suspension - individual torsion bar.
SPEED MAX, km/h: 50.
POWER RESERVE, km: 225.
OVERCOME OBSTACLES: angle of elevation, degrees - 40; moat width, m - 2.2; wall height, m - 0.8; fording depth, m - 0.9.
COMMUNICATIONS: radio station R/5a (only on command vehicles).
Self-propelled gun 43M Zrinvi II
An assault gun based on the Turan medium tank modeled after the German StuG III. The most successful Hungarian armored vehicle during World War II. In 1944, Manfred Weiss and Ganz produced 66 units.
Serial modification:
a converted 105-mm MAVAG infantry howitzer with a barrel length of 20.5 caliber is installed in the front sheet of the low-profile armored cabin in the frame. Riveted construction body. All crew members, including the driver, were located in the wheelhouse.
On October 1, 1943, assault artillery battalions of 30 self-propelled guns each began to form in the Hungarian army, which, along with German-made combat vehicles, began to receive the Zrinyi II. By the beginning of 1945, all remaining self-propelled guns of this type were part of the 20th Eger and 24th Kosice battalions. The last units, armed with Zrinyas, capitulated on the territory of Czechoslovakia.
Zrinyi were typical assault guns. They successfully accompanied the attacking infantry with fire and maneuver, but in 1944 they could no longer fight Soviet tanks. An attempt to arm a self-propelled gun with a long-barreled 75-mm cannon (“Zrinyi I”) was reduced to the manufacture of one prototype.
43 M Zrinyi II
43M Zrinyi I
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS ACS 43M Zrinyi II
COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 21.6.
CREW, people: 4.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length - 5550, width - 2900, height -1900, ground clearance - 380.
ARMAMENT: 1 howitzer 40/43M caliber 105 mm.
AMMUNITION: 52 rounds.
RESERVATION, mm: forehead of the hull-75, side and stern - 25, roof and bottom - 8.. .25.
ENGINE, TRANSMISSION and RUNNING GEAR - like the base tank.
SPEED MAX, km/h: 43.
POWER RESERVE, km: 220.
OVERCOME OBSTACLES: elevation angle, deg. - 45; wall height, m - 0.8; moat width, m-2.2; fording depth, m - 0.9.
COMMUNICATIONS: radio station R/5a.
Armored car (felderito oenceikocsi) 39M Csaba
The only serial Hungarian light reconnaissance armored car. It is one of the most successful machines of this type during the Second World War. Produced by Manfred Weiss from 1940 to 1944. 135 units were made.
Serial modifications:
39M - turret and supporting hull are riveted, assembled from straight armor plates located at rational angles of inclination. In the stern, the engine was located on the right, and the rear control post was on the left. 105 units made.
40M - command variant, armed only with an 8 mm machine gun. R/4 and R/5 radios with loop antenna. Combat weight 5.85 tons. 30 units manufactured.
Chabo armored vehicles entered service with the 1st and 2nd motorized and 1st and 2nd cavalry brigades, one company each. The company consisted of 10 combat vehicles, one command and two training. A platoon of three "Chabo" had a mountain brigade. All these formations, with the exception of the 1st KBR, together with the Wehrmacht took part in the aggression against Yugoslavia in April 1941.
In the summer of the same year, the 2nd motorized and 1st cavalry brigades, as well as a company of armored vehicles of the 2nd cavalry brigade, fought on the Soviet-German front - a total of 57 Chabos. By December, 40 armored vehicles were lost. During the hostilities, the weakness of their weapons and armor was revealed.
By the summer of 1944, 48 Chabos remained in the Hungarian army, 14 of which fought in Poland as part of the 1st Cavalry Division.
AT last time armored vehicles of this type took part in the battles on the territory of Hungary in the winter of 1945. All of them were destroyed by the Red Army.
39M Csaba
PERFORMANCE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE ARMORED VEHICLE 39M Csaba
COMBAT WEIGHT, t: 5.95.
CREW, people: 4.
OVERALL DIMENSIONS, mm: length-45 20, width-2100, height - 2270, base - 3000, track - 1700, ground clearance -333.
ARMAMENT: 1 anti-tank rifle 36 M caliber 20 mm, 1 machine gun 34/37AM caliber 8 mm.
AMMUNITION: 200 rounds of 20 mm caliber, 3000 rounds of 8 mm caliber.
RESERVATION, mm: forehead of the hull-13, side-7, tower -10.
ENGINE: Ford G61T, 8-cylinder, carbureted, V-shaped, liquid-cooled; power 90 hp (66.2 kW), displacement 3560 cm3.
TRANSMISSION: six-speed gearbox, transfer case.
RUNNING GEAR: wheel formula 4x2 (when reversing 4x4), tire size 10.50-20, suspension on transverse semi-elliptical springs.
SPEED MAX, km/h: 65.
POWER RESERVE, km: 150.
OVERCOME OBSTACLES: angle of elevation, degrees - 30; wall height, m - 0.5; fording depth, m - 1.
MEANS OF COMMUNICATION: R/4 radio station.
From the book of the Special Service Russian Empire[Unique Encyclopedia] author Kolpakidi Alexander IvanovichAustria-Hungary Military agents Theil von Seraskerken Fedor Vasilyevich - 1810–1811 Shtakelberg Ernst Gustavovich - colonel (major general) - 1852-1856 Tornau Fedor Fedorovich - colonel (from 1861 major general, from 1870 general - Lieutenant) Baron - 1856-1871 Feldman Fedor
From the book Technique and weapons 2005 01 author Magazine "Technique and weapons"Hungary 7.92 mm 43M light machine gun. 31M light machine gun This light machine gun was an S2-200 or MG30 Solothurn light machine gun, manufactured by the Austrian company Steyr and purchased by Hungary. The machine gun was chambered for the Austrian rifle cartridge 8x56 "Mannlicher"
From the book Hs 129 fighter Soviet tanks author Ivanov S. V.Hungary At the beginning of 1943, the High Command of the Royal Hungarian Air Force decided to start forming an attack squadron armed with Hs-129B aircraft.
From the book Ju 87 "Stuka" Part 2 author Ivanov S. V.Hungary Already in 1940, with the help of German military advisers in Hungary, the first part of dive bombers was formed. It was the 1st separate bomber group (1. Onallo Zuhanobombazo Osztaly), consisting of two squadrons. It was equipped with Ju 87 B-2 aircraft and several Ju 87
From the book Fighters of the First World War. Part 2 author Ivanov S. V.Austria-Hungary "Offag D.III" No. 153.07 with an Austro-Daimler engine with a power of 104
From the book Russia in the First World War. Great Forgotten War author Svechin A. A.Austria-Hungary Artz von Straussenburg (Arz fon Straussenburg), Arthur, baron, gene. - Colonel in 1857. In Aug. 1914 - initial 15th infantry. divisions. In October of the same year, com. 6th Corps, with which he took part in the breakthrough of the Russian front in Galicia near Gorlice - Tarnov. With
From the book 891 days in the infantry author Antseliovich Lev SamsonovichBattles at Lake Balaton. Hungary Continuing our movement through Yugoslavia, by November 20, 1944, we stopped about 10 km from the city of Sambir. Preparations began for crossing the Danube.26 November. The day was cloudy and rainy, so work at the crossing went on around the clock - planes
From book combat training Airborne [Universal Soldier] author Ardashev Alexey NikolaevichHungary The Hungarian People's Army had only one airborne battalion of 400 people. The Hungarian parachute division was based in the Tazar area, disbanded after the 1956 uprising. The border troops were part of
From the book Military intelligence officers of the XX century author Tolochko Mikhail NikolaevichAUSTRIA HUNGARY
From the book Who Helped Hitler? Europe at war against Soviet Union author Kirsanov Nikolai AndreevichHungary on the side of Hitler Not inferior in activity to the Polish leaders, Hitler's comrades-in-arms from Hungary also participated in the campaign to dismember Czechoslovakia. They claimed the border regions of Slovakia inhabited by Hungarians and Transcarpathia inhabited by Rusyns. Under
From the book Fieseler Storch author Ivanov S. V.Hungary The date of appearance of the first Storch in the Hungarian Air Force is unknown. Aircraft, as they entered service, received side numbers in the sequence R.1 + 01, R.1 + 02, etc. As part of the Hungarian air units, the Storhi have been listed since 1942. Other parts include
From the book Heinkel He 111. History of creation and application author Ivanov S. V.Hungary Representatives of the Hungarian Air Force negotiated in the summer of 1940 with the German side on the purchase of 40 He 111H. But, probably due to the intervention of Romania, the deal could not be concluded and Hungary had to be satisfied with two He 111P in transport version.
From book Self-loading pistols author Kashtanov Vladislav VladimirovichHungary Femaru 37M Before World War II, the Femaru Fegyven es Gepgyar RT pistol, model 37M, designed by Rudolf Frommer, was adopted by the Hungarian army. This weapon appeared as a result of rethinking the role of an officer's service pistol on the battlefield. combat experience,
From the book Armored vehicles of European countries 1939-1945. author Baryatinsky MikhailHungary In the most popular tank reference book of the 30s by F. Heigl, twice published in the USSR in the “Commander's Library” series, four emotional lines were assigned to Hungary: “The Treaty of Trianon prohibits Hungary from possessing armored combat vehicles. However
After the occupation of Czechoslovakia by German troops in 1939, the Germans carried out a thorough accounting of all Czech tanks, both serial and experimental, in order to decide which ones to introduce into the Wehrmacht and produce in the future. Variants of medium tanks developed by the Czechs (including the most "finished" T-21) did not interest them, since they were less perfect than Pz. III or Pz. IV. Nevertheless, the T-21 tank was destined for a long life in Hungarian service. The Hungarians, who in 1939 received information about Czech tanks, became very interested in them, as they planned to supplement their armored forces with a more protected and armed vehicle than the Toldi light tanks. With the permission of the Germans, the Hungarians acquired a license for the production of a modified T-21 tank, which received the name 40M Turan. It differed from the prototype in the installation of a Hungarian engine, a radio station, a slightly modified turret and the installation of a semi-automatic 40mm 41M tank gun (instead of a 47mm Czech gun).
Taking into account the fact that the Turan tanks did not correspond to the modern military situation in the spring of 1941, several projects for their modernization appeared. The variant, considered in May 1941, provided for the installation of a 75-mm 41M gun with a barrel length of 25 calibers and a horizontal wedge gate. To do this, it was necessary to increase the height of the tower by 45 mm and change the size of the commander's cupola.
The tank upgraded in this way was visually distinguished by the original armor of the gun's recoil devices. After a long period of design and testing, the tank was put into service in May 1942 under the designation Turan II. Its serial production began in 1943.
The last modification of the 44M Turan III appeared in December 1943 and was associated with an attempt to install a long-barreled 75-mm gun, similar to German tank Pz.IV Ausf.F2\Ausf.G. At the same time, it was supposed to strengthen the armor of the frontal part of the hull and turret to 80 mm, as well as modify the turret by installing a superstructure with a beveled front armor plate and a commander's turret. Accordingly, the mass of the Turan III tank increased to 23 tons, which, with the same power of the Turan-Z engine, reduced the specific power from 13.5 to 11.3 hp / t.
In 1943, another self-propelled gun project based on the Turan tank was being developed - a 105 mm long-barreled howitzer for firing from closed positions - similar in design to the German Grille and Hummel self-propelled guns. However, the project did not leave the design stage.
Since the 40M tank was clearly outdated by 1942, and, on the other hand, it was already well developed by industry, it was decided to create self-propelled guns on its basis in two versions: anti-tank and assault. The artillery mount, in accordance with the Hungarian tradition, received its own name - Zrinyi.
Initially, the option of creating an open assault self-propelled gun with a 105mm howitzer, similar in type to the German Sturmpanzer, was considered.
But it was not implemented - the military decided that the self-propelled guns, operating in direct contact with the enemy, should have a fully armored fighting compartment.
The first prototype of the 44M Zrinyi I self-propelled guns began to be built in May 1943 and completed by January 1944. A tank chassis was chosen for it without any improvements. Instead of a turret, a low armored cabin was installed (the frontal armor was increased to 100 mm, side and rear armor similar to the Turan tank), completely closed on all sides, in which a 75-mm long-barreled MAVAG 43.M gun (barrel length 43 caliber) with 80 ammo was installed. shells. In total, 6 units of anti-tank self-propelled guns were built.
The second version of the self-propelled guns - 43M Zrinyi II, entered the test earlier - in December 1942. It was equipped with a 105-mm gun 40\43.M (barrel length 20 calibers), effective not only against fortifications, but also against light and medium tanks . The thickness of the frontal armor was slightly less - 75 mm, but otherwise this modification was not inferior to the 43M Zrinyi I. This version became the most massive type of Hungarian self-propelled guns - more than 100 vehicles were produced. As an infantry support self-propelled gun, the vehicle proved to be quite good, but as an anti-tank weapon (and in this unusual role, the self-propelled guns also had to perform) were generally unsuccessful.
The last tank, created during the Second World War in Hungary, was an experimental heavy tank Tas.
The design of the tank began in 1943, and in August they began to create a prototype without a turret. The hull of the tank and the turret were welded, the forehead of the hull had a thickness of 100 to 120mm, the sides were 50mm. The tank was supposed to be armed with a 75mm long-barreled Hungarian 43M cannon, later it was decided to use a German 75mm gun, similar to that installed on the Pz. V Panther. The Hungarians acquired a license for the production of these guns. An 8mm machine gun was to be paired with the cannon, and the second was supposed to be placed in the hull. A new powerful engine for this tank was only under development, so a pair of 260 hp engines was installed on the prototype, which provided the tank with a mass of 38 tons. Speed up to 45 km / h. A prototype with a turret was being prepared for testing, but was destroyed during one of the bombing raids in 1944.
There was a version of the layout of the Tas tank with a turret similar to the turret on the Pz. VI Tiger, to mount an 88mm gun, but no further details about this project are known.
Together with the Tas tank, an anti-tank self-propelled gun based on it was also designed, which was planned to be armed with an 88 mm KwK 36 or KwK 43 gun (which was on the Pz. VI Ausf. B "Tiger II") according to another project. The frontal armor, set at good angles, was 120 mm according to the plan. However, the failure of the Tas tank creation program also buried this self-propelled gun, which was very interesting in concept.
Fans of rewriting history should familiarize themselves with dry numbers short description Hungarian army and its actions in World War II. Which is almost in its entirety up to last day fought with the anti-Hitler coalition.
main goal foreign policy Hungary was the return of territories lost after the First World War. In 1939, Hungary began to reform its Armed Forces ("Honvedsheg" - Honvédség). The brigades were deployed into army corps, a mechanized corps was created and air Force banned by the Trianon Treaty of 1920
In August 1940, in accordance with the decision of the Vienna Arbitration Court, Romania returned Northern Transylvania to Hungary. The eastern Hungarian border passed along a strategically important line - the Carpathians. Hungary concentrated the 9th (“Carpathian”) Corps on it.
On April 11, 1941, Hungarian troops occupied a number of regions in northern Yugoslavia. Thus, Hungary returned part of its lost in 1918 - 1920. territories, but became completely dependent on German support. The Hungarian army met almost no resistance from the Yugoslav troops (except for the raid on April 8 by Yugoslav aviation on German military bases in Hungary) and occupied main city Yugoslav left bank of the Danube city of Novi Sad., where mass Jewish pogroms took place.
The armed forces of Hungary by the middle of 1941 numbered 216 thousand people. They were led by the head of state with the help of the supreme military council, the general staff and the military ministry.
Military parade in Budapest.
The ground forces had three field armies of three army corps each (the country was divided into nine districts according to the areas of responsibility of the army corps) and a separate mobile corps. The army corps by state consisted of three infantry brigades (Dandar), a cavalry squadron, a mechanized howitzer battery, an anti-aircraft artillery battalion, a reconnaissance aircraft link, a sapper battalion, a communications battalion and rear units.
The infantry brigade, created on the model of the Italian two-regiment division, according to the state of peacetime, consisted of one infantry regiment of the first stage and one reserve infantry regiment (both three-battalion), two field artillery divisions (24 guns), a cavalry detachment, companies air defense and communications, 139 light and heavy machine guns. Regimental platoons and companies of heavy weapons each had 38 anti-tank rifles and 40 anti-tank guns each (mainly 37 mm caliber).
The standard armament of the infantry consisted of the upgraded 8mm Mannlicher rifle and the Solothurn and Schwarzlose submachine guns. In 1943, during the unification of the armaments of Germany's allies, the caliber was changed to the standard German 7.92 mm. In the course of hostilities, German-made 37 mm and Belgian-made 47 mm anti-tank guns gave way to heavier German guns. The artillery used Czech-made mountain and field guns of the Skoda system (Skoda), howitzers of the Skoda, Beaufort and Rheinmetall systems.
The mechanized corps consisted of Italian tankettes CV 3/35, Hungarian armored vehicles of the Chaba system (Csaba) and light tanks of the Toldi system.
Each corps had an infantry battalion equipped with trucks (in practice, a bicycle battalion), as well as anti-aircraft and engineering battalions, and a communications battalion.
In addition, the Hungarian Armed Forces included two mountain rifle brigades and 11 border brigades; numerous labor battalions (formed, as a rule, from representatives of national minorities); small units of the Life Guards, the Royal Guard and the Parliamentary Guard in the capital of the country - Budapest.
By the summer of 1941, the battalions were equipped with tanks by about 50%.
In total, the Hungarian ground forces had 27 infantry (mostly cropped) brigades, as well as two motorized, two border chasseurs, two cavalry, one mountain rifle brigades.
The Hungarian Air Force consisted of five aviation regiments, one long-range reconnaissance division and one airborne battalion. The number of aircraft fleet of the Hungarian Air Force was 536 aircraft, of which 363 were combat.
1st stage of the war against the USSR
On June 26, 1941, unidentified aircraft raided the Hungarian city of Kassa (now Kosice in Slovakia). Hungary declared these aircraft to be Soviet. There is now an opinion that this raid was a German provocation.
June 27, 1941 Hungary declared war on the USSR. The so-called "Carpathian group" was put up on the Eastern Front:
1st Mountain Rifle Brigade;
- the eighth border brigade;
- mechanized corps (without the second cavalry brigade).
On July 1, these forces invaded the Ukrainian Carpathian region and, after engaging in battles with the Soviet 12th Army, crossed the Dniester. Hungarian troops occupied Kolomyia. Then the mechanized corps (40 thousand people) entered the territory of the Right-Bank Ukraine and continued military operations as part of the 17th German army. In the Uman region, as a result of joint operations with German troops, 20 Soviet divisions were captured or destroyed.
Hungarian soldier with an anti-tank rifle. Eastern front.
In October 1941, after a swift 950-kilometer thrust, the corps reached Donetsk, having lost 80% of its equipment. In November, the corps was recalled to Hungary, where it was disbanded.
From October 1941, the first mountain rifle and eighth border brigades in the Ukrainian Carpathian region were replaced by newly formed security forces brigades with numbers 102, 105, 108, 121 and 124. These brigades included two reserve infantry regiments armed with light weapons, an artillery battery and a squadron of cavalry (total 6 thousand people).
In February 1942, the Germans moved the 108th brigade of security forces to the front line in the Kharkov region, where it suffered significant losses.
2nd stage of the war against the USSR
In the spring of 1942, the German need for more soldiers on the Soviet-German front forced the Hungarians to mobilize their second army of 200,000 men. It included:
3rd Corps: 6th Brigade (22nd, 52nd Infantry Regiments), 7th Brigade (4th, 35th Infantry Regiments), 9th Brigade (17th, 47th Infantry shelves);
4th Corps: 10th Brigade (6th, 36th Infantry Regiments), 12th Brigade (18th, 48th Infantry Regiments), 13th Brigade (7th, 37th Infantry shelves); 7th Corps: 19th Brigade (13th, 43rd Infantry Regiments), 20th Brigade (14th, 23rd Infantry Regiments), 23rd Brigade (21st, 51st Infantry shelves).
In addition, under the command of the army headquarters were: 1st armored brigade (30th tank and 1st motorized infantry regiments, 1st reconnaissance and 51st anti-tank battalions), 101st heavy artillery division, 150th motorized artillery division, the 101st motorized anti-aircraft division and the 151st engineering battalion.
Each brigade had an artillery regiment and support units, whose number was identical to that of the brigade. After October 1942, each of the brigades was added a reconnaissance battalion, formed from the newly created mobile units (which included cavalry, motorized riflemen, cyclists and armored units). The armored brigade was formed in the spring of 1942 from two existing mechanized brigades and equipped with tanks 38 (t) (former Czechoslovak LT-38), T-III and T-IV, as well as Hungarian Toldi light tanks, Chaba armored personnel carriers ( Csaba) and self-propelled guns "Nimrod" (Nimrod).
Germany proposed to reward Hungarian soldiers who distinguished themselves on the Eastern Front with large land plots in Russia.
Under the command of Colonel General Gustav Yani, the second army arrived in June 1942 in the Kursk region and advanced to the front positions along the Don south of Voronezh. She was supposed to defend this direction in case of a possible counteroffensive of the Soviet troops. The Hungarian army in the period from August to December 1942 waged long exhausting battles with the Soviet troops in the area of Uryv and Korotoyak (near Voronezh). The Hungarians failed to eliminate the Soviet bridgehead on the right bank of the Don and develop an offensive against Serafimovichi. At the end of December 1942, the Hungarian Second Army went over to passive defense.
During this period, the territory of Hungary began to be subjected to air raids. On September 5 and 10, Soviet long-range aviation attacked Budapest.
Hungarian troops in the Don steppes. Summer 1942
At the beginning of the winter of 1942, the Hungarian command repeatedly turned to the German command with a request to provide the Hungarian troops with modern anti-tank guns - shells from outdated 20-mm and 37-mm guns did not penetrate the armor of Soviet T-34 tanks.
On January 12, 1943, Soviet troops crossed the Don River on ice and broke through the defenses at the junction of the 7th and 12th brigades. The 1st armored brigade, which was subordinate to the German command, was withdrawn and did not receive an order to counterattack the enemy. The disorderly retreat of the Hungarian army was covered by units of the 3rd Corps. The losses of the 2nd Army amounted to about 30 thousand soldiers and officers killed, and the army lost almost all tanks and heavy weapons. Among the fallen was the eldest son of the regent of the Kingdom - Miklós Horthy. The remaining 50 thousand soldiers and officers were taken prisoner. It was the largest defeat of the Hungarian army in the entire history of its existence.
Hungarian soldiers who died near Stalingrad. Winter 1942 - 1943
3rd stage of the war against the USSR
In March 1943, Admiral Horthy, seeking to strengthen the troops at home, withdrew the second army back to Hungary. Most of the reserve regiments of the army were transferred to the "Dead Army", which turned out to be the only association of Hungarian troops that actively fought on the Soviet-German front. Its military formations were reorganized and given new numbers, although this process was more likely to be designed for the German ally than for the Russians. Now the Hungarian army included the 8th corps stationed in Belarus (5th, 9th, 12th and 23rd brigades) and the 7th corps remaining in Ukraine (1st, 18th, 19th I, 21st and 201st brigades).
This army, first of all, had to fight the partisans. In 1943, artillery and reconnaissance units were deployed into battalions. Subsequently, these Hungarian units were merged into the 8th Corps (soon to become known in their homeland as the "Dead Army"). The corps was formed in Kyiv and was tasked with guarding communications against Polish, Soviet and Ukrainian partisans in the northeast of Ukraine and in the Bryansk forests.
In the middle of 1943, the Hungarians decided to reorganize their infantry brigades according to the German model: three infantry regiments, 3-4 artillery battalions, as well as an engineer and reconnaissance battalions. The regular infantry regiments of each of the corps were combined into "mixed divisions", the reserve regiments into "reserve divisions"; all mechanized units were reassigned to the first corps, its basis was the recreated 1st armored division, the newly formed 2nd armored division and the 1st cavalry division, formed in 1942 from the former cavalry brigades.
The Border Guard Group of the 27th Light Division acted as a third regiment throughout the 1944 campaign. The mountain rifle and border battalions were not reorganized, but were reinforced in Transylvania by 27 Szekler militia battalions. The lack of weapons seriously delayed this reorganization, but eight mixed divisions were ready by the end of 1943, and reserve divisions by the spring of 1944. Most of them were transferred to the "Dead Army", which the German command refused to send to Hungary and which now consisted from the 2nd Reserve Corps (former 8th, 5th, 9th, 12th and 23rd Reserve Divisions) and the 7th Corps (18th and 19th Reserve Divisions).
Armored divisions were stationed at the forefront of the Soviet-German front. Tank battalions were equipped with Hungarian medium tanks "Turan" (Turan) I and II. The combat readiness of the crews after several years of war was at a high level.
In addition, he added eight divisions of assault guns. At first it was supposed to equip them with new Zrinyi assault guns, but the guns were only enough for two battalions, while the rest were armed with 50 German StuG III (StuG III). Initially, the divisions were numbered 1 to 8, but later they were assigned the numbers of the corresponding mixed divisions, to which they were supposed to be attached.
4th stage of the war against the USSR
In March - April 1944, German troops entered the territory of Hungary in order to guarantee its further loyalty. The Hungarian army was ordered not to resist.
After that, for the first time, mobilization was fully carried out. In May 1944, the 1st Army (2nd armored, 7th, 16th, 20th, 24th and 25th mixed and 27th light divisions, 1st and 2nd mountain rifle brigade) was sent to the Ukrainian Carpathian region. She was also given the 7th Corps of the "Dead Army", which was already leading fighting in this direction.
The 1st Hungarian Panzer Division tried to counterattack the Soviet tank corps near Kolomyia - this attempt ended in the death of 38 Turan tanks (Turan) and the rapid retreat of the 2nd armored division of the Hungarians to the state border.
By August 1944, the army was reinforced with the remaining regular divisions (6th, 10th and 13th mixed). However, the army soon had to retreat to the Hunyadi line in the north of the Carpathian section of the border, where it took up defensive positions. Meanwhile, the elite 1st Cavalry Division linked up with the 2nd Reserve Corps in the Pripyat region. The division distinguished itself during the retreat to Warsaw and was awarded the right to be called the 1st Hussar Division. Shortly thereafter, the entire corps was repatriated.
The transfer of Romania to the side of the USSR in August 1944 exposed the southern borders of Hungary. On September 4, the Hungarian government declared war on Romania. In order to receive new formations, the training units of the infantry, armored, cavalry divisions and mountain rifle brigades were combined into depot divisions or "Scythian" divisions (Scythian). Despite the loud name "division", they usually consisted of no more than a couple of battalions and batteries of artillery and soon, along with some formations from the 1st Army, were transferred to the 2nd Army (2nd Armored, 25th Mixed, 27th light, 2nd, 3rd, 6th, 7th and 9th "Scythian" divisions; 1st and 2nd mountain rifle brigades, units of the Zecler militia), which quickly advanced into Eastern Transylvania .
The newly created 3rd Army (1st armored, "Scythian" cavalry, 20th mixed, 23rd reserve, 4th, 5th and 8th "Scythian" divisions) was transferred to Western Transylvania. She had to stop the Romanian and Soviet troops, who had begun the transition through the South Carpathian passes. The 3rd Army managed to create a line of defense along the Hungarian-Romanian border. In the Arad area, the 7th Assault Artillery Battalion destroyed 67 Soviet T-34 tanks.
The Soviet command tried to convince the commander of the 1st Army, Colonel-General Bela Miklós von Dalnoki, to oppose the Germans, but he eventually decided to retreat to the west. Caught in a hopeless situation, the 2nd Army also retreated.
On September 23, 1944, Soviet troops entered the territory of Hungary in the Battony region. On October 14, 1944, the Soviet ultimatum to Hungary followed, demanding that a truce be declared within 48 hours, break all relations with Germany, begin active military operations against German troops, and also begin the withdrawal of its troops from the pre-war territory of Romania, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia.
October 15, 1944 M. Horthy accepted the terms of the ultimatum, but the Hungarian troops did not stop fighting. The Germans immediately arrested him and installed Ferenc Szálasi, the leader of the ultra-nationalist Arrow Cross party, at the head of the country, who vowed to continue the war to a victorious end. The Hungarian army more and more came under the control of German generals. The corps structure of the army was destroyed, and the three active armies were reinforced by German military formations.
Otto Skorzeny (1st from right) in Budapest after the end of Operation Panzerfaust. October 20, 1944
The German command agreed to the creation of several Hungarian SS infantry divisions: the 22nd SS Volunteer Division "Maria Theresa", the 25th "Hunyadi" (Hunyadi), the 26th "Gembes" (Gombos) and two others (which never were formed). During the years of World War II, Hungary gave the largest number of volunteers to the SS troops. In March 1945, the XVII SS Army Corps was created, called "Hungarian", since it included most of the Hungarian SS formations. The last battle (with American troops) of the corps took place on May 3, 1945.
Campaign poster "Despite everything!"
In addition, the Germans decided to equip modern weapons four new Hungarian divisions: Kossuth, Görgey, Petöfi and Klapka, of which only Kossuth was formed. The most effective new military formation was the elite airborne division "Saint Laszlo" (Szent Laszlo), created on the basis of the airborne battalion.
The composition of the formed divisions was as follows:
"Kossuth": 101st, 102nd, 103rd infantry, 101st artillery regiments.
"Saint Laszlo": 1st parachute battalion, 1st, 2nd elite infantry regiments, 1st, 2nd armored regiments, 1st, 2nd reconnaissance battalions, two river guard battalions, anti-aircraft division.
In Hungarian armored troops modern German tanks and self-propelled artillery mounts were transferred: 13 Tigers, 5 Panthers, 74 T-IVs and 75 Hetzer tank destroyers.
5th stage of the war against the USSR
On November 4, 1944, Soviet troops approached Budapest, but already on November 11, their offensive bogged down as a result of fierce resistance from German and Hungarian troops.
At the end of December 1944, the 1st Hungarian Army retreated to Slovakia, the 2nd Army was disbanded, and its units were transferred to the 3rd Army, stationed south of Lake Balaton, and the 6th and 8th German armies, occupying positions in northern Hungary.
On December 26, Soviet troops of the 2nd and 3rd Ukrainian Fronts completed the encirclement of the Budapest grouping of German and Hungarian troops. Budapest turned out to be cut off, it was defended by a mixed German-Hungarian garrison, which consisted of the 1st armored, 10th mixed and 12th reserve divisions, the Bilnitzer assault artillery group (1st armored car, 6th, 8th , 9th and 10th artillery assault battalions), anti-aircraft units and Iron Guard volunteers.
On January 2 - 26, 1945, counterattacks by German and Hungarian troops followed, trying to unblock the encircled group in Budapest. In particular, on January 18, Hungarian troops launched an offensive between the lakes Balaton and Velence and on January 22 occupied the city of Szekesfehervar.
February 13, 1945 Budapest capitulated. Meanwhile, the bloodless 1st Army retreated to Moravia, where it occupied a line of defense that lasted until the end of the war.
On March 6, 1945, Hungarian and German troops launched an offensive in the area of Lake Balaton, but on March 15, Soviet troops stopped it.
In mid-March 1945, after the failure of the German counter-offensive in the Lake Balaton area, the remnants of the 3rd Army turned west, and the 1st Hussar Division was destroyed near Budapest. By March 25, most of the remnants of the 3rd Hungarian Army were destroyed 50 kilometers west of Budapest. The remnants of the 2nd armored, 27th light, 9th and 23rd reserve divisions, as well as the 7th and 8th "Scythian" divisions surrendered to the Americans in Northern Austria, while the rest of the units (including the division " St. Laszlo") fought on the Austrian-Yugoslav border and only in May 1945 surrendered to British troops.
During the battles for Budapest in the winter of 1945, Hungarian formations appeared in the Soviet army.
During the Second World War, Hungary lost about 300 thousand soldiers killed, 513,766 people were taken prisoner.
