Customer Reviews

The Royal Hungarian Army in World War II (Men-at-Arms)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Axis eastern satellites have received very little, mostly negative coverage in the classic accounts of World War 2. Generally their war efforts are footnotes or used as the excuse for German failure and Soviet success. These armies fought long and hard with very inferior equipment, armor and anti-tank guns in particular, against formidable odds. This short treatment of the Hungarians is very good. Hungary is a country whose difficult language and long history of Soviet domination has kept western historical researchers at bay. This work is not the final answer, nor could it be within the limitations of the Osprey format. But, it goes a long way to open the door and inform the reader of the Hungarian contribution to the Axis war effort. The Hungarians fought with the Germans to the last and paid a horrific price in military and civilian lives and post-war distrust by the Soviets. The color plates were excellent. I would have preferred a bit more on the tanks, planes and other equipment, trading off the space used for order of battle information. But this is minor quip. This is a good start for those wanting a better understanding of the war on the Eastern Front.

Osprey's Men-at-Arms No. 449 covers the Royal Hungarian Army in the Second World War. Although this Axis army played a major role in the invasion of the Soviet Union, it is not as well known as the Romanian and Finish armies and this volume serves as a useful introduction to this oft-neglected component of the Axis. Although short, this volume does not get wrapped around the axle on various uniform details, buttons and cuff braid as some Men-at-Arms titles have, but instead devotes itself entirely to what the Hungarian Army consisted of and what it accomplished during 1941-45. Overall, a decent volume.

The author provides a brief introduction on the origins of the Hungarian Army following the defeat and division of Austro-Hungary in 1918, followed by its post-war developments. The main take-away provided is that Hungary did not begin to modernize its army until late 1938, which had a major impact on its performance in the Second World War. The size and composition of infantry brigades, cavalry and mountain units is briefly discussed, but probably would have been more effectively presented in a table. A brief discussion of support units, air units and riverine forces is also provided.

The operational history of the Hungarian Army begins with the recovery of border territories in 1938-40 and then the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941, for which Hungary committed a 44,000-man group. However, it was not until 1942 that Hungary was in a position to commit a full-size army - the 209,000-man II Army - to operations in Russia. Unfortunately, this army was virtually destroyed in the Battle of the Don in January 1943, which abruptly ended the main Hungarian role in Russia. The author provides some details of this campaign as well as a brief order of battle. After this disaster, the author focuses on Hungarian occupation forces in the Ukraine, Belarus and Poland. The final months of the war proved to be the most dramatic for the Hungarian Army, first as it vainly fought to keep the Soviet army from getting through the Carpathian mountains and then the final last-ditch battle for Budapest. This volume is too short for the author to offer any conclusions, but it is clear that the Hungarian Army was ill-prepared for a high intensity war with the Red Army and was best suited to occupation and anti-partisan duties.

Graphically, the best part of the volume is the 8 pages of color plates, which depict various Hungarian uniforms from 1939 to 1945. Many of these plate show troops in field dress which is good, because very few of the B/W photos in the volume do. Indeed, the photos are rather bland, mostly posed garrison-type shots. The volume also has a couple of charts at the end depicting rank and branch insignia. Overall, this volume gives a decent overview of the Hungarian Army as an institution, but it does not give a particularly good sense of the real effectiveness or methods of its tactical units.

This book is full of facts, figures and illustrations. Not much has been published in English about the Royal Hungarian Army. So this publication fills a gap. And it does so with style and tact.

great deal on a great book that I got using amazon,the book got to my home very quickly and was in perfect condition.

Once again Osprey has done a fantastic job at looking at one of the Axis Players in World war II. The Plate are great as is the information on a country which is offen overshadowed by Germany. Worth adding to one's collection.

The book is just too narrow in scope. Needs more of everything. After action reports, photos, heroes and villians. I found it frustrating. Too much time was spent on abbrivations, rank system etc.