MAGYAR WARRIORS: Volume 1 -- The History of the Royal Hungarian Armed Forces 1919-1945

1-208090

The Hungarian armed forces (known as the Honvedseg) were built up in the 1930s, their expansion gaining momentum once Hungary became free of the strict post-WWI Trianon treaty limitations in August 1938. Politically, Hungary was looking for a strong ally, who would help it to recover at least some of the territories containing sizable Magyar ethnic populations that had been lost after the First World War. Initially, in the mid-1930s, Italy gave political assistance and supplied military material, then - on the eve of WWII - Germany also lent support.

In November 1938, Hungary managed to peacefully recover a chunk of its former territory from Czechoslovakia, followed by the Sub-Carpathian area during a brief border war in March 1939, then the northern part of Transylvania from Rumania in August 1940.

Later, in April 1941, the Bachka region and parts of Baranya were also taken back from the dismembered Yugoslavia in a swift military action. The rub was that Hungary was sucked into the cauldron of the Eastern front, and soon the Honveds (Hungarian soldiers) found themselves deep in Soviet territory, outgunned and outnumbered by the Red Army.

Later on, from August 1944, the beleaguered Honvedseg had to fight against the mighty Soviet army in defense of its own territory. Alongside tiny Croatia, Hungary remained the last German ally up to the bitter end.

Includes 500 b/w photos, 43 tables, and 13 maps.