FURTHER DEVELOPMENT OF THE HUNGARIAN PEOPLE'S ARMY

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00457R014000060010-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 4
• Document Creation Date: December 20, 2016
• Sequence Number: 10
• Publication Date: September 19, 1952
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2007/03/02 : CIA-RDP82-00457RO14000060010-3
Hungary
SEcRE /00 ROL--U0Sot 'IOIALS ,y
SECURITY INFORMATION
INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO.
25X1 SUBJECT
Further Development of the Hungarian
People as Army
NO. OF ENCLS.
(LISTED BELOW)
THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE
OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN IRE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 793
AND 794, OF THE U.S. CODE, AS AMENDED. ITS TRANSMISSION OR REVE-
LATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY AN UNAUTHORIZED PERSON IS
PROHIBITED BY LAW. THE REPRODUCTION OF THIS FORM IS PROHIBITED.
DATE DISTR. 19 September 1952
NO. OF PAGES 4
SUPPLEMENT TO
ULATE REPORT NO.
THIS IS UNEVALUATED. INFORMATION
1. A thorough reorganization of the Hungarian Peoples Army began in the
sir of 1951 o Since then, further development of the Army has been
under way. In the following study, give a picture 25X1
of the present status of the Hungarian Army, based on several hundred
bits of ; nformatloU,
2? rations of reserves.- Present day Hungary has nine million inhabitants.
Experience shows that 1.002 percent of the population is alyays ccamprised
of youths 20 years of age. At the first draft, approximately 90,000 men
appear before the drafting caaaFmittees. Of these, about 30 percent are
unfit, or,, because of other limitations of the service law, are not draftable.
One can therefore reckon upon about 60,000 men in Hungary, of one age class 4
Three active age classes, which are doing service in the Army si ltaaneously,
total about 150,000 men. About 12 to 15 percent are non-commissioned officers.
At present the number of officers and non-co issioned officers is the same.
3o In the event of war., about 720,000 men in the 12 to 15 years of age group will
be called to the colors on the first day of mobilization in Hungary. Experience
shows that from that limber about one-fourth mast be deducted, because of death'
illness, etc. Frcra the mobilized men, 150,000 must be retained to replace
eventual losses during the first three war months. Men in the over 35 years of
age group must be trained in 12 week accelerated military courses. From the
above data it is easy to see that, in the fourth month of war, Hungary will not
be in a position to mobilize"-only able-bodied men.
4. Military area headquarters: Until 1951 the distribution of the units was the
same . aas in the old Army before 1945. .t since - then, many garrisons have changed
places, the higher .c - have been grouped, and new ecamancls have been
organized. In the s r and fall of 1951 .many troops were shifted back and
forth for operational training reaaso v Since then it has been observed that in
the f worms o~ vn, `t3 a~ec- of ? troops has been concentrated
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The. present corps commands took over the role of the former Air Co nds
The organization of the corps compands. is the same as that of the former
Army corps command in Szdkesfehdrvdr
as ao f N Budapest
IIP " Kecsk t.
Distribution of the divisions' placed under each corps command is
The Army corps command in Sz4kesfe1*vdr has three
authority..
divisions placed. under its
1 infantry division ,in Veszprl!flm
1? infantry division, in Tab
1 infantry division. in. Papa
(The division in Tab was formerly stationed in Miskolc, and the division in
Pupa, formerly in- Szolnok. -)' In Szolnok and 1-Niskolc there ?. are at present no
infantry commands, but other higher units are being organized there The trans-
ferred commands and units arrived with all their troops and equipment in their
new garrisons. But it should be noted that the troops are seldom in the quarters
allocated to them, since the -building of many new barracks is not yet finished.
According to the new regulations all units of a division must be concentrated on
.
the . smallest possible territory., in. order to facilitate uniform training and
education. According to the Soviet model, the infantry units of a division
should be billeted in the same barracks,, or, in the same . camp, In some places
this-is already in practice, for example, in the case of the regiment of dutas,
and the training camp of Tab. It seems probable (but Yeas not yet been confirmed)
that an infantry division in Kaposv , which was moved there from Pdcs9 is also
placed organizationally under the corps command of Szakesfeh(frvar.
There are two tank divisions placed under the army corps command of Budapest;
some. informants report that they-will be built-up to a full-fledged-motorized
corps and that other fast mechanized units will ibe 'added to its ? The divisions
in question'area
7th Tank Division in Esztergcm
,8th Tank Division in Gyongyos
Because these units are at present the best troops in I u gary,
their' organization in more detail-. The present distribution of:.the troops of the
7th Tank Division-. Staff of one tank regiment, -is in Esztergrm; staff of one
motorized itf-antry' regiment is In Esztergom; staff off'..one independent motorized
infantry battalion is in Esztergom camp; one :mixed: regiment (artillery and
assault gun-) is in the camp of Pilisosaba g -staff of one. tank regiment is in
Budapest; one motorized infantry battalion is in Vic; one, tank battalion is in
Tata; one tank battalion is in REtes g; one- tank battalion is in Sdrbogdrd,; one.
tam battalion is in Nagykanizsae Commander of the division is Brigadier,?Gen-
eral Ladislas Liptai
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not uniform-.
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10. The present distribution of the troops of the 18th Tank Division is as follows,
One tank regiment in Gy8ngy8s; one tank regiment in Cegled; one artillery
tegimen in JAszbereny;one reconnaissance battalion in AszOd; one tank battalion
in Soltvadkkrt; one assault gununit in Karcag. Commander of the division is
Brigadier General Gyula Uszta.
11. The following divisions are placed under the army corps command of Kecskemet?
One infantry division in Szeged; one infantry division in Nyiregyh,za and one
infantry division in Kiskunhalas (formerly in K:ecskemet).
12. Up to now the following independent artillery divisions (or brigades) were
organized-
Artillery division in Budapest
Artillery division in Miskolc
1 AAA division in. Budapest
2 AAA divisions in Kom ,rom
13. Technical brigades. Two technical brigades are being organized-in Hungary-
One technical brigade in.Szolnok, and one technical brigade allegedly in
KomArom. The technical brigade of Szolnok has five technical battalions.
Tho technical brigades also are reserves of the highest command.
14. The engineer and pontooneer battalions of the infantry divisions have no wax
equipment in,peacetime. They have only training materiel, which often. consists
of obsolete pontoons. The "M" (Mobilizations).materiel is kept separately in
depots. Only on'l,rge scale maneuvers is a part of it loaned to the troops. The
materiel is guarded and cared for by a small force. The so-called "bridging
columns" receive in case of mobilization the necessary officer staffs and personnel,
and also means of transport. Their main task in war is to bring the materiel
as quickly as possible to the operational area, where the materiel will be taken
over by a pioneer battalion. The replacement battalions will be organized
only in case of war from among older age classes of the technical troops. In
time of peace these formations are unknown.
15. An airborne division is under organization, but details concerning it are not
yet known.
1. the two artillery divisions and
the o tank di-Tia-L-ops will be merged into an elite tank corps.
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