HUNGARIAN TRAINING REGIMENT AT TAPOLCA

Document Type: 
Collection: 
Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): 
CIA-RDP82-00457R014500140003-7
Release Decision: 
RIPPUB
Original Classification: 
S
Document Page Count: 
3
Document Creation Date: 
December 19, 2016
Document Release Date: 
March 8, 2006
Sequence Number: 
3
Case Number: 
Publication Date: 
October 27, 1952
Content Type: 
REPORT
File: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CIA-RDP82-00457R014500140003-7.pdf239.29 KB
Body: 
pproved For ReellppgQU fW NA- r~ r R014500140003-7 2"5 ~A mr., an roan "U. 51-4AA FEB 1952 CLASSIFICATION SECRET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY SECURITY INFORMATION INFORMATION REPORT REPORT NO. COUNTRY Hungary 25X1 SUBJECT Hungarian Training Regiment at Tapolca 25X1A DATE DISTR. 27 October 1952 NO, OF PAGES 3 NO, OF ENCLS. (LISTED BELOW) SUPPLEMENT TO 25X1 REPORT NO. 25X1 THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS INFORMATION AFFECTING THE NATIONAL DEFENSE OF THE UNITED STATES, WITHIN THE MEANING OF TITLE 18, SECTIONS 193 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 15 PROHIBITED. THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION 1 The independent Hungarian training regiment,I is stationed at 25X1 Tapolca and in the military camp of Lesence-LitvAn.d, six km. southeast of Tapolca. Its organization is not the same as that of regular Hungarian infantry regiments. This unit trains almost exclusively the recruits of older classes who for one reason or another were not trained earlier. 2. University students also were among the trainees during the summer of 1951, and again this summer. They receive theoretical military instruction throughout the school year, but during the summer they must join this regiment for practical training. They must do this for four successive years. If they complete this prolonged training successfully, they are commissioned lieutenants in the reserve.. The long training is considered the equivalent of a reserve officers' school course. I There: are no Soviet officers with the regiment, but it frequently happened, last year that a Soviet lieutenant-colonel inspected the regiment, accompanied by Hungarian officers. 4. .Lieutenant Horvith (fnu), regimental political officer; First Lieutenant Mek6 (fnu), battalion commander; Lieutenant Toth (fnu), battalion political officer; Technical Sergeant Keszelice (fnu), battalion political officer; First Lieutenant Vilmos Bondy, company commander; Second Lieutenant Isty&n Koltay, company commando; Second. Lieutenant A. Pokrovenczky, company commander; Staff 'Sergeant Dezs8 Ffiredi, company political officer: Lieutenant Istv ;n Lakc+S,,.- instructor: Second Lieutenant Tibor Nemedy. DO NOT CIRCULATE SECRET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY 25X? Approved For Release 2006/08/08 CIA-RDP82-00457RO14500140003-7 SECRET CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY 5. Student training battalion for university members, consists of three rifle companies with an aggregate strength of 350-370 men. Each company consists of .three platoons, of four squads each. Only medical and philosophy students who have already had theoretical instruction during the school year are given practical field training here. They wear Soviet uniforms. All are commissioned. reserve officers upon completion of training. 6a Anti-tank Gamp?an.y. This company has a strength of 60-70 men and is equipped with six anti-tank guns of unknown caliber. 7, Heavy Na,ch%ne Gun Company.- This company has a strength of 60-70 men and is equipped with six Soviet Maxim machine guns. 8. Mortar Company.- This company has a strength of 70-75 men, and is equipped with six mortars. Communications company.- This company has a strength of 70-75 men! The technical. equipment is not known. 10. Troops, The troops are organized in three rifle battalions, of about 360 men each Each battalion has three companies, of which two are rifle companies and one a heavy machine gun company. The companies in each battalion are numbered 1, 2, and. 3. The battalions are numbered similarly. 11. The battalion organization comprises: Battalion commander; Deputy battalion commander; Battalion political officer; Battalion staff, of 10-12 officers and non-commissioned officers. 12. A company organization comprises: Company commander; Deputy company commander, who is also political officer; Company staff; Three platoons, each of four squads. A squad consists of 10 men. A company has 125130 men. 13.. Rifle companies are.-equipped with weapons as follows: 90 rifles; 24 Soviet Degtjarev machine pistols, model 40; eight Deftjarev 7.62 mm. machine guns, model 28 (1 and 2 platoons have three guns each, 3 platoon has two); 120 practice hand grenades. The heavy machine guns company has six Maxim machine guns. Each company has a cart with two horses; also four jeeps, four GMC 3.5 ton trucks, and three Wippon army trucks. 14. The training consists of individual basic training,, combat training by sque,ds . platoons and companies; map making; chemical warfare defense; firing practice; political instruction. The newest methods of combat training are taught. Can attack, the soldiers are not allowed to run, nor to lie on the ground. The enemy in his position must be attacked in quickstep, and a rifle shot-fired every three paces. The attack is carried out in a triangular formation. The advance group overruns the enemy line and goes on; the enemy position is mopped up by the second and third groups. The battle slogan is: ''For peace and RAkosil Forwardl'' 15. A training period must include the following exercises: a battalion practice march with battle equipment-over .a distance of about 30 W. two company practice marches with battle equipment, for about 30 km. Exercises in regimental strength have not been carried out up to the present. SECRET/COflROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457RO14500140003-7 Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014500140003-7 SEt R '/CONTROL U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY 16. The food is poor. For breakfast, a thin coffee or soup; for lunch, soup and vegetables or dough-cakes; supper, coffee and bread. The recruits get meat four or five times in. two months, The officers and non-commissioned officers are adequately provided for in their clubs. 25X1 l7a Recruits are paid three times a month, at the rate of two forints a day. Subscription to the military newspaper is obligatory, A company political officer gets 1,200 forints a month. i8n The morale of the recruits is low. The officers and the regime represented by them are genuinely hated, In order to preserve an appearance of discipline, the, officers have to resort to terroristic measures. Only three or four percent of the men can be considered actual Communists. The officers, without exception, are-Par?ty members, but without much conviction. Like the recruits,, they are continually checked and observed by the political officers, and are also controlle separately. by the Party organisation.. Fraternization between the officers and soldiers is forbidden. The officers are changed. frequently, so that no real friendly relations can grow up among them. , 19. There is a Hungarian Army camp in the forest near Lesence-Ist11;nd in which ar ir}fen.try regiment is quartered. Whether the regiment is always the same one could not be determined. a regiment of Gy8r was stationed there last year. These troops have no connection with the training regiment. 20. Hungarian artillery and infantry troops of unknown strength are stationed at the infantry barracks in Tapolca. 21. about 40-45 single-engined planes constantly at the Tapolca airfield Members of the camp said that they were ATA planes equipped with Hungarian engines SECRET/CONTROL - U.S. OFFICIALS ONLY Approved For Release 2006/08/08 : CIA-RDP82-00457R014500140003-7.