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Late production version Toldi IIA in Western Ukraine, summer 1943
Kingdom of Hungary (1942-1945)
Light Tank – 80 Converted
At the onset of the Second World War in Europe, Hungary possessed only a modest number of armored vehicles. By 1941, these were reinforced by the introduction of the Toldi I and II light tanks. However, experience gained from the Eastern Front swiftly revealed the obsolescence of this vehicle. Hindered by a lack of industrial capacity needed to ramp up production of superior tanks, the Hungarians resorted to modifying the available Toldis. This involved installing a 4 cm gun and improving the frontal armor protection, creating the Toldi IIA.
The Hungarian armored forces began their intensive development in the 1930s. This began with the acquisition of over 100 CV.33/35 fast tanks from Italy in violation of the Treaty of Trianon, which prohibited this type of acquisition. However, these tanks were far from ideal, lacking proper offensive armament and protection. Given the geopolitical climate in Europe at the time, Hungary had limited options to address these shortcomings.
In 1936, the Hungarian Army sought to modernize its armored forces by exploring alternative tank options. Fortunately, Sweden emerged as a willing supplier. Hungary procured one L-60 light tank from Sweden for testing purposes. The results of these tests were promising, leading to the acquisition of a license for production. This tank, with some modifications, would later be adopted as the 38M Toldi (also referred to as Toldi I or Toldi A20). Following the success of the Toldi I, Hungary initiated production of the second series, designated as the Toldi B20 (Toldi II). This variant remained largely similar to its predecessor, but incorporated domestic components and structural enhancements, particularly in the suspension system. Production of these tanks was undertaken by the Hungarian firms MÁVAG (Magyar Királyi Állami Vas-, Acél- és Gépgyárak; Hungarian Royal State Iron, Steel and Machine Factories) and Ganz. Between April 1940 and December 1942, 190 Toldi light tanks were manufactured.
The Toldi I and II boasted excellent overall driving performance despite their light protection and armament. While they were considered good designs for the pre-war era, by the time they saw widespread service in late 1941, they were hopelessly outdated. Source: Wikipedia
The Toldi I and II emerged as notable tank designs for the pre-war era, having an armor thickness of up to 13 mm and equipped with weaponry consisting of a 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle and an 8 mm 34/37M machine gun. Their baptism of fire came during the war against Yugoslavia in April 1941.
Although Hungary hesitated to engage with the Soviets, it aligned with the Axis powers during Operation Barbarossa. In support of the invasion of the Soviet Union, Hungary committed the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades, along with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. However, due to a shortage of Toldi tanks, around 60 Italian-built fast tanks had to be used to supplement the three brigades.
By the end of the year, Hungarian tank losses had soared, resulting in the loss of all fast tanks and 80% of Toldis, primarily due to mechanical breakdowns. Fortunately, the majority of these tanks were retrieved and sent back to Hungary for extensive repairs and overhauls. The combat experiences of 1941 underscored the deficiencies of the Toldi, particularly its armament and armor. While its main gun could contend with lightly protected Soviet pre-war designs, it proved ineffective against the formidable T-34 and KV series tanks. Moreover, its armor was inadequate, easily penetrable by Soviet anti-tank weaponry, including anti-tank rifles.
During the 1941 campaign, the vast majority of Toldis were lost, with only a small number directly disabled by enemy fire. Instead, the majority succumbed to breakdowns. Source: C. Bescze Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II
Attempting to Improve the Toldi
Following the conclusion of the 1941 campaign, the Hungarian High Command had to decide what to do with the Toldi tanks. Removing them from service due to their obvious obsolescence was not an option. The Hungarians simply lacked other armored vehicles that could replace them in sufficient numbers. Because of this, the Toldis had to remain in service, being allocated to secondary roles, such as reconnaissance, command, liaison, and even as ambulances.
Despite this, Hungarian Army officials still held onto some hope that the Toldi could undergo improvements. The Military Technical Institute took up this challenge in 1941, conducting calculations that quickly revealed the Toldi’s chassis’s limits. The chassis could sustain a maximum weight of 700 kg before compromising its overall performance. This limitation meant that significant changes, such as adding stronger armor and firepower, could only be implemented to a limited extent, disappointing those who had hoped for substantial enhancements to the tank. The Hungarian Army had envisioned mounting a 4 cm gun on the Toldi and even anticipated an order for 280 such vehicles. However, frontline troops demanded better tanks than the existing Toldis, leaving the army with no alternative but to green-light the improvement project for the Toldi.
The Military Technical Institute was tasked with the challenge of installing a 4 cm tank gun inside the Toldi’s turret, along with better frontal armor protection. Interestingly, the idea of incorporating the 4 cm gun had been proposed long before the Toldi entered production. However, it was initially rejected due to concerns about the extensive redesign required for the turret to accommodate the gun. Nevertheless, during the winter of 1941-1942, work commenced on two prototypes. The installation proved feasible, resulting in a total weight increase of 500 kg.
The first Toldi IIA prototype. This particular vehicle lacked the later added rear turret storage bin. Source: E. M. G. Martinez Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting VehiclesIn addition, the Toldi IIA prototype lacked the armored sleeve for the machine gun that was added on produced vehicles. Besides the obvious change in armament, the vehicle as a whole remained almost unchanged. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook group
Name
The improved model received the 38M Toldi IIA designation. To distinguish it from the previous versions and to indicate the improved armament, the Toldi B40 designation was also used by the Hungarians during the war.
Production
Due to Hungary’s limited production capabilities, the decision was made to build the new Toldi IIA using the existing Toldi I/II models that had been retrieved from the frontlines. Although the prototypes underwent successful testing in early 1942, the conversion process itself was significantly delayed, commencing only in early 1943 and progressing at a slow pace. By late 1944, approximately 80 vehicles had been converted in total.
Design
While the Toldi’s original shape remained the same, some minor changes were made to the hull, with more extensive ones done to the turret.
Hull
The overall hull’s design was left unchanged. It had a standard layout, which consisted of the forward-mounted transmission, the central crew compartment, and the rear engine compartment. It was encased in a protective armored superstructure. The only visual changes that could be noticed on the upper glacis were the headlight and grilled ventilation ports, which were removed. Instead, two rectangular-shaped armored covers were installed.
A good view of the Toldi’s font. The small grilled ventilation and maintenance port and the protected headlight unit are visible. Source: Magyar PancelBoth of these would be removed and replaced by simpler armored covers. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook group
Suspension
There were few changes to the construction of the suspension and the transmission compared to the original Toldi model. The suspension used a torsion bar system. It consisted of one front drive sprocket, one rear idler, four larger road wheels, and two return rollers. While this suspension did the job, it did not provide a gentle ride. To cope with the increased weight, the suspension was strengthened.
Engine
The Toldi IIA was equipped with a German-built Büssing NAG L8V eight-cylinder petrol engine, delivering 155 hp @2,200. This upgrade pushed the overall weight from 8.5 to 9.35 tonnes. Consequently, both the maximum top speed and operational range experienced slight reductions. The top speed decreased from 50 to 47 km/h, while the operational range shifted from 220 to 190 km.
Superstructure
On top of this hull, an armored superstructure that narrowed as it went toward the engine compartment was placed. On the vehicle’s left front side, the fully protected driver position was located. The driver was provided with an escape hatch on top of it.
Turret
The turret underwent a redesign to accommodate the larger armament, necessitating several modifications. While the side single-piece crew hatch remained unchanged, alterations were made to the front section of the turret to accommodate the new 4 cm gun, which replaced the previous 2 cm anti-tank rifle. This required a slight enlargement of the opening in the front turret, along with the addition of a protective sleeve for the 4 cm gun. The front observation hatch, adjacent to the machine gun, was eliminated and replaced with a new protective sleeve. Additionally, a storage bin was installed at the rear of the turret to serve as a counterbalance to the upgraded armament and compensate for the loss of internal space.
The first Toldi I and IIs did not have rear storage bins. The two side escape hatches were left unchanged. Source: https://ritastatusreport.live/hungarian-qa-answers-by-karika-part-2/The Toldi IIA introduced the use of a rear turret-mounted storage bin. It helped better balance the turret and also gave the crew a place to put spare tools or personal belongings. Source: Huns on Wheels Facebook groupThe Toldi I and IIs were initially provided with an observation hatch, adjacent to the machine gun, which can be seen here (neither armament is fitted on this vehicle). It could be open to give a better view and angle of fire for the gunner. At the same time, it presented a rather large weak point on a crucial section of the tank. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook groupThis feature was removed from the Toldi IIA and replaced with a simpler armored sleeve for the machine gun. Source: https://parkpatriot.ru/o-parke/tekhnika-parka/toldi-2/
Armament
The armament selected for the Toldi IIA was the 4 cm 37/42M L/26 gun, a shorter variant of the 37M, which itself was a direct copy of the Bofors gun of the same caliber. Interestingly, this gun underwent its initial testing on the Hungarian V-4 domestic prototype. This gun possessed the capability to penetrate armor up to a thickness of approximately 46 mm sloped at 60° at a distance of 100 m. However, this performance decreased to 36 mm at a range of 1 km. The gun boasted a rate of fire of 16 rounds per minute and a maximum firing range of 8.4 km. The total ammunition load was limited to 55 rounds. To mitigate recoil, a small muzzle brake was affixed to the gun. Given the relatively small size of the Toldi’s turret, interior space was further reduced when this gun was installed. Given the two crew members’ quite limited working conditions, their effectiveness was reduced.
In addition to the main armament, the Toldi IIA was equipped with a 8 mm Gebauer 34/40AM belt-fed machine gun. The ammunition capacity for the machine gun was augmented from the original 2,400 rounds to 3,200.
Ironically, the Hungarians had already tested the installation of the 4 cm gun on the V-4 before the war. Despite the advantage of better firepower than an anti-tank rifle, it was not adopted for use on the first Toldi series. Source: https://www.armedconflicts.com/Straussler-tank-t70779#valka_group-1A drawing of the newly installed 4 cm 37/42M gun. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook groupTo better cope with the increase in gun recoil, a small muzzle brake was added. While surely a better solution than an anti-tank rifle, by 1944, when this vehicle was employed, the 4 cm 37/42M gun was of little use against modern armor. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook group
Armor
The Toldi’s frontal protection relied on 13 mm armor plates, insufficient against any anti-tank weaponry. Due to weight constraints, significant enhancement of armor was not viable. Thus, an alternative approach was imperative. Augmenting frontal armor emerged as the sole viable option. The upper glacis armor was bolstered to 20 mm, while the front superstructure and turret were reinforced to 35 mm. Conversely, side and rear armor remained unaltered.
In 1943, an experiment was conducted on a single Toldi IIA tank (with the serial number ‘H-423’) to assess the effectiveness of installing protective armored side skirts, akin to those utilized by the Germans. The purpose was to provide defense against Soviet anti-tank rifles. These skirts were 5 mm thick, 3.8 m long, and stood at a height of 1.07 m. However, the testing revealed minimal enhancement in protection. The primary drawback stemmed from the additional weight of 500 kg, which significantly impaired the overall driving performance. Consequently, the decision was made not to outfit Toldi tanks with such protective skirts.
Due to the low armor thickness, the Toldi could be easily destroyed by any type of anti-tank weapon, including anti-tank rifles. Source: C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II)To increase protection from Soviet anti-tank rifles, one Toldi IIA was tested with German-inspired side skirt armor but was not issued for frontline use. Source: https://hungarianweaponryww2.wixsite.com/hungarianmilitaryww2/single-post/2018/01/02/Part-II-Tanks-and-Armored-Cars
Crew
The Toldi I and II had a crew that consisted of three crew members. On the left front side of the hull was the driver. To his rear, in the turret, the remaining two crew members were positioned. Left of the main gun sat the gunner/loader. To the right of the gunner was the commander of the vehicle.
In Combat
Due to the small production orders and slow deliveries, the Toldi IIA was a rather rare vehicle during the war. The Hungarian 1st Army, which saw action in Galicia during 1944, was supported by the 2nd Armored Division, which boasted an inventory of 84 Toldi tanks. Among them, approximately 47 were of the new Toldi IIA version. However, these vehicles were primarily utilized for reconnaissance operations and seldom engaged enemy tanks.
The Soviet Operation Bagration, launched in June 1944, achieved significant success, pushing Axis forces out of the Soviet Union. Hungary soon found itself in a precarious situation, being attacked by both the Soviets and the Romanians, who had switched sides. Despite their brave resistance, the Hungarians lacked the numbers and equipment to mount any prolonged defense. Source: Wikipedia
By the onset of September 1944, Hungary’s focus shifted toward Romania, which had switched sides to join the Allies. The depleted 2nd Armored Division found itself in action once more. Due to attrition, the number of available Toldi tanks was reduced to a mere 14. Among these, five Toldi tanks participated in operations against the Romanian forces as part of the Tabay Combat Group. Their attack proved successful, compelling the enemy to retreat. However, upon reaching Marosugar (Ogra), the advancing Hungarian forces encountered a setback, as the retreating Romanians had destroyed the only bridge in the area.
On September 22nd, 1944, the Soviets and Romanians launched a counterattack against the Hungarian forces. To impede the enemy’s advance, the 52nd Battalion, equipped with Nimrod anti-aircraft/anti-tank vehicles, was dispatched. Within the Battalion’s inventory was a solitary Toldi tank, which served as a command vehicle. Despite putting up a determined defense, the Hungarians ultimately lost all vehicles but managed to retreat.
By the end of 1944, the Armored Division had a total of 16 Toldi tanks remaining. Additionally, it received support from the 3rd Tank Regiment, which contributed three operational Toldi tanks. However, by March 1945, all vehicles had been lost, as the 2nd Armored Division faced destruction.
During its operations in the Soviet Union in 1944, the 1st Cavalry Division counted 25 Toldi tanks in its arsenal, although the exact number of the later Toldi IIA variant remains uncertain. These tanks were not deployed directly on the frontline, but rather assigned to safeguard rear supply convoys against potential partisan attacks. Following intense combat at Kletsk in July 1944, the unit suffered substantial losses, with nearly all tanks lost.
Similarly, the depleted 1st Armored Division also possessed a limited quantity of Toldi tanks. Due to the scarcity of tanks, this Division predominantly relied on training vehicles. The Toldi tank utilized by this unit was probably an older variant armed with 2 cm anti-tank rifles.
This Toldi IIA from the Hungarian 3rd Tank Regiment was captured by the Soviets in late 1944. This is the actual vehicle that was later preserved at the Kubinka Military Museum before being relocated to the Patriot Tank Museum in Moscow. Source: E. M. G. Martinez Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting VehiclesThe limited availability of Toldi IIA tanks meant that they were seldom deployed directly on the frontline. Instead, they primarily served in rear escort patrols or reconnaissance missions. This particular vehicle belonged to the 1st Armored Division, and performed rear escorting missions during summer 1944. Hungarian tank crews recognized the ineffectiveness of their 4 cm gun against modern Soviet armor and therefore sought to avoid engaging tanks in combat whenever possible. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook group
In Soviet Hands
Considering the significant losses suffered by the Hungarians in 1944, it is unsurprising that the Soviets managed to capture a number of their vehicles. In September, an independent battalion was formed as part of the 18th Army, which was equipped with Hungarian vehicles. By the end of October, the unit reported having at least two Toldi tanks in its inventory. On rare occasions, the Romanians also managed to capture a serviceable Toldi tank, which was then put into service.
The Toldi IIA represented a desperate effort to repurpose existing vehicles, aiming to enhance their performance through the installation of stronger armaments and improved protection. However, this endeavor proved futile due to the limitations of the lightweight chassis, which hindered the installation of any significant armament capable of effective combat during the later stages of the Second World War. Consequently, the vehicles deployed to the frontline were seldom utilized directly against enemy armor, being predominantly relegated to secondary roles and lost piecemeal as the tide of war swept over Hungary.
Late production version Toldi IIA in Western Ukraine, summer 1943Toldi IIA in Stalingrad sector, winter 1943-1944
Toldi IIA Technical Specification
Crew
Commander/gunner, loader, and driver
Weight
9.35 tonnes
Dimensions
Length 4.75 m, Width 2.1 m, Height 2.02 m
Engine
Bussing NAG L8V 160 HP @ 2,200, eight-cylinder petrol engine
Speed
47 km/h
Range
190 km
Primary Armament
4 cm 37/42M L/55
Secondary Armament
8 mm 34/37M
Armor
13-35 mm
Source
C. Bescze (2007) Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II, STRATUS.
B. Adam, E. Miklos, S. Gyula (2006) A Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945, Petit Real
S.J.Zaloga (2013) Tanks of the Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45, New Vanguard..
A. T. Jones (2013) Armored Warfare and Hitler’s Allies 1941-1945, Pen and Sword
Bojan B. Dumitrijević and Dragan Savić (2011) Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu,, Institut za savremenu istoriju, Beograd
G. Finizio (1987) Hungarian Armor, Wheels and Tracks.
P. Chamberlain and C. Ellis (1977) Axis Combat Vehicles, Arco Publishing Company
P. Mujzer (2020) The 38M Toldi Light Tank Kagero
P. Mujzer (2017) Operational History Of The Hungarian Armored Troops in World War II, Kagero
P. Mujzer (2017) Hungarian Armored Forces in World War II, Kagero
E. M. G. Martinez (2019) Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles, Pen & Sword https://www.armedconflicts.com/Hungary-HUN-c500387
Medical Toldi eü20. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Kingdom of Hungary (1941-1944)
Armored Ambulance Vehicles – 12-13 Used
During World War Two, Hungary was one of Germany’s allies in Europe that operated a fairly large mostly domestically-produced armored force. One of their earlier mass-produced armored vehicles was the Toldi light tank. While a good design for the pre-war era, it quickly became obsolete due to its weak armor and armament. In order to reuse the existing vehicles, the Hungarians tried to improve their armor and weaponry with little results. However, in 1942, they introduced a new variant that was quite a novelty during the war, the Toldi eü20, a medical evacuation vehicle based on a slightly modified Toldi tank. While few were built in 1942, the Hungarians appeared to be satisfied with their performance and ordered another small series to be built in 1944.
The Toldi eü20 could be identified by the small red cross painted on the turret sides. A few such vehicles served with the 1st Armored Division that operated in the Soviet Union during 1942. Source: C. Bescze Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II
Medical Tanks in Hungarian Service
Evacuation of wounded soldiers has been a critical aspect of military operations throughout history, with increasing significance in the 20th century, particularly during the Second World War, when armies around the war became more professional. In professional armies, the training of soldiers, especially for specialized roles like tank crews, is a significant investment. Losing an experienced crew member not only means losing someone skilled in their role but also necessitates the time-consuming process of training a replacement. This is particularly crucial in roles where specific skills and knowledge are essential, like operating complex machinery. Tanks played a pivotal role in many battles of the Second World War, being at the forefront of major offensives. Their presence on the battlefield often meant that they were exposed to intense fighting and increased the likelihood of crew members being wounded. Evacuating these crew members safely was crucial for maintaining the operational capabilities of armored units. Evacuating wounded personnel from the battlefield, especially in areas of heavy fighting, is a dangerous undertaking. It requires coordination, planning, and often exposes medical personnel to the same risks faced by combat units.
Soft-skinned vehicles, such as trucks or cars, are not well suited for this job given the lack of armor. A proper, well-protected, good mobility vehicle offers a better chance of success. Prior to the war, the major armies around the war did not have the tactical insight or resources to spend on developing such dedicated vehicles. Germany and the US did invest resources, albeit these were more a modification of already existing vehicles. However, a less-known fact is that the Hungarians also built their own armored evacuation vehicle based on a slightly modified Toldi light tank.
The Germans modified limited numbers of Panzer I vehicles for medical evacuation roles. These saw service in the early stages of the war but were ultimately replaced by more available half-tracks. Colorization by Johannes Dorn. Original Source: BundesarchivThe US Army made extensive use of half-tracks, some of which were adapted for medical roles. Source: https://www.med-dept.com/unit-histories/35th-evacuation-hospital/
A Brief History of the Toldi Light Tank
Following the end of the First World War, Hungary was stripped of most of its territories. It was left a shattered country that began a slow path of rebuilding its economy and army. The Honvéd (Eng. Hungarian Army) was particularly keen to one day being able to take back some of its lost territories. But, for that, it would need to rebuild and rearm its military forces. Armored formations were also needed. Their development was slowed down by various factors, not to mention the fact that Hungary was actually prohibited by the Treaty of Trianon (signed on 4th June 1920) from developing and using tanks and other armored vehicles. Nevertheless, during the mid-1930s, they purchased over 100 Italian CV.33 fast tanks, known in Hungarian service as 35M Ansaldo.
In 1936, the Hungarian Army made attempts to find more modern types of tanks. Eventually, Hungary managed to acquire a single Swedish L-60 light tank in 1937. After a series of test trials, the L-60 overall design was deemed satisfactory. Following successful negotiations with Sweden, Hungary managed to obtain a license for the production of this vehicle. It would not be an exact copy, as the Hungarian made some modifications, mostly regarding its armament. It was armed with a 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle and a coaxial 8 mm Gebauer 34/37 machine gun. From April 1940 to December 1942, 190 such vehicles were locally produced. machine gun.
The Toldis saw their first combat action during the brief war with Yugoslavia in April 1941. The Hungarians joined their other Axis allies during the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. For this invasion, the Hungarians could muster 81 Toldis and 60 35M Ansaldos. By the end of 1941, nearly all of these were lost either in combat or due to mechanical breakdowns.
The Toldi light tanks were the Hungarian answer to their army’s need for armored vehicles. While a generally good design for pre-war standards, it quickly became obsolete due to its weak protection and firepower. Source: Magyar Pancel
Toldi Medical Tanks
In 1942, Hungary was hard-pressed by their German allies to send more forces to the Eastern Front. The Hungarian armored forces had been shattered and needed to be rebuilt. They bought over 100 Panzer 38(t) (known in Hungarian service as the T-38) and 22 better-armed Panzer IV Ausf.F tanks from Germany. These were used to equip the 1st Armored Division, which was part of the Hungarian 2nd Army. This Division was divided into two battalions. Each battalion had in its inventory 52 T-38s, 11 Panzer IVs, and three Toldi tanks. In total, this regiment had 6 Toldi tanks. Additional elements equipped with Hungarian vehicles were attached to this division. This included the 1st Armored Reconnaissance Battalion with 14 Csaba armored cars and 17 Toldi tanks.
Military field exercise involving Hungarian armored vehicles prior to the start of the military operations on the Eastern Front in 1942. In front are the T-38s, while in the back are anti-tank/aircraft Nimróds. All the way back, a few Toldis are also visible. Source: Pinterest
By 1942 standards, the Toldi, armed with the 20 mm anti-tank rifle and weak armor, was an obsolete vehicle. The Hungarians were aware of this and allocated them auxiliary roles, such as command, or liaison. Based on the experience from the previous year in the Soviet Union, the Hungarians realized that they lacked a proper medical evacuation vehicle that had sufficient mobility and protection to follow up tank formations. Developing specialized vehicles was not an option, as Hungary simply lacked production capabilities. The only possible solution was to repurpose already existing vehicles, in this case, a Toldi light tank. For the upcoming 1942 campaign, a few Toldi tanks were modified as medical evacuation vehicles. How many depends on the source used. For example, author P. Mujzer (Operational History Of The Hungarian Armored Troops in World War II) mentions that two (possibly up to three) such vehicles were converted for this role. Each of the two battalions received one medical vehicle. C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II) and E. M. G. Martinez (Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles), on the other hand, state that this division had four such vehicles.
Name
In most sources, this vehicle is simply designated as medical Toldi. Author C. Bescze briefly mentioned a Toldi eü20 designation, without giving much context to it. The ‘eü’ likely stands for egészségügyi (Eng. medical). The number 20 indicates that it was based on the Toldi I and II, which were armed with the 20 mm anti-tank rifle. For the sake of simplicity, this article will refer to it simply as Toldi eü20.
Technical Characteristics
Unfortunately, the sources that talk about the Toldi eü20 are scarce and barely mention it. Further problems are a lack of photographs of this vehicle. Given the similarities with a standard unmodified Toldi tank, it is almost impossible to distinguish these two. What is known is that its overall design remained the same as the standard Toldi tank, except for a few minor differences. A more detailed description of the Toldi’s overall design can be read here.
Hull
The Toldi’s hull had a standard layout, which consisted of the forward-mounted transmission, the central crew compartment, and the rear engine compartment.
Suspension
The Toldi used a simple torsion bar suspension system. It consisted of one front drive sprocket, one rear idler, four larger road wheels, and two return rollers per side. While this suspension did the job, it did not provide a gentle ride.
Engine
The Toldi was powered by a German-built Büssing NAG L8V 160 hp @2200, eight-cylinder petrol engine. With a weight of some 8.5 tonnes, the Toldi was capable of achieving a top speed of 50 km/h.
Superstructure
On top of this hull, an armored superstructure that narrowed as it went toward the engine compartment was placed. On the vehicle’s left front side, the fully protected driver position was located. The driver was provided with an escape hatch on top of it.
Turret
The Toldi had a rather small and cramped turret. On each side of the turret, a large single-piece crew hatch was installed. The Toldi eü20 tank received a slightly enlarged hatch that, at least in theory, would help during the evacuation of wounded crew members. Which hatch was precisely enlarged is unclear in the sources. P. Mujzer mentions the left one, while C. Bescze lists the right hatch as the one that was enlarged. Neither specifies to which extent it was modified or if there were any other modifications made to it. As the gun sight was positioned on the left side, it made more sense to increase the size of the opposite hatch, as there would be somewhat larger space to put a wounded soldier.
The Toldi tank had a square-shaped hatch for the crew on both sides of the turret. On the left side, the gun sight was positioned, which limited the internal space from this side. It would make more sense to move the injured soldier from the opposite side, where there would be slightly more (but not that much) available space. Source: ritastatusreport.liveThe commander was seated opposite of the gunner. He would have more working space than the gunner. Source: https://ritastatusreport.live/hungarian-qa-answers-by-karika-part-2/
In either case, the Toldi turret, with the armament and two crew members, was rather cramped. It must have been a tedious process to exit the vehicle and then bring the wounded soldier inside the vehicle through the turret, not to mention that this was likely done under enemy fire.
Armament
Early versions of the Toldi I and II (basically the same vehicle, just built with domestic parts) were armed with one 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle and an 8 mm Gebauer 34/37 machine gun. The medical version retained its armament, despite its specific role. While this limited internal space, it offered the crew a chance to provide covering fire during the evacuation of wounded. The Toldi eü20 ammunition load was reduced, but not specified in the sources to what extent. In addition, some of the ammunition storage bins were reused to store medical supplies.
Crew
The number of crew members is another characteristic that was not specified in the sources. A normal Toldi was operated by a crew of three, which included a commander, driver, and gunner/loader. The driver was seated on the left hull side, while the remaining two crew members were paced in the turret. The Toldi was rather a small vehicle, with little space inside it.
This photograph clearly illustrates the Toldi’s small size. One may wonder why it was then used for this purpose, as the Turan tank, which was in service, was a much larger vehicle. The answer was a lack of production capabilities and the obsolescence of the Toldi as a main frontline tank, so it was relocated to secondary roles in 1942. Source: Wiki
For the medical version, the crew was likely reduced to two, as this would give more internal space for the wounded soldiers. It could consist of a driver and a commander who was a doctor or at least received some basic medical training. It would have made little sense for the driver to leave the vehicle during the evacuation process. If he was wounded or, in the worst-case scenario, killed, there was no one who could drive the vehicle. The commander/doctor’s job was to help bring the wounded into the vehicle and stabilize their condition by providing medical aid. The crew of the vehicle that called for medical evacuation likely helped during the evacuation. The vehicle in question may have been only lightly damaged or one of the crew was wounded by shrapnel or an unlucky bullet. Of course, this is an example of ideal conditions. In real combat, the overall extraction operation was done in a more chaotic environment, with the enemy shooting at them. There may have been more wounded men that needed to be evacuated, so the Toldi eü20 crew would have to prioritize based on the severity of wounds.
Markings
The Toldi eü20 lacked any official military markings. They received only a small red cross painted on the turret sides. The reason why the large medical cross was not painted was probably that the vehicle was armed. Although today it may be believed that a medical vehicle would not attract enemy fire, the harsh reality of wars (especially brutal ones, such as the Second World War) proved differently.
Given that it was identical to a standard Toldi and only a few vehicles were built, their identification is not always possible. The few clues that this is a medical vehicle is the small red cross painted on the turret’s side. This vehicle was repaired by the 1st Battalion Chief Doctor, Dr. Bela Ringelhann. Source: C. Bescze Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II
In Action
Elements of the Hungarian 2nd Army began to reach the Eastern Front in May 1942. Given the rather poor railway infrastructure in this part of the Soviet Union, the relocation of the 1st Armored Division took months. The transportation of tanks directly to the frontline was not possible. This division finally reached their destination at the Uryw-Storozhevoye (Урыв-Сторожевое) area west of the River Don in early July. There, the Axis forces were already engaged with the Soviet 24th Tank Corps.
The first combat action of the 1st Armored Division against the Soviet western bridgeheads began on 18th July. It is here that the Toldi eü20 saw service. Dr. János Vercseg, a correspondent who accompanied the division, later wrote in his memoirs:
“… As I spied out of the turret, I couldn’t see any Hungarian tank losses. But my joy was too early: my headphones (editor: during this engagement, he was actually inside a T-38 tank) asked for a doctor. ‘Tank number 591 got hit. We need a doctor!’I could see through my binoculars that a Major of the staff reached the damaged vehicle and lifted the injured men over into his tank under heavy fire. Quite a few enemy tanks opened fire on them and we tried to cover them as well as we could from the distance. We were much relieved when the doctor’s tank arrived and that the damaged tank had not fallen into enemy hands…”
Besides this quote, the sources do not provide us with more info on the Toldi eü20s service. The 1942 campaign was quite brutal and the Hungarians saw extensive combat action against the entrenched Soviet defenders. This meant that the Toldi eü20 saw plenty of use during this period. By early 1943, the 1st Armored Division lost nearly all its equipment, including the contingent of Toldi tanks.
The overall performance of the Toldi eü20 was deemed sufficient during the 1942 campaign. Based on this experience, the Hungarian Army issued a request for 9 more vehicles to be built in 1944. The Hungarian weapon’s manufacturer Ganz completed these conversions in March 1944. These vehicles were designated 43M Toldi medical tanks. The actual delivery to the frontline units took some time. These finally reached the frontline during June and July 1944. The fate of these vehicles is unclear, but given the intense fighting on the Eastern Front, most if not all were lost by the end of 1944.
Author G. Finizio (Hungarian Armor, Wheels and Tracks) gives a somewhat different account of events. According to him, Ganz modified some 9 Toldi vehicles into armored personnel carriers in 1943. It is not mentioned in what manner they were modified, besides the fact that the armament was retained. As these proved to be ineffective in their role, they were adopted as medical tanks in 1944.
Other Hungarian Medical Vehicles
The Toldi was not the only armored vehicle employed by the Hungarians in this manner. During the formation of the 1st Armored Division, the Germans provided the Hungarians with a few Sd.Kfz.251 armored ambulance half-tracks. In the later stages of the war, the Hungarians tried to develop a more dedicated armored ambulance based on the 40M Nimrod anti-tank/aircraft vehicle. A prototype named Lehel would be built, but no production order was given, as tanks had priority over such specialized vehicles.
A few Sd.Kfz.251/8 medical ambulance vehicles saw service with the Hungarian Army in 1942. Source: E. M. G. Martinez Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting VehiclesThe Lehel was a Hungarian attempt to build a properly armored ambulance but, ultimately, nothing came of it besides a single prototype. Source: Pinterest
Conclusion
The Toldi eü20 version may seem like a waste of resources but, in reality, it had a rather important role. The evacuation of wounded soldiers, especially those in specialized roles, is not just a humanitarian concern, but a strategic one. It ties into the broader aspects of military effectiveness, including maintaining morale, preserving experience, and ensuring the continued functionality of specialized units. So this vehicle was surely a welcome addition to the Hungarian armored arsenal. The downside was that very few were actually completed due to the limited production capacity.
Medical Toldi eü20. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Toldi I specifications
Dimensions (L-w-h)
4.75 x 2.05 x 2.14 m
Total weight, battle-ready
8.5 tonnes
Crew
2 Commander/Gunner, and the Driver
Propulsion
Bussing-NAG LV8 8-cylinder 160 hp petrol/gasoline engine
Top speed
50 km/h
Range
220 km
Armament
20 mm anti-tank rifle
8 mm 38M Gebauer machine-gun
Toldi 44M Buzogányvető. Illustrations by Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Kingdom of Hungary (1944-1945)
Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Rocket Vehicle – 1 Prototype Built
Despite having a limited industrial capacity, Hungary managed to produce a fairly large number of tanks during the Second World War. However, these were generally outdated when compared to more modern Soviet or German designs. The Hungarians did make some attempts to improve their combat effectiveness. While no effective solution was ever implemented, they did build some unusual and interesting vehicles, albeit none that went beyond the prototype stage. One such vehicle was almost unknown until recently, when a photograph of it was published. This was a Toldi tank that was equipped with a Hungarian 44M Buzogányvető domestically developed anti-tank rocket launcher system.
Following the end of the First World War, Hungary was stripped of most of its territories. It was left a shattered country that began a slow path of rebuilding its economy and army. The Honvédség (Eng. Hungarian Army) was particularly keen to one day being able to take back some of its lost territories. But, for that, it would need to rebuild and rearm its military forces. Armored formations were also needed. Their development was slowed down by various factors, not to mention the fact that Hungary was actually prohibited by the Treaty of Trianon (signed on 4th June 1920) from developing and using tanks and other armored vehicles. Nevertheless, during the mid-1930s, they purchased over 100 Italian CV.33 fast tanks, known in Hungarian service as 35M Ansaldo.
In 1936, the Hungarian Army made attempts to find more modern types of tanks. Eventually, Hungary managed to acquire a single Swedish L-60 light tank in 1937. After a series of test trials, the L-60 overall design was deemed satisfactory. Following successful negotiations with Sweden, Hungary managed to obtain a license for the production of this vehicle. It would not be an exact copy, as the Hungarian made some modifications, mostly regarding its armament. It was armed with a 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle and a coaxial 8 mm Gebauer 34/37 machine gun. From April 1940 to December 1942, 190 such vehicles were locally produced.
The Toldi light tanks were the Hungarian answer to their army’s need for armored vehicles. While a generally good design for pre-war standards, they quickly became obsolete due to their weak protection and firepower. Source: Magyar Pancel
The Toldis saw their first combat action during the brief war with Yugoslavia in April 1941. The Hungarians then joined their other Axis allies during the Invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. For this Invasion, the Hungarians could muster 81 Toldis. By the end of 1941, nearly all of these were taken out of action.
Attempts to Improve the Firepower
While maybe a good design in pre-war years, by the time it saw combat in 1941, the Toldi was severely lacking in armor and especially firepower with its 20 mm gun. The Hungarians tried to increase the production of the larger 40 mm-armed Turan tank, but due to a lack of resources and production capabilities, they failed to do so. In addition, they had a stockpile of Toldi tanks which they could not simply scrap. Instead, the Hungarians tried to improve their overall performance by increasing the armor protection and introducing a larger caliber gun. The Toldi’s lightweight chassis essentially meant that these could only be improved to some minor extent. The frontal armor was increased to 35 mm and the anti-tank rifle was replaced with a 4 cm gun. This gun could penetrate some 30 mm of armor at 1 km. In 1944, when this vehicle was issued to frontline troops, both of these characteristics were severely lacking and offered no real benefit to the Hungarian tank force.
Another attempt was to modify a Toldi tank chassis as an anti-tank vehicle. In 1942, the Germans gave the Hungarians a few Marder II tank destroyers. These saw extensive combat action in early 1943. One vehicle would be sent to Hungary for evaluation. It inspired the Hungarians to build a similar vehicle armed with a German 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun with minimal armor protection. One prototype was built and tested, but the project eventually reached a dead end. The Toldi chassis was too light for the gun recoil. In addition, the Germans were not willing to provide the needed guns for this modification, so it was canceled.
This was not the last attempt made by the Hungarians to improve the Toldi’s combat effectiveness or at least to reuse its chassis. Near the end of the war, they mounted two 44M Buzogányvető (Eng. Maul) anti-tank rocket launchers on top of a Toldi’s engine compartment. While quite interesting, such a concept was also implemented by the Germans and the Allies near the end of the war to some limited extent. The Germans built limited numbers of light vehicles armed with portable anti-tank rockets, while the Allies mounted aircraft rockets on some of their tanks.
This modified Toldi tank is one of several (examples such as a German 7.5 cm StuK armed Panzer I or the Japanese Type 5 Ho-To and Ho-Ru) strange designs developed near the end of the war where, besides one or two surviving photographs, almost nothing is known.
The modified Toldi was a completely unknown vehicle until recently, when a photograph of it was published during the 2000s. It showed what appears to be Toldi I (armed with the 20 mm anti-tank rifle version) that was armed with two anti-tank rocket launchers. It is unknown if this was a field modification made as an improvisation or an official attempt to develop such a vehicle.
According to the limited available sources of this vehicle, the original photograph was taken by an American Sergeant from the 691st Tank Destroyer Battalion. The unit was stationed in Bavaria (Germany) during the period of April to May 1945. The date or location where the photograph was taken is sadly unknown. It is unlikely that the Soviets would let the Allied journalists or public officials through the ravaged part of Eastern Europe. It is possible that this particular vehicle was photographed somewhere in Germany. If this is true, how it got there is a mystery of its own. Did the Germans try to evacuate the vehicle for study and evaluation or did some of the Hungarians manage to flee all the way to Germany? Unfortunately, given the complete lack of sources, only wild speculations without any proof can be made.
Design
Hull
The Toldi’s hull had a standard layout, which consisted of the forward-mounted transmission, the central crew compartment, and the rear engine compartment.
Suspension
The Toldi used a simple torsion bar suspension system. It consisted of one front drive sprocket, one rear idler, four larger road wheels, and two return rollers per side. While this suspension did the job, it did not provide a gentle ride.
Engine
The Toldi was powered by a German-built Büssing NAG L8V 160 hp @2200, eight-cylinder petrol engine. With a weight of some 8.5 tonnes, the Toldi was capable of achieving a top speed of 50 km/h.
Superstructure
On top of this hull, an armored superstructure that narrowed as it went toward the engine compartment was placed. On the vehicle’s left front side, the fully protected driver position was located. The driver was provided with an escape hatch on top of it.
Turret
The rear side of this Toldi tank turret helps us to identify the precise version used for this modification. When the 4 cm gun was installed inside the Toldi’s turret, some modifications were needed. To provide a larger working space and to act as a counterbalance to the gun, a rear extension was added. The first two versions, the Toldi I and II, which were basically the same, did not have the rear turret extension part. As the vehicle in the photo does not have this extension, it is a Toldi I or II.
The early version of the Toldi light tank did not have the rear turret extension, as it was not needed. Source: WikiA later version armed with the 4 cm gun received an extension to the rear of this turret. Given that this part protruded to the rear, it would have been difficult to mount the anti-tank rocket system. Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/448037862927256985/
Armament
Early versions of the Toldi were armed with one 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle and an 8 mm Gebauer 34/37 machine gun. Unfortunately, the surviving photographs of this vehicle do not show clearly if the main armament was removed. It can be assumed that, given its experimental nature, the main armament was removed, but this is pure speculation.
The modified Toldi was also armed with two 44M Buzogányvető rockets. The Hungarians were one of few nations during the Second World War that developed anti-tank rockets. Their initial work was influenced by their German ally. One of the first such weapons created was a portable 6 cm tubed rocket launcher, known as Páncélrém (Eng. Tank fear), similar to the Panzerschreck. These saw some service near the end of the war.
Beside this weapon, the Hungarians developed an even larger caliber rocket intended to be fired from a stationary mount. This was the 100 mm 44M Buzogányvető rocket system. Two such rockets were placed on a three-legged mount close to the ground, presenting a small target. The gunner, who was placed next to it, was protected from the rocket exhaust fumes by a large shield. Two different rockets were designed for this weapon: a shaped-charged and an anti-personnel rocket. The first was nicknamed Buzogány (Eng. mace) and contained a 4 kg heavy warhead that could pierce some 300 mm of armor. While this figure seems impressive, it must not be forgotten that this penetration power was achieved under ideal conditions. In reality, these early shaped-charge rockets suffered from somewhat poor ballistics and were prone to simply bouncing off the armor of enemy tanks. This is not to mention that their production quality may have been questionable (at least those built by the Germans and Hungarians), as they were introduced so late into the war. Despite all of this, such relatively cheap weapons could still be effective against enemy armor, and even fortified positions.
The second rocket known as Zápor (Eng. Rain) and was intended to deal with enemy infantry. The maximum theoretical range for these two rockets was 2 km, while the more practical range was 1.2 km.
The development of this weapon system was initiated in 1944. While several hundred such mounts were built, the majority of them were used during the desperate defense of Budapest at the end of 1944 and the start of 1945.
In case of the Toldi’s modification, the whole construction was placed on a metal plate base located just above the engine compartment. The two rockets were then positioned opposite of each other on a ‘H’ shaped metal frame. In the photograph, what appears to be a metal rod that protrudes from the turret top and is connected to this frame can be seen. This was likely a control rod that the crew used to change the elevation of the whole installation by moving it either forward or backward.
As the installation appears to be fixed in position with no traverse, it is unclear how it would be used without accidentally hitting the turret. A possible solution to this was to rotate the turret slightly in the opposite position of the rocket that was being fired. If this is true, then the firing of both rockets would have taken, some time reducing its combat effectiveness somewhat. There was also a realistic chance that the rocket could be accidentally activated and hit the vehicle itself. This design, while it may seem like a good idea, had some flaws.
Given the sheer size of the 44M Buzogányvető rocket, which was nearly a meter in length, storing them inside the vehicle was impossible. This means that only two rockets could be initially stored inside the two tube launchers. For additional ammunition, an auxiliary vehicle would be needed, possibly a truck or, in the best-case scenario, a half-track. The crew of the auxiliary vehicle may have helped during the reload process. Essentially, this restricted the combat effectiveness of the vehicle, which needed to constantly return back for reloading after firing both rockets. If the ammunition supply vehicle did not reach it or was destroyed, the crew of the Toldi would be left defenseless if the main armament was removed, as speculated.
The sheer size of the two rockets meant that they could not be stored inside the Todli tank. Loading them into the rocket tube launcher would also have been quite a time consuming task. Source: https://www.armedconflicts.com/44M-Buzoganyveto-t253330
Crew
The number of crew for this vehicle is another mystery. A Toldi had a crew of three, including a commander, gunner, and driver. This modified vehicle would need at least two, a gunner and a driver. The gunner would have to take the role of the commander in this case. Using two crew members offered some advantages, such as more working space inside the vehicle. To some marginal extent, it also reduced the vehicle’s overall weight. The downside was that the gunner was overloaded with all the additional tasks that he would have to perform. This included commanding the vehicle, finding targets, aiming at the targets, and even possibly loading the armament. In real combat situations, this could prove crucial for crew survival, as the gunner/commander could operate the vehicle for some limited time before being totally exhausted and overwhelmed. Having a gunner separated from the commander was surely a better option. But it must not be forgotten that this vehicle was likely built at the end of the war, when there was an acute shortage of men and materials, which meant that such ill-conceived compromises may have been implemented.
Conclusion
Unfortunately, given the lack of sources, it is not known if this vehicle was a kind of prototype or a mere improvisation made by a unit at the front to improve their anti-tank capabilities. Using shape-charged rockets that had great anti-armor characteristics may, at first glance, seem like a good idea. In reality, such rockets were far from perfect designs, often lacking in accuracy and quality, and the penetration of enemy armor was not always guaranteed despite scoring a hit. In conclusion, this modification, while impressive and seemingly innovative, was likely to be less combat-effective given the previously mentioned limitations of the Second World War anti-tank rocket designs.
Toldi 44M Buzogányvető. Illustrations by Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Toldi 44M Buzogányvető specifications
Dimensions (L-w-h)
4.75 x 2.05 x 2.14 m
Total weight, battle-ready
8.5 tonnes
Crew
2 Commander/Gunner, and the Driver
Propulsion
Bussing-NAG LV8 8-cylinder 160 hp petrol/gasoline engine
Top speed
50 km/h
Range
220 km
Armament
20 mm anti-tank rifle and two 100 mm caliber anti-tank or anti-personnel rocket
8 mm 38M Gebauer machine-gun
Panzer IV F in Hungarian Service. Illustrations by Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Kingdom of Hungary (1942)
Heavy Tank – 22 Operated
Hungary, under the leadership of Admiral Miklós Horthy, aligned itself with Nazi Germany before the war and during the early stages of World War II. This alliance was partially motivated by Hungary’s territorial ambitions and a desire to regain lost territories. As such, Hungarian forces, including their meager armored units, were part of the Axis coalition that invaded the Soviet Union in 1941. As the invasion progressed, the Hungarian armored units suffered heavy losses and, by the end of the year, nearly all AFVs were lost. The Germans had to intervene in order to keep the Hungarians in the war. To somewhat rebuild the shattered Hungarian armored forces that would be needed in the 1942 offensive toward the Caucasus, the Germans provided them with over 100 tanks. These included 22 Panzer IV Ausf.Fs. In 1942, these were the best tanks that the Hungarian Army operated on this front. By the end of the year, due to heavy fighting, all would be lost.
A Hungarian-operated Panzer IV Ausf.F, one of the 22 acquired from Germany in early 1942. Source: E. M. G. Martinez Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles
History
Following the end of the First World War, Hungary was stripped of most of its territories. It was left a shattered country that began a slow path of rebuilding its economy and army. The Honvéd (Eng. Hungarian Army) was particularly keen to one day be able to take back some of its lost territories. But, for that, it would need to rebuild and rearm its military forces. Armored formations were also needed. Their development was slowed down by various factors, not to mention the fact that Hungary was actually prohibited by the Treaty of Trianon (signed on 4th June 1920) from developing and using tanks and other armored vehicles. Nevertheless, during the mid-1930s, they purchased over 100 Italian CV.33 fast tanks, known in Hungarian service as 35M Ansaldo. In addition, the Hungarians obtained a license from Sweden for the production of the L-60 light tank, which would be known in Hungary as the Toldi. From April 1940 to December 1942, 190 such vehicles were locally produced.
The light 35M Ansaldo was one of the more numerous initial Hungarian armored vehicles. Despite being obsolete, due to a lack of anything better, they saw action against the Soviets in 1941 and a few remained in use up to the end of the war. Source: Pinterest
While the Hungarians were not eager to wage war with the Soviets, they nevertheless joined the Axis forces during Operation Barbarossa. The Hungarians officially declared war on the USSR on 27th June, after Soviet air raids into Hungary occurred the previous day. For the Invasion of the Soviet Union, the Hungarians could muster 81 Toldis and 60 35M Ansaldos. By the end of 1941, nearly all of these were lost either in combat or due to mechanical breakdowns.
A good view of a Toldi’s front side. Just above the large cross marking painted on the hull is the protected driver’s position. Source: Magyar Pancel
Even at the end of 1941, the Hungarians fielded only light tanks, which were of little use against the newer Soviet tanks. To rebuild its shattered force, the Hungarian High Command tried to implement the ‘Huba II’ military plan. This plan involved the formation of two new units, the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions.
Given the raging war in Europe, purchasing new equipment was impossible. To make matters even harder, the Hungarian High Command was hard-pressed by the Germans to send additional forces to the Eastern Front. Thus, the 2nd Army (with 250,000 men in total) was chosen to support the German operation with the aim of capturing the vital city of Stalingrad and the oil-rich Caucasus. This army consisted of nine light divisions supported by the 1st Armored Division. The major problem for the Hungarians was finding tanks to outfit this division. Despite German promises of modern equipment, the Hungarians were instead supplied with over 100 Panzer 38(t) (known in Hungarian service as the T-38) and 22 better-armed Panzer IV Ausf.F. In Hungarian service, the former was classified as a medium tank and the latter as a heavy tank.
Military field exercise involving Hungarian armored vehicles prior to the start of the military operations on the Eastern Front in 1942. In front are the T-38s, while in the back are anti-tank/aircraft Nimróds. All the way back, a few Toldis are also visible. Source: Pinterest
A Brief Panzer IV History
After Germany’s defeat in the First World War, the Treaty of Versailles imposed strict limitations on the German military, including restrictions on the development of new weapons, like tanks. However, Germany secretly began developing tanks in violation of the treaty. In 1935, the Heereswaffenamt (Eng: Army Weapons Department) requested the development of specialized tanks, including the Begleitwagen (BW), designed for fire support roles.
The Begleitwagen evolved into the Panzer IV tank armed with a 7.5 cm gun. Production began in October 1937 with the Panzer IV Ausf.A, which served as a test bed to refine the design. Subsequent series were introduced with improvements. In April 1941, the last version with a short-barreled gun, the Panzer IV Ausf.F, was introduced to service. The Panzer IV Ausf.F production lasted from April 1941 to February 1942, and during this period, some 471 vehicles were built in total.
While the Panzer IV was modern, its short-barreled gun had limited anti-tank effectiveness due to its low velocity. After 1942, the Panzer IV was re-armed with longer guns, significantly improving its anti-tank capabilities. However, the short-barreled version continued to be used until the end of the war.
The Panzer IV Ausf.F was the last version in the series to be armed with a short barrel 7.5 cm gun. Source: www.worldwarphotos.info
Forming the Hungarian 30th Tank Regiment
The formation of the Hungarian 1st Armored Division was done on a rather ad hoc basis. Any available mobile units were allocated to the formation of this division. While it was in short supply of equipment and weapons, it also lacked tanks. For this reason, in December of 1941, Germany sent a delegation to Hungary to discuss the situation regarding the acquisition of tanks and crew training. It was agreed that the Germans would sell tanks to Hungary. In addition, they would provide necessary crew training. At the start of 1942, the Honvéd dispatched a group of 40 officers and 144 men (drivers, radio operators, maintenance crew, etc.) to Germany. The nine-week course officially began on the 10th of January 1942. This course was carried out at the Wünsdorf military school. There, the Germans provided Panzer 38(t), Panzer IV, and even a few older Panzer I tanks. All these were used for training and familiarization with the new equipment. In addition, in Hungary, another training center was organized at Esztergom-Tábor. The promised vehicles finally began to arrive during February and March 1942. These were used to equip the 30th Tank Regiment, which was officially formed on the 8th of April 1942. While the Germans delivered these tanks, they were less generous in regard to spare parts delivery, which would come to haunt the unit later when it saw service on the Eastern Front.
Before being sent to the frontlines, the Hungarian crews had to be properly trained in order to operate the Panzer IV. This particular tank was used in this manner at Esztergom-Tábor prior to being sent to the Eastern Front in late 1942. Source: E. M. G. Martinez/Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting VehiclesA photograph that reportedly shows the Hungarian Prime Minister Miklós Kállay inspecting a Panzer IV in 1942 possibly at Esztergom-Tábor. Source: A Magyar Királyi Honvédség Fegyverzete
Organization
Despite the influx of new equipment, it was only possible to form one tank regiment, which was divided into two battalions. In theory, this regiment was to have a third battalion, but there were never enough tanks, so it was never formed. The regiment’s command unit was supplied with three T-38s, two Toldis, and six command vehicles (possibly based on the Panzer I). The battalions were divided into one heavy (3rd and 6th) and two medium companies. The heavy company consisted of 11 Panzer IVs, 3 T-38s, and 1 Toldi. Each of the two medium companies was equipped with 20 T-38 tanks. Additional T-38 tanks were allocated to the battalion command staff and reserve platoon. In total, each battalion had in its inventory 52 T-38s, 11 Panzer IVs, and three Toldi tanks.
Additional elements equipped with Hungarian vehicles were attached to this division. This included the 1st Armored Reconnaissance Battalion with 14 Csaba armored cars and 17 Toldi tanks. The Toldi tanks were given auxiliary roles such as medical evacuation, command, or liaison. In addition, there was the 51st Tank Hunter Battalion, which was equipped with 18-19 Nimród anti-tank/aircraft vehicles.
Markings
In Hungarian service, the Panzer IV received three-digit identification numbers, which were painted on the turret’s rear side (on the storage box) and occasionally on the turret’s left and right sides. The first tank battalion (30/I) had numbers from 0 to 3. ‘0’ was used for the command company, while ‘1’ to ‘3’ were allocated to each of the three companies. The second digit also went from ‘0’ to ‘3’, with a similar purpose (instead of companies, it indicated the platoon). The last digit represented each vehicle’s individual number. The second battalion (30/II) used the same system but with the first number from 4 to 7.
On the rear side of the superstructure (engine compartment), the Hungarians added registration number plates. For the Panzer IV, these consisted of the number ‘1’ next to a capital ‘H’ (Honvéd) followed by the Hungarian flag (in the shape of a shield). Above them, a three-digit number (starting from 800) was added.
In Hungarian service, the Panzer IV received three-digit identification numbers. These white-pained numbers were usually located on the back side of the turret. Occasionally, these were also added on the turret sides., Source: PinterestA closer look at the Hungarian three-digit markings and the registration number plate Source: C. Bescze Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II
Regarding military markings, the Hungarians added their own variant of the Balkenkreuz which was usually painted on the superstructure sides. It consisted of a green central cross painted on a red background. The original German panzer gray paint was left unchanged.
The Hungarians used their own variant of the Balkenkreuz, which was painted on the superstructure sides. In this photograph, one of the crew members (or instructor) shows the tank interior to Miklós Horthy, the de facto leader of Hungary. Source: E. M. G. Martinez Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles
In Hungarian Service
Elements of the Hungarian 2nd Army began to reach the Eastern Front in May 1942. Part of this Army also participated in the German Operation Blau (Eng. Operation Blue) and was tasked with defending over 200 km wide frontlines at the River Don in July 1942. Given the rather poor railway infrastructure in this part of the Soviet Union, the relocation of the 1st Armored Division took months. The transportation of tanks directly to the frontline was not possible. The Hungarians were forced to unload their tanks and drive over 300 km to finally reach their destination at the Uryw-Storozhevoye (Урыв-Сторожевое) area west of the river Don in early July. There, the Axis forces were already engaged with the Soviet 24th Tank Corps.
A rough map showing the location where the Hungarian 1st Armored Division mainly operated during 1942 around Uryw. Source:: C. Bescze Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW IIAdvancing Hungarian Panzer IVs that were heavily camouflaged by their crew. Source: E. M. G. Martinez Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles
The first combat action of the 1st Armored Division against the Soviet western bridgeheads was generally successful. It began on the 18th of July with one Panzer IV commanded by Captain Laszlo Maklary destroying a T-34 tank. It is important to mention that the Panzer IV’s short-barrel gun was almost useless against the armor of the T-34. This engagement either took place at a close range or the Germans had provided the Hungarians with hollow charge rounds that could penetrate a T-34 armor, although the sources do not specify if this ammunition was actually given to the Hungarians. This kill and later successes against the T-34 suggested that this may have been the case. Regardless, by mid-day, the Hungarians managed to eliminate the Soviet forces. During this engagement, the Soviets lost 21 tanks, of which 12 fell victim to the Panzer IVs. Two more light tanks were destroyed by the Panzer IV during the Soviet retreat over the river Don. By the end of the day, the Hungarians were reported to have taken out 35 tanks. This number also included a few M3 Stuart light tanks which were captured. During this engagement, one Panzer IV commanded by Lance-Corporal Janos Roszik was credited with destroying four enemy tanks. The 1st Armored Division only had two damaged T-38 tanks. Unfortunately for the Hungarians, the Soviets made a night-time counterattack and managed to drive the Hungarians out, re-establishing their bridgehead. Hungarian attempts to push them back were unsuccessful.
The Soviets had established two well-defended positions west of River Don at the villages of Uryv and Korotoyak. This posed a serious threat to the Hungarians, who decided to deal with them. The 1st Armored Division was to play a crucial part in this operation. It mustered a force of 103 T-38, 20 Panzer IV, 12 Nimród, and 7 Toldi tanks. The offensive began on the 7th of August 1942. The advance was slowed down by the extensive Soviet defense line, artillery, and air support. Due to these obstacles, it was not possible to use a mass tank attack in one concentrated push. Instead, the Hungarians used their tanks to support the infantry. By 9th August, they managed to clean up many of the Soviet defensive positions, but suffered heavy losses in return. The 1st Armored Division had suffered the losses of 38 T-38, 2 Toldi, and 2 Panzer IV tanks, including nearly 400 men killed. The commander of the 2nd Battalion was also killed. The same day, Panzer IVs from the 1st Battalion were ordered to move to Uryv to counter-attack Soviet forces that were reported to have assembled there. This proved to be a false alarm and the Panzer IVs returned.
The following day, Hungarian tanks from the 2nd Battalion attacked the hill position held by the Soviets near Storozhevoye. Despite being supported by infantry, the Hungarians had to cancel the offensive. One Panzer IV was reported to have been damaged.
On the 13th of August, the 1st Armored Division attacked the Soviet positions at Korotoyak. By this time, the division strength was reduced to 44 T-38s, 4 Panzer IVs, and five Toldi tanks. During the fighting, the Hungarian tanks managed to destroy 10 Soviet tanks, the majority of them being M3 light tanks. One Panzer IV commanded by Lajos Hegedus managed to take out four M3 tanks. When his tank ran out of ammunition, Hegedus ordered the driver to drive into the rear for resupplying. Eventually, they hit a Soviet mine and the tank became immobilized. Ironically, one of the “destroyed” M3 tanks (taken out by the same Panzer IV) opened fire. The M3, while heavily damaged, had an operational gun, and the Soviets noticed this and prepared an ambush. After receiving several hits, Hegedus’ Panzer IV eventually exploded. The radio operator and the driver were killed, while the rest of the crew survived and escaped to friendly lines.
By the 18th, the intensity of the battle slowly died out due to losses sustained by both sides. The Hungarian 1st Armored Division had lost over 1700 men. In regard to armored strength, it only had 55 T-38 and 15 Panzer IV tanks combat-ready. This division was then pulled back for rest and recuperation. To help rebuild the Hungarian armored forces (yet again), the Germans supplied them with four Panzer IV Ausf.G tanks armed with the longer L/43 gun. By the end of August, the Hungarians managed to rebuild their tank pool to 22 Panzer IV (including long barrel versions), 85 T-38, and 5 Toldi tanks.
In August 1942, in order to replace Hungarian losses, the Germans allocated them four long-barrel Panzer IV Ausf.Gs. With the introduction of this gun, the Panzer IV became an effective tank able to easily take out Soviet tanks at long ranges. Source: E. M. G. Martinez Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles
The 1st Armored Division was once again at the frontline at the start of September. Its task was to support the attack on the Uryv-Storozhevoye bridgehead. The Soviets, in the hope of shortening their line, focused on defending only this area and completely abandoned Korotoyak in the process. The Soviets fortified their lines with thousands of mines and dug in T-34 tanks. The Hungarian tanks attacked the Soviet positions on the 9th of September. The following day, Panzer IVs managed to destroy two T-34s and a more heavily protected KV-1 tank. Two of these were destroyed by Corporal Janos Roszik. Following that engagement, Corporal Janos Roszik’s Panzer IV tried to advance alone. The tank was spotted by a Soviet anti-tank crew. They soon fired their 7.62 cm gun, hitting the Panzer IV at close range. The round likely hit the Panzer’s ammunition storage, completely destroying the tank in the process. By the 11th of September, the Soviet defense was finally breached.
The remains of Corporal Janos Roszik’s Panzer IV tank that was hit by Soviet anti-tank fire. The enemy rounds likely hit the Panzer IV’s ammunition storage, causing an internal explosion. Source: C. Bescze Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II
On the 12th, the Axis forces proceeded to attack the Soviet line near Storozhevoye. They succeeded in this and began to fortify their new line. The following day, the Soviets made a counterattack spearheaded by T-34 and KV-1 tanks and drove off the defending Germans. The Hungarian armor was sent to try to stop the Soviets. During the following engagement, the Hungarians suffered heavy losses, their tanks being almost useless against the armor of the KV-1. At nightfall, the Hungarian 1st Armored Division was left with 4 Panzer IVs and 22 T-38s. They managed to destroy eight Soviet tanks and damage two KV-1s. The battle lasted until 16th September and ended with a Soviet defeat. That day, they lost 22 tanks taken out by tank and anti-tank fire, mines, and German StuG IIIs. The 1st Armored Division was left with only two Panzer IV Ausf.F and 12 T-38s.
A Hungarian Panzer IV passes a German StuG III Ausf.F or F8 assault gun on the Eastern Front. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook group
By October, an uneasy stalemate took hold, which the Hungarians used to reinforce its division with new tank crews. During the same month, an additional 6 Panzer IV Ausf.G and 10 Panzer III (due to slow crew training, these vehicles were operated by German crews) tanks were given to this unit. On the 19th of October, Hungarian Panzer IVs managed to destroy 4 additional Soviet tanks.
At the start of 1943, the Soviets made massive preparations to overwhelm the Axis defenses around Stalingrad, including the Hungarian forces. The 1st Armored Division, at that point, had 8 Panzer IV Ausf.F and 8 Ausf.G, 41 T–38, 9 Panzer III, 2 Toldi tanks, and 5 Marder II tank-destroyers which were temporarily given to them by the Germans. The attack began in mid-January and inflicted great losses on the defenders. On the 17th of January 1943, some 4 Panzer IV and 8 Panzer III tried to counterattack in the region of Dolschik-Ostrogosshk. The attack was eventually called back, but one Panzer IV had to be blown up when it broke down. Two more Panzer IVs were blown up when they ran out of fuel. By early February, what was left of the division managed to reach Krakow and was withdrawn from the frontlines.
A crew from a Hungarian-operated Panzer IV posing for a photograph, somewhere on the Eastern Front. Source: Huns on Wheel Facebook group
According to P. Mujzer (Operational History of the Hungarian Armored Troops in World War II), the Division was left with only 9 T-38s, 1 Panzer IV Ausf.G, 2 Marders, 1 Nimród and a few Csaba armored cars. The same author in another book (Hungarian Arms And Armor of Wolrd War Two) mentioned that one Panzer IV Ausf.F survived the Soviet Winter Offensive of 1943. S. J. Zaloga (Tanks of Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45), on the other hand, mentions that only 3 Toldis and 3 Nimróds survived 1942.
Conclusion
The Panzer IV Ausf.F was a huge boost to the Hungarian armored inventory, despite the rather limited number allocated by the Germans. It was the best protected and armed Hungarian tank at that point in the war. Despite having the short barrel gun, it played a crucial part in the fighting done by the Hungarians on the Eastern Front on many occasions. The crews of the Panzer IVs managed to destroy over a dozen or more Soviet tanks, including the dreaded T-34 and KV-1. However, the Panzer IVs were simply too few in number to have made any major impact on the war for the Hungarians.
Panzer IV F in Hungarian Service. Illustrations by Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Panzer IV Ausf.F in Hungarian Service Specifications
Dimensions (l-w-h)
5.92 x 2.88 x 2.68 m (19.4 x 9.44 x 8.79 ft)
Total weight, battle-ready
22.3 tonnes
Crew
5 (Commander, Gunner, Loader, Radio Operator, and Driver)
Propulsion
Maybach HL 120 TR(M) 265 HP @ 2600 rpm
Speed (road/off-road)
42 km/h, 25 km/h (cross-country)
Range (road/off-road)
210 km, 130 km (cross-country)
Primary Armament
7.5 cm KwK L/24
Secondary Armament
Two 7.92 mm MG 34
Elevation
-10° to +20°
Turret Armor
Front 50 mm, sides 30 mm, rear 30, and top 8-10 mm
Hull Armor
Front 30-50 mm, sides 20-30 mm, rear 14.5-20 mm, and the top and bottom 10-11 mm.
Sources
P. Mujzer (2017) Operational History Of The Hungarian Armored Troops in World War II, Kagero
E. M. G. Martinez (2019) Images of War Hungarian Armored Fighting Vehicles, Pen & Sword
C. Bescze (2007) Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II, STRATUS.
B. Adam, E. Miklos, S. Gyula (2006) A Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945, Petit R
S. J. Zaloga (2913) Tanks Of Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45 Osprey Publishing
T.L. Jentz and H.L. Doyle (1997) Panzer Tracts No.4 Panzerkampfwagen IV
M3 Light Tank in Hungarian Service. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Kingdom of Hungary (1942)
Light Tank – 4 Operated
During the Second World War, tank warfare played a significant role on various fronts, and all involved countries faced numerous challenges in terms of tank production and utilization. Hungary, being a smaller player, had limited industrial capacity and resources compared to major powers, like Germany or the Soviet Union. This led to their reliance on foreign exports and captured equipment to build and sustain their tank forces. The war with the Soviets especially took a great toll on the weak Hungarian tank formations. Still, war often presents opportunities to capture enemy equipment and the Hungarians occasionally did so. In 1942, they managed to acquire four American-supplied M3 light tanks. As these were captured in good condition, they were pressed into service by the Hungarian 1st Armored Division.
Following the end of the First World War, Hungary was stripped of most of its territories. It was a shattered country that began a slow path of rebuilding its economy and army. The Magyar Honvédség (Eng. Hungarian Army) was particularly keen to one day take back some of its lost territories. But, for that, it would need to rebuild and rearm its military forces. Armored formations were also needed. Their development was slowed down by various factors, not to mention the fact that Hungary was actually prohibited by the Treaty of Trianon (signed on 4th June 1920) from developing and using tanks and other armored vehicles. Nevertheless, during the mid-1930s, they purchased over 100 Italian CV.33 fast tanks, known in Hungarian service as 35M Ansaldo. In addition, the Hungarians obtained a license from Sweden for the production of the L-60 light tank, which would be known in Hungary as the Toldi. From April 1940 to December 1942, 190 such vehicles would be locally produced
The light 35M Ansaldo was one of the more numerous initial Hungarian armored vehicles. Despite being obsolete, due to a lack of anything better, they saw action against the Soviets in 1941 and a few remained in use up to the end of the war. Source: Pinterest
While the Hungarians were not eager to wage war with the Soviets, they nevertheless joined the Axis forces during Operation Barbarossa. The Hungarians officially declared war on the USSR on 27th June, after Soviet air raids into Hungary occurred the previous day. For the Invasion of the Soviet Union, the Hungarians could muster 81 Toldis and 60 35M Ansaldos. By the end of 1941, nearly all of these were lost either in combat or due to mechanical breakdowns.
The Toldi was another light tank design that was present in some numbers prior to the war with the Soviets in 1941. Source: Magyar Pancel
In 1942, the Honvéd tried to rebuild its shattered armored formations, but given the raging war in Europe, purchasing new equipment was impossible. To make matters even harder, the Hungarian High Command was hard-pressed by the Germans to send additional forces to the Eastern Front. Despite German promises of modern equipment, the Hungarians were instead supplied with 102-108 Panzer 38(t) (known in Hungarian service as the T-38) and 22 better-armed Panzer IV Ausf. F1. These vehicles were allocated to the 30th Tank Regiment from the 1st Armored Division, which was part of the Hungarian 2nd Army.
Military field exercise involving Hungarian armored vehicles prior to the start of the military operations on the Eastern Front in 1942. In front are the T-38s, while there are anti-tank/aircraft Nimróds in the back. All the way back, a few Toldis are also visible. Source: Pinterest
The majority of the Hungarian 2nd Army was engaged in the advance toward the city of Stalingrad, Operation Blau (Eng. Operation Blue), in May 1942. The 1st Armored Division’s initial position was in the Uryv-Pokrovka, Storozhevoye area, on the western banks of the Don River. Its first orders were to crush a Soviet bridgehead defended by the 130th Tank Brigade, which was part of the 14th Tank Corps. The Hungarian attack began on the 18th of July. During the following battle, the Hungarians managed to push back the Soviets, inflicting heavy losses on them. It is here that the Hungarians encountered the M3 light tank for the first time.
In 1942, the Soviets pressed American supplied M3 light tanks into service. The Hungarians managed to capture a few vehicles intact and put them into service against their former owners. Source: B. Adam, E. Miklos, S. GyulaA Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945
The M3 Light Tank
The M3 Light Tank was designed in 1940 to replace the older and outdated M2 tanks that were in service with the American armored forces. The M3 had many improvements over the M2, including thicker armor, stronger vertical volute spring suspension (VVSS) with a bigger rear idler wheel, increased speed, and improved firepower consisting of four 7.62 mm machine guns and a 3.7 cm cannon. The first series was powered by the gasoline-fueled (petrol) Continental seven-cylinder four-cycle radial aircraft engine. After 1942, a new four-stroke diesel radial Guiberson A-1020 engine was used. It had a crew of four (driver, driver assistant, gunner, and commander). From March 1941 to August 1942, some 5,811 tanks with petrol engines and 1,285 with diesel engines were built. The much improved M3A1 version was produced from April 1942 onwards. The first batches of M3A1 tanks were built using riveted armor, but later models had welded armor. Some changes were made, including an improved turret design (the small commander’s cupola was removed) with two hatches, a reduction of machine guns to three on later-built vehicles, and a turret basket.
Soon after the M3A1, a new model, the M3A3, was made due to the poorly designed frontal armor and small fuel capacity of the first versions. The front and side armor of the Stuart M3A3 were angled and the front hatches for the driver and his assistant were replaced by new overhead ones. Due to the extra internal space that the Stuart M3A3 now had, it was possible to increase the fuel capacity. This version was produced until August 1943, with a total of 3,427 vehicles being built.
The M3 series saw extensive operational service throughout the war on many different fronts. The USA also supplied the Stuart series to other nations through Lend-Lease, including the British Empire, the USSR, Brazil, China, France, the Netherlands, and many other Latin American nations.
The Soviet Union was completely unprepared for the Axis invasion in 1941. While its armies managed to stop the enemy near Moscow and stabilize the frontline by the end of 1942, they did so at a huge cost in men and materials. Prior to the war, the Soviets had the largest tank forces in the world, with thousands upon thousands of tanks of various types. By the end of 1941, these had been largely lost and the Soviets were in desperate need of more tanks. Luckily for them, the Western Allies agreed to help the Soviets by sending large quantities of military aid, including various types of tanks. One of the first shipments, including M3 light tanks, reached the Soviet port of Murmansk in late December 1941. According to S.J. Zaloga (Soviet Lend-Lease Tanks Of World War II), some 1,232 M3 light tanks reached the Soviet Union during the war.
While the M3 was rather obsolete by 1942 war standards in Europe, it was still a welcome addition to the Soviets that employed them against the Axis invaders. Notice the M3 Lee on the left of this picture, also supplied through Lend Lease. Source: https://www.reddit.com/media?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.redd.it%2Fyxbzyhne9ua21.jpg
In Hungarian Service
The first combat action of the 1st Armored Division against the Soviet western Don bank bridgeheads was generally successful for the Hungarians. Despite the fact that the core firepower of this unit was made up of Panzer 38(t) tanks, the few Panzer IVs were more than welcome additions. Together with other Hungarian armored vehicles, anti-tank guns, hand grenades, and magnetic mines, they managed to take out 35 Soviet tanks. Not all of these vehicles were destroyed, as some were abandoned and captured intact. This included the new M3 light tank, with the Hungarians managing to capture 4 working vehicles.
A side view of one of the first M3 light tanks captured. The Hungarians did not make any modifications to these vehicles, only added military markings to help distinguish them from enemy vehicles, at least in theory. This particular vehicle was sent back to Hungary and was given to the Military Technical Institute for testing and evaluation. Source: Tanks Of Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45
When Hungary captured these M3 light tanks in 1942, they seized an opportunity to bolster their armored forces. While these tanks might not have been as powerful or heavily armored as some other tanks of the time, they still added valuable capabilities to the Hungarian 1st Armored Division. Three tanks were reused by the 1st Armored Division, while one vehicle was sent back to Hungary for testing and evaluation. The use of captured tanks is always limited by the availability of spare parts, ammunition, and technical knowledge, and the Hungarian M3s were not an exception.
Not much is known about their precise use by the Hungarians from this point on. At least one was allocated to the 1st Armored Signal Battalion of the division. The remaining M3s were used as recovery vehicles, towing damaged Panzer38(t) tanks. Due to a general lack of armored vehicles, the Hungarians could not spare any of their own tanks for this role. The captured M3s were a welcome addition to their meager arsenal. Whether they saw real combat action is unclear in the sources. Given that, in the surviving photographs, their armament seems functional, it is likely that, at some point, they saw some action if there was any ammunition available. Their final fate is unknown, but they were all likely lost by the end of 1942.
This vehicle was part of the 1st Armored Signal Battalion. What is interesting about it was the use of large white cross markings which were officially adopted for use by the Hungarian Army after 1944. Source: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/usa/tanks/m3_m5/hungarian-m3a1-stuart/This M3 was used to tow damaged Panzer38(t) tanks. Given the light weight of these tanks, the M3 would be easily capable of fulfilling this task. Source: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/75013150029609448/At some point in the war all four vehicles were lost either being destroyed or abandoned due to lack of spare parts. Source: Unknown
Conclusion
The few captured M3 Light Tanks did not give any great benefit to the Hungarian Army. While having a good general design, the M3 was becoming obsolete by 1942 standards. They were arguably better than the early Hungarian Toldis, but fewer in number and could not be used for long. Still, their role as recovery vehicles was invaluable given that the Hungarians lacked such vehicles. Every tank that was salvaged could be repaired and returned to action, and for a country that could not adequately cover its losses, this was very important. Overall, the use of captured equipment like the M3 light tanks by Hungary exemplifies the resourcefulness and adaptability that smaller nations had to demonstrate during the war in order to make the most of their limited capabilities in the face of larger and more industrially powerful adversaries.
M3 Light Tank in Hungarian Service. Illustrations by the illustrious Godzilla funded by our Patreon Campaign.
Light Tank, M3 Specifications
Dimensions
Length 5.03 m, Width 2.52 m, Height 2.57 m
Total weight, battle ready
14.7 t
Crew
4 (driver, driver’s assistant, gunner and commander)
Propulsion
Continental W-670-9A
Speed
58 km/h, 32 km/h (cross-country)
Range
217 km
Armament
37 mm M5 gun, with up to five 7.62 mm machine guns
Armor
10-38 mm
Sources
P. Mujzer (2017) Hungarian Armored Forces in World War II, Kagero
C. Bescze (2007) Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II, STRATUS.
B. Adam, E. Miklos, S. Gyula (2006) A Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945, Petit R
S. J. Zaloga (1999) M3 and M5 Stuart Light Tank 1940-45, Osprey Publishing
S.J. Zaloga (2017) Soviet Lend-Lease Tanks Of World War II, Osprey Publishing
S. J. Zaloga (2913) Tanks Of Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45, Osprey Publishing
P. Chamberlain and C. Ellis (1977) Axis Combat Vehicles, Arco Publishing Company
B. Adam, E. Miklos, S. Gyula (2006) A Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945, Petit Real
Kingdom of Hungary (1935-1945)
Fast Tank – 60-150 Used
In their search for an armored vehicle to equip their army, the Hungarians began looking for potential suppliers who were willing to sell such equipment. The Italians, who already had a good connection with the Hungarian Army, were more than willing to sell their CV series of fast tanks. Thanks to this generous offer, the Hungarians managed to obtain some 150 fast tanks. These would see service during the small conflict with Slovakia, with some success. By the invasion of the Soviet Union in 1941 though, they were completely outdated.
The Hungarian 35M. Source: Pinterest
Context – Hungary’s Search for Tanks
After the defeat of the Central Powers during the First World War, a new Kingdom of Hungary was created. Its Army (Honved) was forbidden by the Treaty of Trianon (signed on 4th June 1920) from developing and using tanks and other armored vehicles. During the late 1920s, the Hungarian Army officials managed to acquire small numbers of armored vehicles bought from Italy and the United Kingdom. This was mainly done thanks to a mitigated ban on arms and weapons purchases, but also under the false pretext that these would be used by the police forces. These were mostly obsolete designs with limited combat value and thus were only used for training and police duties.
One of the few Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankettes purchased from the UK during the late 1920s. Source: Maďarská armáda 1919-1945
Hungarian Army officials wanted to expand their own armored forces and thus needed better equipment. Unfortunately for them, the choice of where to buy these vehicles was limited. For example, Germany was unwilling to sell their tanks, being themselves in great need of such vehicles. France and the Soviet Union, for political reasons, could not be approached, and negotiations with British weapons manufacturers led nowhere. Luckily for them, Italy was more than willing to make a business deal with the Hungarians.
In June 1934, the Hungarian Military Technical Institute tested one CV33 tankette. After the conclusion of these tests, it gave a green light for the purchase of these vehicles. Soon after that, the Hungarian Army placed an order for some 150 tankettes. These vehicles began arriving during 1935, with the last one reaching Hungary at the end of 1936.
These received numbers H-100 to H-167 and H-169 to H-251. The Italians also provided them with one CV33 (H-168) without any armament. This vehicle was used mainly for training. In addition, a flamethrower version of this fast tank (H-252) was also sent for trial. It was not adopted by the Hungarians but, for unknown reasons, the single-vehicle remained in Hungarian Army storage without being paid for.
In Hungarian service, these vehicles were known as the 35. M FIAT Ansaldo. A number of sources use different but similar variants of this, either 35M or 35 M Ansaldo. According to L. Ness (World War II Tanks), the CV33 was known as the 35 M, and the CV35 as the 37 M Ansaldo. For the sake of simplicity, this article will use the 35M designation.
The CV35
During the late twenties, the Italian Army began negotiating with the British Vickers company for the acquisition of new vehicles. After some negotiations, a Carden-Loyd Mk.VI tankette was purchased for testing and evaluation. Following the successful completion of these tests, during 1929, 25 new vehicles were ordered. In Italian service, these vehicles would be known as Carro Veloce 29 (Eng. fast tank).
Based on the CV29, the Ansaldo company began developing a new vehicle. While the prototype was completed in 1929, the Army was not impressed with it, mostly due to its weak and problematic suspension. The following year, the Italian Army requested a number of changes regarding its armor, size, and armament. Ansaldo constructed a few new prototypes with some differences in the suspension and even a tractor version, which were all presented to Italian Royal Army officials. The Army officials were satisfied with the improved prototypes and, in 1933, a production order for some 240 vehicles was placed. Next year, the first production vehicles, known as Carro Veloce 33, were ready for service. While, initially, this vehicle was equipped with one 6.5 mm FIAT-Revelli Mod. 1914 machine gun, from 1935 on, all vehicles would be rearmed with two 8 mm FIAT-Revelli Mod. 1914 machine guns.
The Italian CV35 fast tank. Source: Wiki
In 1935, a slightly improved version, named Carro Veloce Ansaldo-FIAT tipo CV35, was accepted for service. It was shorter, had a slightly redesigned superstructure, with some being constructed with bolted armor instead of rivets. In total, by 1936, some 2,800 CV fast tanks would be built. Of that number, large numbers were sold abroad, including to countries such as China, Brazil, and Bulgaria.
How many were actually acquired?
Regarding the precise numbers of CV tankettes operated by the Hungarians, the sources are somewhat contradictory and even confusing. The previously mentioned information about the year of adoption and numbers are mostly according to C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WWII). Other authors, like F. Cappellano and P. P. Battistelli (Italian light tanks 1919-45), state that the Hungarians acquired from Italy and even produced under license some 104 tankettes. Author S. J. Zaloga states that, in 1934, 30 CV33s were purchased from Italy. Additionally, 110 CV35s were acquired in 1936 and a few more in later years, reaching a total number of 151 vehicles. L. Ness mentions that, in 1934, some 25 CV33s were purchased, with many more in 1935.
Author P. Mujzer (Hungarian Armored Forces in World War II) mentions that the CV tankettes were put in use during 1935, and the last one arrived in December 1936. While the author gives a total number of 150 vehicles, in one part of the book, he is describing them as a CV33 and in another part of the same book as CV35.
Authors B. Adam, E. Miklos and S. Gyula (A Magyar Királyi Honvédség külföldi gyártású páncélos harcjárművei 1920-1945) mention that 68 CV35s were acquired in 1935 and the remaining 82 in 1936. Older and less reliable sources, like P. Chamberlain and C. Ellis (Axis Combat Vehicles), note that, between 1934 and 1938, some 60 to 70 tankettes were brought.
Initial distribution
Initial Hungarian pre-war plans stated that each armored unit should have an independent mixed unit equipped with light tanks and tankettes. As these formations were never truly formed, the 35Ms were, for some time, stored in Army warehouses. Some 15 fast tanks were used for crew training at Örkénytábor and Hajmáskér.
The 35M were often used as training vehicles, before and likely during the war. Source: Magyar páncél
During 1938, the reorganization of the Hungarian Army led to the creation of Motorized Armored Brigades. The 2nd Motorized Armored Brigade received one 35M company. The Cavalry Armored Brigades were also reinforced with a 35M company. Each 35M company was divided into three platoons. These platoons had 5 fast tanks plus one command vehicle equipped with a commander’s cupola.
Hungarian modifications
During its service life, the Hungarians implemented some modifications to their 35M vehicles. The most obvious change was the modified armament. Initially, the Italian fast tanks received were armed with one machine gun (likely a 6.5 mm FIAT-Revelli Mod. 1914). Their firepower would be increased by replacing this machine gun with two Hungarian-built 8 mm Gebauer 34AM and later 34M/37M machine guns. The installation of the new armament necessitated the modification of the machine gun mount by increasing its size. If all or just a part were modified with the new armament is not completely clear in the sources. For example, authors B. Adam, E. Miklos, and S. Gyula mention that some 45 vehicles were modified with the twin machine gun armament.
Close-up look at the Hungarian machine gun mount for the two 8 mm Gebauer 34M machine guns. Source: ftr.wot-news.comClose-up view of the twin 8 mm Gebauer 34AM machine guns. Source: Facebook group Huns on wheels
Besides the change in the machine gun mount and armament, the Hungarians added a new commander’s cupola. This cupola had a simple square shape with a hatch on the top. To see the surroundings, the commander could use 7 periscopes placed in this cupola. The armor thickness of this cupola is not listed in the sources, but was probably light. In total, some 45 cupolas were mounted on the 35Ms. These were allocated to the platoon commander vehicles.
Some 45 vehicles were equipped with a domestically developed and built commander’s cupola. Source: Huns on wheelsThe 35Ms that had the cupola were allocated as Platoon commander vehicles. Source: www.quartermastersection.com
The Hungarians had plans to equip the 35M with a fully rotating turret. This would necessitate many changes to the vehicle’s design and would lead to an increase in overall weight. As it was deemed too complicated to operate, this was abandoned with no prototypes being built.
In combat
Against Czechoslovakia
After the Munich Agreement signed in 1938, the Germans managed to take parts of Czechoslovakia. Hungary, seeing a chance to get part of its pre-Great War territories back, began negotiations with Czechoslovakia to resolve this issue. As the talks led nowhere, both sides started preparing for a possible conflict. Thanks to the support of Germany and Italy, Hungary managed to peacefully take parts of southern Slovakia and southern Ruthenia. The 35Ms were used as the vanguard for the Hungarian occupation units in these territories.
A 35M in the pre-war years. The skull marks could be seen on a number of such vehicles during this time. Source:justacarguy.blogspot.com
After this event, the relations between these two countries were on the verge of war. Small border skirmishes occurred on several occasions. In March of 1939, Czechoslovakia was completely taken over by the Germans, which created the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. Slovakia, under German pressure, declared independence from Czechoslovakia. Wanting to gain more land, Hungarian officials demanded that Slovakia give away parts of Ruthenia. Elements of the Hungarian 2nd Motorized Brigade and 2nd Cavalry Brigade began advancing toward the disputed territories on 14th March. During this advance, the 35Ms belonging to the 12th Bicycle Battalion engaged a Slovakian unit stationed at the village of Orhegyalja. The defenders’ machine gun nest was taken out by a 35M commanded by Lieutenant Tamas Frater. The 35M fast tanks also participated in the defense of the Alsohalas village against the Slovakian forces. On the 24th, 35Ms from the 15th Bicycle Battalion also saw limited action in this area. On the 25th, due to German insistence, Slovakia ceded the disputed lands to the Hungarians. During this brief war, while no 35Ms were lost in combat, many were temporarily put out of action due to mechanical breakdowns and a lack of spare parts.
The 35M during the occupation of Ruthenia. Source: www.ww2incolor.com/hungary
Transylvania 1940
Parts of Czechoslovakia were not the only ones that the Hungarian government wanted back. Transylvania was also lost after the First World War, when it was given to Romania. In 1940, the Hungarian Army began preparing for a possible war with Romania. By July, some three armies were ready, together with almost all available armor. But, in reality, the Hungarian Army was far from prepared, lacking manpower, and in the case of the 35M, some 50 or more were under repair, awaiting necessary spare parts which would not be available until October 1940. As neither side was willing to enter a hastily prepared war, negotiations began to find a possible solution. Ultimately, at the end of August, Romania asked Germany to arbitrate the issue regarding the disputed territory. Hungary managed to get the northern part of Transylvania. While moving its army to the new borders, many vehicles broke down, either due to mechanical breakdowns or due to poor roads.
Fast tanks from the 1st Reconnaissance Battalion somewhere in Transylvania. Source: http://www.kagero.pl
Yugoslavia 1941
Hungary joined the Germans during the short war against Yugoslavia in April 1941. While the German attack began on the 6th, the Hungarians launched their own attack five days later. For this operation, the Hungarian Army mobilized its Fast Corp (Gyorshadtest), which consisted of the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades, together with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. The 2nd Cavalry Brigade had three 35M companies, with 18 vehicles each. One 35M Company participated in engaging Yugoslavian defensive bunkers at Subotica. Besides that, they saw limited combat service. The whole Axis invasion ended on the 17th with the capitulation of Yugoslavia.
In the Soviet Union 1941
Initially, the Hungarians did not intend to wage war against the Soviets. But, on 26th June 1941, a group of Soviet bombers hit the town of Kassa. After this, the Hungarians retaliated with their own bombing raids toward Ukraine, at which point both countries were effectively at war. For this war, the Hungarians allocated an army formation named the Carpathian Group. It consisted of the VIII Corps and the Fast Corps. The Fast Corps was under the command of Major General Bela Miklos. It consisted of the 1st Cavalry Brigade and the 1st and 2nd Motorised Rifle Brigades. It was additionally reinforced with 3 artillery battalions, two bicycle battalions, signal and engineers battalions. The Hungarian combat operations were to start at the end of June, as there was too little time for proper mobilization. These units were understrength.
The 35Ms were allocated to the 1st Cavalry Armored Battalion, which had 36 such vehicles. These were divided into two companies (each with 18 vehicles), which were further divided into three six-vehicle strong platoons. Additionally, the 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th Bicycle Battalions each had a 35M platoon with 6 vehicles. In total, some 60 35M fast tanks were allocated for this invasion.
The Hungarians began combat operations on 30th June 1941. While the Soviet forces were already retreating, the Hungarians had trouble following them. The Soviets sabotaged or simply destroyed much of the infrastructure, which slowed the Hungarian advance. Additionally, the Hungarians were plagued by the poor mechanical reliability of their trucks, which were mostly civilian vehicles pressed into service.
On 9th July, the Carpathian Group was divided into two groups. While the VIII Corps was to remain in the rear to protect the supply lines, the Fast Corps was allocated to the German Army Group South. During their advance, the long drives and poor roads caused many mechanical breakdowns of the 35M fast tanks. On 17th July, some 30 35Ms were in desperate need of repair. The situation was so bad that the Hungarian Army had to organize additional civilian mechanics and move them to the front.
The 1st Cavalry Armored Battalion received orders to support the 2nd Motorised Rifle Brigade’s attack on the Soviet positions near Tulchin. On 27th July 1941, the Armored Battalion participated in the poorly organized Hungarian attack, which led to heavy losses. As the Armored Battalion was about to advance against the Soviet line at Gordievka, the unit’s Commander advised against such an attack, given the poor state of the surrounding ground. He was berated by his superiors and urged to begin the attack. The Armored Battalion commander allegedly replied, “Order confirmed. We are going to die”.
A 35M company began its attack on Gordievka, but due to bad road conditions, many vehicles were bogged down and unable to move. Those that were unable to move were simply shelled by the Soviet artillery. Some 35Ms had engine stalling problems, which forced their drivers to manually restart their engines. But to do so, they had to get out of the vehicle, which made them easy targets and many were killed. In this failed attack, the 1st Cavalry Armored Battalion lost 12 vehicles with their crews, including two platoon commanders. Only one platoon escaped destruction, as its commander ordered a retreat after seeing the carnage. The second 35M company also suffered losses and had only 6 operational fast tanks left.
An advancing column of 35Ms, possibly somewhere in the Soviet Union. Source: Huns on wheels
This battle alone marked the end of large-scale 35M participation on this front. To somewhat reinforce the depleted units, a group of 5 fast tanks, 14 Toldi tanks, and 9 Csaba armored cars were sent from Hungary on 27th July, but these actually arrived on 7th October.
On 6th November, the Fast Corps received orders to pull back to Hungary. Nearly all the 35Ms were lost in combat. Given their poor performance, the available fast tanks were relocated to secondary roles.
This vehicle is poorly camouflaged using hay. Source: Huns on WheelsDuring the invasion of the Soviet Union, the 35M were hopelessly outdated, with limited combat value. Given that the Hungarians lacked proper armored vehicles, something was better than nothing. Source: Magyar páncél
Back to Hungary
The Hungarian 1941 campaign in the East showed without any doubt that the 35Ms were obsolete as fighting vehicles. In 1942, the surviving 35Ms were removed from frontline service and allocated to Police and Gendarmerie forces. The Police forces received 10 35Ms and a few Csaba armored cars in 1942. The main armament of the 35M was replaced with a single 31M machine gun. These were mainly used for the security of Budapest. The fate of these vehicles is not clear in the sources, but probably lost in the defense of Budapest by the war’s end.
In 1942, the Hungarians formed a Gendarmerie Battalion located at Galanta. The main purpose of this unit was to act as an anti-riot and possibly even in anti-partisan operations in Hungary. For this reason, it was supplied with 12 35M fast tanks. These were, in desperation, used against the Soviet forces during the Battle for Budapest in 1944/45.
A parade of the Gendarmerie Battalion’s 35M tankettes during the Siege of Budapest in 1944. Source: justacarguy.blogspot.comWhile of limited combat value, it is likely that the 35M were simply abandoned in the face of overwhelming Soviet Armored forces. Source: Huns on wheels
35M Croatian service
The Independent State of Croatia was unable to acquire more armored vehicles (except a smaller number of Panzer Is and tank turrets which were mounted on trains) from Germany, despite being their puppet state. They instead turned to Hungary. In October 1942, a Croatian military delegation was sent to Hungary with the aim of reaching an agreement on the purchase of any available armored vehicle. The negotiations were successful and the Hungarians agreed to sell 10 (or up to 15) 35M fast tanks, including some 500,000 rounds of spare ammunition. In early November, these vehicles were handed over to Croatia, which used them (together with other Italian CV fast tanks) against the Partisan forces in Yugoslavia.
35M in Croatian service Source: B. B. Dumitrijević and D. Savić, Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu
Surviving vehicles
There are a few surviving 35M fast tanks today. One can be seen at the Belgrade Military Museum. While it is not completely clear, this vehicle may have been one of 10 sold to Croatia by the Hungarians. The second vehicle (H-153) is now located in the Russian museum at Kubinka. It was captured by the advancing Soviet forces at the Piliscsaba Hungarian military base.
The 35M at the Belgrade Military Museum. Source: WikiThe second vehicle is located in Kubinka in Russia. This vehicle actually has the commander’s cupola. Source: Wiki
Conclusion
During the mid-1930s, the Hungarian Army, due to a lack of better available vehicles, purchased over 100 Italian light fast tanks. Unfortunately for them, these were fairly obsolete as fighting vehicles even before the start of the war, as they lacked a turret, sufficient armor protection, and were weakly armed. These fast tanks helped with crew training and saw limited combat service in the pre-war skirmishes with Hungary’s neighbors. By 1941, when these were used against an enemy like the Soviet Union, which had plenty of tanks and anti-tank guns, the 35M was quickly shown to be completely useless in such a situation. It was not a surprise that the Hungarians relocated the surviving vehicles to secondary roles after 1941.
Hungarian 35M fast tank35M from the Gendarmerie BattalionSome 45 35M were equipped with a domestically developed and built commander’s cupola
35M specifications
Dimensions (L-w-h)
3.15 x 1.5 x 1.3 m
Total weight, battle-ready
3.2 tonnes
Crew
2 (Commander/Gunner, Driver.)
Propulsion
SPA CV3-005 43 hp @ 2,400 rpm
Speed (off road)
42 km/h, 15 km/h
Range
150 km
Armament
Two 8 mm Gebauer 34AM
Armor
6-15 mm
Number Operated
60 to 150
Source
D. Nešić, (2008) Naoružanje Drugog Svetsko Rata-Italija, Beograd.
Kingdom of Hungary (1941-1945)
Medium Tank – 285 Built
In the later part of the interwar period, the Kingdom of Hungary was seeking to improve its lightly armored motorized units. Domestically, Hungary did not have any tank designs available, outside of the lightly armored amphibious V-4 design. This lack of heavier domestic designs led the Hungarian leaders to search for vehicles to import or produce under license from other countries. This search would find its end in Czechoslovakia and lead the Hungarians to the production of the 40M Turán I and its later derivatives. While the design of this tank proved to be lacking in many regards, its production was a real testament to the power of the inexperienced Hungarian heavy industry.
Development History
The use of tanks throughout Europe in the early stages of the Second World War led the Hungarian military leaders to search for tanks to arm the Royal Hungarian Army (Magyar Királyi Honvédség) with that were more modern than the currently held mix including Carden-Lloyd Mk IV tankettes, 35M Ansaldo tankettes, Stridsvagn m/21-29 light tanks, and FIAT 3000B light tanks. First, a light tank was sought and found in the form of the 38M Toldi I, a modified version of the Stridsvagn L-60 manufactured under license in Hungary. This tank was successful in its early use, but it was clear that a heavier tank would be needed for the future. As such, Hungary looked for a suitable medium tank for the army.
Before looking for designs that could be produced under license, domestic designs were sought. Unfortunately for the Royal Hungarian Army, the only domestic design of the time was the V-4 light tank designed by the engineer Nicholas Struassler (Straussler Miklós), an influential armored car designer and future inventor of the flotation screen. This design was well-armed enough for the role, as it used the same 4 cm gun that would be mounted in the 40M Turán I, but its suspension was unsatisfactory, its drivetrain complex, its climbing ability hampered by the hull’s shape, its center of gravity high, and its turret lacked a machine gun. As such, the Hungarians turned their attention outwards. In 1938, Hungary looked towards their economic partners, Italy and Germany, for licenses to produce their vehicles. Both countries needed their vehicles to fight the Allied powers. Germany’s Panzers were being sold for much more than the Hungarians could afford, whilst Italy’s M11/39 was inadequate to meet Hungarian standards and the M13/40 was not delivered to Hungary until after the HTI had purchased the license for a Czech design. Hungary also reached out to Sweden’s Landsverk AB to negotiate the license for the Lago (sometimes written LAGO), a development upon the L-60. This development was delayed and negotiations ended in August of 1940.
During relatively minor border skirmishes with Slovakia in 1939 following the Arbitration of Vienna, the Royal Hungarian Army had captured and repaired two damaged Škoda LT vz. 35s and were impressed by their design. In the spring of 1940, representatives from Škoda approached the Hungarian Ministry of Defense about selling the Hungarians military equipment. In April, a Hungarian delegation was sent to Pilsen to discuss purchasing Škoda’s designs with its director, Vaclav Fiegleb. The representatives were presented with several designs including the LT vz. 35, the T-21 (a development upon the LT vz. 35 originally known as the Š-II-c) and the ST. vz 39 (originally known as the ČKD V-8-H). While ČKD had originally designed the ST. vz 39, Škoda armed the vehicles and had been responsible for manufacturing 205 tanks to fulfill part of a planned order from the Czechoslovak Army which was never delivered due to the German annexation of the country. With the planned order canceled but the manufacturers prepared for production, ČKD allowed the design to be marketed for export and the army officially gave it the ST vz. 39 designation to improve the marketability of the vehicle in exchange for 5% of proceeds from sales. The ST vz. 39 was marketed to countries across Europe and Asia, but little is written regarding Hungary’s interest in the vehicle.
Negotiations to license the design of the T-21 to the Kingdom of Hungary and other countries continued. It is sometimes noted that the Turán was developed from further development of the T-21 called the T-22, but this is incorrect. The T-22 prototype was built from the T-21 at the request of the Wehrmacht in 1940, but the T-21, not the T-22, was the vehicle being demonstrated to Hungary, Romania, and Italy between 1939 and 1941.
In May 1940, a T-21 prototype was demonstrated in Pilsen to a Hungarian commission. The following June and July, two T-21 prototypes were demonstrated and tested by the Hungarians and, in August 1940, an agreement for Hungary to purchase production rights of the prototype was reached with the condition that the Hungarian and Czech engineering teams would shared development information with one another. The Hungarian version was called the 40M Turán medium tank, named after the Asiatic homeland of the Magyar people in Hungarian legend. Later, the Roman numeral I would be added to the end of the name to differentiate the 40M Turán from the later 41M Turán II. These vehicle names were later changed to 40M Turán 40 and 41M Turán 75 (due to their respective main guns’ calibers), but these designations are infrequently used.
An LT vz. 35 captured from Slovakia by Hungarian forces. Source: Csaba Becze Collection, published in Magyar Steel by Csaba BeczeA T-21 prototype. Source: Československa Obrnena Vozidla 1918-1948 by Vladimír Francev & Charles K. KlimentThe final version of the V-8-H prototype during winter testing in either 1938 or 1939. Source: Československa Obrnena Vozidla 1918-1948 by Vladimír Francev & Charles K. Kliment
Interestingly, the development of the T-21 in Czechoslovakia and Hungary did not stop when the agreement was reached. Instead, both countries agreed to share information while developing the designs in parallel with one another. From the trials and demonstrations of the vehicle, it was decided that the vehicle was a good and reasonably reliable design when crewed by trained men, but that several modifications would be needed before it could see service in the Royal Hungarian Army. Most distinctly, the original two-man turret was replaced with a similarly shaped, but larger three-man design.
Next, the main gun was changed from the original Czech 47 mm A11 to the 40 mm 41M L/51 gun, a Hungarian modification to the A11 produced by MÁVAG (the Hungarian Royal State Railroads’ Machine Factory) that used the same 40 mm ammunition as the Nimród, Toldi IIa, and V-4 . Due to the changes to the main gun, its mount was also modified to handle the new weapon. The machine guns were also changed to Gebauer 8 mm 34/40M machine guns from the Czech Brno ZB30 machine gun originally found on the T-21.
The original engine was replaced with a V8 Z series engine produced by the Weiss Manfréd Steel and Metal Works (commonly called Manfred Weiss in English sources) produced in Csepel, Hungary. Weiss Manfréd was the largest manufacturing power in Hungary at this time. The suspension of the Turán remained predominantly unchanged from the T-21, but the wheel below the front idler and raised off the ground was rimmed with aluminum rather than rubber, as on the T-21. A Hungarian R/5a radio was installed in the turret for communication and the rest of the electronics system were changed from Scintall to Bosch designs. All of these changes would take a year to complete and the final prototype was finished on July 8th, 1941.
T-21 prototype undergoing testing before a small crowd of spectators. Source: http://forum.worldoftanks.com/index.php?/topic/494174-the-chieftains-hatch-turan-iii-prototype
Early Production and Delays
After the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1918, Hungary was left in a very poor position. Two-thirds of the country lacked electricity and over 1,000,000 adults were illiterate in 1941. However, most importantly for tank production, Hungary had lost most of its industry. The Austro-Hungarian industry had been focused outside of the land that Hungary was apportioned under the Trianon Treaty at the closing of World War One. By the 1930s, the existing industrial sector had developed within Hungary, but its size limited its armored vehicle production capability. Most of the industrial power was focused within Budapest, which was not an issue during peacetime, but proved problematic when bombing campaigns were held to weaken the industrial strength of the Axis Powers and when the Red Army captured the city. On top of this, the country was left in poverty and the Pengő, the Hungarian currency, was hyperinflated during the global economic crisis that followed the First World War.
The Manfréd Weiss metalworks in 1901. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Weiss_Manfred_1901.jpg
The initial stages of production were found to be very problematic and the production of the first Turáns was seriously delayed. Initially, the Hungarians had to develop a technique to produce thick armor. The industry had previously never made armor thicker than 13 mm and lacked many alloying metals, especially vanadium and nickel. A steelworks Diosgyor was able to develop Mester-type steel that was roughly as effective as the standard armor plating the Hungarians were using but without using rare nickel in its alloy. Furthermore, this steel was able to be produced in thicknesses greater than 13 mm but oddly was difficult to produce in thicknesses under 20 mm. The steelworkers at Rába were able to solve this problem with another kind of steel referred to as improved AJAX armor. This steel was as strong as the Mester type but could be made at any thickness. Both armors were hard and offered good protection to impacts but were brittle and had tendencies to spall when penetrated. It is unclear whether the AJAX armor was used in the Turán, but the Mester type was. The next delay to production came when Škoda discovered a new design for cylinder heads that greatly improved the performance of the engine. The Hungarians adopted this technology, but, in doing so, were forced to discard the engine castings they had already made and installed in some early production vehicles.
Testing started on July 22nd, 1941, and immediately showed severe engine problems. The tests were stopped very quickly while these engine issues were resolved. The repairs took until late September. In October, testing recommenced. Between October and December, the Turán prototype had covered 6,000 km in the mountains at the direction of Colonel Tchaikovsky Emanuel. These tests highlighted another glaring issue with the design: the cooling system of the engine was far too weak to keep the engine at a safe operating temperature unless operating in extreme cold. Other mechanical issues found included that the pneumatic system’s pipes were prone to clogging and that the vehicle was prone to becoming stuck in the mud. Lastly, operator error was found to be a large problem while using the double clutch of the transmission. Erno Kovacshazy, the head engineer within the HTI, led the engineering team that resolved these mechanical issues with nearly 40 modifications made to the vehicle.
These changes were finalized by March 1942. Two months later, in May, the original Turán had traveled over 10,000 km. In June, Weiss Manfréd delivered the first four Turáns with the new cooling system for crew training. It was expected that new problems would be found during the training, but no major mechanical issues were found. As in the testing, the clutches continued to prove difficult for the drivers to use, but little could be done to rectify the issue other than continue training. As the Turán was the most complex tank in Hungarian service, these growing pains were simply par for the course. Around this time, the frontal armor was increased to 50 mm. This increased the weight to 18.2 tonnes and was compensated for with some final changes to the engine to allow the production of 260 hp.
Final Design
Layout
The layout of the 40M Turán was normal by the standards of the time. The rear of the hull contained the engine and transmission of the tank, while the front housed the fighting compartment. The engine compartment was also able to house the main fuel tanks and radiators due to the narrowness of the engine. The outside of the engine compartment was home to multiple intake grilles to cool the engine and several important mounting points.
On the sides of the engine compartment were mounting locations for pioneering tools and tow cables, while the rear housed 2 spare road wheels and 5 smoke grenades. When used properly, these grenades could create a smokescreen 20 m long, 40 m wide, and 80 m tall.
The fighting compartment was separated from the engine compartment by an 8 mm bulkhead and an auxiliary fuel tank. The front of the fighting compartment held two of the five crewmen of the tank, with the driver sitting on the right side, in front of a complex array of levers and pedals, with the secondary driver/machine gunner sitting to his left. The other crewmen, the gunner, loader, and commander, were found in the 3-man turret. The gunner would take the left side, with the loader to his right and the commander behind both of them, under the cupola towards the rear. Each crewmember had his own periscope through which to view the outside. The turret had four lifting hooks mounted on towards the outer corners, from which the turret could be removed from the tank. Ammunition, a medical kit, and an R5/A radio were all kept in the turret, although some ammunition was also stored in the hull. The top of the turret included a small hole, similar to a pistol port, through which signal flags could be flown. Antennas for radio communication could be found on the hull next to the driver’s position and the rear of the turret.
A photo showing the roof of the 40M Turán I. Source: https://www.themodellingnews.com/2017/03/the-medium-40m-turan-i-gets-all-out-of.html
Propulsion
The 40M was powered by a 260 hp Manfréd Weiss Z engine. These 14.866-liter gasoline V8s were made very compact to allow for a larger fuel tank by changing the angle from the standard 90° to only 45°. In doing so, the firing of the pistons was different compared to most other V8s, but this directly affected only the engine’s sound and not its performance. The water-cooled cast-iron engine was fairly efficient for the time and only consumed 260 gr/hp of gasoline and 3 kg of oil per 100 km traveled. With a total fuel capacity of 265 liters, this amounted to a range of 165 kilometers and about 5 hours of operation. The engines used 2 Bosch ignition magnetos designed for 4-cylinder engines – one on each cylinder block – and used battery ignition to ensure safe operation. In extremely cold weather (below -20° C), the electric starting equipment would not operate, so a hand crank could also be used to start the engine. More redundancy was also found in the cylinders which each housed two spark plugs. As before, this was to ensure safe operation, but it also improved performance slightly. Unsurprisingly, the narrower angle also caused some problems for the engineers, primarily sharp turns in pipes that increased flow losses. Additionally, some of the larger engine components became difficult to install on the engine because of the confined space.
The engine was coupled to a pneumatic clutch with 6 forward and reverse gears. These speeds were achieved using two sets of planetary gears. Due to these mechanisms, the clutch only needed to be used to shift into first gear while starting and while changing from third into fourth gear while driving. One interesting advantage of this transmission system was that it could shift under load. When tested in 1942, the 40M Turán was found to be better suited to hilly terrain than the Panzerkampfwagen IV Ausf. F1 due to its ability to change gear while climbing hills.
Running Gear
Given that the Turán was a development upon the T-21 that was a development upon the LT vz. 35 itself, it is no surprise that the Turán’s running gear is quite similar to that found on the LT vz. 35. The Turán’s suspension consisted of two bogies connected to one another via a long bar on each side of the vehicle. Each bogie used a 15-sheet leaf spring to support 2 pivot arms that each held a half-bogie. Each half-bogie held 2 pairs of rubber-rimmed road wheels. This amounted to 16 individual road wheels per side of the vehicle. Like its Czech cousins, the Turán also had a pair of wheels, almost the same size as the road wheels, raised off the ground in front of the main suspension assembly to assist in tensioning the track and climbing steep or vertical obstacles. Interestingly, this wheel was rimmed with aluminum rather than rubber and several sources even claim it was sprung. Above and in front of these wheels was the idler sprocket. Most vehicles use a wheel rather than a sprocket for the idler, but the teeth of the sprocket can assist in keeping the treads on the running gear. Behind this sprocket, in a line towards the drive sprocket, were 5 return rollers. Behind the fifth roller and immediately in front of the drive sprocket was a small scoop of sorts that aimed to keep mud from becoming caught in the drive sprocket. All of this running gear was fitted with 106 or 107 individual links to carry the tank. Each link was 42 cm wide and applied a pressure of 0.59 kg per square cm on the ground.
Armor
The tank’s armor was made of steel plates riveted to a thinner frame inside the tank. The thickest armor, found on the front of the tank, was 50 mm thick and was made by riveting two thinner plates together. The outer plate was usually 35 mm thick, although some may have been made of paired 25 mm plates. The only parts of the vehicle to have this sort of armor were the nearly vertical plate at the front of the fighting compartment and the turret. The sides and rear of the hull and turret had armor 25 mm thick and the floor and roof of the vehicle had armor only 13 mm thick. By the standards of the time, the Turán was not very well armored, but this was not surprising for an impoverished country lacking proper industrial capacity.
In 1944, all Turán tanks were outfitted with side skirts (referred to as ‘aprons’ in some sources) of spaced armor similar to German Schürzen. These spaced armor skirts were 5 and 8 mm thick pierced steel sheets mounted at 250 mm from the vehicle meant to protect the vehicle from anti-tank rifles, such as the Soviet PTRS and PTRD. They could be easily installed in the field and kits were sent to crews to allow for installation without the need to recall all of the Turáns. There were four pieces to be placed on each side of the hull and two to be placed on each side of the turret. One additional plate was placed on the rear of the turret and two on each side of the cupola. The skirts added 1 tonne to the overall weight of the vehicle.
Armor and internal schematic of the 40M. Note the tilted engine. Source: Танки Хонвндшега by М. Барятинский
Armament
The Turán’s main gun was a 40 mm L/51 41M tank gun. This gun had a muzzle velocity of 812 m/s and was supplied with 101 rounds of ammunition that could also be used by the Nimród tank destroyer/SPAAG and later models of the Toldi light tank. These were 36M armor-piercing and high explosive rounds as well as the 42M Kerngranate rounds, a rocket-propelled grenade that fit over the end of the barrel like a large rifle grenade. No photos seem to exist showing a Kerngranate used by a Turán, so it is possible that no Turáns actually used it. At a range of 100 m and an angle of 60°, the Turán was able to penetrate 46 mm and this dropped to 30 mm at 1,000 m. This put the performance of the gun as slightly worse than that of a Panzer III Ausf. H. For protection against infantry and unarmored vehicles, the Turán was also armed with two 8 mm 34/40M machine guns with 3,000 rounds of ammunition stored in 30 belts of 100 rounds.
A drawing of the 41M tank gun that armed the Turán. Source: Harckocsik 1916-tól napjainkig by Bombay, Gyarmati & Turcsányi
Serial Production
Serial production of the 40M Turán was divided between four of Hungary’s largest industrial powers, Manfréd Weiss, MÁVAG, Ganz Works and Rába (referred to as MVG or Magyar Vagon in some sources), shortly after what was believed to be the finalization of the prototype. These Hungarian metalworks, automotive manufacturers, and rail manufacturers were given an order in September or October of 1941 for 190 vehicles. The order would be increased to 230 vehicles during production delays and was to be divided between the manufacturers in such a way that 70 were to be produced by Manfréd Weiss, 70 by Rába, 50 by Ganz, and 40 by MÁVAG. Ganz and MÁVAG were given a later deadline and smaller production targets for the Turán, as they were in the middle of Toldi production. In 1942, an additional 215 Turáns were ordered as part of the Huba III plan, but this order was lowered to just 125 vehicles. This smaller order was further decreased to only the 55 that were produced due to shifting priority towards Turán-based Zrinyi assault guns and Turán IIs, as laid out in the Szabolcz Plan.
In total, 285 were produced. The first delivery to Hungarian soldiers took place in 1942, a full year after production was to have begun and at least four years after initially seeking a medium tank. Sources vary as to the exact number of vehicles delivered and when, but it is usually concluded that somewhat less than 250 were delivered in 1942 and other deliveries in 1943 and 1944 amounted to somewhat less than 50 vehicles. Sources also disagree as to whether any 40M Turáns were still actually being delivered in 1944.
Registration numbers were painted onto the front of the hulls of the produced Turán I tanks with a small Hungarian tricolor crest between the H and the following three numbers. Numbers H-801 and H-802 were both used for prototype vehicles while the serially produced Turán Is were assigned H-808 – H-871 before later switching to the 1H series of registration numbers for vehicles 1H-001 – 1H-086 and 1H-201 – 1H-248. Note that these numbers add up to only 200 vehicles produced. It is unclear what other registration numbers were used for other vehicles.
Despite how the disorganized development process of the Turán looks in comparison to other countries of the time, it is not actually as poor a performance as it may appear at first glance. Hungary was an impoverished country recovering from a devastating war when it became entangled in a new unwinnable war. With a weak industry crippled by a global economic depression and virtually no tank production experience, several respectable tank designs were modified, tested, and manufactured domestically.
Service
The first 12 serially produced Turáns were used in training at the Armored Forces School in May 1942. Further produced vehicles were sent to the 1st Tank Regiment until Hungary possessed roughly 30 40M Turáns. Over the summer, it was found that the tanks’ transmissions needed further refinement, so every Turán was sent back to the manufacturers to resolve these issues. Units that had been slated for combat in the Eastern Front were given imported vehicles as stand-ins.
In Autumn 1942, the Royal Hungarian Army underwent restructuring and the old tank regiments were reorganized into the 1st Armored Corps. This corps contained the 1st Armored Division formed from the 1st Tank Regiment and had battalions in Esztergom, Rétság, and Jászberény. The 2nd Armored Division was formed from the 3rd Tank Regiment and had battalions in Kecskemét, Cegléd, and Kiskunhalas. These divisions received the majority of the Turán Is, although some were also given to the 1st Cavalry Division in Senta (Zente).
A 40M Turán I of the 2nd Armored Division during the first use of Turáns in combat in April of 1944. Note that the national cross above the central return roller is smeared out with mud. Source: Tanks of Hitler’s Eastern Allies by Steven J. Zaloga
During the Turán I’s lengthy development, it was noted that it would be unsuited to modern combat, so a 75 mm armed version called the 41M Turán II was developed. Due to the lengthy development, these vehicles both began serving in combat at the same time. On April 17th, 1944, Turáns saw combat for the first time in eastern Galicia with the 2nd Armored Division. Perhaps to confuse the Soviets, the Hungarian vehicles had their markings smeared with mud to make them difficult to identify. However, the large national cross painted upon the rear of the hull was left unobscured to allow for identification by friendly aircraft. This group launched a counterattack on a small grouping of Soviet T-34s in a wooded area with several streams rushing from the snowmelt. During this battle, roughly 30 Turán tanks of both the 40 mm 40M and 75 mm 41M types were lost, but only 2 T-34/85s were destroyed and both by 41M Turán IIs. This amounted to a considerable loss as the lost Turáns made up roughly 30% of the tanks being fielded by the 2nd Armored Division. However, the remaining tanks went on to capture the towns of Nadvirna (Nadwórna) and Deliatyn (Deliatin). From early June through mid-July, the 1st Cavalry Division was fighting Soviet defenders along a line from Luninets (Luninec) to Brest and suffered heavy material losses. The following September, the 2nd Armored Division used their Turáns in their capturing of Turda (Torda). In Autumn, the 1st Armored Division’s 124 Turáns were engaged near Arad, Debrecen, and Nyíregyháza and, as with the divisions, many vehicles were lost. A small number of Turáns saw continued service throughout the remainder of the war, even surviving the long battle for Budapest, but nearly all vehicles not destroyed in combat were destroyed by their crews near Bratislava, Slovakia following the Soviet capture of Budapest.
Yugoslav partisans photographed in and on a Turán I they captured in 1944. This tank most likely belonged to the 1st Cavalry Division that was stationed in Senta. Note that the turret is facing the rear. Source: Oklopne Jedinice na Jugoslovenskom Ratištu 1941-1945 by Bojan B. Dumitrijević and Dragan Savić
The conclusion of the crews using these vehicles was that the gun was simply too weak to perform any valuable anti-tank role against the T-34/85. While the capabilities of this tank were subpar for the time, some Germans who were fighting alongside the Hungarians, like Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model, did note that the Hungarians fought bravely and performed better than was to be expected.
At least one Turán, likely from the 1st Cavalry Division, was captured by Yugoslav partisans in Senta during 1944. Whether this tank was later used by the Partisans and virtually all other details are unknown.
At least one Turán I and one Turán II were brought to Kubinka’s tank proving grounds. The only known Turán II now can be found on display in the Kubinka Tank Museum, but it is unknown if the Turán I still exists hidden in storage. Outside of that unlikely possibility, all other Turán I tanks are believed to have been destroyed in combat or scrap heaps.
A 40M Turán I somewhere on the Eastern Front, likely April 1944. Note that, all the markings save the large national cross next to the ventilation grille are smeared with mud. Source: Hungarians on the Eastern Front (1942-1943)
Variants
41M Turán II Heavy Tank
Before the Turán I entered service, it was clear that the main armament of the tank would need to be improved in order for the vehicle to stand any chance in combat against a modern tank. As such, work was done to replace the feeble 40 mm gun with a larger 75 mm gun. The gun selected was the 75 mm 41M L/25 gun produced by MÁVAG, based upon the Bohler 76.5 mm 18M field gun. This larger gun greatly crowded the already cramped turret and led to a new and larger turret being used on the Turán II. By the standards of virtually every other country involved in World War Two, this vehicle would have been classified as a medium tank at the heaviest, but it was not in Hungary due to the lack of any heavier armor and a tank rating system based on caliber.
Two Turán II heavy tanks. Note the larger turret and gun and the different material used on the rim of the lower idler wheel. Source: https://forum.warthunder.com/index.php?/topic/252288-magyar-harckocsik-a-ii-vil%C3%A1gh%C3%A1bor%C3%BAban/
44M Zrinyi I and 43M Zrinyi II Assault Guns
The Zrinyi Assault guns were designs similar to the German StuG III. These designs took a widened Turán hull and fixed a low casemate to it in place of a turret and superstructure. This casemate housed a gun too large to easily fit within a turret, but also suffered the disadvantages inherent to lacking a turret. The 44M Zrinyi I was to be armed with a long-barreled 75 mm 43M anti-tank gun developed by MÁVAG, while the 43M Zrinyi II was armed with MÁVAG’s 105 mm 40/43M howitzer. Due to difficulties surrounding the 75 mm gun, only the Zrinyi II was produced, but it was found to be a capable assault gun and led to later Hungarian efforts to place a powerful gun into a turreted vehicle. The name Zrinyi comes from Miklós IV Zrinyi (also called Nikola IV Zrinski), a Hungarian and Croatian military leader and legendary hero who died fighting in the Siege of Szigetvár against the invading Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent in 1566.
The 44M Zrinyi I prototype (front) and a 43M Zrinyi II assault gun (back). Source: http://ftr.wot-news.com/2014/02/17/4043m-zrinyi-ii-and-44m-zrinyi-i-assault-guns/
Training Vehicle
January 1943 saw the HTI propose the creation of purpose-built vehicles meant to train crews on driving the Turán family of vehicles. With a planned 5 per battalion, these tanks would have been left turretless with a tarp covering the turret ring and made from iron rather than the notably more expensive hardened steels used for the armor of the vehicle. This vehicle never made it off paper and no drawings appear to exist.
Recovery Vehicle
Dealing with disabled vehicles led the tank crews to request a recovery vehicle with a crane to help the repair squadrons perform maintenance in the field and recover disabled vehicles. Participants of a manufacturers’ conference (likely including military representatives) in January of 1943 agreed with the crews and put together a plan for a Turán with a 6-tonne lifting capacity crane, a winch, and other towing tools. Despite the broad support for the creation of such a vehicle, this vehicle also never made it off paper and no drawings appear exist.
Conclusion
Had the 40M Turán I entered service in the 1930s, it would likely have proven to be a capable design; however, this was not the case. Time lost negotiating with the non-cooperative Italians and Germans and severe production delays led to a very late introduction of the tank in 1944. Once in service, the age of the design showed, and it developed a poor but honest reputation as the lackluster tank that it was. Despite its flaws, it played an important role in the development of other Hungarian tanks and the Hungarian heavy industry.
Gallery
A 40M Turán during testing prior to 1942. Note the colorful pre-1942 emblem of the Royal Hungarian Army is painted on its turret.A 40M Turán of the 1st Cavalry Division in Senta before its capture by Yugoslavian Partisans in 1944.A 40M Turán with the spaced armor skirts.A 40M Turán that was equipped with spaced armor skirts in the field.A 40M Turán as seen in the photo on the cover of Erdély A Hadak Útján by Péter Illésfalvi, Péter Szabó and Norbert Számvéber. Note the Gyorshadtest (Mobile Corps) emblem on the turret.A 40M Turán that has been whitewashed for winter fighting in the Soviet Union
40M Turán I specifications
Dimensions (L-W-H)
5.50m x 2.44 m x 2.30 m
Total weight, battle-ready
18.2 tonnes
Crew
5
Propulsion
260 HP Z-series V8 Manfréd Weiss engine (14.3 HP/tonne)
Top road speed
47.2 km/h
Max. Road Range
165 km
Armament
1x 40 mm 41M L/51 gun, 101 rounds
2x 8 mm 34/40M machine gun, 3,000 rounds
In an attempt to replace their ineffective tankettes, the Hungarian Army obtained a licence from Sweden for the production of the L-60 light tank, which would be known in Hungary as the Toldi. From April 1940 to December 1942, just under 200 Toldi light tanks would be locally produced by the Hungarian firms MAVAG and Ganz. While having weak armor protection and firepower, the Toldi light tanks would represent the backbone of Hungarian armor up to the end of 1941.
Toldi light tank. Source: Pinterest
Context and Development
After the First World War, the Hungarian Army (Honved) was forbidden by the Treaty of Trianon from developing and using tanks. This prohibition did not prevent Hungarians from acquiring armored vehicles from abroad in the thirties. During the mid-1930s, the Hungarian Army had purchased over 100 Italian light tankettes for its armored forces. These tankettes were fairly obsolete as fighting vehicles even before the start of the war, as they lacked a turret, sufficient armor protection and were weakly armed, with only two machine guns.
In 1936, the Hungarian Army made attempts to find more modern types of tanks, to, if not replace, at least supplement the tankettes with more firepower. A few countries, like Italy, Germany and Sweden, were approached for this reason. Eventually, Hungary managed to acquire a single Swedish L-60 light tank (with the serial number H-004) in 1937 (or 1936, depending on the source). Once the Swedish vehicle actually arrived (according to some sources it was built in Hungary), test trials were conducted from mid-June to 1st July 1938 at the Haymasker and Varpalota proving grounds. After these tests were completed, the Hungarian General Garandy Novak, satisfied with its performance, gave a preliminary suggestion for production of some 64 vehicles. These were to be allocated to the two mechanized and two cavalry brigades. A piece of interesting information worth mentioning here is that, during these trials, a Hungarian V-4 was also tested. After comparing the performance of these two vehicles, the V-4 was not adopted for service.
The single Swedish L-60 light tank being field-tested in Hungary. Source: G. Finizio (Hungarian Armor, Wheels and Tracks)
Following successful negotiations with Sweden, Hungary managed to obtain a licence for the production of this vehicle. At a meeting of the Hungarian War Ministry held on 2nd September 1938, it was decided to start production of this vehicle with some modifications, mostly regarding its armament. A first production order of 80 vehicles was awarded to MAVAG and Ganz.
After observing the lighting-fast German success on the Western Front in May 1940, the Hungarian Army was well impressed and saw that the use of highly mobile motorized units was the future of modern warfare. With the future expansion of their armored force in mind, there was a general demand for more Toldi tanks. For this reason, another order for 110 new vehicles was placed in 1940. The second production series vehicles were simply marked as Toldi II. While, in some sources, it is noted that the Toldi II was better protected, this is false, as, in reality, the only difference was the use of domestically built parts along with some small changes to the suspension. Besides these, the two vehicle types were, in essence, one of the same.
The Name
This vehicle was named 38M Toldi. In some sources, it is also known as 38M Toldi Konnyii Harckocsi, which stands for light tank. Toldi was actually the name of a Hungarian medieval warrior. The second production series received the simpler Toldi II designation. With the later Toldi IIA being armed with a 40 mm gun, the Toldi I and II received the additional A20 and B20 designations in 1944, which stand for the 20 mm main weapon.
Production of the Toldi I and II
Production of the Toldi I light tank was carried out by the MAVAG and Ganz companies. Almost from the start, there were difficulties with the production, as the Hungarians lacked the experience and production capabilities. Another issue was the need to import some parts from Germany and Sweden, which were essential for the completion of these vehicles (like the Büssing engine, for example). The production order was divided between MAVAG and Ganz, with each company receiving contracts for producing 40 vehicles. The production run lasted from April 1940 (or March, depending on the source) to May 1941. The first 80 vehicles built received the H-301 to H-380 registration numbers.
Once the first series of 80 vehicles was completed, MAVAG was able to locally produce the needed engine. To help speed up the production, the transmission was built by Ganz and the rubber wheel rims by Ruggzantaarngyar. Thus, it was possible to complete the second Toldi II series with Hungarian made parts, which was important, as it was impossible, due to the war, to obtain additional parts from aboard. The Toldi II vehicles had registration numbers ranging from H-281 to H-490. The vehicles that had the registration numbers from H-381 to H-422 were built by Mavag and H-424 to H-490 by Ganz. The second production run lasted from May 1941 to December 1942.
Author A. T. Jones (Armored Warfare and Hitler’s Allies 1941-1945) mentions that only 120 were built. This is highly unlikely, as the majority of sources stated that 190 in total were built.
Technical characteristics
Hull and the turret
The Toldi hull had a standard layout, which consisted of the forward-mounted transmission, the central crew compartment, and the rear engine compartment. On top of this hull, an armored superstructure that narrowed as it went toward the engine compartment was placed. On the vehicle’s left front side, the fully protected driver position was located. The driver was provided with an escape hatch on top of it. For observing the surroundings, a front and a left side observation port were installed. On the front upper glacis, a headlight was placed inside a protecting housing, with a grill door that could be lowered or closed depending on the need.
The Toldi turret had two single-piece crew hatches located on each side. Additionally, on each side, two observation ports without visor slits were installed. On top of the turret, a command cupola with a large one-piece hatch was placed.
A good view off the Toldi’s front side. Just above the large hull painted cross marking is the protected driver position. Source: Magyar Pancel
Dimensions of this vehicle are different depending on the source. While most sources agree about its length of 4.75 m, the situation with width and height is different. Depending on the source, the width goes from 2.05 m to 2.14 and the height from 1.87 to 2.14 m. Regarding the height, some sources may take into account the extended round-shaped antenna.
Armament
When the Toldi was adopted for service with the Hungarian Army, the 20 mm 36M anti-tank rifle was chosen as its main armament. The 20 mm 36M was, in fact, a Solothurn S 18-100 anti-tank rifle. This was done primarily for logistical reasons, as this weapon was already domestically produced under license and, thus, spare parts and ammunition were available in sufficient numbers. The 36M anti-tank rifle had a rate of fire ranging from 15 to 20 rounds per minute. The armor penetration with the 36M anti-tank rifle (at 60°) at ranges of 600 m was only 10 mm. The Hungarians briefly considered using 3.7 or 4 cm caliber guns, but, as this would lead to redesigning the turret, it was not adopted for the production. The ammunition load varies depending on the source. G. Finizio (Hungarian Armor, Wheels and Tracks) suggests a very low estimate of 52 rounds, whilst, one the other hand, P. Chamberlain and C. Ellis (Axis Combat Vehicles, Arco Publishing Company) proposed the number of rounds as 208. It is possible that the 52 rounds figure is wrongly attributed to the Toldi I and II and instead it refers to the later 4 cm gun used on the Toldi IIA vehicles.
Secondary armament consisted of one 8 mm Gebauer 34/37 machine gun. This machine gun could be dismounted and used in an anti-aircraft role. Inside the tank, some 2,400 rounds of ammunition for the machine gun were carried.
Close up view of the Toldi’s anti-tank rifle and the machine gun. This picture was taken during the April War in 1941. Source: Bojan B. Dumitrijević and Dragan Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištuA license production version of the Solothurn S 18-100 was chosen as the Toldi’s main weapon. Source: Wiki
Armor protection
The Toldi was lightly protected. The hull front and side armor were only 13 mm thick. The top, bottom and rear armor was even thinner, at 6 mm. The turret was similar, with the front and side armor being 13 mm thick and the rear and top only 6 mm. As this armor was clearly insufficient, it could be easily pierced even by Soviet anti-tank rifles. In an attempt to increase the protection against these anti-tank rifles, one vehicle, with serial number H-423, was used to test German side armor skirts. While some Toldis would receive this armor, it was employed more on the larger Turan tanks.
Due to the low armor thickness, the Toldi could be easily destroyed by any type of anti-tank weapons, including anti-tank rifles. Source: C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II)In order to increase protection from Soviet anti-tank rifles, some Toldis (note this is a picture of a later Toldi IIA) were equipped with German-inspired side skirt armor. Source: hungarianweaponryww2.wixsite.com
Engine
The Toldi was powered by a German-built Büssing NAG L8V 160 hp @2200, eight-cylinder petrol engine. With a weight of some 8.5 (or 8.7 depending on the source) tonnes, the Toldi was capable of achieving a top speed of 50 km/h. While this was certainly impressive speed for its time, the engine proved to be problematic for these vehicles and needed constant maintenance and repair. With a fuel load of 253 liters, the operational range was around 220 km. While, initially, this engine had to be imported, from 1941, the Hungarian manufacturers were able to locally produce it.
A good view of the Toldi rear engine deck. Source: Pinterest
Suspension
There were initially no changes to the construction of the suspension and the transmission compared to the Swedish model. The suspension used a torsion bar system. It consisted (per side) of one front drive sprocket, one rear idler, four larger road wheels and two return rollers. While this suspension did the job, it did not provide a gentle ride. The second Toldi production run used mostly domestically built suspension parts, which were noted to be of somewhat better quality than those originally used.
The Toldi’s suspension used torsion bars, which were easy to maintain, but the Hungarians were not completely satisfied with the performance. The Toldi II series received some minor modifications to the suspension.
Crew members
The Toldi I and II had a crew that consisted of three crew members. In the left front side of the hull, the driver was positioned. To his rear, in the turret, the remaining two crew members were positioned. Left of the main gun, the gunner/loader was seated. Right of the gunner was the commander of the vehicle. He was provided with a command cupola for a better view of the surroundings. In addition, if the vehicle had radio equipment, the commander’s secondary role was to act as a radio operator.
The crew of a Toldi during a short break.
Radio equipment
While the Toldi I and II were mostly identical, they used different radio equipment, thanks to which they can be distinguished. The Toldi I, which were equipped with R-5 radios, had a large round-shaped radio antenna mounted on the right side of the turret. This antenna could be folded down if needed. The Toldi II was equipped with a stronger R-5a radio. This variant had a much simpler radio antenna, also mounted on the turret right side.
A Toldi I with a round-shaped radio antenna. Source: panzer-bau.deA Toldi I with the large round antenna folded down. Source:ritastatusreport.liveThe Toldi II could be identified by the use of a much smaller and simpler radio antenna. Source:ritastatusreport.live
Distribution to units
The majority of the first 45 vehicles that were completed by September 1940 were allocated to the tank companies of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades. Following the expansion and modernization of the Hungarian Army, additional units were to be formed. This included the 9th and the 11th Bicycle Battalions, which were to be reorganized into tank battalions. According to author G. Finizio (Hungarian Armor, Wheels and Tracks), these two Battalions were to have three Toldi companies and one company equipped with the domestically designed and produced Turan tanks. In addition, the strength of the companies that had Toldi tanks was to be increased from 18 to 23 vehicles. As the production of the Turan was unable to start on time, as a temporary solution, these two Battalions were to be equipped with four Toldi companies. Due to a lack of Toldi vehicles, these two Battalions were eventually equipped with only two incomplete 18 vehicle strong companies.
Toldi light tank during combat field training in May 1941. Source: C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II)
Some of the Toldi light tanks of the 1st and 2nd Cavalry Brigades were used as occupying forces in the Transylvania region, which was taken over from Romania in September 1940 after the Second Vienna Award.
Some Toldi light tanks were used as occupying forces in the Transylvania region. Source: shop.kagero.pl
Occupation of Yugoslavia
The Hungarian government officially joined the Axis forces on 27th September 1940. Its first joint military operation with other Axis allies was the occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. For this operation, the Hungarian Army mobilized its Fast Corp (Gyorshadtest), which consisted of the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades, together with the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. Each of these units had a 18 vehicles strong Toldi company, for a total of 54 tanks. While the 1st Cavalry Brigade was also part of this Fast Corp, it was not used during this war.
The Toldi’s first real combat use was during the short April War (Axis occupation of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) that lasted from the 6th to 17th April 1941. During this short campaign, many Toldi tanks were left un-operational, mainly due to engine problems.
Toldi in Bečej, Yugoslavia, 1941. Source: Bojan B. Dumitrijević and Dragan Savić Oklopne jedinice na Jugoslovenskom ratištu
In the Soviet Union
While the Hungarians were not eager to wage war with the Soviets, they nevertheless joined the Axis forces during Operation Barbarossa. The Hungarians officially declared war on the USSR on 27th June, after Soviet air bomb raids into Hungary occurred the previous day. For the Invasion of the Soviet Union, the Hungarians allocated the 1st and 2nd Motorized Brigades and the 2nd Cavalry Brigade. By this time, the number of Toldis had increased to 81 vehicles. Due to insufficient numbers of Toldi tanks, some 60 Italian-bought tankettes had to be used to supplement the three Brigades.
Two Toldi tanks advancing, possibly somewhere in the Soviet Union. Source: Magyar Pancel
On 13th July 1941, elements from the 9th Tank Battalion (from the 1st Motorized Brigade) attacked the Soviet positions on the hills near Khmelnytskyi (Хмельни́цький). During this fight, one Toldi, belonging to Captain Tibor Karparthy, was hit by a Soviet anti-tank gun. The vehicle was immobilized and the two other crew members were killed on the spot, while Captain Tibor was injured. A second Toldi tank (commanded by Sergeant Pal Habel) that was nearby, in an attempt to protect the Captain’s damaged vehicle, took position in front of it. While this provided protection for the damaged tank, Sergeant Pal’s tank became the new main target for the Soviet anti-tank guns. This resulted in the loss of the tank with its crew, but this action saved the life of the wounded Captain Tibor. In the following Hungarian attack, the hill was taken with the destruction of three Soviet anti-tank guns. By late July 1941, the 1st Motorized Brigade managed to destroy some 24 Soviet armored vehicles. But, despite initial successes, the Toldi losses began to rise, mostly due to mechanical breakdowns. Due to the rapid increase of losses, in July 1941, the Hungarians were forced to send a further 14 Toldi tanks, along with many spare parts and engines.
By August, there were 57 operational Toldi tanks on this front. By the end of October 1941, the Hungarian force had advanced nearly 1,000 km into the Soviet Union, up to the Donets River. Supplying and reinforcing these units became more and more difficult, and with the rising losses and urgent need for repair, the Hungarians ordered that these forces be pulled back home for recuperation and rearmament.
While the Hungarian tank losses were high, with all the tankettes being lost together with 80% of Toldis. While some 25 were damaged in combat, a greater number of 62 was lost due to mechanical breakdowns. Almost all could be recovered. While these could be repaired, it took some time to do so and, for this reason, only a small number of Toldi tanks were available for the 1942 campaign. The fighting in 1941 also pointed out the Toldi’s shortcomings, mostly regarding its armament and armor. While the main gun did have a chance against the lightly protected Soviet pre-war designs, it was useless against the T-34 and the KV series. The armor was also insufficient and could be defeated easily with any Soviet anti-tank weapon, including the anti-tank rifles. From 1942 on, the Toldi was relocated to be used for reconnaissance, command, liaison, and even as ambulance roles.
A heavily damaged Toldi, lost during the battles around Gordiyewka in late July 1941. Source: C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II)
In 1942, the 1st Armored Division was formed, using mainly T-38s (German-supplied Panzer 38(t)) which were supplemented with a smaller number of Toldi tanks. Some 14 were given to the 1st Armored Reconnaissance Battalion and 5 vehicles to the 51st Anti-Tank Battalion, but, in reality, only 17 were available for service. By the end of August 1942, the Toldi units suffered losses, with only 5 being fully operational. As 1942 proved disastrous for the Axis forces on the Eastern Front, 11 Toldi tanks were lost (depending on the source, the losses may have been higher).
A damaged Toldi tank and two T-38s just behind it. These vehicles belong to the 30th Tank Regiment stationed in the Soviet Union in 1942. Source: C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II)
In 1943, due to losses in equipment and men, the Hungarians did not send new armored units to the Soviet Union. By April 1944, there were 176 Toldi (all types) light tanks still operational. At that time, the front line units using them were the 2nd Armored Division in Galicia and the 1st Cavalry Division fighting near Warsaw. In June 1944, there were some 66 Toldi I and II and 63 Toldi IIA operational.
A Toldi crossing a river in Eastern Poland during 1944.
Modification
During its operational service life, the Toldi chassis was used for a number of improvements and tests. These include the ambulance transport, anti-tank hunter and up-gunned and better-protected versions.
Ambulance transport version
Between 1942 and 1944, a small number ) of Toldi tanks, perhaps 9, were modified by Ganz as ambulance vehicles named Toldi eü20. These could be identified by the larger sizes of right turret doors. Additionally, they had a red cross painted on the turret sides for identification. Their primary mission was to help with the evacuation of any injured tank crewman during combat. G. Finizio (Hungarian Armor, Wheels and Tracks) notes that these were originally used as troop transports, but due to their ineffectiveness, they were later modified as mobile ambulances.
The Toldi eü20 could be identified by the small red cross painted on the turret sides. Few such vehicles served with the 1st Armored Division that operated in the Soviet Union during 1942. Source: C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WW II)
Toldi páncélvadász
In order to increase the firepower of their Toldis, one tank was modified to act as an anti-tank vehicle armed with the German Pak 40 7.5 cm anti-tank gun. This modification is often called ‘Toldi páncélvadász’ (Toldi tank destroyer/hunter). As the Hungarians lacked production capacity, only one prototype was made.
Possibly the only known photograph of this prototype. Source: forum.warthunder.com
Toldi IIA and III
In an attempt to increase the combat efficiency of the Toldi tanks, the Hungarians made two attempts to improve their firepower and armor protection. The Toldi IIA version had a new 40 mm gun and stronger armor. Some 80 Toldis were modified for this configuration. The Toldi III was similar to the Toldi IIA, but with 35 mm of frontal armor, but less than 20 were eventually built.
The Toldi IIA had a 4 cm main gun. Source: armedconflicts.com
Surviving Toldi tank
Today, there is only one surviving Toldi I and one Toldi IIA light tank. Both can be seen in the well known Kubinka Military Museum in Russia.
The only known surviving Toldi I light tank. Just right of it is the Toldi IIA, which can be easily identified by the extended rear part of the turret. Source: Wiki
Conclusion
While Hungary was not a superpower, it managed to produce relatively high numbers of domestically-built tanks, including 190 Toldi light tanks. While the Toldi I and II were the backbone of the Hungarian armored units in 1941, by that time, they were already obsolete. Their low armor protection and small-caliber main weapon were almost useless against Soviet armor. But, somewhat surprisingly, despite their obsolescence, the majority were lost to breakdowns and not to enemy fire. This is the second large issue that this tank had. It was not completely reliable and prone to engine breakdowns. From 1942 on, they would be mostly used in secondary combat roles.
Toldi I M1938 suspension and tracks blueprint (source David Zilahy)
Toldi I and II specifications
Dimensions (L-w-h)
4.75 x 2.05 x 2.14 m
Total weight, battle-ready
8.5 tonnes (9.3 Tonnes Toldi IIA)
Crew
3 Commander/Gunner, Loader, and the Driver
Propulsion
Bussing-NAG LV8 8-cylinder 160 hp petrol/gasoline engine
Top speed
50 km/h
Range
220 km
Armament
20 mm (0.79 in) QF 36M L/55 Solothurn auto-cannon
8 mm (0.31 in) 38M Gebauer machine-gun
Armor
6-13 mm
Total production (all types)
190
Hungarian light tank 38M (A20) Toldi I. Notice the early Hungarian cross. The usual three-tone pattern was applied over the factory sand beige.
Late Toldi I of the 2nd Armored Division in Poland, summer 1944.
Toldi II (B20) in Ukraine, summer 1942. 80 of these were later rearmed with a new 40 mm (1.57 in) gun.
Kingdom of Hungary (1944)
Heavy Tank – Up To 15 Received
During WWII, Hungary was one of Germany’s allies with a significant domestic production of armored vehicles. While these locally produced vehicles were fine by the standards of the early war, unfortunately for the Hungarians, by the time these were fielded in larger numbers, they were already obsolete. To bolster their ally’s firepower, during the war, the Germans supplied the Hungarians with a selection of armored vehicles, including a small number of the famed Tiger tanks in 1944.
The formidable Tiger tank in Hungarian hands. Source: Magyar Pancel
History
By 1944, it was obvious that the Axis were on the losing side of the war, and due to the huge losses sustained while fighting on the Eastern Front, the overall military and political situation for Hungry was dire. In an attempt to leave the war, the Hungarian Regent Vice-Admiral Miklós Horthy secretly began negotiations with the Allies. It seems that this was not kept a secret, as the Germans found out about it and launched the Margarethe Operation. This was the German secret contention plan to deal with Hungary in the case its government attempted to change sides during the war. Horty was arrested and a puppet government was formed under the leadership of Dome Sztojay instead. This way, the Germans managed to force Hungarians to stay active on the Eastern Front.
The Hungarians deployed their 1st Army in support of the German front line in eastern Galicia. The 2nd Armored Division (which was part of the 1st Army) was equipped with obsolete Hungarian-built vehicles such as the Turan I and II tanks. During its first engagement with the Soviet Armor, the Turan II tanks claimed to have destroyed two T-34/85 tanks. During a short Axis offensive in this area in April, despite having a disadvantage in armor and firepower, the Hungarian tanks claimed to have destroyed 27 Soviet tanks (26 T-34/85 and 1 Sherman) with the loss of 22 of their own vehicles (8 Turan I, 9 Turan II, 4 Nimrods, 1 Toldi, and 1 Csaba armored car).
It appears that the bravery of the Hungarian tank crews was noted by the Germans. By the direct orders of General Walter Model, the Hungarian 2nd Armored Division was to be reinforced with 10 to 12 (depending on the source) Panzer IV Ausf. H, a smaller number of StuG III and even with a group of Tiger tanks.
Panzerkampfwagen ‘Tiger’ Ausf. E
The German Tiger tank is one of the most iconic tanks in history. While the development of a heavy tank began in Germany prior to the war, only after encountering the advanced Soviet tanks in 1941 was the whole program sped up. Two firms, Porsche and Henschel, were involved in designing the chassis of the new heavy tank, with Krupp being responsible for the turret and gun. While the Porsche design was favored, in the end, due to mechanical problems, the Henschel design would be adopted. The heavy tank that would be known as the Tiger was an immense vehicle, armed with the deadly 8.8 cm gun and well protected by a 100 mm thick frontal and 80 mm side armor. With its weight of 57 tonnes, it was also a fairly mobile vehicle thanks to its strong 650 hp engine and wide tracks. By the time of its introduction in 1942, few enemy weapons were able to do anything against it and, with its gun, it could efficiently destroy any enemy tank type. Its production began in August 1942 and ended in August 1944. By that time, only slightly more than 1,340 vehicles had been built.
The Panzerkampfwagen Ausf. E ‘Tiger’ Tank. Source: Wiki
While certainly a terrifying tank to be encountered on the battlefields, it was far from perfect and was plagued with many problems. The cost to build one was significant and this was one of the reasons why only small numbers were built. As there were never enough of them, they were allocated to separate special units that would be, depending on the need, attached to other units. The maintenance of these vehicles was time-consuming. The suspension system, while providing good drive, was overly complicated. Despite these issues, the Tiger tanks remained a potent threat to Allied tanks right up to the war’s end. Due to the small numbers available, they were regarded as elite vehicles reserved only for the German Panzerwaffe, but surprisingly few would be supplied to Germany’s allies.
Origin of the Hungarian Tigers
It is common to find information that the supplied Tiger tanks belonged to the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion (schwere Panzerabteilung, s.Pz.Abt. 503). The 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion was created in late 1942 and was initially equipped with 20 Tigers and 25 Panzer III Ausf. N. From early 1943 until April 1944, this unit was mainly engaged on the Eastern Front. Then, it was transferred to France for recuperation and conversion to Tiger II tanks. By that time, only 12 Tiger IIs were available for this unit. In order to fully equip it, 33 additional Tiger Is were allocated to this unit.
Tiger tanks belong to the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion. Source: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/germany
According to T. Jentz and H. Doyle (Tiger I Heavy Tank 1942-45), three Tiger tanks from the ordnance depot were delivered to the Hungarian Army on 22nd July 1944. In addition, an unknown number of Tigers were acquired from the 503rd and 509th Heavy Panzer Battalion. The 509th Heavy Panzer Battalion was formed in September 1943 and had 45 Tiger tanks. It was engaged on the Eastern Front up to September 1944, before being sent back to Germany to be reequipped with the Tiger II.
Number supplied
The total number of supplied tanks is not clear, but most sources give a number of around 10 vehicles. For example, authors C. Bescze (Magyar Steel, Hungarian Armour in WWII) and S.J.Zaloga (Tanks of Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45) mention that 10 vehicles were supplied.
But, according to Dr. M. Durden (Leopard’s guide: The Tiger I tank), between 6 and 12 Tigers were used by the Hungarians. Authors C. K. Kliment and D. Bernard (Maďarská armáda 1919-1945) note that up to 15 Tiger were supplied.
To complicate matters more, authors F.W. Lochmann, R. Freiherr Von Rosen and A. Runnel (The Combat History of German Tiger Tank Battalion 503 in World War II) noted that no Tigers were ever supplied to the Hungarians! They also state that the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion gave all its surviving Tiger tanks to the 509th Heavy Panzer Battalion on 14th May 1944. While they state that Hungarian crew members were trained, due to a shortage of tanks, no Tigers were given to the Hungarians. They were instead issued with Panzer IV vehicles.
Interestingly, author G. Finizio (Wheels and Tracks No.27) suggests the possibility that some Hungarian tank crews operated Tiger tanks but in German units. This significant disagreement between different authors shows how difficult finding accurate and precise information can be.
Another issue is which type of Tigers were provided by the Germans. As it was late in the war, we can assume that any Tiger that was available was used for this purpose. So it would not be a surprise if this was a mix of early to late production types.
Training
Regardless of how many vehicles were supplied by the Germans, it was essential for the Hungarian crews to receive necessary training before they could even see combat. For this reason, some members of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion served as instructors for their allies. While the majority of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion was repositioned in France, the 3rd Company was chosen for this task.
Hungarian crew members beside their German instructors. Source: Magyar Pancel
What was available of the 503rd Heavy Panzer Battalion’s vehicles and equipment (including the 3rd Company) was therefore renamed to the 1st Tiger Demonstration Company of the 1st Panzer Demonstration Group North Ukraine. The main base of this unit was Nadworna near Stanislau in South Poland. The Hungarians provided a group of tank crew members to be trained there. The training only lasted from 6th to 14th May 1944, before the unit was disbanded. Interestingly, while it appears that during this occasion, the Hungarians did not receive any Tigers, their High Command awarded several German instructors with high military recommendations. These include Feldwebels Fritz Großmann and Herbert Schünrock, Obergefreiters Ernst Reinhardt, Gotthold Wunderlichn and Gefreiter Hans Bartels. Ironically, while the information about these recommendations was found in Hungarian archives, these awards were never actually given to the Germans instructors due to political machinations.
The Germans provide the Hungarian tankers with training in the proper use of these heavy vehicles. Here, Unteroffizier Gartner gives instructions about all the parts of the turret to his Hungarian tanker group. This turret is actually detached from the hull and is suspended in the air by a crane. Source: https://www.worldwarphotos.info/gallery/germany
In combat
The Hungarian Tigers, alongside the remaining German supplied vehicles, were allocated to the 2nd Armored Division, 3rd Battalion. They were divided into two Tank Squadrons. The 2nd Tank Squadron was commanded by First Lieutenant Ervin Tarszay, probably the most famous Hungarian tank commander, and the 3rd by Captain Janos Verdess. Besides the German vehicles, the 2nd Armored Division also had some 40 Turan I and 20 Turan II tanks.
Unfortunately, information about the Hungarian Tigers’ performance in combat is hard to find. The following information is from C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WWII) supplemented with Russian archive documents. The Hungarian Tigers’ first combat engagement took place on 26th July 1944 near Nadvornaya. It was a triumph. A single Hungarian Tiger ambushed a Soviet armored column, destroying 8 Soviet tanks, several guns, and several transport trucks. For this successful action, the Tiger’s gunner, Istvan Lavrencsik, was awarded with the Gold Medal for Bravery.
The position of the Hungarian 2nd Armored Division near Nadvornaya during late July 1944. Source: TsAMO
According to Russian archive sources, elements of the 1448th self-propelled artillery regiment (Samokhodno-Artilleriyskiy Polk) were caught in this ambush. A group of 5 self-propelled guns, which was supported with a reconnaissance detachment of the 985th Infantry Regiment, after leaving Nadvornaya, were on 26th July advancing toward Bogorodchany.
The Hungarians forces prepare an ambush just before the position recorded as Hill 386. After letting the infantry support pass by, they waited for the advance of the Soviet armor. When the advancing Soviet armored vehicles approached at a distance of about 200 m, the Hungarian tanks opened fire. In the ensuing engagement, the Soviets lost 2 self-propelled guns which were burned, and 2 which were knocked out, with the loss of 4 men dead and 5 more wounded. The fate of the fifth Soviet self-propelled vehicle is not clear. It could have already passed by with the reconnaissance detachment of the 985th Infantry Regiment or was left behind for some reason, but these are only speculation.
The war diary of the 1448th self-propelled artillery regiment mentioned that there were 5 enemy tanks (3 of them were Tigers) supported by an infantry company. The precise type of the Soviet vehicles participating in this encounter is not clear, but it is likely that these were the SU-122, as the Hungarians could easily misidentified them as T-34 tanks (the SU-122 was based on the T-34 chassis).
1 – Hill 386.0; 2 – the approximate place of the ambush; 3 – Ostre, where the counterattack took place. Source: TsAMO
The Hungarians attempted a counterattack against the Soviets near the Ostre region. The counterattack failed and the Hungarians were forced to abandon two Tigers and one Turan II tanks at the intersection of the road in Lyakhovitsa. In total, the Soviets reported to have lost 4 self-propelled guns with 4 men dead and 8 wounded. The Soviets also reported to have burned down two enemy tanks in the Banya district. In addition, they captured 4 enemy tanks, with one Panzer IV in working condition (which was used against the enemy), destroyed 12 machine guns and 3 mortars, killed up to 150 soldiers and officers, and captured 75 enemy soldiers.
The question remains which sources to trust. For both sides it was in their interest to falsify the data for propaganda reasons.
The Hungarians Tigers are also claimed to have managed, during a 30-minute long fight, to take out around 14 Soviet tanks near “Hill 514” (possibly near Dolina), but the precise location and date of this action are not specified in the source, unfortunately. If these numbers of destroyed tanks were real or exaggerated for propaganda purposes is almost impossible to tell.
In the following days, despite these short term successes, the few Tigers could not change the overall war situation for the Hungarians. By the middle of August 1944, the Axis forces, including the Hungarian 1st Army, were pushed back to the Carpathian Mountains. It seems that, by this time, the Hungarians had lost at least 7 Tigers. While not all were combat losses, some were lost due to a general lack of fuel and spare parts. The Hungarians did not have any kind of towing vehicle capable of moving the huge Tigers, which also presented a problem with recovering any damaged vehicle. From this point on, it seems that the surviving Tiger were probably pulled back to Hungary. They may have been also returned to the Germans as author Dr. M. Durden (Leopard’s guide: The Tiger I tank) suggests, but once again the sources are conflicting.
In late August 1944, the Romanians changed sides and joined the Soviet Union and almost immediately engaged with the Hungarians in combat. The 2nd Armored Division was part of the Hungarian offensive toward Romania. If the Tigers were used there is unknown, but it is unlikely. Due to the increasing presence of the Soviet Army, the Hungarians were beaten back.
The 2nd Armored Division would be reinforced with new German vehicles, including Panther tanks. The Panthers were used by the 2nd Tank Squadron commanded by First Lieutenant Ervin Tarszay. The majority of the 2nd Armored Division would be destroyed during the siege of Budapest. The few elements that avoided destruction managed to reach Slovakia, where the last armored vehicles were blown up by their crews.
The final fate of the Hungarian Tigers is not clear. Author C. Bescze (Magyar Steel Hungarian Armour in WWII) notes that the last three vehicles were lost in Transylvania due to a lack of fuel and supplies.
Author G. Finizio (Wheels and Tracks No.27) claims that at least 4 Tigers were reported to be in repair in December 1944. By the end of January 1945, one Tiger was reported to be still operational.
A late production Tiger tank covered in Zimmerit, The commander of this vehicle (number 214) was Lieutenant Ervin Tarszay. Source: Magyar Pancel
Conclusion
The Tigers were the strongest armored vehicles that the Hungarian tank armored force operated during the war. While certainly deadly, it was supplied in too small numbers and too late to really have an influence on the war’s development. Despite fielding obsolete tanks, the Hungarians managed to destroy many Soviet tanks. This shows that, while the Hungarians lacked modern equipment, they did not lack effective tank crews. Had the Germans supplied them much earlier in the war with more modern equipment, the Hungarian tank force may have been a more important element in the war in the East.
Hungarian Tiger Ausf.E from the 3rd Regiment, Ukraine, near Nadvirna, May 1944
Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger Sd.Kfz.181, ‘Tiger I’ specifications
Dimensions
Height: 8.45 m Long x 3.23 m Wide (rail transport) x 3.547 m Wide (normal tracks) x 3 m Height
Weight
54 tonnes (combat), 57 tonnes by February 1944
Crew
5 (commander, gunner, loader, driver, and radio operator)
Engine
Maybach model HL 210 TRM P45 21-litre V-12 petrol engine producing 650 hp at 3000 rpm (early production vehicles), Maybach model HL 230 TRM P45 V-12 700 hp petrol engine (later production vehicles)
Ford
1.5 m without preparation – submersible to 4.5 m with preparation (vehicles prior to August 1942)
Performance
45 km/h (road max.), 30 km/h (road sustained), after February 1944 this was 40 km/h, 20-25 km/h (firm ground sustained)
Fuel
348 litres sufficient for a range of up to 120 km road, 85 km firm ground. Two spare 200-litre fuel drum could be carried on the back deck for long road marches.
Armament
8.8 cm Kw.K. 36 L/56 gun, coaxial 7.92 mm M.G. 34, hull mounted M.G. 34, roof mounted anti-aircraft M.G. 34
Ammunition
92 rounds 8.8 cm, ~4,500 – 4,800 rounds 7.92 mm ammunition
Kingdom of Hungary (1942)
Self-Propelled Anti-Tank Gun – 5 Supplied
Hungary was after Italy, Germany’s European ally with the most significant domestic production of armored vehicles. While these vehicles were fine by the standards of the early war, unfortunately for the Hungarians, by the time these were fielded in larger numbers, they were already obsolete. To bolster their ally’s firepower, in 1942, the Germans supplied the Hungarians with a group of five Marder II tank destroyers.
History
The Hungarians officially signed the Tripartite Pact to join the Axis forces on 27th September 1940. By the time of the invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, the Hungarians had the largest armored force of all German allies on this front. By the end of 1941, their armored formations had been decimated by the more advanced Soviet T-34 and KV tanks. The Hungarian mostly fielded lightly armed tanks, such as the Toldi and T-38, which were almost useless against the Soviet tanks. To rebuild its shattered force, the Hungarian high command tried to implement the ‘Huba II’ military plan. This plan involved the formation of two new units, the 1st and 2nd Armored Divisions.
Despite being unprepared, having suffered heavy losses and losing most of its armored formations, the Hungarian high command was hard-pressed by the Germans to send additional forces to the Eastern Front. The Hungarian high command chose to send the 2nd Army, which consisted of 9 light divisions and the 1st Field Armored Division. As there was a general lack of modern equipment, especially tanks, the formation of the 1st Field Armored Division was too slow. Despite German promises of modern equipment, the Hungarian were instead supplied with 102-108 (depending on the source) Panzer 38(t)’s (known in Hungarian service as T-38) and 22 better armed Panzer IV Ausf. F1’s. These vehicles were attached to the 30th Tank Regiment. The 1st Field Armored Division was also supplied with 19 Nimrod anti-tank/aircraft vehicles, 14 Csaba armored cars and 17 Toldi light tanks, with 4 rebuilt Toldi tanks that were used for medical roles.
By October 1942, due to heavy losses, only 4 Panzer IV and 22 T-38 were reported to be operational. To reinforce the Hungarian allies, the Germans provided them with 10 Panzer III Ausf. N’s, and a small number of Panzer IV Ausf. F2’s and G’s. In December (September and even January 1943 depending on the source) 1942, the Germans supplied the Hungarians with five Marder II vehicles.
Marder II
The Marder II was a tank destroyer (panzer jager – tank hunter) based on a modified Panzer II Ausf. F tank chassis. The Panzer II was developed to overcome the many shortcomings of the previous Panzer I model. While the Germans would eventually develop more powerful and advanced vehicles, such as the Panzer III and IV, due to their initial slow production, the Panzer II served as the backbone of the Panzer formations in the early stages of the war. By 1942, due to attrition and obsolescence, Panzer II numbers began to dwindle and the surviving vehicles were reused for other purposes, most notably for the Marder II and Wespe self-propelled guns.
The Panzer II Ausf. F. Source: Pinteres
The Panzer II could be easily converted into Marder II by simply removing most of the upper superstructure and the tank turret. In its place, a 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun with a three-sided shield was placed instead. In total, some 531-576 new Marder II would be built, but smaller numbers (68-75) would be built by converting older and damaged vehicles and few would even be built by frontline troops. While the Marder II had many issues, it did solve the problem of the lack of mobility of the strong but heavy 7.5 cm PaK 40 anti-tank gun. While this vehicle had several different official names, like Pz.Kpfw.II als Sfl. mit 7.5 cm PaK 40 (Sd.KFz.131), it is generally best known today simply as the ‘Marder II’.
Marder II in German service. Source: Wikimedia Commons
In combat
The Marder IIs supplied to the Hungarians were used to form an 1. Önálló páncélvadász század (1st independent tank-destroyer company) under the command of Captain Pál Zergényi. This unit base of operation was near Pushkino (Пушкино), where few German officers were present to help with the necessary crew training.
At the start of 1943, the Hungarian 1st Armored Division was put under direct German command as part of the Cramer-Corps. At that time, the total armored strength of this unit consisted of 9 Panzer III Ausf. N’s, 8 Panzer Ausf. IV F2’s and G’s, 8 Panzer IV Ausf. F1’s, 41 T-38’s and the 5 Marder II’s. The Cramer-Corps, beside the Hungarian Armored Division, consisted of the 26th and 168th Infantry Divisions, the German 190th Assault Gun Detachment and 700th Armor Detachment. The commander of the Cramer-Corps was Major General Hans Cramer.
Only five Marder II vehicles were supplied by the Germans at the end of 1942. The Hungarian Marder IIs managed to achieve some limited success by destroying several Soviet tanks. Source: Pinterest
In mid-January 1943, the Soviets launched an offensive against the Hungarian positions and, after heavy losses, forced them to retreat. The fighting was extensive around the city of Alekseyevka (west of the Don River, between Voronezh and Kharkov), which the Hungarian 1st Armored Division, with the help of the German 559th Anti-Tank Battalion, were ordered to take back. The attack began on 18th January 1943 and, during this attack, a Hungarian Marder II managed to destroy a Soviet T-60 tank. The next day, the Soviets made a counter-attack which was repelled with the loss of a T-34 destroyed by a Marder II and a T-60 destroyed by a Panzer IV. But, despite their success, the Axis forces were forced to retreat out of Alekseyevka.
On 21st January, the Axis forces again managed to enter the western parts of Alekseyevka. The Soviet attempts to drive them out were unsuccessful, with the loss of 150 to 200 men and one armored car destroyed by a German Marder II. The next day, the Hungarian Marder II’s managed to destroy one T-34 and a T-60 tank and stop the Soviet counter-attack. During the period of late January and early February 1943, the Hungarian 1st Armored Division saw extensive combat action against the advancing Soviet Forces. By 9th February 1943, three Marder II were lost, and only two were left operational. These were one of the last armored vehicles that the 1st Armored Division still had as it was withdrawn from the front in February 1943.
The remaining Marder IIs were returned to Germany in the summer of 1943. Their usage between their withdrawal from the front and their return to the Germans is unknown. At least one was used for evaluation purposes by the Hungarians. This may suggest that the two surviving vehicles may have been withdrawn from the front.
The gunner of this Marder II is observing the surroundings for potential targets. Source: PinterestCrew of a Marder II pose for a photograph during a rare break. Source: Pinterest
Other Marder series vehicles in Hungarian service
According to some internet sources, it appears that the Germans also provided the Hungarian with at least one (or more) 7.62 cm PaK 36(r) auf Fgst. PzKpfw.II(F) (Sfl.) (Sd.KFz. 132) Marder II, which was based on the Panzer II flamm tank chassis. This vehicle had a completely different suspension system and was armed with modified captured Soviet 7.62 cm field guns. This was probably supplied with the other Marder IIs at the end of 1942. It is not clear if this vehicle is included in the five previously mentioned Marder II. Sadly there is no more information about this vehicle in Hungarian service.
Tank historian S. J. Zaloga (Tanks of the Hitler’s Eastern Allies 1941-45) also mentions that, in August 1944, the Germans reinforced the Hungarian 1st Cavalry Division with a battery of Marder vehicles. While he does not mention precisely which Marder version is in question.
A single 7.62 cm PaK 36(r) auf Fgst. PzKpfw. II(F) appears to have been supplied to the Hungarians by their German allies. Source: Magyar Pancel www.arcanum.huAnother photograph of the Marder II based on the Panzer II flamm. Source: Magyar Pancel
Toldi páncélvadász
During 1943, while the two surviving Marder II were transported back to Germany, at least one of them was instead sent to the Haditechnikai Intézet (Hungarian Institution of Military Technology) for further studying and evaluation. Very soon, an idea to mount the German 7.5 cm PaK 40 on an obsolete Toldi tank chassis was formed. One prototype would be built, which greatly resembled the Marder II. While it appears that this project did not receive any official designation, it is referred to as Toldi páncélvadász (Toldi tank hunter). The Toldi turret and most parts of the upper structure were removed and, in their place, a new three-sided armored superstructure was added. The 7.5 cm gun was then placed on top of the Toldi hull, with the ammunition bin stored in the back, on top of the engine compartment. The one prototype would be tested but the results were probably unsatisfactory and the project was never implemented.
Rear view of the Hungarian Toldi páncélvadász prototype. Source: Karoly NemethA single Marder II was used for a brief time for trials in Hungary. Source: Karoly Nemeth
Conclusion
The Marder IIs provided the Hungarian with a means to effectively fight the Soviet Armor. But, as only a few were supplied, their impact on the overall poor condition of the Hungarian Armored Formations in the Soviet Union was essentially imperceptible. The Hungarian attempts to develop and build their own self-propelled anti-tank vehicles based on the Marder II did not take them anywhere.
Illustration of a Pz.Kpfw.II als Sfl. mit 7.5 cm PaK 40 ‘Marder II’ (Sd.KFz.131) in Hungarian Service, showing the Hungarian cross on the side. Illustration by David Bocquelet.
Commander/Gunner, Loader and the Driver/Radio operator
Propulsion
Maybach HL 62 TR 140 HP @ 3000 rpm
Top speed
40 km/h, 20 km/h (cross country)
Range
190 km, 125 km (cross country)
Armament
7.5 cm PaK 40/2 L/46
7.92 mm MG 34
Armor
Superstructure: 4-10 mm
Hull: 10-35 mm
Elevation
-8° to +10°
Traverse
25° to the right and 32° to the left
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Kingdom of Hungary (1942-1945)
