Between the world wars, Hungary was a relatively small country aiming to recover territory lost because of World War One, and its Army was trained, equipped, armed and prepared to fight with its neighbors, to this end. At the outset of World War Two, Hungarian involvement in the war was minimal. Then, suddenly, this small country found itself in a total war with the Allied nations, primarily the Soviet Union. Although in 1941, this war was remote, in 1944-45 it arrived in Hungary, crushing the kingdom. This book gives a brief history of the Hungarian Army (Honvédség), focusing on the main armament of the land forces: armored vehicles, artillery pieces, infantry weapons and motor vehicles. The Hungarian Army had an interesting mix of weaponry and equipment inherited from the Austro-Hungarian Army, purchased from Germany, Italy, Sweden and Switzerland and produced by the Hungarian war industry, based on licences or its own designs. The 170 illustrations include 18 original color photos and 18 color profiles, skillfully painted by Tamás Deák. |