Hungary possessed a modest  industrial productive capacity and had some domestic coal, bauxite, and oil resources, but not enough of iron ore. From 1938, the country began to manufacture all sorts of instruments of war, including tanks. But their numbers were woefully low and their armament and fire power did not match Russian or Geman levels. Therefore, the country also purchased much needed equipment from Germany and Italy, including panzers, such as the Panzer IV inspected above by a Hungarian crew in the spring of 1944, when the Second Armored Divison was being assembled in western Hungary,

Hungarian Crew Inspects Panzer IV, 1944

During the 1930’s, a group of young Hungarians is shown here in front of a visual aid, holding a protest against the Treaty of Trianon imposed in 1920.  Because of it,  the country lost 2/3 of its territory, to which the officially encouraged response became “Nem, nem, soha!” or “No, no, never!” Resentment  about this so-called dismemberment eventually encouraged Hungary to join the side of Italy and Germany in the unfolding conflict of WW2.

Young Hungarians Oppose the Treaty of Trianon


Always an obvious fact, German-Hungarian military coordination, from the high to the lower levels, became more strict after the German occupation of Hungary in March, 1944. Hungarian units were placed under the direct command of the German military leadership, more so than ever before. Here a gentlemanly-looking Hungarian colonel (on our right) is conversing with his German tanker counterparts in front of a Tiger tank, somewhere in Galicia, during the summer of 1944.
