In the spring of 1944, the Hungarian First Army was ordered to attack toward the town of Kolomea, Galicia. After initial gains, the attack bogged down, mainly because the Turan tanks, including the new Turan II with a 75mm gun, needed a much shorter firing distance to be effective than the Russian T-34’s. Field Marshall Walter Model therefore assigned a number of German panzer replacements, including 12 Pz. IV H’s, 10 Stug III G’s, and 10 Pz. VI E Tigers. The Hungarian tank crews appreciated the thicker armament and the greater fire-power and accuracy of these welcome additions, although few in number and most of them battle-used. Of course, fuel was also usually in short supply.

Hungarians Examine Tiger Tank, 1944


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.


German-Hungarian Field Coordination, Galicia, 1944

During the summer of 1944, when the Hungarian units fighting in Galicia received the addition of German panzers to beef up their depleted  arsenal of Turan tanks, the Hungarian tankers were eager to learn about these impressive machines. German instructors provided theoretical and hands-on lessons and they found the former Turan tankers to be quick learners, as the group shown above, looking down the turret of a Tiger tank. 