(SANITIZED)HUNGARIAN ARMORED AND RIFLE REGIMENTS(SANITIZED)

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80T00246A032300810001-3
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 7
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: February 16, 2010
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: January 24, 1957
• Content Type: REPORT

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CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
This material contains information affecting the National Defense of the United States within the meaning of the Espionage Laws, Title
18, U.S.C. Secs. 793 and 794, the transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthorized person to prohibited by law.
Hungary
Hungarian Armored and
REPORT
Rifle Regiments
PROCESSING CO1Y
DATE OF
INFO.
PLACE &
DATE ACQ.
NO. PAGES
REQUIREMENT
SOURCE EVALUATIONS ARE DEFINITIVE. APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS T NTATIVF
an armored regiment in Tapolca, another armored regiment in Retsag, other
military and air units, a night driving device, and miscellaneous matters
of non-military interest. The report comprises six pages
STATE lf)C ARMY its NAVY A1R F81 AEC
(Nob: Washington distribution indicated by "X"; Field distribution by "#".)
1-1
24 January 1957
I N FORMATION REPORT I N FORMATION REPORT
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SECRET
(d) This regiment was located in the Bem caserne in
Tapolca (N 46-53, E 17-26).
9 Octo
ber 1956
I. Military
1. (a) the "inde endent armored regiment"
Hungary
onallb harckocsiz6 ezred)consisted basically
of three T-34''tank companies, one SU 76 mm self-
propelled gun company, and one AAA battery.
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(b) This regiment was subordinate to an unidentified .rifle
corps with headquarters in Szekesfehdrvar (N 47-12,
E 1 -25) .
The eatin tbd nurrent regimental strength
was 600 officers and enlisted
men, a regiment was allegedly upgraded from an
independent tank battalion in February 1955 and was to
be brought up to an authorized strength of 1`,240
officers and EM by the end of 1956, when it would be
an "A" unit.
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(e) The tank firing range was located 25X1
in the vicinity of Dorog N 47- 3, E 18-441 and the
summer camp at Zalahal N 46-54, E 17-27
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I regiment in
Tapolca had the following major items of equipment:
(1) 62 T-34 tanks (six of which were of Czechoslovak
manufacture and in good condition),. The Soviet
T-34's which made up the bulk . the 62 tanks
were"of!World_W8r II vintage Apr .were!:~ih almost
unusab'te condition.
(2) 12 SU-76 mm SP guns.
(3) Ten or 12 Csepel Diesel three-and-a-half-ton
trucks,-converted into repair shop vehicles.
(4) Four Vippon trucks.
(5) Three GAZ-67B jeeps.
(6) Four Csepel Diesel three-ton trucks.
(7) Four or five unidentified 250 cm. Soviet motor-
cycles, which source called IZS motorcycles.
(8) One US World War II GMC truck.
(9) Two German (probably World War II vintage) POL
trucks with a capacity of 6,000 liters each.
(10) One tank retriever which was actually a regular
T-34 tank minus the turret.
(a) An unidentified armored NCO (school) regiment
(panceles tiszthelyettes kepz6 :ezred), which was
directly subordinate to the Ministry of Defense.
It was located at Retsh? (N 47-55,
is Lg- This regiment"
was an NCO sc oo which presented a course lasting
one year. It was organized into three school tank
battalions and one-,,.;school SP battalion. Each of the
three companies per school battalion had a strength
of approximately 130 ment.
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(b) A so-called "A-type" rifle regiment was,subordinate to
unidentified rifle corps in Szekesfehervar.
It was composed of three line and one school
its complete strength to be 1,200 to 1,300 o icers
and EM.
An unidentified armored training regiment was located
at the "Kenyermezo" camp in Esztergom (N 47-47,
E 18-45).
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(d) An unidentified artillery regiment and one unidentified
rifle training regiment were both located at the
Lavesz caserne in Zalaegerszeg (N 46-29, E 17-05).
(e) Troops located at Di6sjeno" (N 47-56, E 19-02) appeared
to be members of a heavy artillery unit of unknown
size which was armed with Soviet 152 mm guns. There
were also other troops there who were members of an
assault artillery unit of unknown size; this unit was
armed with Soviet (sic) 55 mm "light" guns.
(f) An unidentified AVH regiment was located in Szombathely
(N 47-14, E 16-37).
not movement of military
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units into the area durin the last
six months.
4. The unidentified armored NCO (school) regiment cited in
4a)1kbove did not have more than 800 officers and EM in
1054. At the end of 1955, however, its strength was
increased to 1,600 officers and EM. The unidentified AVH
(security police) regiment in Szombathely had from 700 to
800 officers and EM in 1955; its personnel strength was
increased to approximately 1,400 in about February 1956.
This unit was located at a caserne built sometime at the
beginning of 1954 and was located on Septei ut in
Szombathely, E::~
5. Most personnel from the 1 2 class and a few from the 1 33
class were discharged
The bulk of the personnel then consisted of 1935
and 1936-year class members with a few holdovers from the
1933 and 1934 classes. These holdovers were mostly vehicle
drivers who had their military service extended to three
years as technical specialists.
In spring 1955 a new regulation was issued by the Ministry
of Defense in Budapest stating that all conscript members
of Hungarian armored units had to serve three years of
conscripted service regardless of their job assignments.
Previously only conscripts with technical specialty
assignments, such as the drivers referred to above, had
been retained for three years of conscripted service. All
others had been discharged after two years of service.
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Hungarian infantry troops received--an
6f,-mot-6r vehicles in September 1955
In the vicinity of caserne in Tapolca]
an unidentified Hungarian Air Force unit which was
equipped with "Parduc" type one-engine "fighter planes.
The number of planes with this unit in the beginning of
administratively deadlined and kept combat ready.
shells was loaded into T-34's and SU-76's which were
Starting with autumn 1 ive ammunition was being
received by regiment in Tapolca. The
bulk of ammunition, however, was received in February 1956.
It was- delivered in approximately four railroad cars and
consisted of various types of ammunition for all weapons
organic to and present at his unit. Large unknown
quantities of 85 mm and 76 mm shells were received in this
shipment, as well as small arms ammunition and F-1 and
F-42 hand grenades. The bulk of the above-mentioned
9.
10.
(a
dri&ing device which was brought by 25X1
an unidentified off w allegedly came from
Budapest. top-ranking NCOs briefly
drove at ni ht with the aid of this device affixed
to a T-34. he device 1 a square,
steel-sided ox a out 35 cm. high, with a square
glass top measuring approximately 50x35 cm. The
device was mounted on a metal stand about 40 or 50 cm.
high and placed on the right side of the driver. The
seeing lenses of the tank periscope were covered with
a piece of unidentified black glass. "Wires" leading
out of t e " ox" were connected to the tank's batteries.
8?T-34 tank fitted with this device 25X1
ooking down at the top of the device
a very poor reflection of the road ahead of
e tank. to
a distance of
r g device was nearly useless.
the n ght
the device would be perfected in the 25X1
near future and that unspecified, similar equipment
in Soviet hands was already perfected to a point
where it was practical._] 25X1
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(b
no new weapons at
any Hungarian unit Within the last six
mon s. owever9 in
tanks were present in large
numbers in
to as T-24
Cegl d N 7-109 E 19-47) and were referred
Soviet tanks (sic) among Hungarian tank
personnel.
T-24 (sic)
four road w
Otherwise i
The major external diff
and the T-34 was that th
heels and a 76 mm tun mo
t resembled the T-34 very
eren
e T-
unte
clo
ce betwee
24 (sic)
d on it.
sely.
n the
had
11.
120
13.-
14.
15.
200
every military in
stall
ation ha
d an
gun emplaceme
nt manned 24 hours a day
.
--
caserne in Tapol
ca there was an AA gun emplacement wh
l
consisted of two
were manned arou
Soviet M 1939 85 mm
nd the clock alleged
AA
guns.
The gu
ns
the organic regi
mental AAA batte
IIo civilian
20
30
meat in almost parts of Hungary. Pork was especially*
hard to get and usually meat could be bought only on
Fridays or Saturdays. During 19559 these were general but
small price reductions on all articles,
during the same period pay rates remained unchanged.
there were shortages in the supply of_.
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5.
6.
a highway from Szombathely to Torony
(N 47-140 16-32) was being worked on and was artia
completed at the time of his defection.
t t was stopped due
to a labor shortage, subway construction
in Budapest was also stopped sometime in 1955 due to a
shortage of raw materials.
e ma o conscripts
was censored or about $ x mon s after they were inducted.
World War TI
air raid shelters were being reconditioned and new
buildings were all built with air raid shelter provisions.
all military and civilian personnel
indftla tion.
received shots once a year against cholera and plague.L_
received inoculations every six months against typhus and
dysentery. Both military and civilian personnel also
civilians had to pay two forints per
in 1955 large numbers of civilians were
evicted in Szombathely. Their apartments were taken over
by Soviet dependents who came to Szombathely from Austria
at that time. The evicted civilians were given livi
space in other parts of the city. there
was a large colqm7 of Soviet military personnel an their
dependents in Szombathely.
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