Royal Hungarian Honvéd

Obverse of the Royal Hungarian Honvéd's colours

Reverse of the Royal Hungarian Honvéd's colours

The Royal Hungarian Honvéd (Hungarian: Magyar Királyi Honvédség) or Royal Hungarian Landwehr (German: königlich ungarische Landwehr),^[1][2][3] commonly known as the Honvéd, was one of four armed forces of the armed forces (Bewaffnete Macht or Wehrmacht) of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918. The others were its counterpart the Austrian Landwehr, the Common Army and the Imperial and Royal Navy.

History

Soldier of the Royal Hungarian Honvéd in parade dress

The word honvéd in Hungarian (sometimes "honved" in English sources^[4][5][6]) means "defender of the fatherland" and first appeared during the 1848 revolutions. At that time it was the name given to volunteers who were engaged for several weeks or a gyözelemig (i.e. "until victory") and sent to fight the Serbs and Croats. Subsequently, the bulk of the fighting was against the Empire of Austria, whereupon a number of regular imperial regiments went over to the Hungarian side. Some volunteers were attached to these existing regiments and some joined new regular regiments. Consequently, the term honvéd was used to refer to all members of the Hungarian land forces in 1848-49. The Honvéd was finally defeated by Austria with Russian assistance.

When the armed forces were re-established following the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of 1867, the Landwehr of the so-called Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen, received the Hungarian name Honvédség (pronounced "hon-véd-shég", with the é as in French), literally "homeland defence" and, in practice, a territorial army.

On 21 May 1893 the Honvéd Memorial was unveiled in Budapest in commemoration of the deeds of the Hungarian national army during the Hungarian Revolution of 1848-49. From 1919 to 1945, Honvéd was also a name given to the Royal Hungarian Army.

Structure

The Hungarian Landwehr consisted of territorial units from the Hungarian half of the Empire (called Transleithania or the Lands of the Crown of Saint Stephen. These territories included what is present-day Hungary, Slovakia (so-called Upper Hungary, Hungarian: Felvidék) and parts of the present-day countries of Romania, including Transylvania and Banat, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia (Prekmurje/Üpper Mur) and Austria (Burgenland).

Usually the term Landwehr implies units of limited fighting power. This was not the case in the Hungarian Honvéd. Although weaker in numbers - there were only three battalions per infantry regiment insteald of the usual four in the Common Army - the troops were regular combat soldiers.

The Royal Hungarian Honvéd was divided into the Hungarian Honvéd and the Croatian-Slavonian Honvéd (or Landwehr). The Croatian–Hungarian Settlement of 1868 granted the Croats the right to introduce Croatian as their working and command language within their units. In addition, the Croatian-Slavonian Honved units were subordinated to the Ban in Agram and not to the National Defence Minister in Budapest.

The training of Hungarian Honvéd officers was carried out in the Ludovica Military Academy in Budapest.

Landwehr districts

• I Landwehr District – Budapest

M.kir. I budapesti honvéd kerületi parancsnokság

• II Landwehr District – Szeged

M.kir. II szegedi honvéd kerületi parancsnokság

• III Landwehr District – Kassa (Kaschau; now Košice, Slovakia)

M.kir. II kassai honvéd kerületi parancsnokság

• IV Landwehr District – Pozsony (Pressburg; now Bratislava, Slovakia)

M.kir. IV pozsonyi honvéd kerületi parancsnokság

• V Landwehr District – Kolozsvár (Klausenburg, now Cluj-Napoca, Romania)

M.kir. V kolozsvári honvéd kerületi parancsnokság

• VI Landwehr District – Zagreb (Agram)

M.kir. VI zágrábi horvát-szlavon kerületi parancsnokság

Formations and units of the Royal Hungarian Honvéd

The Royal Hungarian Honvéd was the standing army of Hungary. A part of the Honvéd was the Royal Croatian Home Guard (Kraljevsko hrvatsko domobranstvo), which consisted of 1 infantry division (out of 7 in the Honvéd) and 1 cavalry regiment (out of 10 in the Honvéd). Its order of battle at the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 was as follows:

• 6 Landwehr districts (Distrikte)
• 2 infantry divisions (Infanterie Truppendivisionen)
• 2 cavalry divisions (Kavallerie Truppendivisionen)
• 4 infantry brigades (Infanteriebrigaden)
• 12 independent infantry brigades
• 4 cavalry brigades (Kavalleriebrigaden)
• 32 infantry regiments (Infanterie-Regimenter)
• 10 regiments of hussars (Husaren-Regimenter)
• 8 field artillery regiments (Feldkanonen Regimenter)
• 1 horse artillery battalion (Reitende Artillerie Abteilung)

The infantry regiments of the k.u.k. army had four battalions each; the infantry regiments of the k.k. and k.u. Landwehr had three battalions each, except the 3rd Regiment of the Tiroler Landesschützen (Tyrolian State Rifles), that had also four battalions.

Medals for Valour 1914 - 1918

In 1915, units that had nicknames or honorific titles lost them by order of the War Ministry. Thereafter units were designated only by number. For instance, the k.u.k. Infanterie-Regiment (Hoch und Deutschmeister) Nr. 4 became Infanterie-Regiment No. 4 (4th Infantry Regiment).

All details relate to the year 1914:

Infantry divisions

• 20th Honved Infantry Division – Nagyvárad (Großwardein)

Commander: Feldmarschalleutnant Friedrich von Csanády

39th Honved Infantry Brigade – Nagyvárad

Commander: Major General Koloman Patzák

40th Honved Infantry Brigade – Szatmárnémeti (Sathmar)

Commanding Officer: Colonel Béla Tarnáky

• 41st Honved Infantry Division – Budapest

Commander: Feldmarschalleutnant Johann Nikić

81st Honved Infantry Brigade – Budapest

Commander: Major General Eugen Perneczky

82nd Honved Infantry Brigade – Veszprém (Wesprim)

Commander: Major General Rudolf Schamschula

Independent infantry brigades

• 45th Honved Infantry Brigade – Szeged

Commander: Major General Rudolf Seide

• 46th Honved Infantry Brigade – Lugos

Commander: Major General Lehel Festl

• 73rd Honved Infantry Brigade – Pozsony

Commanding Officer: Colonel Paul von Nagy

• 74th Honved Infantry Brigade – Nyitra

Commander: Major General Franz Cvrček

• 75th Honved Infantry Brigade – Kolozsvár

Commander: Major General Karl Lippner von Nagyszentmiklós

• 76th Honved Infantry Brigade – Nagyszeben

Commanding Officer: Colonel Adalbert Benke von Tardoskedd

• 77th Honved Infantry Brigade – Kassa

Commanding Officer: Colonel Desiderius Molnár von Péterfalva

• 78th Honved Infantry Brigade – Miskolc

Commander: Major General Josef Foglár

• 79th Honved Infantry Brigade – Budapest

Commander: Major General Koloman Tabajdi

• 80th Honved Infantry Brigade – Pécs

Commanding Officer: Colonel Johann Háber

• 83rd Honved Infantry Brigade – Agram

Commander: Major General Nikolaus Ištvanović von Ivanska

• 84th Honved Infantry Brigade – Osijek

Commanding Officer: Colonel Daniel Kolak

Cavalry divisions

• 5th Honved Cavalry Division Budapest

Commander: Feldmarschalleutnant Ernst Anton von Froreich-Szábo

19th Honved Cavalry Brigade – Budapest

Commander: Major General Ferdinand Graf von Bissingen und Nippenburg

23rd Honved Cavalry Brigade – Zalaegerszeg

Commanding Officer: Colonel Baron Colbert Zech

• 11th Honved Cavalry Division – Debreczen

Commander: Major General Julius Freiherr Nagy von Töbör-Éthe

22nd Landwehr Cavalry Brigade – Szeged

Commanding Officer: Colonel Karl Czitó

• 24th Landwehr Cavalry Brigade – Kassa

Commanding Officer: Colonel Ladislaus Jóny von Jamnik

Infantry regiments

I.

II.

1st Budapest Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Ludwig Bartha – Bartha Lajos ezredes 2nd Gyula Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Alexander Vinzenz von Vinczfalva – Vincfalvi Vincz Sándor ezredes 3rd Debreczen Honved Infantry Regiment Commander: Stephan Stadler – Stadler István ezredes 4th Nagyvárad Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Sigmund Ránffy – Ránffy Zsigmond ezredes 5th Szeged Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Desiderius Nónay – Nónay Dezső ezredes 6th Szabadka Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Rudolf Kamenszky – Kamenszky Rezső ezredes 7th Veršecz Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Kornel Bernatsky – Bernatsky Kornél ezredes 8th Lugoj Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Julius Létay von Nyirjes – Nyirjesi Létay Gyula ezredes 9th Kassa Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Julius Preinreich – Preinreich Gyula ezredes 10th Miscolcz Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Samuel Daubner – Daubner Samu ezredes 11th Munkács Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Rudolf Pillepić; von Lippahora – Lippahorai Pillepić Rezső ezredes 12th Szatmár Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Martin Tahy von Tahvár – Tahváry Tahy Márton ezredes 13th Pozsony Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Anton Pogány – Pogány Antal ezredes 14 Nyitra LIR Commanding Officer: Colonel Lazarus Formanek – Formanek Lázár ezredes 15th Trencsén Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Heinrich Dormándy von Dormánd – Dormándi Dormándy Henrik ezredes 16th Beszterczebánya Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Franz Hill – Hill Ferenc ezredes

17th Székesfehérvár Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Michael Gombos – Gombos Mihály ezredes 18th Sopron Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Ludwig Brunswik von Korompa – Korompai Brunswick Lajos ezredes 19th Pécs Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Otto Kleszky – Kleszky Ottó ezredes 20th Nagykanizsa Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Georg Ritter von Szypniewski – Lovag Szypniewski György ezredes 21st Kolozsvár Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Raimund Latzin – Latzin Rajmond ezredes 22nd Maros-Vásárhely Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Árpád Schön – Schön Árpád ezredes 23rd Nagyszeben Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonelleutnant Desiderius Szoták – Szoták Dezső alezredes 24th Brassó Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Philipp Karleusa – Karleusa Fülöp ezredes 25th Agram Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Anton Matašić – Matašić Antal ezredes 26th Karlovac Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Georg Petrović – Petrović György ezredes 27th Sisak Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Alois Petković – Petković Alajos ezredes 28th Osijek Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Julius Simonović – Simonović Gyula ezredes 29th Budapest Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Josef Ehmann – Ehmann József ezredes 30th Budapest Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Rudolf Polgár – Polgár Rezső ezredes 31st Veszprém Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Eduard Weeber – Weeber Ede ezredes 32nd Dés Honved Infantry Regiment Commanding Officer: Colonel Karl Parupka – Parupka Károly ezredes

Cavalry regiments

Hussar of the Honved with pelt

• 1st Budapest Honved Hussars

19th Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Colonel Colbert Zech von Deybach Freiherr von Hart und Sulz – Debachi Zech Colbert harti és sulzi báró, ezredes

• 2nd Debrecen Honved Hussars

22nd Honved Cavalry Brigade – 11th Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Johann Flór – Flór János alezredes

• 3rd Szeged Honved Hussars’’’

22nd Honved Cavalry Brigade – 11th^[7] Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Árpád Cserépy von Kisruszka – Kisruszkai Cserépy Árpád alezredes

• 4th Szabadka Honved Hussars

I and II Sqns, 23rd Honved Infantry Division

III and IV Sqns, 20th Honved Infantry Division

V and VI Sqns, 41st Honved Infantry Division

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Nikolaus Jankovich von Jeszenicze – Jeszeniczai Jankovich Miklós alezredes

• 5th Kassa Honved Hussars

24th Honved Cavalry Brigade – 11th Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Colonel Paul Hegedüs – Hegedüs Pál ezredes

• 6th Zalaegerszeg Honved Hussars

23rd Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Ladislaus Forster von Szenterzsébet – Szenterzsébeti Forster László alezredes

• 7th Pápa Honved Hussars

23rd Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Colonel Johann Graf Lubienski – Gróf Lubienski János ezredes

• Pécs Honved Hussars 8

19th Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Alexius Thege von Konkoly – Konkoly Thege Elek alezredes

• 9th Maros-Vásárhely Honved Hussars

24th Honved Cavalry Brigade -1st Honved Cavalry Division

Commanding Officer: Colonel Koloman Géczy von Garamszeg – Garamszegi Géczy Kálmán ezredes

• 10th Varazdin Honved Hussars

I and II Sqns, 36th Honved Infantry Division

III and IV Sqns, 42nd Honved Infantry Division

V and VI Sqns, 13th Honved Infantrybrigade

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Alois Hauer – Hauer Alajos alezredes

Field artillery regiments

• 1st Regiment of Artillery – 1. honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Budapest – 4th Honved Infantry Division – I Landwehr District

formed: 1913

Commanding Officer: Colonel Anton Hellebronth von Tiszabeö – Tiszabeöi Hellebronth Antal ezredes

• 2nd Regiment of Field Artillery – 2 honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Nagyszeben – 23rd Honved Infantry Division – V Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Ladislaus Thaisz – Thaisz Lázló alezredes

• 3rd Regiment of Field Artillery – 3 honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Kassa – 39th Honved Infantry Division – III Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Heinrich Loidin – Loidin Henrik alezredes

• 4th Regiment of Field Artillery – 4 honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Nyitra – 37th Honved Infantry Division – IV Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Alexander Mattanovich – Mattanovich Sándor alezredes

• 5th Regiment of Field Artillery – 5 honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Maros-Vásarhely – 38th Honved Infantry Division – V Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Egon Stráner – Sztráner Jenő alezredes

• 6th Regiment of Field Artillery – 6 honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Agram – 42nd Honved Infantry Division – VI Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Rudolf Sekulić – Sekulić Rezső alezredes

• 7th Regiment of Field Artillery – 7 honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Hajmaskér – 41st Honved Infantry Division – VII Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Commanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Gustav Kapp – Capp Gusztáv alzredes

• 8th Regiment of Field Artillery – 8th honvéd tábori ágyúsezred

Garrison: Hajmaskér – 20th Honved Infantry Division – II Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Commanding Officer: Colonel Albert Pohl – Pohl Albert ezredes

• 1st Honved Horse Artillery Division – honvéd lovastüzér osztály

Garrison: Szeged – 11th Honved Cavalry Division – II Landwehr District

formed: 1914

Museum coverage

The history of Austro-Hungarian forces is documented in detail in the Military History Museum in Vienna, which was founded by Emperor Franz Joseph I as the Imperial-Royal Court Armaments Museum (k.k. Hofwaffenmuseum). In a special display cabinet in Hall V (the Franz Joseph Hall) of the museum, several uniforms of the Imperial Royal Landwehr are displayed, a relief on the rear of the cabinet shows the territories from which the Hungarian Landwehr and the Imperial Royal Landwehr recruited.^[8]

References

1. Austro-Hungarian Infantry, Royal Hungarian Landwehr (Honvéd) section, at www.austro-hungarian-army.co.uk. Accessed on 18 Jul 2013
2. Steed, Henry Wickham; Phillips, Walter Alison and Hannay, David (1914). A Short History of Austria-Hungary and Poland, Encyclopaedia Britannica Company.
3. Ortner, M. C. and Artlieb, Erich (2003). With Drawn Sword: Austro-Hungarian Edged Weapons from 1848 to 1918. Verlag Militaria.
4. Tucker, Spencer C. (2005). World War One, Volume 1, p. 1053.
5. League of Nations (1938). Armaments yearbook; general and statistical information, League of Nations publications. p. 426.
6. JPRS Report: East Europe, Issues 23-31, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, 1992, p. 18.
7. "The Hungarian Landwehr (Honvéd) Cavalry as at August 1914". Retrieved 17 August 2014.
8. Johann Christoph Allmayer-Beck: Das Heeresgeschichtliche Museum Wien. Saal VI - Die k.(u.)k. Armee von 1867-1914, Vienna, 1989, p. 25.

Literature and sources

• Allmayer-Beck, Johann Christoph and Lessing, Erich (1974). Die K.u.k. Armee. 1848–1918 ("The Imperial and Royal Army 1848-1918"), Verlag Bertelsmann, Munich, 1974, ISBN 3-570-07287-8.
• k.u.k. Kriegsministerium Dislokation und Einteilung des k.u.k Heeres, der k.u.k. Kriegsmarine, der k.k. Landwehr und der k.u. Landwehr ("Location and Organization of the k.u.k. Army, the k.u.k. Navy, the k.k. Landwehr and the k.u. Landwehr") in Seidel's kleines Armeeschema – published by Seidel & Sohn, Vienna, 1914
• Rest, Stefan, Ortner, M. Christian and Ilmig, Thomas (2002). Des Kaisers Rock im 1. Weltkrieg ("The Emperor's Coat in the First World War"). Verlag Militaria, Vienna. ISBN 978-3950164206
• k.u.k. Kriegsministerium (1911/12). Adjustierungsvorschrift für das k.u.k. Heer, die k.k. Landwehr, die k.u. Landwehr, die verbundenen Einrichtungen und das Korps der Militärbeamten ("Dress Regulations for the k.u.k. Army, the k.k. Landwehr, the k.u. Landwehr, the Associated Organizations and the Corps of Military Officials"), Vienna.

External links