Royal Hungarian Honvéd

History

The word honvéd in Hungarian (sometimes "honved" in English sources) 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.

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 Csanády39th Honved Infantry Brigade – NagyváradCommander: Major General Koloman Patzák40th Honved Infantry Brigade – Szatmárnémeti (Sathmar)Commanding Officer: Colonel Béla Tarnáky

41st Honved Infantry Division – Budapest

Commander: Feldmarschalleutnant Johann Nikić81st Honved Infantry Brigade – BudapestCommander: Major General Eugen Perneczky82nd 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-Szábo19th Honved Cavalry Brigade – BudapestCommander: Major General Ferdinand Graf von Bissingen und Nippenburg23rd Honved Cavalry Brigade – ZalaegerszegCommanding Officer: Colonel Baron Colbert Zech

11th Honved Cavalry Division – Debreczen

Commander: Major General Julius Freiherr Nagy von Töbör-Éthe22nd Landwehr Cavalry Brigade – SzegedCommanding Officer: Colonel Karl Czitó

24th Landwehr Cavalry Brigade – Kassa

Commanding Officer: Colonel Ladislaus Jóny von Jamnik

Cavalry regiments

1st Budapest Honved Hussars

19th Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry DivisionCommanding 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 DivisionCommanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Johann Flór – Flór János alezredes

3rd Szeged Honved Hussars’’’

22nd Honved Cavalry Brigade – 11th Honved Cavalry DivisionCommanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Árpád Cserépy von Kisruszka – Kisruszkai Cserépy Árpád alezredes

4th Szabadka Honved Hussars

I and II Sqns, 23rd Honved Infantry DivisionIII and IV Sqns, 20th Honved Infantry DivisionV and VI Sqns, 41st Honved Infantry DivisionCommanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Nikolaus Jankovich von Jeszenicze – Jeszeniczai Jankovich Miklós alezredes

5th Kassa Honved Hussars

24th Honved Cavalry Brigade – 11th Honved Cavalry DivisionCommanding Officer: Colonel Paul Hegedüs – Hegedüs Pál ezredes

6th Zalaegerszeg Honved Hussars

23rd Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry DivisionCommanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Ladislaus Forster von Szenterzsébet – Szenterzsébeti Forster László alezredes

7th Pápa Honved Hussars

23rd Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry DivisionCommanding Officer: Colonel Johann Graf Lubienski – Gróf Lubienski János ezredes

Pécs Honved Hussars 8

19th Honved Cavalry Brigade – 5th Honved Cavalry DivisionCommanding Officer: Lieutenant Colonel Alexius Thege von Konkoly – Konkoly Thege Elek alezredes

9th Maros-Vásárhely Honved Hussars

24th Honved Cavalry Brigade -1st Honved Cavalry DivisionCommanding Officer: Colonel Koloman Géczy von Garamszeg – Garamszegi Géczy Kálmán ezredes

10th Varazdin Honved Hussars

I and II Sqns, 36th Honved Infantry DivisionIII and IV Sqns, 42nd Honved Infantry DivisionV and VI Sqns, 13th Honved InfantrybrigadeCommanding 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 Districtformed: 1913Commanding 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 Districtformed: 1914Commanding 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 Districtformed: 1914Commanding 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 Districtformed: 1914Commanding 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 Districtformed: 1914Commanding 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 Districtformed: 1914Commanding 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 Districtformed: 1914Commanding 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 Districtformed: 1914Commanding Officer: Colonel Albert Pohl – Pohl Albert ezredes

1st Honved Horse Artillery Division – honvéd lovastüzér osztály

Garrison: Szeged – 11th Honved Cavalry Division – II Landwehr Districtformed: 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.