The story of the Hungarian Army’s involvement in World War Two is an intriguing one. Largely unwilling to go to war initially, the Hungarian Honvéd (soldier) would find himself fighting alongside the Germans in desperate combat on the Eastern Front. While the core of the army was well-trained and equipped, the rapid wartime mobilisation meant that, by necessity, the majority of troops did not receive anywhere near as much training and initially lacked anti-tank weaponry. While many fought bravely none could really be considered ‘crack’ troops. Suffering awful casualties at Stalingrad, and with the Eastern Front beginning to fall back before the Soviet onslaught, the Hungarian government began to seek an armistice with Britain and the USA. Upon discovering this, Germany occupied Hungary, and Hungarian troops continued to fight under German control until the end of the war. Soviet forces eventually captured Budapest after a brutal struggle, and remaining Hungarian forces largely fell back west to surrender to the Americans.
On the tabletop, a Hungarian force is an interesting beast. While not boasting the most powerful infantry, they have plenty of useful and characterful units and are more than capable of holding their own in battle, as well as a pair of very useful national special rules! Axis Support allows a single German or Italian unit to be included in the force (with some restrictions), providing a wealth of options with which to support your units, while Roving Patrols is an incredibly powerful ability that prevents your opponent from using special deployment rules or outflanking – essentially locking the board down and meaning you always know where attacks will be coming from!
A Hungarian army can be played in a number of different ways – I’d personally recommend leveraging some of the more cost-effective options to bring a surprising number of Order Dice without compromising troop quality too much, while utilising Axis Support to plug any ‘gaps’ you may find in your force composition. There’s also plenty of useful tricks you can pull with the available units, and particularly the Roving Patrols rule!
As one would expect, the Hungarian range is well-supplied with models for your HQ units, MMG and Medium mortar teams, and artillery (with the ubiquitous Skoda-designed medium howitzer appearing alongside the tried and tested German PaK-36 and -40 in that capacity), and of course there’s the Weapons Teams boxed set which provides very useful support in the form of anti-tank rifle, Panzerschreck, and flamethrower units.
There’s also the weird and wonderful 44M ‘Mace Thrower’ rocket launcher, which is a weapon unique to Hungarian forces. It has a really cool (and unusual) salvo-firing mechanic, and with both anti-tank and high explosive rockets on hand, it’s a fun and versatile weapon.
In terms of armour, while the Hungarians can bring various Panzers to the table courtesy of the Axis Support special rule (but remember, in Third Edition, it can be infantry and artillery as well!), they’re also well-supplied with locally developed armour, with some good options for Armoured Platoons that don’t require the Germans or Italians to get involved!
38M Toldi I/II Light Tank
The Turán I and II are capable mediums tanks at a relatively low points cost, while the Zrínyi II fills the howitzer-armed assault gun niche nicely.
43M Zrínyi II Assault Gun
The Csaba 39M armoured car is also a fun option for Hungarian players, providing a low-cost Recce vehicle mounting an anti-tank rifle and co-axial MMG. While lacking the raw punch of larger armoured cars, at only 80 points for Regular it can be a real nuisance on the tabletop. Similarly low-cost but effective is the 40M Nimrod self-propelled anti-aircraft gun. Mounting a heavy autocannon in the open turret, it’s capable of blasting Veteran infantry and menacing enemy armour with ease – provided you can look after it, as it only has a 7+ Damage Value, but at 85 points you can bring plenty!
Finally, we come to the infantry, of which more have recently become available! The standard Honvéd miniatures are suitable for a wide range of units. Available both in summer and winter uniforms (the latter featuring the unique padded jackets and trousers issued to Hungarian forces), they’re perfect for all of your ‘standard’ infantry sections, the backbone of your Rifle Platoons, and allow you to flavour your army to any conditions.
Alongside these are the specialist troops, capable of filling a number of roles on the tabletop. Mountain Troops are a great choice for commanders looking for tough Veterans with the always-useful Fieldcraft rule, and their new models reflect their terrain-traversing experience! Alongside them, watching the mountain passes, are the Border Guards. Designed as defensive troops, they’re the perfect choice to be given the Engineers rule for your Engineering Platoons – particularly since the new set includes a powerful flamethrower!
If you need a position held or an objective taken, no matter the cost, the Parachute Assault Section and new Gendarmes (complete with their truly splendid hats!) are the men for you! Both are Veteran squads that can be given Stubborn, great for giving your Rifle Platoons a ‘hard core’, or creating a small all-Veteran force! And if you to zip your troops to the frontlines quickly, look no further than the trusty Rába 38M Botond 1.5 Ton truck!
Bolt Action: Third Edition sees Hungary in a good place – with strong rules and great new miniatures! There’s never been a better time to muster up some Magyar spirit and start a Hungarian collection!
