Editing Hungarian Defence Forces (section)

==== World War II ====
{{Main|Royal Hungarian Army}}
{{See also|Hungary in World War II}}

In November 1940, Hungary signed the [[Tripartite Pact]] and became a member of the [[Axis powers|Axis]] with [[Nazi Germany]] and [[Kingdom of Italy|Fascist Italy]].

In April 1941, in order to regain territory and because of the German pressure, Hungary allowed the [[Wehrmacht]] to cross her territory in order to launch the [[invasion of Yugoslavia]]. The Hungarian foreign minister, [[Pál Teleki]] who wanted to maintain a pro-allied neutral stance for Hungary, could no longer keep the country out of the war, as the British Foreign Secretary [[Anthony Eden]] had threatened to break diplomatic relations with Hungary if it did not actively resist the passage of German troops across its territory, and General [[Henrik Werth]], chief of the Hungarian General Staff made a private arrangement - unsanctioned by the Hungarian government - with the German High Command for the transport of the German troops across Hungary. Pál Teleki, no longer being able to stop the unfolding events, committed suicide on April 3, 1941, and Hungary joined the war on April 11 after the proclamation of the [[Independent State of Croatia]].

After the controversial ''[[Kassa attack]]'', elements of the Royal Hungarian Army joined the German invasion of the [[Soviet Union]], [[Operation Barbarossa]], one week later than the start of the operation. In spite of the arguments made that Hungary (unlike Romania) had no territorial claims in the Soviet Union, the fateful decision was made to join the war in the East. In the late summer of 1941, the Hungarian "Rapid Corps" (''[[Gyorshadtest]]''), alongside [[Wehrmacht|German]] and Romanian army groups, scored a huge success against the Soviets at the [[Battle of Uman]]. A little more than a year later and contrasting sharply with the success at Uman, was the near-total devastation of the [[Hungarian Second Army]] on banks of the [[Don River (Russia)|Don River]] in December 1942 during the [[Battle for Stalingrad]].

During 1943, the [[Hungarian Second Army]] was rebuilt. In late 1944, as part of ''Panzerarmee Fretter-Pico'', it participated in the destruction of a Soviet [[mechanized infantry|mechanized group]] at the [[Battle of Debrecen]]. But this proved to be a [[Pyrrhic victory]]. Unable to rebuild again, the [[Hungarian Second Army]] was disbanded towards the end of 1944.

To keep Hungary as an ally, the Germans launched [[Operation Margarethe]] and occupied Hungary in March 1944. However, during the [[Warsaw Uprising]], Hungarian troops refused to participate.<ref name="Mollo, Andrew 1981">Page 208, Mollo, Andrew, ''The Armed Forces of World War II'', Crown, 1981, New York, {{ISBN|0-517-54478-4}}</ref>

[[File:Warsaw Uprising Hungarians.JPG|thumb|upright|Graves of a [[Royal Hungarian Army]] captain and 6 of his men who fell, fighting on the Polish side in [[Warsaw uprising]] 1944]]
On 15 October 1944, the Germans launched [[Operation Panzerfaust]] and forced Horthy to abdicate.  Pro-Nazi [[Ferenc Szálasi]] was made p[[Prime Minister of Hungary|rime minister]] by the Germans.

On 28 December 1944, a [[provisional government]] under the control of the [[Soviet Union]] was formed in liberated [[Debrecen]] with [[Béla Miklós]] as its [[Prime Minister|prime minister]]. Miklós was the commander of the [[Hungarian First Army]], but most of the First Army sided with the Germans and most of what remained of it was destroyed about 200 kilometres north of Budapest between 1 January and 16 February. The pro-[[Communist]] government formed by Miklós competed with the pro-Nazi [[Government of National Unity (Hungary)|government of Ferenc Szálasi]]. The Germans, Szálasi, and pro-German Hungarian forces loyal to Szálasi fought on. On 20 January 1945, representatives of the provisional government of [[Béla Miklós]] signed an armistice in [[Moscow]]. But forces loyal to Szálasi still continued to fight on.

The [[Red Army]], with assistance from Romanian army units, completed the encirclement of Budapest on 29 December 1944 and the [[Battle of Budapest|Siege of Budapest]] began. On 2 February 1945, the strength of the Royal Hungarian Army was 214,465 men, but about 50,000 of these had been formed into [[Labour service (Hungary)|unarmed labor battalions]].<ref name="Mollo, Andrew 1981" /> The siege of Budapest ended with the surrender of the city on 13 February. But, while the German forces in Hungary were generally in a state of defeat, the Germans had one more surprise for the Soviets.

In early March 1945, the Germans launched [[Operation Frühlingserwachen|the Lake Balaton Offensive]] with support from the Hungarians. This offensive was almost over before it began. By 19 March 1945, Soviet troops had recaptured all the territory lost during a 13-day German offensive.<ref>''Page 182, The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan'', Hans Dollinger, Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-27047</ref>

After the failed offensive, the Germans in Hungary were defeated. Most of what remained of the [[Hungarian Third Army]] was destroyed about 50 kilometres west of Budapest between 16 March and 25 March 1945. Officially, Soviet operations in Hungary ended on 4 April 1945 when the last German troops were expelled.

Some pro-fascist Hungarians like Szálasi retreated with the Germans into Austria and Czechoslovakia. During the very last phase of the war, [[Fascist]] Hungarian forces fought in [[Vienna Offensive|Vienna]], [[Battle of Breslau (1945)|Breslau]], [[Kostrzyn nad Odrą|Küstrin]], and along the [[Oder River]].<ref name="Mollo, Andrew 1981" />
[[File:Hungarian military police summer uniform (enlisted, 1965-2005).jpg|thumb|right|80px|Uniform of the Hungarian People's Army (''Magyar Néphadsereg''): Hungarian military police summer uniform (enlisted, private, 1965–2005)]]
On 7 May 1945, [[General]] [[Alfred Jodl]], the German [[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|Chief of Staff]], signed the document of unconditional surrender for all German forces. Jodl signed this document during a ceremony in [[France]]. On 8 May, in accordance with the wishes of the [[Soviet Union]], the ceremony was repeated in Germany by [[Field Marshal]] [[Wilhelm Keitel]]. On 11 June, the Allies agreed to make 9 May 1945 the official "Victory in Europe" day.<ref>''Page 298, The Decline and Fall of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan'', Hans Dollinger, Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number 67-27047</ref> Szálasi and many other pro-fascist Hungarians were captured and ultimately returned to Hungary's provisional government for trial.