Hungary Hungarian Partisan History and Research

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Nice low number Partizan Badge. Glad I sent the email. Did you get anything else of interest?

Cheers,

Gordon

[Ed_Haynes]

Oh, that is a lovely one.

[hunyadi]

Yes - and as I had stated before - any one of these with a number under about 1000 was certainly to an individual who had eitehr gone through the POW camp program for propoganda and sabotage behind enemy lines, others were a small number of individuals who were still living within the Hungarian borders and took up arms against the German occupation in late 1944, and even a smaller number were those who trained with the British and even the US offcier Colonel Duke. (though he was probably never given a badge, or for that matter ever considered for one).

[Ulsterman]

wow!!! 56! Excellent!

[hunyadi]

It was an incredible weekend! The rain kept away the sharks at the flea market this weekend and I was able to get these little jems.

[hunyadi]

nice low number

[hunyadi]

This one is a instnace where it pays to open every box on the table... The box was not the correct one (it was for an excelent worker badge) but I looked anywhay - glad that I did!

[seb16trs]

here's a partisan-related document, but I don't know precisely what this identity doc states:

[Gordon Craig]

seb16trs,

The document is what is refered to as a "Carrying Document". This proves that the person wearing the badge has the right to do so.

The document says;

Hungarian Partisan Association;

Number 02851 (the number on the back of the award would match this number)

Membership Certificate

Name

Year of Birth

Birth Place

Mother's name

Signed by the Head Secretary of the association

Regards,

Gordon

[seb16trs]

hello Gordon, thank you very much for your kind traduction. The seller has told me it was this kind of doc. Infortunately my badge, as beautiful as it is, doesn't match the number. But I took the set as it is not oftenly seen in western Europe (I found it in Ciney big militaria fair, Belgium).

I'll show another letter which was accompagnying the set.

[Ulsterman]

So the badge number matched the carrying document?

..........very, very interesting!

Now if we can just find a master list of carrying docs used for verification.

By the photo I reckon this is @ 1950-1965?

Great piece! What number is your badge?

Edited September 30, 2008 by Ulsterman

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

It is almost impossible to find a badge and a carrying document together that have a matching number. The only place I have seen that is when Charles and I visited the Hungarian National Museum here in Budapest.

There is a book, and Charles has a copy, that gives the names and number, with a brief bio of the holder, for approximately the first 1500 badges awarded. That is the number of people who are thought to have actually been partisan fighter. After that number they were supposedly issued to good party members.

I would dearly like to acquire a copy of this book but have yet to find one.

Regards,

Gordon

[hunyadi]

Slight correction to the book - It is a list of aprox 1500 names and a short bio of each recipient. I have been able to get a few numbers matched with names from carrying documents that I have - but it does not give numbers with names... I need to "find" the book in the vault of carboard boxes and see if this name is a hit - there were so many that were given out for more political purposes that naught - and as this is in the 2000+ range its probably unlikely that this is a actual combatants name.

Still - very nice piece.

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Thanks for the correction. Failing memory I guess! Still like to have a copy of that book but not kuch in that line has turned up since you left.

Regards,

Gordon

[hunyadi]

Well - getting my copy was by pure chance (and I had given up hope of ever fiding one again) - the other thing to conisder is that this book would be for a badge where the serial number is stamped above the pin (only #'s 2000-2999 appear to have this)

[seb16trs]

So the badge number matched the carrying document?

..........very, very interesting!

Now if we can just find a master list of carrying docs used for verification.

By the photo I reckon this is @ 1950-1965?

Great piece! What number is your badge?

4424. Nothing to see with this document... :(

[seb16trs]

here is the letter accompagnying the identity card:

[Ulsterman]

waaay cool.

So, we know that the 28xx series was handed out @ 1958/59.

If other docs turn up in sequence we an confirm that fact.

Edited October 2, 2008 by Ulsterman

[hunyadi]

Generally - the numerical sequence coincides with a linear time line - but not always. For example here - http://gmic.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=27112

a 1983 issue of the badge with a serial number below 2000. My suspicion is that this may have been one that was "revoked" due to un-party like behaviour and was therefore put back into the mix - or a widow simply returned the badge to the association (which still remains tight liped about any documentation or records!). regardless - taking a sample of the "true" 1500 or so "actual" combatants against the fashist forces that we have observed it can be that assumed that numbers less than 2000 were awarded awarded to these men and women.

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Interesting putting those two posts together. From what we have said in the past I would have thought that the Partisan Organization awarded the badge but that does not seem to be the case. The membership document and the accompanying letter came from the Partizan Organization but the actual cased badge in the other thread was awarded by the Hungarian Peoples Republic. I wonder if it was always this way? The two organizations must have worked together to produce a membership document and a badge bearing the same number. Or perhaps the number on the membership document and the number on the badge the recipient was awarded did not always match?

Regards,

Gordon

Edited October 2, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[hunyadi]

Yes and No -

Look at the Partiszan Association as similar organizations such as DISZ, MHSZ, SZIT, etc.... these were all "selective" clubs which created their own pins and badges - mqany times under contract of the State Mint or the Handcraft Association. The 1953 Hungarian Partisans Badge was founded as a "commemorative" piece to recognize the serivce and political activites of the Partisans during the war. When the association was formed in 1945, they had their own badge made (my guess by the Soviets first and then later the State Mint) and they regulated membership. To my understanding the 1953 (memory fading and no resource material in front of me...so if I am off by a year or two, dont get upset!) badge was simply "we the HUPR make this badge "official" and the Partisans Association acts as the regulator of who gets one".

Looking through the Honved magazine of the time - there was a huge issue with several pages dedicated to those in the military who were awarded the new badge. Of course this has to weigh with the declaration in the 1945 Honved Gazzette in which it declared that Pal Maleter and one other individual were given the right to wear the Partisan Badge on their uniform. The 1953 form of Maleter's badge posessed the serial # of 606. Pal Maleter was probably one of the first hundred to get the first form of the badge...

[hunyadi]

Well - I found my copy of the book and Mr Balla is not there as I would have suspected with the high number and award of 1958. A "German Horse Kicker".... interestingly the Secretary of the Association in 1958 is also not listed as a partisan who conributed to the war effort.

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

Thanks for your response. When we were at the National Library looking at Partisan badges, or in other ones that I have seen, I don't remember seeing any mint marks from either the Russian or Hungarian mints nor the Handcraft Associations from either country. Have you seen any badges that were maker marked?

Interesting about Pal Maleter and the other person who were granted the right to wear this badge. Perhaps another nail in Pal Maleter's coffin?

I wondered about the Secretary of the Association who signed the document and if he was really a partisan. Interesting to find out that he is not listed in your book. No doubt a political appointment and an interesting insight into the association.

Regards,

Gordon

[hunyadi]

It is mostly educated speculation that the Soviets produced the first series of Partisan Badges as they appeared almost immediately after the end of the War in Hungary in April of 1945. The first parades in 1945 as we have seen in photographs for the Military Museum show the badge being worn - comparing this to the Hungarian Order of Freedom (1946) which was made by the Handicraft Association at first and not the State Mint due to the inability of the Mint to produce awards, its hard to think that they would be able to churn out a few hundred partisan badges. The early badges are of a very high quality - save for the tendancy of the parachute and crossed PPSh's to fall of the red star...that they dont remind me of an item that was churned out in some back room. The Soviet Union or some other Allied nation seems a plausable source for the badges. By 1947 the State Mint was back in production - though in limited forms and would have taken over production of the badge which may explain the variance between pin backs and screw back variations - pin back being a more prefered method of attachment rather than the screw back as seen on so many Soviet Orders... but in the end until the archives are opened - there can only be educated guesses.