Hungary Military Museum Budapest

[Gordon Craig]

Gentlemen,

Yesterday when my wife arrived home from work she brought with her an invitation to attend the opening of a new exhibit at the Military Museum in Budapest. This exhibit will cover the time period 1948 to 1968. A period of interest to all of us. Unfortunately, it was at 11:30 today and I had a time conflict. I had hoped to some how fit it into my schedule but a recuring knee problem prevented that. I'll have to go some time in the next week and report, hopefully with some pictures, on the exhibit and just exactly what they have on display. More anon.

Cheers,

Gordon

[Ulsterman]

heck-I'd LOVE to see that exhibit!

Take lots of photos if you go.

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsternan,

Your wish is my command! Charles and I visited the new exhibit today and took a lot of pictures. Cropping and resizing them for posting here will take some time but I will try to post what I feel will be of interest. Some exhibits need to be looked at carefully as we are not sure all of the pieces were authentic. We did see some great stuff but all I have time for tonight is a teaser to keep your interest. These two pictures will speak for themselves.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Picture #2

[Eric Schena]

Great pictures so far! I look forward to seeing more.

I do have a question to ask and it is slightly - does this museum happen to have a display of other Eastern Bloc medals in it? I ask because some photos that were given to me by one of my fellow Albanian medal collector contacts were of some decorations in this museum, but they were taken quite a number of years ago. I was curious if they are still on display and if so, what some of the tags may have said.

Cheers,

Eric

Edited June 7, 2007 by Eric Schena

[hunyadi]

I remember back in 2001 when they had a mich more 'broad' spectrum of items. I miss the Dress Daggers of the World display that was up for several years. I also miss the WW2 display that they had - it covered as best that it could all the nations involved in the conflict, but focused on the Axis. Now the WW2 is just the Hungarian perspective (but that is nice becasue wehre there were only a handful of uniforms, medals, photos, equipment, etc... Now there is a whole wing of some very rare stuff. I think what happened is the musuem got a new dirrector and the whole thing went Hungarian.

[hunyadi]

Attention Please.... the Generals!

First up M1949 - this is a rare period tunic of 1949 that still retains the 'Tildy' cap and badge - by 1950 these were being phased out as the one party system took over.

[hunyadi]

M1951 General - color of the tunic has changed and its a two pocket design, much like the Soviet counterpart...

[hunyadi]

M1957 General - this is just after the 1956 Revolution - the demand for a more Hungarian tunic becomes a compromise. But as the ability to change all of the tunics over - this one is a M1951 Officers tunic converted with the addtion of the red piping, new buttons and sew in boards

[hunyadi]

The M1957 tunic once the new designs went into poduction - this lasted until 1963

[hunyadi]

Party militia - or the Workers Militia as it was known...first pattern tunic and arm band

[hunyadi]

M1951 Gymnastica style Paratroopers Tunic

[hunyadi]

Political Officer Badges....

[hunyadi]

I would love to have one of these...

[Gordon Craig]

Great pictures so far! I look forward to seeing more.

I do have a question to ask and it is slightly - does this museum happen to have a display of other Eastern Bloc medals in it? I ask because some photos that were given to me by one of my fellow Albanian medal collector contacts were of some decorations in this museum, but they were taken quite a number of years ago. I was curious if they are still on display and if so, what some of the tags may have said.

Cheers,

Eric

Eric,

I don't remember any other WP countries medals on display. There is one uniform display in this exhibit which appears to have other WP countries uniforms on display but it is a case full of all kinds of countries uniforms, helmets etc and not captioned so it is hard to tell what is in the case, or what they are getting at with the display. Next time I am in the museum I'll keep my eyes open for this type of display.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

M1951 General - color of the tunic has changed and its a two pocket design, much like the Soviet counterpart...

Here is a close up of the sword belt displayed with this uniform.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Next is the sword displayed with this uniform.

Gordon

Edited June 8, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

I would love to have one of these...

Another view of the belt Charles showed here. This time, on top of the shirt and arm badge worn during the early years of this organization. It also shows the two breast badges from another thread that I started some time ago.

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

One of the discussions we had on the thread devoted to the orgaization from above was about the smaller of the two badges being a cap badge rather than a breast badge. This next shot shows that Charles was correct in his statement that the small badge was a cap badge leaving the larger of the two to be the second type breast badge. While at the museum Charles mentioned that he wasn't so sure about the side cap and cap badge time frame since our membership books don't show stamps for as late as 1953 when these hats would have come into wear. We'll have to talk to the uniform curator about this and get back to you.

Gordon

Edited June 8, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

One of my main areas of interest in badges of this period is for the Political Officers. Charles has shown those in an earlier photo but here are pictures of badges worn at the Petofi Political Officers School. The only place I have seen these badges is in the museum and as pictures in books.

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Here is a photo of a parade at the Petofi Military Academy. The officers on parade appear to be wearing the large round badge pictured above.

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

Here is another photo from this display. It is a well known photo of the Anniversary parade of April 4, 1956. I chose to show this picture because it shows the Political Oficers badge in wear by the officer at the very front of the picture. You should also note the parade helmets used only on these parades.

Gordon

Edited June 8, 2007 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

Gents,

Here is a picture of a police uniform from this period. Great coat, belt, club, hat etc.

Regards,

Gordon

[Gordon Craig]

A picture of the belt displayed with this great coat but minus the cross strap.

Rgeards,

Gordon

[Guest Rick Research]

Terrific displays and quite interesting that it seems (?) to all simply be displayed as

This Is What Was

without the expected retroactive revisionist "editing."

I wonder what kind of reaction this sort of display gets from people who lived through it all and must have very strong feelings either way. I went to school with 1945 and 1956 refugees and grew up with the local paper being edited by one of the latter. Anything "neutral" on the Old Regime would probably make them cringe... but there are certainly as many/more people who were committed the other way.

Given the rabid politicization of even "ancient" history here currently, it must be tough to organize something that walks a narrow line---

or is the Taking Offense Industry?? confined to this side of the Atlantic?