Hungary Military and Paramilitary Academy and School Badges in the HUPR

[Gordon Craig]

The back of this badge.

[Gordon Craig]

I have been collecting information on these badges for some time and the information here is far from complete but I hope to add to it as I learn more. I will also continue with an academy thread for badges that followed the HUPR period in a different forum and I'll make a post here when that has happened in case anyone is interested in what came after the HUPR academy badges. Here is a picture of another Hungarian Collectors Academy Badges from a Hungarian Forum. It broadens the scope of these badges as it shows some from before what I have posted and some from the period after. It is here for your rference purposes.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited January 21, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[Ulsterman]

Nice!

This would make a great article! What sort of courses did officers take?

I note that there were large numbers of Ethiopian officer candidates at the Hungarian academies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their badges actually show up in Derg photos.

[Ulsterman]

I have the Budapest academy badge (#1) with a three piece construction screwback.

[Guest Rick Research]

Son of a gun! I've actually seen "odd" Soviet academy badges with the PV disk-- had no clue they were Hungarian wearing duplicates!

[Gordon Craig]

Thanks for the photo of the badge with the screw post. I have been looking for one of those for over a year without any luck. Except for the one Zsolt had that I didn't buy! You can get in line to kick me for that one. If you come across another Hungarian badge with a post please let me know or buy it for me. I need one for one of my General's uniforms. Here is a photo of what they look like on a general's uniform.

Edited January 16, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

Nice!

This would make a great article! What sort of courses did officers take?

I note that there were large numbers of Ethiopian officer candidates at the Hungarian academies in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Their badges actually show up in Derg photos.

Ulsterman,

I can not list courses taken as I do not have extensive knowledge in that area. I would imagine the training would have been much similar to that provided by West Point, Royal Military College in Kingston, Canada or at Sandhurst in England. Artillery Oficers would probably have had a focus on math and science. Supply officers would do statistics, transportation etc. Here is another quote from the document I used for referenc at the beginning of this thread.

"Candidates for officer training were chosen by the ministries of defense, interior, and education, together with the Communist Youth League's central committee (see Mass Organizations , ch. 2). These candidates had to be of "good character," politically reliable, physically fit, single, and not over twenty-one years of age, and they had to demonstrate military aptitude. They were required to take mathematics and physics tests and psychological examinations. Knowledge of Russian was necessary to become an officer in the air force. After such screening, candidates then attended a military college for four years as officer cadets. After passing final examinations, they became junior officers (in the army, air force, or border guard) and were obligated to serve fifteen years.

Political officers were trained in military colleges but took different courses. A background in the Communist Youth League and the Hungarian National Defense Association (Magyar honvedelmi szovetseg--MHSz) helped in selection for this career. Older candidates were chosen from the party apparatus or from those with degrees in the "science of Marxism-Leninism." The Ministry of Defense's Main Political Administration oversaw the selection and screening of political officers."

In the late 1980s Zrinyi became a degree granting university.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited January 16, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[Ulsterman]

Neat! Sounds articlish to me (hint hint)

I'll bet Hunyadi can tell us a bit more about academies and all....

I'll look for an academy badge round about-I have seen them somewhere...in a big plastic container...of course I was elbowing a very aggressive and overweight Pole at the time- ...blocking so that cousin Rick could dive a little deeper into the bucket for unknown Communist goodies.

[Guest Rick Research]

This Zrinyi Academy arrived at the Schloss today (those Fedex trucks are COLD inside ):

The patina of the silver(ed?) finish makes it look yuckier scanned than it does in-hand. Flawless perfect enamel, and about half the metal thickness of Soviet ones.

I just can't resist nice enamel....

[hunyadi]

Before there were nice diamond shaped badges...there was the Kossuth Academy... this was the badge worn 20cm from the shoulder seam on the left arm. It was worn only by the cadets and the staff. There was no regulations regarding the formation of a badge to wear that you actualy graduated from the main academy in 1948. The badge was founded on April 10th 1948 and was used until 1949. A very rare item...

[Gordon Craig]

Charles,

I should have bought the last one we saw. Perhaps tomorrow? See you at 2:00

Regards,

Gordon

[Hauptmann]

Hi Gordon,

Terrific thread so far... hope it continues. Thanks to Charles I was lucky enough to add one of the first types of academy badges you posted to my collection this past Christmas. I wondered though... how hard are the cases (or cased examples) to come by? Also how about the docs... I'd imagine those wouldn't turn up very often. But I'd definitely love a case or cased example at some point along the way.

Dan

[Gordon Craig]

Dan,

I have seen three cases in the last 18 months. One came with a badge in it, the other I found in a store with the wrong badge in it, and the third, a very rare example of what I think was a Munkasor case, I missed because I didn't buy it when I first saw it and it was gone when I went back to buy it. I am always on the lookout for these case but they are almost impossible to find. I sent an email to a vendor who has been very good at finding things for me in the past and he had never heard of the academy badge cases before and asked me to send him a picture so he would know what to look for!

Regards,

Gordon

[Hauptmann]

Dan,

I have seen three cases in the last 18 months. One came with a badge in it, the other I found in a store with the wrong badge in it, and the third, a very rare example of what I think was a Munkasor case, I missed because I didn't buy it when I first saw it and it was gone when I went back to buy it. I am always on the lookout for these case but they are almost impossible to find. I sent an email to a vendor who has been very good at finding things for me in the past and he had never heard of the academy badge cases before and asked me to send him a picture so he would know what to look for!

Regards,

Gordon

There goes my accursed good taste again, eh? Oh well. It's like with all else, if it's meant to be one will pop out of the woodwork. If it can work with that Driver's badge I guess anything is possible. Here's hoping more turn up before too long.

Dan

[Hauptmann]

Here's my one sole contribution on these so far:

Dan

[Gordon Craig]

Here is a special school badge issued in 1968 only. It appears to be a badge celebrating the 50th anniversay of the Ministry of Interior School. They are reaching a bit here and going back to the brief Communist government of 1919 (I think) but the use of the year 1918 puzzles me a bit. It would appear that it was to be worn for a while, possibly a year, otherwise why put the two prongs on the back? Anyone with any background on this badge, or just youur thoughts, please comment. I have only seen this one example.

Regards,

Gordon

Edited April 12, 2008 by Gordon Craig

[Gordon Craig]

The reverse of the badge.

[Ulsterman]

here's another one-bad scan (sorry) but it's three piece construction, appears to be silver and cold enamel and says:

" BM RENDOR TISZTHELYETTESKEPZO ISKOLA", so I presume the "Rendor Memorial Police and Security school"?

[hunyadi]

"Interior Ministry (BM) Police NCO School"

[Ulsterman]

Cool!

Thank 'ee sir!

[Gordon Craig]

Here is a special school badge issued in 1968 only. It appears to be a badge celebrating the 50th anniversay of the Ministry of Interior School. They are reaching a bit here and going back to the brief Communist government of 1919 (I think) but the use of the year 1918 puzzles me a bit. It would appear that it was to be worn for a while, possibly a year, otherwise why put the two prongs on the back? Anyone with any background on this badge, or just youur thoughts, please comment. I have only seen this one example.

Regards,

Gordon

As a result of Ulsterman's last post of a BM school badge, I took another look at the thread and I need to add something here that I wasn't clear on in a previous post. In the text above I refered to this badge by saying "It appears to be a badge celebrating the 50th anniversay of the Ministry of Interior School. What I should have said is"It appears to be a badge celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Ministry of Interior Schools". I neglected to take into account that the wording on the badge read "ISKOLAK" which refers to more than one school rather than "ISKOLA" which would refer to only one school. Gotta watch the sublties of the Hungarian language!

Regards,

Gordon

[Ulsterman]

Next, a badge for the BM. KUN B?LA Z?SZL?S-K?PZŐ ISKOLA. My information on this badge is as limited as for the first one.

I just got an exact copy of this badge, probably 1970s-1989 version (nice piece though).

I translate this (badly) as:

Ministry of the Interior Bela Kun Banner (ensign/cadet?) qualification/education school"?

Obviously I have done this badly, as this would make me believe that this was a badge for the Bela Kun Flag waving qualification school.

Tricky language.

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

Because of the wording on the silver badge I would say it is enlisted emn/Warrant Officers while the gold one would probably be for officer. Congratulations on getting one of these badges. They are not that plentiful here and must be rare where you live.

Regards,

Gordon

[Ulsterman]

Thanks- the wonder of the internet though-

Still, odd things pop up at gun fairs.

Some of these were in a plastic box filled with brass 22 cartridges, Perot '92 buttons and other bric-a-brac.

[Gordon Craig]

Ulsterman,

Here is another in this series of badges, just got it today at the Militaria Show, and that makes me a happy camper as it is the hardest one to get. This one is not for the Kun Bela Ministry of the Interior School however. It is for the Police NCO school. I haven't had time to research where this school was located as of yet. Next week before I get to that. The BM Kun Bela School was in Budapest and the Police Officers school was in Szeged.

Regards,

Gordon,