Festung Budapest: Did the Hungarians use T-60s in Buda?

BattleSchool

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Looking to confirm (or dismiss) the claim (in a recent book on the subject) that the Hungarians fielded T-60s and at least one R35 during the siege of Budapest.

The photo below appears to confirm that they were present in or near the city at some point. Hungarian author Balázs Mihályi claims that the Hungarians used some of these tanks during the siege. He's writtten a number of books, including a guide to the battle, on the subject in Hungarian.

TIA

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Update:

Apparently the photo above was taken at the junction of Christina Boulevard and Bors Street. The latter is now called Hajnóczy Jósef St.

I'd place these AFV near hex EE13 on the FB map. I'm guessing they were moved to this location after the battle. I'm thinking the photo was taken sometime in February or March 1945.

One commentator suggested that one of the T-60s is actually a "T-30."
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Tesgora

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Looking to confirm (or dismiss) the claim (in a recent book on the subject) that the Hungarians fielded T-60s and at least one R35 during the siege of Budapest.

The photo below appears to confirm that they were present in or near the city at some point. Hungarian author Balázs Mihályi claims that the Hungarians used some of these tanks during the siege. He's writtten a number of books, including a guide to the battle, on the subject in Hungarian.

TIA

View attachment 22059
Hello Chris,

FYI. According to Denes Bernad and Charles K. Kliment in Magyar Warriors Vol. I, the Hungarians had three R-35 tanks (formerly Polish-owned). The authors do not provide detailed listing for Soviet equipment captured beyond a few T-20 Komsomolets and have very little info on the AFVs deployed in Budapest in 1945. Best of luck in your search; but it appears you may already got the best source on the subject.
 

BattleSchool

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Hello Chris,

FYI. According to Denes Bernad and Charles K. Kliment in Magyar Warriors Vol. I, the Hungarians had three R-35 tanks (formerly Polish-owned). The authors do not provide detailed listing for Soviet equipment captured beyond a few T-20 Komsomolets and have very little info on the AFVs deployed in Budapest in 1945. Best of luck in your search; but it appears you may already got the best source on the subject.
Thanks for chiming in Thierry.

The Renault is an odd duck. With the MA removed, it's possible that it was a Romanian Vanatorul de Care R-35 Transformat tank destroyer captured by the Hungarians in 1944. Most likely it was one of four R35 (according to Allied Minor Note 33 and Axis Minor Note 32) that saw action in Poland in 1939 and ended up in Hungarian hands. [Edit: Indeed it was an R35 with a 37mm MA, as shown in the first photo in post 7 below.]

But I'm more interested in learning if the R35 in the photo actually saw combat in Buda. And if so, where and how it and the ex-Russian tanks were employed. According to Mihályi, these AFV were used to backstop an anti-tank ditch that ran along the northern corner of the Vérmező. The photo I initially posted has a ditch of sorts in the foreground, btw. I suspect that this photo was the genesis of a dramatized piece of artwork that depicts Soviet infantry attacking these AFV and a school located, I think, in AA12 (or BB12), out of frame to the right. The action, if true, struck me as having the makings of a late-war, tin-can scenario. FWIW, the painting shows the Renault armed with a 37mm gun.

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And if there's a scenario in here somewhere, how ought a T-30 to be represented, assuming one of the T-60s was in fact a T-30.

Bonne journée!
 
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stuh42asl

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Looking to confirm (or dismiss) the claim (in a recent book on the subject) that the Hungarians fielded T-60s and at least one R35 during the siege of Budapest.

The photo below appears to confirm that they were present in or near the city at some point. Hungarian author Balázs Mihályi claims that the Hungarians used some of these tanks during the siege. He's writtten a number of books, including a guide to the battle, on the subject in Hungarian.

TIA

View attachment 22059
[/QUOT
The tanks are T-60's , the frontal armor slopes to the rear, and the gun and turret design are T-60 configurations.
 

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Thanks Shane.

Have a look at the front armour of the tank with what look like the numerals "169" on its turret. It's hard to tell for certain, but the glacis plate seems different, more like the "T-30" pictured above than a T-60. But to be honest I hadn't heard of a T-30 until now. That said, the last tank seems to have more in common with a T-40 than a T-60.

I just had a look at the wiki entry for a T-40.The tank in the background of photo below is labelled a "T-40" T-60, and appears to be the same tank pictured in my second post, which is labelled a "T-30." All appear to have the same MA.

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BattleSchool

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Ok, I did some more research and I've come to the following conclusions.

1. There was a tank and artillery park consisting of war booty captured in 1941 that was put on display that same (or possibly following) year.

2. The vehicles included what appears to be an amphibious T-40, and a BA-6 AC.

3. Most of these AFV were still in the Vérmezö in 1945. And as far as I can tell, remained abandoned and unarmed during the battle for Buda.

4. I have found no evidence that there was an AT ditch at the northern end of the Vérmezö in January 1945, and doubt that one existed.

The photos below show the AFV and artillery pieces in the Vérmezö circa 1941. Note the amphibious Russian tank between the BA-6 armoured car and the Renault 35. The MG of what I believe is a T-40 have been removed, what remains in the bracket of the 12.7 mm DShK. The "splash guard" on the glacis plate doesn't look like any other splash guard I've seen on the T-40. In any case, this tank is clearly not a T-60.

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The building behind is in Z14 on the FB map. The photo below likewise looks northward toward hexes Z14 and Y14.

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BattleSchool

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Here are some other views of the "tank park" in 1945. The first is looking north toward the postal palace (hex U13). The white rectangle appears to show the same AFV lined up as they were in 1941.
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And below is a view from the north looking south toward the Vérmezö. I think I can make out (right to left) a BA-6, an advert column (or guard hut), an unknown AFV, a T-60 with its turret hatch open, a Renault 35, two more T-60, and an unidentifiable object on the far left.
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BattleSchool

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Finally, here's the area around hex BB13. No sign of earthworks let alone an AT ditch. The buildiing on the right is the Attila Road School (in hexes Z12 and AA12) that changed hands numerous times during the siege. You can just make out the tower (in hex U13) of the postal palace in the misty background.
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And another shot of the T-60s and Renault this time with hexes AA12 (Attila Road School, darker building on left) and BB11 directly behind. These hexes feature prominently in scenario FB7 Terror of the Castle.
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Actionjick

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Finally, here's the area around hex BB13. No sign of earthworks let alone an AT ditch. The buildiing on the right is the Attila Road School (in hexes Z12 and AA12) that changed hands numerous times during the siege. You can just make out the tower (in hex U13) of the postal palace in the misty background.
View attachment 22128

And another shot of the T-60s and Renault this time with hexes AA12 (Attila Road School) and BB11 directly behind. These hexes feature prominently in scenario FB7 Terror of the Castle.
View attachment 22129
Nice posts. 🤗
 

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Going through Szamveber’s book Armoured Warfare in the Battle for Budapest, I found no entries regarding the Hungarian use of T-60’s. But there was mention of Russian T-70’s and M4A2’s by the 9th Guards Mechanized Corps.
 
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