The Battles of the Royal Hungarian 3rd Honvéd Army in the “Three Cities” Region, October 29 – November 4, 1944

Abstract

In my study, I consider the defensive operations of the Royal Hungarian 3rd Honvéd Army between October 29 and November 4, 1944, in the region between the Danube and Tisza rivers, specifically in the strategically important area of the ‘Three Cities’ (Kecskemét, Nagykőrös, Cegléd). I present the offensive of the Soviet 2nd Ukrainian Front aimed at capturing Budapest on the march, as well as the struggle of the opposing Hungarian-German forces, which were ill-equipped and consisted mainly of reserve units. I provide details about the military reasons for the collapse of the defense, the command decisions, and the activities of battle groups (such as the Botond Group) that offered significant local resistance. Although the Hungarian 3rd Army was crushed by the overwhelming superior force and the region was lost, the desperate rearguard actions prevented the immediate Soviet capture of the Hungarian capital by significantly slowing down the formation of the encirclement ring around Budapest.