Soviet Southern Group of Forces by Tom Topol

Soviet troops stationed in Hungary, known as the Southern Group of Forces (SGF), were reported to consist of approximately 65,000 personnel.
Since April 1945, following the successful expulsion of the German army from Hungary, Soviet troops have maintained a stationed presence in the country. Their continued presence was initially necessitated by the need to safeguard communication channels with the Soviet forces occupying Austria, following Hungary’s signing of a peace treaty with the Allies in 1947.

Despite the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Austria in May 1955, the High Command of the newly-formed Warsaw Treaty Organization, which coincided with the signing of the Austrian treaty, requested the Soviet troops to remain stationed in Hungary (and East Germany, of course).

Installation of Soviet troops in Hungary Soviet Southern Group Forces

In May 1957, the Soviet-installed government under Kadar formally recognized the presence of Soviet forces in Hungary, a result of their occupation in 1956 (see Revolution of 1956, chapter 1). This agreement, known as Decree Having the Force of Law No. 54 of 1957, provided a legal basis for justifying the continued presence of Soviet troops. The rationale presented in the decree emphasized the defense against perceived NATO “aggression” and the rearmament of West Germany.

Notably, the agreement did not provide explicit details such as the exact number of Soviet troops, their specific deployment locations within Hungary, or the facilities provided to them. Such information may have been documented in a confidential annex. The publicly available version of the agreement stated that the Soviet troops would remain stationed “indefinitely” and that both parties needed mutual agreement for any modifications to the arrangement.

Personell

According to NATO estimates from November 1988, the Soviet troops stationed in Hungary, known as the Southern Group of Forces (SGF), were reported to consist of approximately 65,000 personnel. Under the leadership of Lieutenant General Aleksei A. Demidov, these forces were strategically aligned with the Group of Soviet Forces deployed in East Germany, the Northern Group of Forces in Poland, and the Central Group of Forces in Czechoslovakia. Soviet Southern Group Forces

Southern Group Forces Headquarters Soviet Southern Group Forces

The SGF, with its headquarters based in Budapest, held command over several divisions strategically positioned throughout Hungary. These included the 13th Guards Tank Division located in Veszprem, the 2nd Tank Division stationed in Esztergom, the 253rd Motor Rifle Division situated in Szekesfehervar, and the 93rd Guards Motor Rifle Division positioned in Kecskemet.

These ground forces were further bolstered by an air assault brigade, five fighter regiments, two fighter-ground attack regiments, as well as various combat helicopter units and reconnaissance aircraft. In the event of a conflict with NATO, the SGF, along with Hungarian forces, would be integrated into the Southwestern Theater of Military Operations (known as TVD, or teatr voennykh deistvii).

Reduction of Soviet military presence Soviet Southern Group Forces

In December 1988, Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev made an announcement outlining a unilateral initiative by the Soviet Union to reduce its military presence in Eastern Europe. This reduction plan, which commenced in April 1989, was scheduled to be implemented over a two-year timeframe. As part of this process, specific units were earmarked for withdrawal.

These included the tank division stationed in Veszprem and its surrounding area, an armored training regiment, a paratroop battalion, an interceptor squadron stationed at Tokol airport in Pest County, a chemical defense battalion, and the SGF training school for non-commissioned officers (NCOs) located in Szolnok.

The planned partial withdrawal aimed to remove a substantial number of military assets from Hungary. This included 450 tanks, 200 artillery pieces, trench mortars, mine throwers, and 3,000 vehicles. Moreover, approximately 10,400 Soviet troops out of the total 65,000 stationed in Hungary were to be withdrawn. In April 1989, Hungarian Foreign Minister Gyula Horn expressed the possibility of removing all Soviet soldiers from the country by the first half of the 1990s.

On 19th of June 1991, the last Soviet soldier left Hungary, marking the end of the the country’s half-a-century-long foreign occupation that started by the German invasion on 19th of March 1944.

Soviet soldiers and the Hungarian society

The presence of Soviet troops in Hungary was characterized by a noticeable detachment from Hungarian society. They maintained a policy of non-interference in Hungarian affairs and, when they did appear in public, it was typically in limited numbers and restricted locations. The relationship between the Hungarian population and the Soviet soldiers was generally marked by a lack of affinity. The Hungarians, as a whole, held a disposition of disfavor towards the Soviet troops and refrained from social interaction with them. Soviet Southern Group Forces

The presence of this Soviet officer, frequently making trips to Hungary with numerous permissions granted by the Consular Section of the Soviet Embassy, can only be attributed to his role in escorting the Soviet soldiers across the Soviet-Hungary border to their designated military service location.

A fantastic document of cold war passport history. I also have a Soviet passport from an officer once stationed in East Germany (GDR). Such documents are very rare to find nowadays.

Tom Topol | Passport Historian & Author
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