Hungarian "Cold War" Collection 1945 - 1990

[Scout]

Sounds good

[Fabe]

I'm sure of that...sometimes I see some for sale, but they are rare. (Most were destroyed...I mean if you had any, and the state police found out, you were executed...or in jail. Even until 1990, people were afraid to talk about 1956...
My family left Hungary in 56 (my father and his brother were "reported" to the state police by their neighbors, and had to flee - one year in Austria, then to the USA - hence I was born in New Jersey, US. - it was like the Gestapo - everybody was reporting everyone...mad.)

Were there any protest street posters and leaflets produced by opponents of the government during the 1956 Uprising?

[Scout]

I'm sure of that...sometimes I see some for sale, but they are rare. (Most were destroyed...I mean if you had any, and the state police found out, you were executed...or in jail. Even until 1990, people were afraid to talk about 1956...
My family left Hungary in 56 (my father and brother were "reported" to the state police by their neighbors, and had to flee - one year in Austria, then to the USA - hence I was born in New Jersey, US. - it was like the Gestapo - everybody was reporting everyone...mad.)

Indeed.

[Fabe]

new pick-up:

Russian-made military lamp with battery in its' own bag...
When I receive the item(s), I'll take pics, try to find out more info about it. I think, this might have been installed within a tank...


2 Hungarian AMD/AK cart. holders - 1960s made I think...One is a black artf. leather and goes on the belt, the other has a strap also...

[reneblacky]

Fantastic thread Fabe, I can chime in with this helmet from my junk pile. I love the wafer like liner.

[Fabe]

UPDATE:

The M70 Hungarian helmet arrived the other day...and it's a HUGE helmet. This helmet was made for big, fat-head and double-chins
I think it's size 2(?) (you will see on the photos on the dome-stamp: A 02)
The liner stamped: 59-62
And unusually, it has another ink-stamp in the shell - see photo - the marking's first line is not very clear, the second starts with: 987 - which might be the date of manufac.: 1987
Sounds about right, the shell's paint is anti-glare matt-finish - as you can see, the light won't reflect on it...
The later type of M70s were painted matt - 1980s, the early ones were painted in anti-infrared plastic paint.
Condition is like new.



Here is my other M70 helmet...
This one is an early type with anti-infrared plastic paint and also has a Hungarian (red-white-green) national colored round decal and a black painted letter "F" - Forgalom-iránytó (Traffic Controller - within army bases) and a single black painted stripe denotes use within a battalion.
No markings inside the shell, there is a red ink-stamp on the liner: a roman numeral: III - which might indicate the size of it (3)


...and the last photo is the two types' brass chin strap buckle - on the left: the early type - on the right is the later type - which is slightly larger:


When the M87 helmet cover arrives (any day now), I'll take some more pics.

Cheers,
Fabe

[Fabe]

Hi René,
looks like you have an "early type" M70 with glossy anti-infrared plastic paint - as far as I know, the current Hungarian Army no longer makes M70/M90 helmets - since the Army became a "volunteer system" - like the US Army - about 10 years ago.
The NATO troops and troops in Afghanistan use a "modern" US made kevlar helmets now, and all other troops are using left-over M70s for service within Hungary.
I'll be getting a M90 (4 color woodland pattern) and current "tropical" helmet covers soon - even if they're not really "cold war" stuff...

Here is the M87 (Rába) and M90 helmet covers over at Brandon's site:
Hungary M90 - Brendon's Helmets

Cheers,
Fabe

Fantastic thread Fabe, I can chime in with this helmet from my junk pile. I love the wafer like liner.

[James C]

very nice helmets fabe ,ive learned something new on the different coatings too ,thanks james

[Fabe]

update:

The M87 (3 colored "Rába") camo helmet cover arrived:


Also, 2 types of AMD/AK ( AMD 65 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia ) ammo pouches...
The black one is for 3 magazines and goes on the waist belt, and were used by the police / state police - the brown one has an optional strap, for 5 magazines, and were used by the Army (from the mid 1960s)

[Thanatos]

I'm sure of that...sometimes I see some for sale, but they are rare. (Most were destroyed...I mean if you had any, and the state police found out, you were executed...or in jail. Even until 1990, people were afraid to talk about 1956...
My family left Hungary in 56 (my father and his brother were "reported" to the state police by their neighbors, and had to flee - one year in Austria, then to the USA - hence I was born in New Jersey, US. - it was like the Gestapo - everybody was reporting everyone...mad.)

Hi Fabe,
Top thread mate, well done.
My recently deceased Step Father escaped Hungry in 56 also. He was a conscript soldier at the time and escaped into Austria when the Soviets rolled in. They had to shoot their Communist officers to jump the border. Andy has always said the Hungarian people thought the US were going to cross also from Austria to liberate them and take the Soviet yoke away. Sad sad sad.
Andy never saw his family again.
Cheers mate for an excellent thread.

Dave