Hungarian "Cold War" Collection 1945 - 1990

[Fabe]

Hi Everyone,

I've mentioned in other recent threads, after 2 years of collecting German & Hungarian WW2 filed gear, I just very recently started collecting post war Hungarian (and probably a few other East-German bits) items. For now, no really clear focus, hoping to eventually have one...
Post war items are mostly fairly inexpensive (here in Hungary), although for exmpl. the 1945-1949 "Tildy Era" and the most hated 1949-1956 "Rákosi Era" gear and uniforms are getting quite pricey - almost as expensive as WW2 stuff.

I'm already planning to start a "virtual museum" - as a blog or website - to archive my collection, taking professional studio quality photos with all the details. Until that time however; I will only post less superior photos - just to quickly show items which I'm planning to get or already got. So please just bear with me...

I will start with some Hungarian Workers' Militia (Munkásőrség) 1956 - 1989 items. Here is some info regarding that: Workers' Militia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Here is a almost unissued, size 52 / 180 (for a 180 cm tall person) dress uniform jacket and cap (hat) with a "Unit Commander" rank:
The cap is size 56.
The Workers Militia's uniform - especially the hats - generally were loosely based on Chinese (Mao) style hats (I think all Eastern Block countries had Workers Militia units, with quite similar uniforms)
Both jacket and hat belonged to the same person and was made in the late 1970s or 1980s by the now non-existent "Szegedi Ruhagyár" (clothes and uniform manufacture factory from the 1940s until 2004).

Also will also post a photo taken sometime in the 1980s (back-row middle person wearing the same style and rank jacket and hat) and a Workers Militia's uniform ranks chart:

More to come soon!

Cheers,
Fabe

[maximus71]

Very nice Fabe, I am half hungarian so this is very interesting to me.
John

[Fabe]

3 more Hungarian Workers' Militia hats:

left side: winter "ushanka" hat - small 52 size - probably made for a woman's head (women were also members of the Militia)
middle: unissued dress uniform hat - red star badge was never installed - also small 53 size
right side: field cap "bocskai" style - size 58 or 59

[Adrian Stevenson]

Thanks for showing these. I had not seen them before.

Cheers, Ade.

[daniel1234]

Very interesting items.
Thanks for showing, you have a nice collection.

[Fabe]

THX Guys, there is lots more to come!

[Fabe]

Here is a rare one I think...
"Rákosi Era 1949-1956" 'BM' or 'Belügyminisztérium' (ministry of the interior) pilotka style hat.
It was not a good sign to see one of these pilotkas in person...
'BM' and 'ÁVH' (ministry of the interior and secret police) soilders were feared as much as the SS and GESTAPO (actually, former members of GESTAPO trained these units) - and during the 1956 revolution these guys were either lynched or hanged (on lamp posts) by the public, in turn; most of these uniforms were destroyed by the owners themselves to avoid public execution.

This one is almost unissued condition, manufactured in 1952, size 57, with nice factory stampings - not a good photo that one

More info: State Protection Authority - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"The ÁVH in the Hungarian Revolution of 1956

During the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, elements of the insurgents tracked down and killed both known and suspected ÁVH officers and informants. When the Revolution began, a crowd of some thousand people attacked the police headquarters in Budapest, shouting slogans as "tear down the star!" and "free the prisoners!", referring to the enormous red star that stood on the building's roof, a symbol of communism and to the many prisoners kept inside. Fearing for the lives of both himself and his officers, the chief of the police let the crowd into the building, allowing them to take any political prisoners they wanted.
During and after the siege of the Hungarian Working People's Party headquarters (in Republic Square, Köztársaság tér), some members of the ÁVH were lynched, a fact later extensively used in party propaganda to back up the claim that the revolution was of a "fascistic, anti-Semitic and reactionary" nature."

[37Webbing]

Very interesting collection you are getting together

I've noticed a rise in post war collections lately.
I like it, since it will save a lot of the post war stuff from disappearing in the landfills across Europe.

I myself is an avid collector of post war Norwegian and Danish militaria.

[Fabe]

today's item is:

1965M (or just "65M") Hungarian Airforce Officer's Visor Cap - size 57 - very good condition

Also, here's a photo from the 1960s, soilders wearing them...

[oradour]

Fabe....This is really great and interesting stuff, I have seen little of Hungary's post war militaria before today, they are now historical artifacts, from a particularly dangerous era in the latter part of the 20th Century...the Cold War. Both the Warsaw Pact and Nato kept the correct balance of power during these times...despite the "cat & mouse" games they played......look what has happened since and after the demise of the Cold War.
The militaria from this era is now starting rise in popularity, now is the time to buy !
Prost ! Steve.