First Army ( Hungary ) The Hungarian First Army was a field army of the Royal Hungarian Army that saw action during World War II . Background . Under Hungarian Regent , Admiral Miklós Horthy , Hungary was an Axis state at the beginning of the European conflict . On 1 March 1940 , the small Hungarian Army formed three field armies . All three Hungarian armies were to ultimately see action on the Eastern Front against the Red Army . But , unlike the Hungarian Third Army which took part in the invasion of Yugoslavia ( 1941 ) and the Hungarian Second Army that fought at the Battle of Stalingrad ( 1942 ) , the Hungarian First Army did not see much combat at the start of the war . The troops of the Hungarian First Army , like all Hungarian troops , were part of the one - million - plus non - German Axis troops on the Eastern Front . While the majority of these Axis troops were Romanian , there were also significant contingents of Hungarians , Finns , Lithuanians , Latvians , Estonians , Italians , Slovakians , Croatians , Frenchmen , Danes , Norwegians , Belgians , and Spaniards . Occupation Duties . The first commander of the Hungarian First Army was Lieutenant - General ( or " Altábornagy " according to the Hungarian army rank ) Vilmos Nagy . After 30 August 1940 , under Nagy , the Hungarian First Army took part in Hungary ' s annexation and occupation of northern Transylvania . This region of Romania was awarded to Hungary as a condition of the Second Vienna Award . From 1940 to mid - 1944 , the Hungarian First Army saw little action other than occupation duties . Action . By 30 April 1944 , the Hungarian First Army was used to bolster Army Group South Ukraine . This army group was pushed back during the Battle of Târgul Frumos in May 1944 . The Hungarians were placed in defensive positions north of the Romanian Fourth Army and south of Army Group North Ukraine . From 13 July to 29 July 1944 , the Hungarian First Army fought against the Soviet Lvov - Sandomierz Offensive . At this time the Hungarians were attached to the German First Panzer Army commanded by Colonel - General ( " Generaloberst " ) Gotthard Heinrici , which , in turn , was part of Army Group North Ukraine . Later in 1944 , Soviet troops entered Romania , Bulgaria , and Hungary . The Romanians capitulated . The Bulgarians capitulated . The Hungarians tried to capitulate twice , but unsuccessfully . In the end , the Hungarian First Army continued its precarious existence . On 28 December , a newly formed Hungarian government , under acting Prime Minister Béla Miklós , officially declared war against Nazi Germany . But the Germans and the pro - German Hungarians in Hungary fought on against the Soviets . However , there are indications that some elements of the Hungarian First Army went over to the Soviets at about this time . Béla Miklós had been the commander of the Hungarian First Army from 1 August 1944 to 16 October 1944 . Between 1 January and 16 February 1945 , most of what remained of the Hungarian First Army was overrun , bypassed , or destroyed about 200 kilometers north of Budapest when the Soviet 40th Army advanced through the area . But , even after this , the Hungarian First Army did not cease to exist . The remnants fought on as an attachment to Heinrici ' s German First Panzer Army . Fighting as they went , they moved progressively westward into Slovakia . The army was not officially disbanded until 8 May 1945 , the end of the war . That is when the last commander of the Hungarian First Army , Lieutenant - General László Dezső , surrendered . References . < br >