„Orosz őrség van velünk és hadifogoly-élelmezést kapunk”
There are Russian Guards with Us and We Get POW Food”

Hungarian Labour Service Units of the Red Army’s Subordination

Summary/Abstract: The Red Army occupying the territory of Hungary created from the Hungarian prisoners of war so-called engineering (in fact, labour service) units in January-February 1945. The Soviets promised better care and transfer to the new Hungarian Government for those who applied for these units. However, contrary to the promises, they were not given over to the new Hungarian government, but they were put to hard physical work for Red Army 10 to 13 hours a day under Soviet armed guards, in minus 10 to 20ºC winter cold, often accommodated in ruined buildings with no windows, with extremely poor food rations, in tattered clothing, in many cases barefoot. The extremely harsh POW-like accommodation conditions, poor nutrition and severe overworking resulted in an average loss of 33% of these labour service units, but one of the “Divisions” it exceeded 39%. These loss rates are nearly identical to those of the Horthy era labour service units (27.5 to 34.4%).

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