The Second Army was the best-equipped Hungarian formation at the beginning of the war, but was virtually eliminated as an effective fighting unit by overwhelming Soviet force during the Battle of Stalingrad, suffering 84% casualties.

Hungary's head of state was Regent Admiral Miklós Horthy and the government was led by Prime Minister Pál Teleki.

On April 3, 1941, Teleki committed suicide when it became clear that Hungary was to take part in the invasion of Yugoslavia, its erstwhile ally.

Each corps also included two cavalry-brigades, two motorized infantry brigades, an anti-aircraft battery, a signals company, and a cavalry reconnaissance troop.

Hungary regained substantial portions of its territories that had been ceded following the loss of World War I and the resultant Treaty of Trianon.

At first, only Hungary's "Karpat Group" with its integral "Rapid Corps" (Gyorshadtest) was sent to the Eastern Front, in support of the German 17th Army.

But, before Horthy would gain Hitler's consent to withdraw the "Rapid Corps," he had to agree to deploy an even larger Hungarian force.

Similarly, almost all combat-worthy aircraft and supporting units were organized into the 1st Flight Group, also attached to the Second Army.

During the movement, 19 of the total 822 railway trains were attacked by Soviet partisans, which caused 27 combat deaths and 83 wounded.

During these operations, the Hungarian Second Army suffered severe casualties in manpower, as without adequate air and armor support all assaults were carried out by infantry units only, against skillful and determined Soviet defense.

Lack of transportation was so severe that some divisions marched over 1,000 km on foot from their disembarkation points to the first contact with the enemy.

This lack of preparation badly affected the soldiers' fighting abilities and morale when confronted with heavy[vague] tank assaults.

Also, a significant part of Second Army were reservists (officers and enlisted men alike) who were promised a "quick victory", and became demoralized as their prospects for getting home soon worsened.

The Hungarian Second Army's losses were made especially severe by the attitude of its commander, Colonel General Vitéz Gusztáv Jány, who forbade any sort of withdrawal, even though the neighboring German and Italian forces had pulled back.

By mid-August 1944, German Colonel-General (Generaloberst) Johannes Friessner's Army Group South was on the brink of collapse.

The subsequent Budapest strategic offensive (October 29, 1944 - February 13, 1945) attack by the Ukrainian Second and Third Fronts far into Hungary destroyed any semblance of an organised German defensive line.

General of Artillery Maximilian Fretter-Pico's recently reformed German Sixth Army represented the nucleus of what remained of Friessner's force.

As Friessner desperately struggled to reform a defensive line, news filtered through to Berlin that the Hungarian leader, Admiral Miklós Horthy was preparing to sign a separate peace with the Soviet Union.

[citation needed] In August, Horthy replaced Prime Minister Döme Sztójay with the anti-fascist General Géza Lakatos.

The Germans insisted that Horthy abrogate the armistice, depose Lakatos's government, and name the leader of the Arrow Cross Party, Ferenc Szálasi, as Prime Minister.

While avoiding encirclement, Army Group Fretter-Pico managed to maul three Soviet corps under the command of Issa Pliyev.

Unable to replace equipment and personnel lost in the Battle of Debrecen, the Hungarian Second Army were smashed on December 1, 1944.

Manufacture of the potentially more effective Turan III tank (with a long 75 mm gun) never developed beyond prototypes.