Hungarian Armed Forces Museum

It will come as no surprise that I managed to visit the Armed Forces Museum while I was in Budapest recently.  Some work is underway at the museum so not all the exhibits were on display - but there was still plenty to see.  The museum charges extra for a permit to take photos inside which I didn't bother with.  Given that most of the exhibits are behind glass this wasn't a bad decision.  I came across a number of photos of the inside in this review: link.

A pair of these tiny infantry guns was in place at the back door to the museum.  They'd fit through a normal house doorway.

A clue that we were close to the museum was a row of artillery pieces - including this rather nifty AA gun.

There were a number of imposing mortars.

These chaps were as still as the Palace guards.  More so as they are in fact life size dummies.

The fascia of the museum was completely covered - even the guns at the door were bubble wrapped!

A rather nice old 107mm gun.

I think this is a Skoda 100mm gun.

The museum's courtyard contained quite a number of memorials.

Behind a bush in the courtyard I spotted a familiar shape...

Identified it yet?  Yes, it's a Panzer 4 turret.  Apparently after WW2 some of these (there were a few lying around...) were built into concrete bunkers guarding the border against us beastly capitalists.

The 75mm was long gone - replaced with a Soviet Maxim complete with wheels!

A gunners-eye view from the turret.

The WW1 memorial

A few days later we visited the Citadel Hill.  We didn't go into the museum but there were a few 'big toys' outside.

A Soviet WW2-era ZIS3 76mm divisional gun.

Another Soviet piece - this time a postwar S60 57mm AA gun.