Red assault troop (?)

The assault battalion of the 51st Infantry Division had one of the most attractive cap badges made. The insignia of the division was also particularly beautiful, which I wrote about here. And the assault troop badge is one of the most sought-after cap badges even today.

The photo is even more interesting than the badge. It is taken from Fortepan a public photo library. On this, we see red soldiers from the time of the Commune in 1919. Two of them wear the 51 assault troop badge. It should be known about the forces of the commune that they mostly consisted of Great War veterans who stayed in arms not because of political conviction, but to defend their home country. As is known, the Károlyi government demobilized the military returning home at the end of the war, motivated by the desire to comply with the entente. Some of the soldiers, led by their officers, remained under arms despite orders and tried to confront the enemy advancing on the territory of Hungary from all directions. After the establishment of the commune, all this became official. Thus, it is possible that many veterans acted as the “Red Army” of the commune against the enemy troops that invaded the territory of the country. Where appropriate, their badges remained the old ones, although Márkus Berger’s company also produced red star badges according to the new fashion of the time.