This topic will also contain interesting information from the siege of Budapest from another angle: the brave and nationalist young students of the hungarian universities, who leaving the school benches in late 1944 to made a fast training and become the volunteers of the newly estabilished military battallion from students, called: “The First Royal Hungarian University Assault Battalion”
They made a short time training and fight together in the first lines with the german Wehrmacht and Waffen SS and try to defend the hungarian capitol from the outnumbered Red Army
After one and half months the german and hungarian units run out ammo and supply, and they made a embittered outbreak from the 117 miles deep enemy lines, the enclosured circle city of Budapest and try to reach the western german lines on foot
Others captured and being a prisoner of war or made a successful escape from the soviet captivity in civilian clothes
Their story included in this upcoming topic
Commanders of the First Royal Hungarian University Assault Battalion
Gyula Elischer /Major/
Olaf Szamódy /Lieutnant/
Lajos Sipeki - Balázs /Captain/
The establishment date of the First University Assault Battalion in October 5th in 1944 is started
Their first deployed in 1944 on 24 December Hűvösvölgy, the Soviet break-in when first alerted them to complete missions in the first line and make patrols behind the own lines for partisan attacks
They fight for the Rose Hill (Rózsadomb) then took part in the outbreak, 11 February 1945
The students dorm locations:
- Marczibányi square shooting gallery building
- The building of the Rákóczi high school
- The building of the Baár - Madas high school for girls (in peace time)
- The buiding of the Lövölde street school and the building of the Bear Street elemetary school
Originally the number of battalions have 600- 800 students and only 32 students choose to break out with the german and hungarian troops on the evening of 11 February 1945
The others in the castle of Buda have fallen or taken prisoner of war, or change civilian clothes and tried to withdraw from the additional fights and captivity
At the end of the summer of 1944, despite higher carried out against military and industrial centers of the capital of British American sporadic terrorist bombings are still relatively peaceful atmosphere in Budapest:in the hot days the pools in the capitol are full, the restaurants and cafés also,and Hungarian and German movies playing in the cinemas
In the capital, people could not even imagine then that the war could reach Budapest, only mentioning that they were regarding the media, where to find a comfortable shelters
Not too long Debrecen, Kecskemét Szolnok be standing in the eastern front area
Miklos Horthy the Governor of Hungary was now looking into the possibility of war in the breakaway and made a public proclamation of the capitulation in the media
But on Sunday, 15 October 1944, the passers by of the Oath square who have stayed in the area, have been witnessing a short fire fight which took place at front of a house at the Oath square No. 3
Hungarian soldiers and civilians in raincoat shooting each other, and then the victorious civilians in raincoat brought out a body wrapped in carpet and thrown into a truck and drove away
The Passers-by could witness Otto Skorzeny’s SS obersturbannführer secret action who was kidnap the younger Miklós Horthy, the son of the hungarian governor’s Miklós Horthy (the code name for action possibly part of the Germans was little sense of humor combined with codename “Mickey Mouse” Maybe “Mickey” means “Miklós” the last name of the son of the hungarian Governor, Miklós Horthy)
“Operation Panzerfaust” is started in the same time, that means the german forces demilled the troops who loyal to the Governor Horthy,in the capitol Budapest
The operation was fast succes, only a few wounded and seven german soldier died in the action
From Operation Panzerfaust more info and picture here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Operation_Panzerfaust
After Romania switch the Soviet side, the Germans largely ensured that similar cases Hungarian allies do not recur
The Germans withdrew the next day the governor Miklós Horthy public proclamation of the capitulation from the war, they support the appointment of a new Prime Minister of Budapest Ferenc Szálasi who was the leader of the sympathizer Arrow Cross political Party and Budapest was the Arrow Cross Party’s hands within a few hours
The Hungarian ex governor Miklós Horthy taken in custody and instructions of the german High Command to Horthy with all with his family had immediately to leave Hungary, and allowed to take along only two changes of clothes
On 17 October, the exgovernor Horthy’s special train pulled out of Budapest and under german military escort go to a German castle in Bavaria and the Horthy family have been kept under house arrest until the end of the war
Pictures
Miklós Horthy the Governor of Hungary (from march 1th. in 1920. until oct 16th of 1944.)
Miklós Horthy Jr. the son of the hungarian Governor on the right side of the photo (who have been kidnapped by the SS secret service)
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/hu/4/41/Horthy_csalad_3.jpg
Otto Skorzeny walking in the Castle of Buda in Budapest on oct 16th in 1944
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/da/Bundesarchiv_Bild_101I-680-8283A-30A%2C_Budapest%2C_Otto_Skorzeny%2C_Adrian_v._Fölkersam.jpg
Ferenc Szálasi The Head of the Arrow Cross Party, the new elected prime minister and National leader of Hungary from 16th of october in 1944 (from 16th. of oct in 1944. - until march 28th of 1945)
Video
Hungarian newsreel from Szálasi inauguration to the Nationleader 1944
http://filmhiradokonline.hu/watch.php?id=5851
Translation
Reporter:
Ferenc Szálasi prime minister elected of the country National leader!
The two Chambers of the Parliament joint festive session of the king’s Marble Hall took off his oath in front of the Holy Crown!
In the Hall
The head of parliament:
- The joint meeting will open again. My partner and President of the National Assembly on behalf of the members gathered to welcome Mr National leader, released in order to respect the nation’s leading oath, and I ask you to put down the statutory oath!
Ferenc Szálasi, Hungary’s new minister and National leader (repeated the oath)
[i]- I Szálasi nation’s leader swear by the living God, to be faithful to Hungary, and upheld the laws of old and new habits and keep others to keep upheld
I Defend the nation indepence and territory
National Leadership of my officers under the constitution, the parliament understanding experienced by the Ministry and would do everything for the glory and for the benefit of the country.God if will help me!
[/i]
As much as some of the Hungarians refused to Hitlerism, the idea itself is to confuse a German invasion of a Russian invasion horror filled the peoples of Hungary, even as many of them remember where they went through in 1918 on the Russian front
After 28 September 1944, after the fighting in southern Transylvania and lost the territories of Hungary, it became clear to the Hungarian university students who living outside the border they cannot return to their homes, and they travel and stay in Budapest
In October 1944 came up with this idea that some of the students who did not want to leave the country and instead undertook compulsory military service and the armed struggle
On the first half of October, hundreds of university students volunteered to their leaders
But the clear decision was to deploy their military longer be prevented to as “untrained cannon fodder set” throw them on the frontline to fight
(The official formal obligatory military draft received 8th of December for the male adult civilian population of Hungary in 1944. Those who did not appear to have received the death penalty for military draft)
The population of Budapest in preparation for Christmas forgetting the possibility that it may be several weeks for months to face the possibility of a protracted siege
Budapest also been reported in the newspapers that the “battle lines around Budapest frustrated the Bolsheviks attack”
The Midnight Mass in 1944 was already started 20:00 (8:00 pm)
On December 6 fighting around the capital have reached Pestszenterzsébet
The Pestszenterzsébet and Boráros square tram wich traveling between Pestszenterzsébet - Boráros square appears someone pulled a black grease pencil and wrote above: “To the Front”
It was during World War II, the only tram in Budapest with one of the terminals directly was on the front line, so it happened that in their units has fallen behind in Hungarian and German soldiers in full field gear with rifles, machine guns, and panzerfausts, travelling along with the the civilian population of the tram to get out to the front
Video
Christmas hungarian newsreel from december of 1944
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzcgToM0-_E
Translation:
“Christmas 1944.
The pines from the Carpathians is’nt come in this year: no glittering Christmas tree to rich or poor, and the streets of Budapest glittering showcase not staring longingly at children’s eyes
Christmas 1944 in the relentless power of iron and blood that swept away everything on the old Christmas drew a distinction between the Hungarian and Hungarian
Our children clean lips this year we are trying to conjure a smile modest gift of love feast and holy will, we are fighting the victorious again bring peace to the long list of Christmas glitter
Speak Christmas bells and proclaim the divine love and divine justice and eternal peace which victory would give our nation Hungarian Christmas!”
Picture
A hungarian and a German SS troop talking near a Panzerkampfwagen VI Tiger II Kőnigstiger in the streets of Budapest 1944
http://harcunk.info/images/jmv6lewn.jpg
The troops of the 22nd SS Volunteer Cavalry Division “Maria Theresia” in the Castle of Buda 1944
http://infovilag.hu/data/images/2014-03/megszallas_nemetek_budai_var_wikipedia.jpg
German motorcycle column with german female military assist in the streets of Budapest 1944
http://mek.oszk.hu/02100/02185/html/img/1_176a.jpg
Hungarian civilians and a SS soldier with panzerfaust at a tram station in Budapest, Hungary, Nov 1944
http://ww2db.com/images/weapon_panzerfaust23.jpg
Memoirs of Gyula Elischer October 15, 1944 (the one of the leaders of the University Assault Battalion)
I went after Horthy’s regency kinds appeal home on foot, but on the south side of Gellért Hill was a German military guard stopped me.
I wear a long coat on me, he saw my rank but isn’t saluted.
We looked at each other and asked, bitter face:
“- Werden Sie uns auch im Stich lassen?” (You can also leave us down?)
“- Gewiss nicht!” (Certainly not!) I said
I often thought back to this involuntary response
Gyula Elischer and voluntary military service for university students taking military leaders (who also graduated from university but had already toured military fort), the following received a request of the Hungarian military leadership during the formation of the Hungarian Military High Command,
[i]I asked for on behalf of 800 university students:
- Classification of our deployed as the Hungarian Royal First Defense University Assault Battallion
- The Hungarian battalion area remain possible as long while
- The battalion together as long as he has not received a base plane infantry officer training
But I never got an answer to the inquiry by phone soon were instructed to liaise with the Chief of Staff Captain who leads a special class[/i] (finally they got the official name for the University Assault Battalion)
Memoirs of Gyula Elischer Commander of the First University Assault Battalion
"On November 5 we paid wages but the boys dressed in inappropriate or even armed
The 2nd battalion have been placed on the Baár Madas girls’ school, in the 3rd battalion and became the shooting gallery is housed Bear Street Elementary School
Boys who live in Budapest were going home to sleep at sometimes but there was a chain of alarm which brought together all the boys living near them alert 2-3 people in case of alarm
In the test alert age is just 3-4 away and he was delayed in the event of disruption of telephone lines also work out
According to my plans later I ordered out and tried to get a long haul per day practices.
Before Christmas was over 12 motorcycles and more than 100 bikes, two freight cars, three cars and a load-bearing horses too "
Memoirs of Gyula Elischer Commander of the First University Assault Battalion
[i]"The weapons of treatment was not a problem, the boys got to know within a week of the machine guns, submachine guns and rifles in the dark taken apart and reassembled them
Members of the University Rifle Club sniper rifles also obtained from the university sport shooting club and every squadron had 4-5 pieces
On 8 December, the students of the hungarian universities has been placed out of the west
Who did not want to go to the west they could apply the battalion, which eventually could be 600 people who stayed at home
The first battalion per squadron was dressed supplies and weapons, no longer had two squadron gown but instead were mixed white sheepskin chat waistband over which the boys wore this white fur has become the hallmark Battalion
The weapon given lectures were
- Mannlicher rifles
- French Lebel rifle
- German Mauser rifle
- M36 machine gun
- Király (King) submachine gun
- Bergman machine gun
- practicing and sharp Vécsey hand grenade
- German Panzerschreck
- and former Russian captured Tokarev gun and PPSH 41 submachine guns also"
[/i]
Pictures and infos from the Battalion used guns
Frommer pistol, FÉG 37M
http://www.had.eoldal.hu/img/picture/266/FromP37.jpg
Mannlicher m1895 rifle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mannlicher_M1895
French Lebel rifle m1886
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebel_Model_1886_rifle
Mauser K98 rifle
https://en.wikipedia.org/?title=Karabiner_98k
M36 machinegun
http://www.gotavapen.se/gota/artiklar/utv_ksp58/ksp36/ksp36_1001v.jpg
Király submachinegun (King submachine gun,Danuvia)
http://hadtortenet.hu/sites/default/files/images/Danu39.jpg
Bergman submachinegun
http://hadtortenet.hu/sites/default/files/images/bergmann_mp35_1.jpg
Vécsey handgrenade
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/hu/c/cf/1920_f_k_ga_k_2_80.jpg
Panzerschreck
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzerschreck
SVT40 Tokarev rifle
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SVT-40
PPSH-41 submachinegun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PPSh-41
Quite a desperate measure and with a very varied assortment of weapons.
Was the name ‘Assault Battalion’ used in a similar vein to how the Germans were naming theirs late war - an attempt to make the unit sound grander and much more fearsome than it had any right to be -
Several German Volks units were set up with titles such as ‘Tank Destroyer Battalion’ armed only with Panzerfaust or ‘Artillery Battalion’ armed with a few small mortars (one unit only had several old Italian 45mm Brixia Mortar’s with 9 rounds per tube)
I think it’s the rest of what they could muster, the Hungarian army was never on the top war technically , by that time the Germans have already lost or were unable to because of the new előállittani war on two fronts and take away much of their equipment in the area
Although the Germans are tried to mount his own weapons to the Hungarians at that late time of war, some hungarian units have training of Tiger tank, Panther and Stug IV tanks
These boys are student volunteers with no history of military service were more people who do not even know what looks like a battlefield
After a quick couple of weeks of training, they put them in the front line along with the hungarian army and the german army against the Soviet Red Army
I think it’s the rest of the equipment what they could muster, the Hungarian army was never on the top war technically , by that time the Germans have already lost or were unable to produce adequate quantity of supplies because of the new war on two fronts and take away much of their equipment in the area
The German and hungarian army low on ammo and fuel too, and after one and half moths run out everything
Although the Germans are tried to mount his own weapons to the Hungarians at that late time of war, some hungarian units have training of Tiger tank, Panther and Stug IV tanks
These boys are student volunteers with no history of military service were more people who do not even know what looks like a battlefield
After a quick couple of weeks of training, they put them in the front line along with the hungarian army and the german army against the Soviet Red Army
I honorable these young mens who courageously defied the Russian soldiers who toured several fronts without any previous military service or experience to defend Hungary
Some of the students had by then been transported to the west and abroad, to protect the smart minds from the war, yet the majority of them stayed here, and undertook voluntary military service
I think it’s the rest of the equipment what they could muster, the Hungarian army was never on the top war technically
By that time the Germans have already lost or were unable to produce adequate quantity of supplies because of the new war on two fronts and take away much of their equipment in the area
Many captured weapons or military vehicles used in Budapest battle which spoils from the previous German campaigns
The German and hungarian army low on ammo and fuel too, and after one and half moths run out everything
Although the Germans are tried to mount his own weapons to the Hungarians at that late time of war, some hungarian units have training of Tiger tank, Panther and Stug IV tanks
These boys are student volunteers with no history of military service were more people who do not even know what looks like a battlefield
After a quick couple of weeks of training, they put them in the front line along with the hungarian army and the german army against the Soviet Red Army
I honorable these young mens who courageously defied the Russian soldiers who toured several fronts without any previous military service or experience to defend Hungary
Some of the students had by then been transported to the west and abroad, to protect the smart minds from the war, yet the majority of them stayed here, and undertook voluntary military service
The memoirs of Gyula Elischer Commander Of The First Royal Hungarian University Assault Battalion
“The battalion was shipped to a abandoned battlefield is where to look around that a battlefield is actually how it looks in the framework of theoretical education
Buses took them out to the battlefield and they looked for captured and remained weapons to be used, and as seen in reality trampled by tanks trenches human wreckage, burned to death in the tank corpses, the blood scattered human remains”
They distributed the clothes on 8 December and has begun taking over the equipment
[i]- One Tunic and one trousers
- One pair of boots
- One waistband
- One Overcoat or White sheepskin jacket
- One cap
- Two changes of underwear
- A pair of gloves
[/i]
Photos were also produced for the pay book must have been a soldier dressed in photos but most of them were destroyed or lost over the past decades