Hungarian Volunteers in the Winter War
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[edit] Hungarian-Finnish Relationship after World War I
At the end of the 19th century the Finno-Ugric linguistic affinity became widely accepted after long discussions (“Ugric-Turk war”) in Hungary. Some Magyar scientists and intellectuals were unable to accept that the Hungarian nation has relations in North and North-East Europe.[citation needed] Relationships with the Hun or Turkic peoples seemed much more attractive.[citation needed] At this time the Finnish people admired the proud Hungarian people.[citation needed]
After first World War, the Finland became independent but, Hungary lost the war and roughly two-thirds of its territory (see Treaty of Trianon). As a result of the treaty, one third of Hungarians were now outside the boarders of Hungary and Hungary became somewhat internationally isolated. Finland was one of the few European countries that felt sympathy towards Hungary. Because of this, good connections formed between the two countries during the 1920s.
As a result, when Winter War broke out between Finland and Russia, many Hungarians felt great sympathy towards the Finnish and wanted to help them.[citation needed]
[edit] Hungarian Support to Finland
The Hungarian government officially did not support Finland, but secretly started to search for ways of helping.[citation needed] In addition, non-governmental organisations began to organize support for Finland. Hungary helped Finland by giving monatariy donations, armaments and military volunteers.
The Hungarian-Finnish Association began to organize nationwide collections in the first days of December as “Brother for brother” and “Hungarian Mothers for Finnish Children”. Collecting of donations and clothes was organised by the Hungarian Red Cross, which also organized the shipment of this aid to Finland. Nobel Prize winner Albert Szent-Györgyi offered all all hof his prize money to Finland.
Count Pál Teleki’s government sent armaments and war equipments in the value of 1 million Hungarian pengős by British and Italian ships during the Winter War (with knowledge and accord of governor Miklós Horthy). It contained 36 anti-aircraft guns with 10,250 cartridges, 16 mortars with 32,240 shells, 300 rifles with 520,000 cartridges, 30 armor-piercing rifles with 3,300 cartridges (taken from the Polish army), 300,000 hand s of grenades, 3,654 land mines, 93,680 battle bowlers, 223 military transceivers, and 26,000 bandoleers.
The recruiting of volunteers started at 16th of December with the printing of recruitment leaflets. The acts of Teleki’s government were motivated by in one respect helping a related nation, on the other hand the heavy anti-communist and anti-Soviet attitude of the Hungarian elite.
[edit] Hungarian Volunteer Detached Battalion
[edit] The volunteers
During the Winter War, around 25,000 Hungarian men applied to fight in Finland. The applicants underwent very strenuous selection process: the oly applications which were accepted were those who had had a finished obligatory military service, and were examined if they were not communist sympathizers.
Finally, 350 applications were accepted who were mainly environs of Budapest, Nagykanizsa and Debrecen. They were mainly between 18 and 30 years old.
These men’s military training started at 10th of January and it took almost a month. The volunteers formed a battalion what was commanded by Lieutenant Imre Kémeri Nagy. The Hungarian Volunteer Detached Battalion has 24 officers, 52 non-commissioned officers, 2 doctors and 2 padres. The battalion was entrained in 7th of February, 1940.
[edit] Going to Finland
Travel to Finland was very difficult, because the German Reich forbade to transport any armaments and war equipments across its territory (including the occupied Polish territories). This was in one respect a simple honoring of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, but was also because Teleki had nott given the Wehrmacht permission to use Hungarian railway lines for attacking Poland (The German government was also unhappy that Teleki's government had harbored thousends of Polish refugees after the German invasion of Poland because of the Hungarian-Polish friendship.)
Because of this, volunteers had to travel across Yugoslavia, Italy, France, the United Kingdom, Norway and Sweden to make their ways to Finland. They travelled without any weapons by a special train, officially clasified as “tourists going to ski-camp”. The battalion was embarked at Edinburgh to Bergen as a part of a convoy. This convoy had to be ensured by air and naval covers because the United Kingdom and the German Reich were at state of war and it was greatly to be feared of German attacks (“Phony War”). Finally the battalion arrived in Finland at 2nd of March after 3 weeks travelling.
[edit] In Finland
In Finland the battalion was quartered in Lapua, in the training center of the international volunteers. In Lapua they took a part in another military training, learned sking and winter warfare. Before the Hungarian battalion could see military actiion, the Moscow Peace Treaty was signed, on 12th of March in Moscow.
In the last days of March, Field Marshal Mannerheim visited Lapua where he met the Hungarian battalion. He expressed his thanks to the volunteers for coming to Finland and he promoted Lieutenant Imre Kémeri Nagy to Captain (this promotion was later accepted by the Hungarian General Staff). From 17th of April to 19th of May the Hungarian battalion served in Karelia, at the new state border in Lappeenranta.
[edit] Going back to Hungary
The Hungarian battalion was embarked at Turku at 20th of May 1940, from where a steamboat sailed to Stettin, German Reich (now Szczecin, in Poland). In Turku the “Order of White Rose” was given to the Hungarian officers. They traveled across the German Reich by a special train with a German guard. The German government gave them special permission to use the GErman railway lines in order to reach Hungary. Expences of the homeward travel were paid by the Finnish Ministry of Defence. The volunteers arrived at Budapest in 28th of May. They were welcomed by count Pál Teleki prime minister.
[edit] Other Hungarian Volunteers in the Winter War
Outside the Hungarian Volunteer Detached Battalion other Hungarian volunteers fought in the Winter War in the Finnish army. They went to Finland individually. 2nd Lieutenant Mátyás Pirityi served in the Finnish Air Force and took part in more than 20 sorties. Warrant Officer Vilmos Békássy pilot disappeared over the Gulf of Bothnia. Géza Szepessy and his four fellows from the Military Technical College of Berlin went to Finland and he wounded in action.
[edit] Memory of the Hungarian Volunteers
In Hungary during the communist regime (between 1949 and 1989) the history of the Hungarian volunteer battalion couldn’t be studied. (E. g. the list of the volunteers’ names was found in Finland.) Those men who are still alive are over 80 years old. They had to listen about their experiences for 40 years. So the research of the battalion’s history could start in the 1990s.
Since 1940 some volunteers fell in the World War II and some died in their old age. From 1991 the Finnish and Hungarian veterans can meet and visit each other. These meetings are supported by the Hungarian Ministry of Defence, too. In 1991 medallions were given to the living Hungarian veterans in the Finnish Embassy of Budapest.
The memory of the Hungarian volunteers has been cherished by memorial tablets in Lapua and Lappeenranta, in Finland.
[edit] References
- Ruprecht Antal: Magyar önkéntesek a Téli háborúban – Unkarilaiset Vapaaehtoiset Talvisodassa; Hadtörténeti Intézet és Múzeum, Budapest, 2003. (ISBN 963 7097 198)
- Mannerheim, G. A.: A Téli Háború (orosz-finn), 1939/40; Püski Kiadó, Budapest, 1997. (ISBN 963 9040 541)
- Finnugor kalauz; Panoráma Kiadó, Budapest, 1998. (ISBN 963 243 813 2)
- Foreign volunteers in the Winter War
