Col.Gen./W.Gruf.d.SS Ferenc Feketehalmy-Czeydner

[Michael Miller]

Seeking ANY information (or corrections to the following biographical sketch) on subject Hungarian Army/Waffen-SS General.
Of particular interest: decorations & awards.

Thanks very much in advance.

Best wishes,
~ Mike Miller / ABR





Ferenc Feketehalmy - Czeydner
- recte Franz Zeidner
Waffen-Obergruppenführer
und General der Waffen-SS /
Vezérezredes (Colonel-General)


Born: 22. November 1890 in Piski, Hungary.
Executed: 5. November 1946 in Zsablyla / South Batchka, Yugsolavia.

Promotions (including Hungarian Army ranks with German equivalents):
Waffen-Obergruppenfüher
und General der Waffen-SS: 1. Nov. 1944
Vezérezredes (Generaloberst): 30. Oct. 1944
(date of rank: 1. Jan. 1944)
Waffen-Gruppenführer
und Generalleutnant der Waffen-SS: 1. Mar. 1944
Altabornagy (Generalleutnant): 1, Nov. 1941
Vezérörnagy (Generalmajor): 1. Nov. 1939
Ezredes (Oberst): 1. Nov. 1934
Alezredes (Oberstleutnant): 1929
Örnagy (Major): 1. May 1925
Szazados (Hauptmann): 1. May 1917
Föhadnagy (Oberleutnant): 1. Aug. 1914
Hadnagy (Leutnant): 18. Aug. 1910
(effective 1. Sep. 1910)
Career:
Attended Austro-Hungarian Artillerie-Kadettenschule at Traiskirchen / Niederösterreich: 1904 - 1907. Attended Technischen Militär-Akademie in Mödling, near Vienna: 1907 - 1910. Assigned to k.u.k. Feldhaubitz-Regiment Nr. 12 (a field howitzer unit in Nagyszeben): 18. Aug. 1910 - 1913. Entered Royal Hungarian Landwehr, assigned to Royal Hungarian Honvéd Feldkanonen-Regiment Nr. 8 in Lugos: 1913 -. Entered Royal Hungarian General Staff: 1915; assigned to II.Army Corps Command by end of war in Nov. 1918. Brigade General Staff Officer in Royal Hungarian Mixed Brigade Nr. 7 (Miskolc): 1921 - 1925. Instructor at the Hungarian War Academy in Budapest: . Field service with 1st Artillery Detachment: May 1924 - July 1924. Instructor at the Ludovika Military Academy, Budapest: 1925 - 1927. Deputy Chief of Training, Honvéd Ministry: 1927 - 1929. Staff officer in General Staff: 1929 - 1933. Chief of Staff of the Air Transportation Office: 1933 - 1935. Deputy Chief of the Air Office: 1935 - April 1938. Chief of Air Force Bureau, Honvéd Ministry: Mar. or Apr. 1938 -. Commander of 6th Infantry Brigade (Base: Komorn): 23. Jan. 1939 - Mar. 1940. Chief of Staff, Hungarian 1st Army: Mar. 1940 - Aug. 1941. Commanding General of V.Army Corps: 1. Aug. 1941 - 20. Aug. 1942. Hospitalized with cancer at the Honvéd Sanatorium in Matrahaza: 21. Dec. 1941 -. Retired from Royal Hungarian Army: Aug. 1942. Fled to Germany for political asylum along with fellow officer (and future Waffen-Gruppenführer der SS) Jozsef Grassy: 15. Jan. 1944. In protective custody of the SD: 16. Jan. 1944 - 28. Feb. 1944. Entered Waffen-SS as Waffen-Gruppenführer der SS: 1. Mar. 1944. Degraded and sentenced to death in absentia, Budapest: 15. Mar. 1944. Hospitalized in SS-Lazarett Wien XIII/110: 23. Mar. 1944 - 26. May 1944. Nominal Deputy Kommandierender-General of II.SS-Panzer-Korps (under SS-Obergruppenführer und General der Waffen-SS Willi Bittrich), Normandy Front: 1. Jul. 1944 - 9. Aug. 1944. Assigned to Führerreserve / SS-Führungshauptamt: 9. Aug. 1944 - 15. Oct. 1944. Returned to Hungary: 15. Oct. 1944. Deputy Honvéd (Defense) Minister; Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Army; and Deputy Chief of the General Staff to Colonel-General Beregfy (in Budapest, later in Köszeg): 17. Oct. 1944 - 17. Mar. 1945. Diagnosed with throat cancer: Jan. 1945. Underwent operation for throat cancer (voice box removal): 18. Mar. 1945 - 7. Apr. 1945 (out of service for duration of the war). Officially reactivated in Hungarian Army by the new Natiaonl Leader, Ferenc Szalasi: 30. Oct. 1944. Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Hungarian Army: Oct. 1944 - Jan. 1945. Kommandierender General of XVII. (ungarisch) SS-Korps: Mar. 1945 - Apr. 1945.

Postwar Prosecution:
Voluntarily surrendered to U.S. troops at Weißenbach am Attersee / Oberösterreich, 10. May 1945. Released to his family. Rearrested by OSS agents, 14. Jul. 1945 and transported as a “leading war criminal” to Nürnberg. Extradited to Budapest and imprisoned there from Nov. 1945 to Jan. 1946. Extradited to Yugoslavia, 31. Jan. 1946. Tried by a “Partisan Court” in Neusatz for ordering the roundup and massacre, in reprisal for Chetnik activities, of an estimated 2,000 people by Hungarian troops at Ujvidék / Novi Sad, 4. Jan. - 15. Jan. 1942, and sentenced to detah by hanging, 4. Nov. 1946.

Decorations & Awards:
* Son of the shopkeeper Gustav Zeidner. Born as Ferenc Zeidner; changed his name to the more Hungarian-sounding Feketehalmi-Czeydner between the two World Wars. Family originated in the community of Zeiden in the Siebenbürgen area (hence the family name); the Hungarian name for Zeiden is Feketehalm.

[sylvieK4]

A group of us was just discussing Feketehalmyi-Czeydner, but the thread was listed in the section: "Germany's Allies and Collaboration".

The information posted there includes a photograph of the Colonel-General, apparently before the Ujvidek business.

See the thread: "Franz von Zeydner":

http://www.thirdreichforum.com/phpBB2/v ... php?t=5045

[Michael Miller]

Thank you sylviek4- I'll take a look.

Best,
~ Mike

[Glenn2438]

Mike,

both the 1918 editions of the common army Schematismus and the Royal Hungarian Landwehr (Honvéd) list show him with the following Imperial Decorations:

Order of the Iron Crown 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords
Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords
Silver Military Merit Medal (Signum Laudis)
Bronze Military Merit Medal (Signum Laudis)

He is listed as Franz in the German language list and as Ferencz in the Honvéd list.

Glenn

[Michael Miller]

Glenn~

I had a feeling I'd be hearing from you about this- thanks yet again.

Wonder if you might have similar information on future Waffen-Generaleutnant der SS Jozsef Grassy (although he was of rather junior rank in 1918).

Best wishes,
~ Mike

[sylvieK4]

Have there been any recent books (say, in the last 10-20 years) examining the events and investigation of the Novi Sad incident?

How about articles?

It would be interesting to see some good over-view material discussing the whole Ujvidek affair, including the actions of Feketehalmyi-Czeydner, Grassy and the others who fled to Germany, and the official assessments made under both Bardossy and Kallay.

[Glenn2438]

Mike,

I am afraid I don't have the page from the Hungarian Landwehr (Honvéd) army list which shows the Nagykanizsaer Landwehr Infanterierregiment Nr.20 of which József Grassy was a member. I can confirm he was promoted to Oberleutnant (Föhadnagy) on 1st May 1915. Mark Yerger gives his imperial decorations as a:

Military Merit Cross 3rd Class with War Decoration and Swords
Silver Military Merit Medal (Signum Laudis)

Regards
Glenn

[AJK]

Here's what I can add regarding Grassy:

Lieutenant-Field Marshal József vitéz Grassy (Szőllős, 31 Dec 1894 - Újvidék, 4 Nov 1946)

1919 - 1921: Staff Officer, Ludovika Military Academy
1922: Promoted to Captain
1922 - 1924: Staff Officer, General Staff College
1924 - 1 Nov 1927: Staff Officer, 1. Mixed Brigade
1 Nov 1927 - 1 Aug 1932: Attached to Section 3, General Staff
1 Nov 1930: Promoted to Major
1 Aug 1932 - 1935: General Staff Officer, 3. Mixed Brigade
1 Nov 1934: Promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel
1935 - 1 Nov 1938: Instructor, General Staff College
1 Nov 1938: Promoted to Colonel
1 Nov 1938 - 1 Jul 1939: Chief of Staff, IV. Army Corps
1 Jul 1939 - 1 Jan 1941: Commander, 7. Infantry Regiment
1 Jan 1941 - 1 Mar 1941: Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Air Force & Inspector of the Air Force
1 Mar 1941 - 1 Aug 1941: Chief of the Air Force Organization Bureau,
Ministry of Defense
1 Aug 1941 - 17 Feb 1942; Commander, 15. Infantry Brigade
17 Feb 1942 - 1 Apr 1942: Commander, 15. Light Infantry Division
30 Mar 1942: Promoted to Major-General)
1 Apr 1942 - 15 Nov 1942: Commander, 13. Light Infantry Division
15 Nov 1942 - Oct 1943: Chief of the Bureau of Military Training, Ministry of Defense
Oct 1943 - Jan 1944: Chief of Group II (Training), General Staff
Apr 1944: Retired
1 Nov 1944: Recalled, promoted to Lt.Field Marshal)
1 Nov 1944 - 3 May 1945:
Commander, 25. SS Grenadier Division “Der Hunyadi”
Commander, 26. SS Grenadier Division “Gömbös”
Commander, 33. SS Grenadier Division “Hungaria”
Commander, Defense Zone “I”
4 Nov 1946: Executed by the Yugoslavs

AJK

[sylvieK4]

When did Grassy receive the title Vitez? Wasn't the Vitezi Rend formed around 1920 under Horthy, and Jews did not qualify?

[AJK]

The Vitezi Rend was indeed started by Admiral Horthy in 1920. I don't know when exactly Grassy received his title of vitez. Most titles were given out in the early 1920s, as a recognition for valor during WWI and the fight against the Communists in 1919.

I don't know what gave you the impression that Grassy was Jewish - he was in fact Catholic. The idea of a Jew, albeit a Hungarian Jew, holding the rank of SS Gruppenfuehrer and commanding an SS Division is unimaginable.

AJK

[sylvieK4]

Oh, I know Grassy was not Jewish, and didn't mean to imply that here. I was just making a general question about the Vitezi Rend.

I had read that only non-Jews were eligible for the title, but that was just an aside. I apologize for the misunderstanding. Thanks for your reply.

[David Thompson]

Here's some detail on Feketehalmy after the war. He was arrested and put on trial by the Hungarian People's Court at Budapest for the mass murder of 5,000 Jews and Yugoslavs at Novi Sad (Ujvidek) in 1942; convicted and sentenced to death 24 May 1946 (NYT 25 May 1946:8:3); extradited to Yugoslavia; put on trial by the Voivodina Supreme Court of Yugoslavia for massacres in Jan 1942 at Novi Sad and Baka; convicted and sentenced to death by hanging 31 Oct 1946 (NYT 1 Nov 1946:16:3); subsequently executed 5 Nov 1946 with Field Marshal Ferenc Szombathelyi (History of the United Nations War Crimes Commission and the Development of the Laws of War p. 525, United Nations War Crimes Commission, London: HMSO, 1948; Andrew L. Simon, Annotated Memoirs of Miklos Horthy.

[steve248]

There does not appear to be much about the Hungarian SS Divs, but this one seems most apt for this post:

“2. Interrogation of SS-Obergruppenführer RUSZKAY, a Hungarian General and politician who was Inspector General, and, at the time of his surrender, the tactical commander of Hungarian SS units, produces the following account of the employment of Hungarian troops by the Germans, and confirms much of the information already published on this subject (see DIGEST 304, Appendix ‘C’ and DIGEST 332, Appendix ‘D’).

“The history of these units dates back to a treaty concluded between the Hungarian and German Governments in May 44. This treaty was termed ‘Ungarisch-Deutscher Waffen-SS-Vertrag’ and laid down the principles for the formation of SS units from Hungarian volunteers, to be trained, clad, armed and paid by the Germans and to be used entirely divorced from the Hungarian Army, under German command. This treaty was followed by a second one, in Sept 44, which specified the formation of 25. Waffen- Gren.Div. der SS HUNYADI (Hung.No. 1). This Div. was to be composed of 15,000 men, and was to be followed by the formation of additional divs. A third treaty was drawn up in Nov 44. This called for the formation of a total of four SS-Divs, according to the principles laid down in the first treaty. It also envisaged the formation of four Hungarian Army Divs. These were to get their personnel from Hungarian trg [training] units evacuated to Germany. They were to be trained and armed by the Germans, but upon their completion should have formed a separate Hungarian Army, under overall Hungarian command. The practical result of the Nov treaty was the forming of the second Hungarian SS-Div., 26. Waffen-Gren.Div. der SS HUNGARIA. The first of the planned four Army Divs, Div KOSSUTH was also launched, but it never got beyond the first stages in its process of formation. The nascent Div, when last heard of, was constructing fortifications along the WEIDEN-NABURG line, under command of XIII. German Corps (of DIGEST 323, para 5).

“ Both Div HUNYADI and Div HUNGARIA started forming in Nov 44, and they were to be ready for commitment after about three months. However, they were not equipped yet in Jan 45, and what few weapons were available at that time had to be surrendered to German which which were more advanced in their trg. HUNYADI was originally at NEUHAMMER, HUNGARIA at SCHIERATZ (Poland). With the approach of the Russian Army, the first was moved to HILPOLTSTEIN, and the second to NEUMARKT. US troops soon threatened that area, too, and the two Divs went to the sector BEILNGRIESS-SCHENDORF, where they worked on the construction of fortiications. Forces South of the DANUBE C-in-C WEST ordered them to withdraw farther via EGGENFELDEN-BRAUNAU-RIED, recross the DANUBE to the North at PASSAU or LINZ and proceed to the sector KLATTAU-ZWIESEL for the building of defence works. Our rapidly advancing armour prevented their crossing of the DANUBE to the North, pushed them further South, and overtook them on 5/6 May. On that day, HUNYADI was assembled in area STRASSWLACHEN-ST. GEORGEN-SCHOERPLING-GMUNDEN, WITH Div HQ at ALMUNSTER. Div. HUNGARIA was in area KIRCHDORF-PETTENBACH, with HQ at KIRCHDORF.

“The first Div, which had an original strength of 13,000, still had about 9,000 men left. The balance was scattered over German replacement units, receiving specialist training (Sig, AT, Eng, etc), or was lost along the way. HUNGARIA still had approx 6,000 out of an original 9,000.

“SS-Brigadeführer GRASSY was OG of HUNYADI. He commanded a Div on the DON in 1942, then served at home on the General Staff, heading the Training Div. His Ia was SS-Sturmbannführer PODRACKY.

“SS-Standartenführer PODRACKY, uncle of the above, was CO of Div HUNGARIA. He is a former Hungarian Air Force officer. His Ia was SS-Hauptsturmfaührer REIN, a German.

“PW adds that the Inspectorate of Hungarian SS included a third unit. It was composed of approx 1,000 volunteers, and known under the name ‘Ungarische Waffen-Ski-Batl.’ When last heard of, it was still without weapons, training in BRUCK.”

source for this is UK National Archives (WO 219/1963) a SHAEF "Scavenger" List No. 9 dated 29 May 1945. These Lists were the product of battlefield interrogations of captured enemy personnel. The "Digests" mentioned in the first paragraph have not come to light yet.