Szent Laszlo Division

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Ezboard

Szent Laszlo Division

#1

Post by Ezboard » 30 Sep 2002, 20:15

Victor
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Posts: 93
(3/8/02 9:44:04 pm)
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Szent Laszlo Division
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Is the spelling OK?

Anyway, Gepistoly Katona has been talking and bragging about this unit as long as he's been around here, but despite my invitation to make an elaborate history of this division he refused to do so (or didn't have the time to - very unlikely, given his number of posts on this forum). Here's your chance. Please don't limit yourself to Hitler said that and that.

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 438
(3/9/02 12:08:35 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Spelling is alright,

And Victor i thank you for the opportunity, boys this is gunna be a long'in chuck full ot the brim with pics and the works, i reckon it'll take me an hour or so.


[all website administers note: YOU MAY NOT USE THIS FOR YOUR WEBSITE, especially not the pics as they are not yours to use.]

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 439
(3/9/02 12:23:56 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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By the way, you never"invited" me muchless even asked me about them...

Anyways, im starting my report so shhhhh

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 440
(3/9/02 1:15:23 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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THE PICTURE PAGE:


Image


*As i am making a large report it will eat up my whole weekend but oh well, this will settle everything so i don't have to mail out 20 copies of the same thing to everyone who asks!

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 441
(3/9/02 1:18:23 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Excpect my full report by Saturday or Sunday, maybe even tonight.

Victor
Member

Posts: 94
(3/9/02 8:57:42 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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I did ask you in the pols section. You probably didn't read it.

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 447
(3/9/02 5:30:05 pm)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Sorry, as most of you have noticed, i don't read things i skim them.

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 515
(3/11/02 1:56:15 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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ok here it goes, [ not nearly as long as i thought it would be [ maybe a page or so, but all info there is on the subject up to date] and it somewhat contradicts what both Marcus and Henrik have for their info on the Battalion.

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 516
(3/11/02 3:18:49 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Short History:

The Szent László hadosztály (St. Laszlo division) was a Hungarian Army division made up of the most elite units Hungary had to offer. Officially formed on October 12th, 1944, decreed the 13th. This unit was named after one of Hungary's most famous saints, Szent László [ also known ad Good King Ladislaus, whom is the patron saint of Exiles and all military men. He was king of Hungary from 1077 to 1095.


Makup of this unit:

This elite unit was commanded by Major [ not Brigadier ] General Zoltán Szügyi [1896-?], from the 12th of October until May 11th 1945, [ when he surrendered to the British, but fought against the Red Army with great courage up until the last hour].

This unit was comprised of the following:

1. Paratrooper Regiment:[ parachute infantry ]

Parachute Battalion
Heavy Weapons Battalion [ mortars etc. ]
Training Battalion

2. Grenadier Regiment [ infantry ]

1. Bodyguard rifleman battalion [ infantry ]

2. Royal Feldgendarmerie Battalion [ infantry ]

3. Flying Rifleman Regiment [Also known as the 3. Fortress regiment] [ made up of pilots and groundmen as the airports and planes had been destroyed] [More or less an infantry unit]

1.Direct Corps [was formated from the destroyed Divisions, Veterans] [ infantry]

1. Artillery Battalion [ artillery ]

6. Artillery Battalion [mot.] [ artillery ]

9. Artillery Battalion [ artillery, mostly of 210 mm howitzers, and some 305 mm howitzers ]

76. Artillery Battalion [ artillery, mostly of 210 mm howitzers ]

1. Rocket Launcher Battalion [ armored vehicle regiment ]

20. Assault Gun Battalion [ tank destroyer regiment ]

Szt. László Combat Engineer Battalion [mot] [ engineer ]

Szt. László Armored Reconnaissance Battalion [ made up of mostly outdated tanks, such as the Turan I]

Szt. László Signal Battalion [ mot.]

Szt. László Division Supply Services HQ


Military Actions:

The previously ready paratrooper battalions and artillery corps, comprised of mixed division units thrown together on November into the first half of December were situated in the middle at the Pest-bridgehead aswell as Kéthely. At this time the training unit, training soldiers at Pápa were brought to the rear. The first action this division took part in as a complete division (II.Paratrooper Battalion, Grenadier Regiment and Air
Rifleman Regiment) . december 22nd of December, 1944 to january 9th, 1945. At the Garam-Ipoly (a two name river) they fought bravely. They were outnumbered by the enemy 2: 1 at Letkés-bridgehead. They fought for close to 2 hours and lost many soldiers but were able to drive an enemy twice their size, and better equiped, back. Therefore the Soviets withdrew from the attack and regrooped for another attack. By this time, instead of defending their posts in vain the retreated to a stronghold about 1 mile back. They cought up with the training regiment from Pápa. Then they fought in defence against the Soviets and Rumanians on the Balaton-highland and Zala-region. They inflicted incredibly high cassualties on the Rumanians in particular, and less so on the Soviets, but they held off the attack once again, this time they lost few men. They then retreated before the next offensive to german lines in the Zala region. The Germans used the St. Laszlo division for rearguard, but they refused to let the Germans fight alone while their unit was allowed to regroop, and fought along side the Germans in small mixed up units. They persued the enemy to the Mura (river), then later the Mura-vally, where they were beaten back. So they retreated back to Austria, fighting soviets all the way, just to surrender to the more sympathetic British forces. They put down their guns for British army on the 11th of may 1945. British army forced them to march across the Kor-Alpok, in the Carpathians. Once to where they were going the Brits deemed the St. Laszlo division trustworthy and allowed them their weapons, in return they did guarding work at various prison camps in the British zone until the end of 1945. Around October 1st to be exact.

Earlier exploits of this division [ not as a whole] were occupying Yugoslavia, and they also patched a hole somewhere in the vacinity of Kursk in the German lines, which they were commended by Hitler, He himself even said they were as good as his best, and could do things his own army could not accomplish.



Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 518
(3/11/02 5:48:00 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Most amazing thing about me writing this, is i have had strep sinc about 2 today, and feel like dying, yet i stuck to my word and typed away...regretting every minute of it as my comp is in a cold cold basement, during a cold snap/ ice storm in Minnesota! But i did it, hope you guys like it...Tell me what you think of it ASAP. I would like to know how my first report went...

Benoit Douville
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Posts: 335
(3/11/02 10:10:42 pm)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Hey nice research Geppistoly Katona. Very interesting.

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 525
(3/12/02 12:34:20 am)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Thanks

MagyarCrusader
Member
Posts: 32
(3/12/02 4:19:52 am)
Reply Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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Cool! Do you have any estimates for numbers regarding the casualty ratios during their battles?

Geppistoly Katona
Veteran Member

Posts: 531
(3/12/02 3:55:33 pm)
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Re: Szent Laszlo Division
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The only statistic on that is that 16,000 soldiers from the Szt. Laszlo division died during these battles in Hungary proper.

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