Help with Hungarian Unit(s) under German Command

[KKND]

Hello, i was wondering if anyone would be able to help identify a unit, or at least narrow it down to a few potential units that my Grandfather may have served in. i thought i had narrowed it down to Polizei-Freiwilligen-Kroatien but i found some more information and now im not too sure.

I don't have much information and the information i do have may not be the whole story.

He was Hungarian but was born in Yugoslavia.

Oct 1943 - He joined a Police Unit that was made up with Hungarian troops but was commanded by German Police in Osijek and from what i can tell served in Bosnia, Croatia and Hungry.

Jul 1944 - He was supposed to be discharged from the Police unit so he could join the Royal Hungarian Army, but was instead transferred to a newly created Hungarian Unit that was also under German Command, possibly another police unit but im not 100% sure. It seems like when he was in this unit he served in Hungary (Baranja Region).

Spring 1945 - He was in a military hospital in Zargreb after getting hit by 27 bits of mortar shrapnel but managed to flee from the hospital on 08.05.45 and surrender to the British in Austria a week later. He mentioned something about a personal surgeon of a high ranking German commander operating on him while there.

In both these units he wore standard Wehrmacht uniform and rank insignia, however in either one or both of the units they used SS ranks and he had the rank of Rottenfuhrer. i vaguely remember something been mentioned about cavalry, ether with regards to the ranks or the uniform.

Thanks

K.

[G. Trifkovic]

Hi K.,

Ethnic Germans from Hungary were known to have served in Konstantin Kammerhofer's German-Croatian police: in Polizei-Freiwilligen-Bataillon 1 "Kroatien", for instance, two companies were composed of them, and one of Croats (mid-January 1945). Among else, the battalion took part in the heavy fighting in Syrmia in late 1944.

That's all I have on the topic, hope it'll help a bit.

Best,

G.

[wwilson]

The part about surrendering to the British fits with this unit's history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szent_L%C ... y_Division

[KKND]

Hi K.,

Ethnic Germans from Hungary were known to have served in Konstantin Kammerhofer's German-Croatian police: in Polizei-Freiwilligen-Bataillon 1 "Kroatien", for instance, two companies were composed of them, and one of Croats (mid-January 1945). Among else, the battalion took part in the heavy fighting in Syrmia in late 1944.

That's all I have on the topic, hope it'll help a bit.

Best,

G.

Thanks, i had previously assumed that either one of or both the units he served in were part of the German-Croatian Police, i know there isn't really much information available on these units.

The part about surrendering to the British fits with this unit's history.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Szent_L%C ... y_Division

Thanks for this, i had never heard of this unit before however he surrender by himself rather than as part of a unit. He pretty much fled from the hospital the day before the war was over and travelled to Austria. I think he surrendered on 12/05/45. I remembering him saying that while he was travelling through the woods/mountains he could hear the soviets executing people.