Anti-partisan operations of Hungarian and Italian troops

[Marcus]

Does anyone have further information about the actions of Hungarian and Italian troops and the German complaints?

It may have a lot to do with general trends in anti-partisan warfare as well. e.g. the behaviour of Hungarian and Italian troops in anti-partisan operations on Eastern front often did not differ from that of german army units (some german commanders stated their abhorrence by the cruelty of these troops), and in case of the Hungarians the security forces were made up to considerable degree by non-Hungarian minorites who ethically were perhaps more closely related to the partisans themselves.

Thanks.

/Marcus

[paratatruc]

Hi Marcus,
This won't answer to your question, but it can give you a certain idea...
A veteran of the red army I met last year who participated -among others- to operation Uranus
told me that while the Romanian prisoners were spared, the Hungarian prisoners were immediately executed.
As for the Germans, it depended of the mood of the soldiers.
When I asked him why the Hungarians were treated that way, he told me that the tales of the liberated civilians about Hungarians atrocities enraged the soldier...

[Marcus]

Thanks for that additional piece of information.

/Marcus

[G. Trifkovic]

As for the Hungarians, "anti-partisan operation" in Backa region in late January 1942 claimed thousands of lives:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1942_raid_in_Novi_Sad

I could not find any German documents commenting on these events. "Zbornik" of German documents for 1942 (IV/12) only mentions fighting between Hungarians and Partisans at the beginning of January; Schmider might have included some, but I don't have his book with me.

Interestingly enough, brutality with which the "Raid" was conducted was criticized from within Hungary; In his letter to Admiral Horthy dated February 4th, parliament deputy Endrea Bajci-Zilinski (Serbian spelling) describes the massacre in chilling details, stating that "atrocities of this kind committed on such a vast scale must not go unpunished". (Branko Petranović, Momčilo Zečević - JUGOSLAVIJA 1918-1988. TEMATSKA ZBIRKA DOKUMENATA, Beograd,1988, 545-8). Milan Lazi-Popovic, Hungarian parliamentary deputy of Serb origin called these events in one of his speeches "an avalanche of tragic events...which hit Novi Sad with its destructive power" (Branko Petranovic_ ISTORIJA JUGOSLAVIJE_ knjiga II - NARODNOOSLOBODILACKI RAT I REVOLUCIJA, Beograd, 1988, 146).

Hope this helps a bit,

Gaius

[Marcus]

Thanks Gaius. Is it know which Hungarian units that were involved in that operation?

Another example at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_%C4%86uprija

/Marcus

[David Thompson]

Marcus -- I do not have the designations of the units involved in those operations, but two lesser Hungarian commanders -- Col. Laszlo Deak and Gendarmerie Col. Dr. Marton Zoldi -- were sentenced to death 31 Oct 1946 by the Voivodina Supreme Court of Yugoslavia for their participation in for the mass murder of 5,000 Jews and Yugoslavs at Novi Sad (Ujvidek) and Baka in Jan 1942. (NYT 1 Nov 1946:16:3)

[G. Trifkovic]

Thanks Gaius. Is it know which Hungarian units that were involved in that operation?

Still searching for Hungarian units involved. However, I have found something which may in part answer your original question-the German reaction.

Alexandar Reljic published an article on "razzia" in May 2010 called "Istina o novosadskoj raciji" ("The truth abouth the Novi Sad raid") and quoted a German document, dated January 31st in which German consul Kampf bring details of his trip to Novi Sad to the German embassy in Budapest. Document is supposed to be available under the signature "BA-MA, RW 5-Ausland-Abwehr/Ausland VI, v. 476-Jugoslawien" in German Military Archive in Freiburg.

Kampf reports being invited to Novi Sad on January 28th by a local NSDAP functionary Hans Prochaska, who argued the local Germans were afraid of the possible continuation of the shootings of local Serbs. Kampf's mission was essentially to ensure that no harm is done to the local Germans by Hungarian authorities (He states on one occasion that no Germans were murdered in the raid, and on another that three German women married to either Serbs or Jews were among the victims).

The most interesting part of the report states the the local Germans were "understandably concerned" by the events. Serbs, their neighbors and work colleagues were suddenly lying dead in the streets and porches. "They are deeply moved by this, especially in case of those Serbs who bravely protected them during the April terror [refering to attacks on local Germans during the April war of 1941]"

Cheers,

Gaius

ADDENDA: Website of "Jewish community of Novi Sad" names General Ferenc Feketehalmy-Czeidner as a commander of the V Corps at Seged; major-general József Grassy as a commander of "II armed group" which deployed 150 patrols of Gendearmerie and 90 patrols of Police for the raid:

http://www.jons.rs/index.php?option=com ... &Itemid=55

[Marcus]

As far as I can gather it was troops of the V Corps, specifically the 14 and 15 Infantry Brigades that were responsible for the Novi Sad massacre.

/Marcus

[john h]

Marcus in the winter of1943 Hungarian troops took part in anti-partisan action in southeastern Bosnia and northern Montenegro it was known as the battle of the Sutjeska or fall schwartz
Operation Gorjanci italian anti partisan operation in Gorjanci/Zumberak region against 1st proletarian battalion battalion josip kras in croatia and gorjanski and belokranjski battalion in slovenia intelligence of italion divison lombardia also mistakenly thought that one slovenian brigade and other partisan units were present operation war part of large italian offensive which began in slovenia on 16 july 1942 and covered parts of croatia also

[john h]

Two more intresting ones Marcus operation alfa italion-chetnik operation carried out in the prozor region of croatia started oct 5th 1942 finished oct 8th 638 croats and bosnian muslims killed resulted in war crime trial
operation nereta jan/april 1943 operation against yugoslav partisans resulted in 8000 yugoslavs killed and 2000 taken prisoner

[Marcus]

Thanks John.

/Marcus