Throughout the Second World War, there were a number of countries who collaborated with
the Nazis and the Third Reich.
One country that fought alongside the German Army and joined the Axis powers was Hungary,
and they waged war against the Soviet Union.
Following the Nazi occupation of Hungary in March 1944, the Arrow Cross Party a far right
ultranationalist party came into power and formed a government known as the Government
of National Unity.
They were in power for just a short time, but during this 15,000 civilians were executed
and murdered, and 80,000 people were deported to concentration camps.
The leader of this party was Ferenc Szalasi, who after the war was sentenced to death for
his war crimes.
Join us today as we look at the Brutal execution of Ferenc Szalasi, remember to support our
channel please make sure to subscribe.
Ferenc Szalasi was born in January 1897, and he believed that he was given power to rule
from God through his mother’s milk.
He lived with his mother right until 1944, and he followed his father’s footstep and
joined the army as a young man.
He finished his studies and then went to a military academy.
He finished this and then was promoted to the rank of leftenant in 1915, and he became
an officer serving in the Austro-Hungarian Army during the First World War.
He was on the front lines for 3 years, and was based on the Italian Front, before he
was sent to Verdun in the final days of the conflict.
Following the political struggles in Hungary after the war, Szalasi was apolitical, and
he was not involved in the political events of post war Hungary.
He continued to train inside of the military, and he enrolled in General Staff officers
training at other military academies.
He was seen as an outstanding officer, and its considered that he was a popular and beloved
member of the military.
His fellow officers saw him as a very intelligent and skilled commander, but others believed
he was too powerful.
He continued to succeed in the military and achieved the rank of major.
When Gyula Gombos became the prime minister of Hungary around 1932, Szalasi became more
involved in politics and he then became obsessed with it.
He was considered a fanatical right wing nationalist, who believed that Hungary should expand it’s
borders back to former levels.
It had previously had it’s lands reduced by around 72%, and he then wrote a pamphlet
and sent it to other politicians, but because he was a soldier be was banned from being
involved in politics, and was sentenced to 20 days imprisonement and was then expelled
from the General staff.
Following his release he served as a staff officer, but then became disillusioned with
the army and decided to give his time to politics.
He first made the Party of the National Will a nationalistic party, and this was later
banned for being too radical.
But then Szalasi set up the Hungarian National Socialist Party in 1937, but this was also
banned, but he did gather support from the lower classes and workers.
This party was antisemitic, but following the German Anscluss of Austria, Szalasi’s
followers became more radical, and he himself was arrested and imprisoned.
But he was then proclaimed the National Socialist Arrow Party leader, which was a coalition
of several right wing groups, and this attracted a large number of people to it.
It gained 30 seats in power, and then became eventually one of the biggest parties in Hungary.
But when the Second World War broke out, the Arrow Cross Party was banned, and Szalasi
was forced to work underground, and he did gain the backing of the Germans.
But in March 1944, the Nazis occupied Hungary.
Hitler launched Operation Margarethe and in this ordered his soldiers to occupy the country,
and with this he instilled the pro German Dome Sztojay as the Prime Minister of Hungary.
But the key thing for Szalasi was that the Arrow Cross party was then legalised, and
Szalasi was able to then attract more members to the party.
But Sztojay was quickly deposed, and Szalasi then became an enemy of the Hungarian government
and the Regent ordered his arrest.
But the Germans in Szalasi had a perfect ally, and the Hungarian Regent became to plan to
come to peace with the Soviet’s and end Hungary’s involvement in the Axis alliance.
But the Germans kidnapped his son and threatened to kill him unless the Regent abdicated and
put Ferenc Szalasi in power.
A document was signed naming Szalasi was prime minister, and this made the Arrow Cross party
partially in power.
Szalasi was placed as the Head of State, and then his government changed the Kingdom of
Hungary into a puppet state of Nazi Germany.
The council of Regency was established and approved, and on the 4th November 1944, Szalasi
was made the Leader of the Nation and he was joined in power by 16 ministers, half belonged
to his Arrow Cross Party.
But whilst in power, he had very few other plans but to carry out the policies which
pleased the Nazis.
He executed the Nazi Party’s beliefs and ideology, and he did this to please Hitler
and to stop them being a threat.
Along with the Nazis, Szalasi’s government recommended the deportation of the Jews which
had been paused.
His government promoted martial law, and they carried out large scale executions of those
who were considered possible enemies of Szalasi and his party.
He also deported thousands of Jews, and many were executed and killed inside of gas chambers,
and despite not being in power for long, in particular 163 days, he had a devastating
and deadly effect.
He also sent large amounts of Hungarian produce and resources to Germany to help their war
effort, and he forced young and old men into the last remnants of the Hungarian Army, being
forced to fight the Soviet war machine of the Red Army.
When he took control of the country, the Red Army were inside of Hungary, and his authority
was rather limited but his party did deport 80,000 people into the concentration camps.
But on the 19th November 1944, he had nowhere to go as he was inside of Budapest as it was
encircled by the Soviet Red Army and also the Romanian army, and they surrounded the
city.
This resulted in the 102 day siege of Budapest, but as this took hold he had managed to escape
and flee.
He fled to a city in the west of Hungary, and then carried on to Vienna in March 1945
and then he then went to Munich.
But as Hungary capitulated and fell to the Soviets, the cabinet of the Arrow Cross Party
had fled the lands, and it was dissolved on the 7th May 1945 a day before Germany surrendered.
But on the 6th May, the day before Ferenc Szalasi was captured by the Americans, and
months later was repatriated back to Hungary.
The Hungarians then tried him by the People’s Tribunal in Budapest and many open sessions
took place where war criminals were sentenced to death and were executed for high treason.
Ferenc Szalasi was placed on trial for high treason and also war crimes, and he was deemed
guilty after deporting thousands of his own people to their deaths in the concentration
camps.
He was virtually hated by the Hungarian people, and on the 12th March 1946 he was brought
to Budapest and a town square where he was to be executed.
Along with two of his former ministers, and a party theologist, the group of Arrow Cross
members were then led to where a number of large posts had been placed.
The method of execution for Ferenc Szalasi was hanging using the Austrian pole method,
and a few large posts had been set up with a rope attached to a hook at the top.
Szalasi was taken up to the scaffold and he was flanked by guards and members of the public
watched on.
He was placed with his back to the post, and his arms and legs were tied up so he could
not move.
Then the noose was placed around his neck, and the rope was then tightened, before the
executioner took the steps from beneath him.
He had been given the last rites before, but the post only left a couple of feet between
the hanging man and the ground, and this method of execution in particular led to him slowly
strangling to death, rather than having his neck snapped.
He struggled and struggled, but then he succumbed to his death shortly after whilst the public
looked on.
He was then buried in the New Public Cemetery in Budapest.
But Ferenc Szalasi was considered a serious war criminal inside of Hungary despite only
being in office and power from the 16th October 1944 to the 28th March 1945.
Despite initially being a military officer, he entered politics and crafted his right
wing ideas.
But Szalasi became a man who’s party were involved and collaborating with the Nazis
in their politics which resulted in mass murder and brutality inside of the concentration
camps.
But he was executed in front of a huge crowd in Budapest.
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