During the Second World War, there were many countries who collaborated with Nazi Germany.
Some of these helped them militarily, financially and also by providing them with weapons, supplies
and other necessities for the war effort.
Hungary joined the Axis alliance, and at the time they were heavily reliant on Facist Italy
and also Germany to help the country deal with the repercussions felt by the Great Depression.
But during the fighting of the conflict, it’s estimated that around 300,000 Hungarian soldiers
were killed, and over 600,000 Hungarian civilians were killed which included 400,000 Jews.
Most of them were transported to German extermination camps such as Auschwitz.
But Hungary fought alongside the Germans during many battles, including Operation Babarossa,
and during this time there was a significant number of political changes in the country
also.
One man who briefly acted as the Prime Minister of Hungary was Bela Imredy, who after the
conflict was executed for collaborating with the Nazis and also war crimes.
So join us today as we look at, ‘The VENGEFUL Execution of Bela Imredy.’
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Bela Imredy was born on the 29th December 1891 in Budapest within the Kingdom of Hungary.
At this time, the country was allied with Austria forming the Austro-Hungarian empire.
It’s assumed Imredy had a normal upbringing.
His family were strong catholics, and when he was old enough he then went on to study
law at university.
After his studies, he then obtained a job inside of the Hungarian Ministry of finance,
and this was seen as a rather prestigious organisation.
Whilst here he rose throughout the ranks and became known for being a gifted economist
and financier, but in 1928 he became the director of the Hungarian National Bank.
This was a very high profile position, and saw him overseeing the key decisions involved
in the running of the largest bank in Hungary.
His skills and knowledge of the economy caused him to get noticed by the government, and
in 1932 he was then appointed as the Minister of finance.
His boss ultimately was the fascist prime minister Gyula Gombos.
Gombos was active in international affairs, and he was keen to pursue trade deals with
the European markets as the Great Depression had hit and had caused a significant impact
on the economy of Hungary.
He himself liaised with Benito Mussolini with regards to treaties, and also he was the first
foreign head of government to meet with Adolf Hitler after he became Chancellor.
He and Hitler together signed a major trade agreement, in the hope to reduce the huge
amount of unemployment in Hungary caused by the Great Depression.
Gombos, Imredy’s boss ultimately was seen by Hitler as too pro-Jewish, and Hitler also
did not like his plans to expand the Hungarian army and military.
But Imredy served as the minister of finance for 3 years, and he then became the president
of the Hungarian National Bank, placing him at the very top of the banking system in the
country.
Imredy himself was a very ambitious man, and he was known to have been a supporter of the
right wing, and have been vocal in his right wing views.
He was pro-British and he supported alliances between Hungary and Britain, and because of
this under the later prime minister Kalman Daranyi he became the Minister of Economic
Co-ordination, a position made to help him try to improve the finances of Hungary.
But within 2 years, Imredy himself would hold the most powerful position inside of Hungary.
In 1938, Daranyi reigned and Imredy was appointed the prime minister.
He began to improve the diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom, which made him disliked
by Hitler and Mussolini.
He was aware that the Germans were planning to annex Austria, but because of Hungary’s
links to Italy and Germany, he knew he could not alienate the two, or offend them both
by allying closely with the UK.
His policy with regards to the European powers then shifted to being one where he supported
Nazi Germany and also Fascist Italy, and he began to suppress his rivals and establish
a strong Hungarian right wing government.
One rival party that was suppressed was the Arrow Cross Party, who were harassed by Imredy’s
organisation and supporters, and then eventually were banned and outlawed, similarly to how
Hitler outlawed communist parties and suppressed them.
Also other influential fascists such as Ferenc Szalasi were harassed, but Imredy continued
heading towards the far right.
He planned that the government should become one that was reorganised with the idea of
totalitarianism, and he began to draft and bring in laws that limited freedom of the
press.
Also Imredy brought in a number of laws that punished Jews, and caused them to suffer economic
penalties and sanctions.
It was clear he was drifting towards Nazism and Germany’s right wing, and in February
1939 his opponents presented evidence to the Regent of Hungary, Miklos Horthy which was
damning for Imredy.
They had discovered evidence that Imredy was in fact from Jewish decent, and that his great
grand-father was Jewish, but when the regent confronted Imredy about this he did not deny
anything.
Because of this, and the fact he was outright persecuting Jews in his country, despite himself
being of Jewish origin,, he was forced to resign on the 13th February 1939.
But as the Second World War broke out, the Hungarians allied themselves with Nazi Germany
and as mentioned joined the Axis alliance.
The countries military fought with the Germans on mostly the Eastern Fronts, and they were
involved in annexing parts of Yugoslavia too.
They did not initially take part in Operation Barbarossa, as Hitler did not ask directly
for their assistance, but Hungary later declared war on the Soviets, before being used in the
operation.
The Hungarian government were involved in turning over their Jews to be killed in mass
murder, and the soldiers themselves were involved in massacring Serbian and jewish hostages.
During the Battle of Stalingrad, the Hungarian Second Army suffered terrible losses, and
the repression for the Jews continued within Hungary with many being sent to their deaths
in the Holocaust.
Imredy was part of the Hungarian Army following his resignation, and he had also founded the
pro-facist Anti Semitic Party of Hungarian Renewal.
But the Germans later occupied Hungary, and the Regent was held under house arrest.
Imredy was favoured by the German Plenipotentiary Edmund Veesenmayer to become the prime minister.
But Regent Horthy could not accept this, and another man was appointed.
In the new government, Imredy became the Minister of Economic Coordination yet again briefly,
but within 4 months he had resigned.
The Germans eventually were driven out of Hungary as the Second World War massively
turned against them and the Soviet’s advanced.
The German Army were on the retreat back to their homeland, and as the Soviet’s entered
Hungary, Bela Imredy was arrested.
He was then later placed on trial, which began on the 14th November 1945.
Imredy’s trial was held in the Budapest Academy of Music, and he was charged with
being responsible in enacting Hungary’s Anti-Jewish legislation between 1938 and 1939,
in which caused huge suffering and persecution.
He was also charged with being in co-operation with Hitler’s Third Reich, and for war crimes.
He was found guilty of these charges, and was then for this sentenced to death.
On the 28th February 1946, Bela Imredy was told he was going to die that day.
He was held inside a cell in a prison found in Marko Street in Budapest, and was then
led out from his cell into the courtyard.
He was not to be hanged, and instead would face his death being shot by a firing squad.
The collection of soldiers had been gathered inside of prison courtyard, and gathered around
were a number of other members of the military, and also staff of the prison.
Bela Imredy was told to stand opposite his firing squad who were armed with rifles, and
up against some sandbags to prevent richochets.
The firing squad were then told to prepare themselves, and they then raised their rifles
at rather close range towards Imredy.
He had been given a white handkerchief which shielded his eyes and was loosely tied around
his head.
When the officer in charge gave the call, all of the soldiers shot straight into Imredy,
and they could hardly miss as it was very close range.
He was killed instantly.
Bela Imredy was the Prime Minister of Hungary for just a short time, but he was heavily
involved in publishing laws that caused much suffering and exclusion.
He was involved heavily in the financial system within Hungary, but ultimately was declared
a war criminal after the Second World War for his collaboration with the Nazis.
He saw them as a leaning post to help the Hungarian economy, but the innocent people
of Hungary did suffer greatly during the population, with hundreds of thousands of Jews being sent
to death camps within the Third Reich, and being murdered in barbaric ways.
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