After the first world war and the

collapse of the Austrohungarian dual

monarchy, Hungary was reduced to less

than a third of its size thanks to the

Treaty of Triionon. As a smaller country

surrounded by larger neighbors, Hungary

made border revision the cornerstone of

its foreign policy in the interwar

period. This would not be easy as

Hungary faced resistance from the little

ant, an alliance of Czechoslovakia,

Romania, and Yugoslavia. With the

backing of France, Hungary began

strengthening its ties with Germany,

which it saw as its best chance to

revise Trionon despite Berlin's

expansionist goals clashing with

Budapest's territorial aims. At first,

Hitler was reluctant to support

Hungarian revisionism, fearing it would

strengthen the little ant complicate his

plans to conquer Czechoslovakia.

But the late 1930s changed everything.

After taking over Austria in 1938,

Hitler courted Hungary's support for his

move against Czechoslovakia. Hungary was

hesitant to risk war, [music]

but its support paid off. Through German

Italian arbitration, Hungary gained

nearly 12,000 km or 7,457

square miles of southern Slovakia in

what became known as the first Vienna

Award. After Hitler dismantled

Czechoslovakia in 1939,

the region of Carpatho Ukraine declared

itself an independent republic and

appealed to Germany for recognition and

support. German officials did not reply

and the short-lived state was invaded by

Hungary, crushing all local resistance

by March 18th, 1939.

Hungary, however, did not always align

with Germany. When Germany invaded

Poland in 1939, Hungary refused to take

part and instead let more than 100,000

Polish refugees cross its border.

Hungarian Prime Minister Pal Teleki

pursued a policy of neutrality and

revisionism, seeking to regain lost land

without being dragged into major

conflicts.

In 1940, Hungary's ambitions grew when

the Soviet Union seized the regions of

Besserabia and northern Boavina from

Romania. Hitler called for Hungarian

Romanian negotiations which resulted in

the second Vienna award. Hungary gained

43,000 km of northern Transylvania. To

secure its position, Hungary signed the

tripartite pact with Germany, Italy, and

Japan on November 20th, 1940. Up to this

point, Hungary had regained territory,

mostly without fighting. But once it

formally joined the Axis, this would

change. By this point, Yugoslavia was

the only remnant of the little ant still

free from Axis influence. But this would

not last. In March 1941, the Yugoslav

Hungarian Treaty of Eternal Friendship

was signed in Belgrade. And just a few

days later, Yugoslavia joined the

tripartite pact. This only lasted 2

days. On March 27th, a Yugoslav coup

d'eta overthrew the regency led by

Prince Paul and 17-year-old King Peter

II took full power. The coup triggered

plans for the German-led Axis invasion

of Yugoslavia, and Hungary was pressured

to join. Unwilling, Hungarian Prime

Minister Palki took his own life with a

pistol on the night of April 3rd, 1941.

His suicide note said, "We broke our

word out of cowardice. The nation feels

it, and we have thrown away its honor.

We have allied ourselves with

scoundrels."

Nonetheless, the invasion went ahead

with Hungary taking part. The Yugoslav

army crumbled quickly under German

firepower and Hungarian troops soon

crossed the border. A few days after the

German attack began, Hungary regained

the regions of Vajvadina, the Banana

Triangle, and Muracos while facing

little resistance from the overwhelmed

Yugoslavs.

As a result of the invasion, Britain

broke off diplomatic relations with

Hungary, but did not declare war, likely

because of Teleki's suicide. The

Hungarian authorities divided the

occupied population into two groups.

Those living in the region before 1918

and those who had arrived in the

interwar years. To reverse this, they

pursued their own ethnic policies which

expelled Yugoslavs and redistributed

land to Hungarians. [music]

Hungarian political parties and

patriotic organizations were encouraged

while Serbs, Croats, Jews, and Romani

faced systematic discrimination in

education and culture. The Jewish

population of the occupied territories

was subjected to forced labor. Ethnic

Germans also faced discrimination until

Hitler intervened. After that, Germans

received special privileges, even

appointing their own officials in German

majority towns. The occupation was

violent, fueled by stereotypes and

prejudices against these Serbs.

Hungarian soldiers were even handed a

leaflet describing Serbs as a

conspiratorial people prone to

rebellion, violence, and even bloody

solutions. Unlike the Vermacht, which on

paper required prisoners to be handed

over to military police or security

services, Hungarian soldiers were given

more freedom to act as judges in the

field. Collaboration also occurred

between the occupiers and local

civilians looking to protect their

interests. Resistance to Hungarian rule

eventually broke out with the harshest

suppression occurring later in January

1942.

This became the infamous Novvisad raid

during which around 3,500 people were

killed. The Hungarian actions drew

criticism from the mayor of Novvisad,

the Germans, and from members of the

Hungarian Parliament. Regent Miklo Horti

later ordered a follow-up investigation

into the massacre, and the charges were

brought against those responsible. Many,

however, fled to Germany.

The Second World War was the most

destructive conflict in human history.

And for those who lived through it, it

must have felt like the end of the

world. Rebuilding after such devastation

isn't easy. But thanks to today's

sponsor, the book The Ultimate Guide to

Rebuilding a Civilization, you'll be

ready to pick up the pieces if you ever

find yourself in a post-apocalyptic

world. More than just a survival guide,

the book is a stunning illustrated

encyclopedia of humankind's greatest

inventions and discoveries. An inspiring

visual journey through the history of

innovation. This premium hard cover is

printed on matte art paper spans over

400 pages and covers 180 fascinating

topics from making fire to spinning yarn

to how a steam engine works. It even has

a section on Santa Claus just in time

for the holidays. I especially love the

book's unique illustrations, which

deliver rare knowledge through a

creative combination of engineering

drawings and medieval art styles

inspiring deeper thinking. The book is

the perfect holiday gift for family,

friends, or even yourself. And you can

also grab it as part of the ultimate

Christmas bundle, which includes the

last book, a haunting story told from

the perspective of the last human on

Earth, and Octopolis, the world's most

challenging jigsaw puzzle. Scan the QR

code or click on the link in the

description and use code Historian at

checkout to save 10% when you order the

book today.

After Germany dismembered Yugoslavia, it

turned to the Soviet Union. Initially,

Germany did not request Hungarian

participation, and Hungary was not

substantively briefed, only advised to

reinforce its borders. Hitler knew the

Hungarian army had serious deficiencies

and feared that Hungary would make more

territorial demands if it joined. Just

days before the invasion, Germany

informed Hungary of its plans. German

General Alfred Yodel stated that any

Hungarian assistance would be gratefully

accepted, though not required.

Meanwhile, the Soviets sought to

reassure Hungary. In June 1941, Foreign

Minister Vicheslav Molotov declared that

the Soviet Union had no hostile demands

toward Hungary and did not oppose its

territorial expansion at Romania's

expense. Nevertheless, Hungarian leaders

believed Germany would reach Moscow

within 6 weeks. Soon after, Hungary

broke off diplomatic relations with the

USSR.

The quesus belly came on June 26th.

Soviet planes had strafed a [music]

train near Rajo and bombed Casa.

Cerrillic letters were found on bomb

fragments suggesting Soviet origin,

though it remains a mystery why the USSR

would bomb Casa. That same day, Hungary

declared war on the Soviet Union.

Hungary sent its most equipped field

army, the Second Army, [music] into

Russia to support the Germans. German

observers noted the Hungarians for their

particular cruelty with occupied people

subjected to arbitrary violence

described as murder terrorism. The

Hungarians along with the Italians and

Romanians joined the Germans in the 1942

summer offensive Ballau. During the

offensive, Romanian and Hungarian units

had to be separated with an Italian

division placed between them to contain

their bitter rivalry. In summer 1942,

the second army participated in the

Battle of Verones as part of Germany's

Army Group B. The Hungarian troops

fought in and around the city and along

the Dawn River supporting the German

Fourth Panzer Army. Without adequate

air, artillery, and armor support,

[music] all assaults were carried out by

infantry units, causing the Hungarian

Second Army to suffer heavy casualties.

Lack of transportation was so severe

that some divisions marched over 1,000

km or 621 mi on foot to the contact

line.

As winter set in, the German situation

worsened around Stalingrad and the

Second Army's transportation collapsed,

leaving frontline units without basic

necessities such as food, winter

clothing, fuel, and building materials.

Demoralized troops were left holding

long stretches of the front as more

German units poured into Stalenrad. This

created a dangerously thin line with

some sectors having only a single

platoon to defend entire kilometers or

miles without effective firepower.

Soviet field marshal Gurgi Zhukov

observed, "Compared with the Germans,

the troops of these satellites were not

so wellarmed, less experienced, and less

efficient even in defense.

Like other armies guarding the flanks of

the German 6th army, the second army was

annihilated in the Soviet

counteroffensive of the winter of 1942

to 1943.

The Soviet breakthrough at the Dawn

River sliced directly through the

Hungarian units. After the fall of

Stalenrad in January 1943, Hungarian

troops were ordered to stand and fight

to the death. Dumbfounded by this brazen

command, they tried in vain to retreat,

but most were taken prisoner by the

Soviets. The Hungarian Second Army

suffered around 143,000 total casualties

and ceased to exist as an effective

fighting force.

Nonetheless, other Hungarian units

occupied parts of Ukraine and later

Bellarus, guarding supply lines and

fighting Soviet partisans. Hungarian

troops were also stationed in Poland

where they refused to help suppress the

Warsaw uprising in 1944.

After 2 years of war against the

Soviets, Hungarian Prime Minister Miklo

Cala began peace negotiations with the

United States and United Kingdom in

autumn of 1943. In 1944, Regent Miklo

Hordi secretly started peace talks with

the Soviet Union. Berlin was already

suspicious of the Hungarians, so the

German general staff prepared a plan to

invade and occupy Hungary. This plan

would come into effect in March of 1944,

codenamed Operation Margaretta. On March

19th, German forces crossed the border

into Hungary. While some Hungarian units

offered little resistance, most did not.

In some places, the Germans were even

received [music] warmly due to confusion

about Germany's true intentions. Gordy

was allowed to maintain his position as

head of the Hungarian government. In May

1944, the Nazi administration alongside

the Hungarian Jearm began transporting

Hungarian Jews to Awitz. Under pressure

from Allied contacts and the Pope,

Hordie used his remaining influence to

discontinue the transports and later

arranged an armistice with [music] the

Soviets. In response, the Germans

launched Operation Panzer. [music]

Ord was taken into custody by the SS and

was demanded to resign and appoint

Salashi of the Fascist Aerocross Party

as prime minister. Initially, Hordy

refused, but finally gave in when the

Germans threatened his family. Up to

this point, Jews had been relatively

safe in Hungary. But this changed with

Salashi and the Aerocross in power.

Thousands of Jews were rounded up and

deported to Awitz. In Budapest, Jews

were taken from the ghetto, lined up on

the riverbank, and shot so that their

bodies fell into the Danube. Salashi

attempted to increase deportations of

Jews, but Germany's rapidly

disintegrating communication lines

largely prevented this from happening.

Nonetheless, even with the Aerocross

Party at the helm, Hungary's Eastern

Front situation continued to deteriorate

as the Soviets broke the Germans in the

south [music] and entered Romania, which

promptly switched sides. In late 1944,

the Red Army and its Romanian allies

launched a series of major battles in

Romania and Hungary, pushing back German

and Hungarian forces. By October,

Hungary had become a battlefield. Soviet

[music] forces were fighting through

fierce German Hungarian counterattacks

to capture Debriten, crippling Axis

defenses and opening the road to

Budapest.

In late December 1944,

Budapest became encircled. Heavy

fighting erupted throughout the city as

the Red Army began its assault. Nearly

33,000 German and 37,000 Hungarian

soldiers as well as over 800,000

civilians were trapped within the city.

Refusing to authorize a withdrawal,

Adolf Hitler had declared Budapest a

fortress city which was to be defended

to the last man. The defense was to be

led by Waffan SS General Carl Feffer

[music] Vildenbrook.

On December 26th, the Soviets encircled

the city as street fighting began.

During the night of December 28th, the

second and third Ukrainian front

contacted the besieged German and

Hungarians by radio and loudspeakers,

promising to provide humane surrender

conditions and to not mistreat

prisoners. The next day, two groups of

Soviet emissaries appeared to negotiate.

What exactly happened to them later is

unclear, but both leaders of the groups

died.

Germans utilized the lull in the

fighting to strengthen the city's

defenses, peppering it with barricades

and tank traps and fortifying buildings

and houses. Nonetheless, the start of

1945 provided no initial respit as sharp

attacks were launched toward Sass Hill

in the southwest and Matias Hill in the

northwest. The Soviet offensive began in

the eastern suburbs, advancing through

the area of Pest, making good use of

broad central avenues to speed up their

progress. The German and Hungarian

defenders overwhelmed tried to trade

space for time and slow down the Soviet

advance. They ultimately withdrew to

shorten their lines, hoping to take

advantage of the hilly geography of

Buddha. In response, Hitler ordered the

fourth SS Panzer Corps to relieve

Budapest. Commanded by SS General

Herbert Gilla and fielding 200 tanks and

60,000 men, it was one of the largest

strategic reserves that the Germans

possessed. With Western Hungary serving

as Germany's last vital source of oil,

Hitler even prioritized the operation

over reinforcing Poland against an

imminent Soviet offensive.

The counteroffensive began from the

German base at Komaron, pushing

southeast toward Bichka and Budapest.

With rare support from the now depleted

Luftvafa, Gilla's forces advanced over

the following days to Bichka, reaching

within only a few dozen kilometers of

Buddha. Unfortunately for the Germans,

the attack bogged down due to the

terrain and Soviet reserves. By this

point, the defenses of the Buddha bridge

head solidified and were based on

several strong points. The embarkment,

Buddha Castle, Barash Ready Cemetery,

and Sass Hill. In past, the Allied

Romanian army reached Rakos Creek while

the Soviets took about 200 city blocks

on January 1st.

Over the next few days, the defenses

stiffened, but deep thrusts into pest

caused the Germans to pull back even

further. As a result of the compression

of the encirclement, the struggle for

the city increased in intensity with the

Soviets advancing through holes blasted

in buildings instead of along the narrow

streets swept by the German guns.

Fighting even broke out in the sewers as

both sides used them to hide troop

movements.

With fierce house-to-house fighting

going on, fires could not be put out and

the dead could not be buried, which led

to the whole city being covered with a

nauseating stench of decay, death, and

burning bodies. German tanks tried to

fight in the open spaces and parks, but

they ran out of fuel and ammunition. By

the 17th, the defenses in Pest had been

split into three, and the Germans

decided to retreat across the Danube and

blow the bridges. The Axis held a front

line running from Matias Hill in the

north through Varosayor to the Manuel's

railway embankment to the south with

some new reinforcements arriving from

the east side of the river. Nonetheless,

the German Fourth SS Panzer Corps struck

again in the south of the city over the

morning of January 18th. They made rapid

progress, taking the fourth guards army

by surprise and crushing the

counterattacking 7th mechanized corps.

The advancing panzers swept all away and

reached the Danube on January 19th. By

the 26th, German forces were only about

15 mi or 25 km from the southern suburbs

of Budapest, and at least some of the

garrison should have been able to fight

their way out to meet the relief force.

However, German troops were unable to

maintain their momentum due to fatigue

and supply problems. The city's

defenders requested permission to leave

the encirclement, but Hitler refused,

insisting that Budapest be recaptured

rather than the defenders rescued.

Soviet counterattacks began on January

27th. On the first day, the Germans

destroyed 122 Soviet tanks, but were

ultimately forced back to their starting

positions. Following the arrival of

additional Soviet reinforcements, the

window for relief was lost. By the

beginning of February, the relief

operation had failed. With pest having

fallen, the fight for Buddha picked up

steam and the Axis defense was beginning

to unravel. Supplies were running out,

and once news arrived that the relief

effort had failed, the defense began to

collapse even more rapidly. Nonetheless,

despite the lack of supplies, most

access troops refused to surrender and

defended every street and [music] house.

A desperate counterattack against the

Soviets was scraped together, involving

the Hungarian 10th Division, the 13th

Panzer, and 200 high school pupils who

had been recruited just 2 days earlier.

The attack quickly failed, resulting in

horrific casualties among the untrained,

poorly [music] equipped school children.

By now, the defenders were in a 3m or 5

km pocket that crammed nearly 35,000

German and Hungarian troops along with

10,000 wounded and 300,000 Hungarian

civilians. On February 5th, Hitler

refused a request from the Huda garrison

to try and break out, even if the

garrison was down to its last ammunition

and hold up in two pockets, neither of

which was large enough to receive air

drops. Unsurprisingly, the Soviets took

strong point after strong point, day

after day in the city, taking all of

southern Buddha except for the Citadel.

Despite Hitler's orders, on the morning

of the 11th, Beer Venborg ordered a

breakout. The breakout was to begin at

nightfall, attacking along a [music]

halfmile or 1 km front in three waves.

First, the 13th Panzer and 8th SS

Cavalry, followed by the 60th Panzer

Grenadier Division, and remnants of the

22nd SS Cavalry Division. Then finally,

the walking wounded, baggage trains, and

civilians.

That night, they tried to break out, but

huge crowds clogged the streets,

preventing many troops in the first wave

from reaching the front. The breakout

quickly descended into chaos. On one

street, attackers were cut down by

Soviet fire, while on another, small

groups slipped through unnoticed. Of the

30,000 Germans and Hungarians, fewer

than 700 made it to the German lines.

Some hid out in forests well into the

spring and summer of 1945 before finally

surrendering.

After the breakout, Soviet troops

quickly mopped up the last pockets of

resistance. Within a few days, the city

had fallen. From the first Soviet tanks

appearing on the outskirts of Budapest

to its final defeat, 102 days had

passed. It was the fourth longest siege

on the Eastern Front and the longest of

any European capital. On February 13th,

the siege and battle of Budapest came to

its end with over 100,000 German

prisoners taken in the fight for the

city.

The battle was fought continuously over

the heads of 800,000 civilians as there

was no large-scale evacuation. Half of

all the casualties on the defending side

were civilians, including around 15,000

Jews murdered by fascist militias.

Despite Soviet orders against

mistreating civilians and prisoners of

war, deserters flooded Budapest after

the battle, leading to looting and mass

rape. The siege of Budapest left the

city devastated. Entire neighborhoods

were destroyed. Essential services

collapsed and tens of thousands of

survivors faced a harsh winter with

limited food and shelter. A Sovietbacked

countergovernment was proclaimed in

Debritzen and ethnic Germans in Hungary

were arrested and transported to the

Soviet Union as forced laborers. In some

villages, the entire adult population

was taken to labor camps in the Donets

Basin where many died. In March 1945,

the Germans attempted a final

counteroffensive near Lake Ballatin,

Operation Spring Awakening, but it

failed. By April, Hungary was fully

under Soviet control. The Aerocross

regime collapsed alongside Nazi Germany

and was officially abolished on May 7th,

1945, just one day before Germany's

unconditional surrender.