Budapest Under Nazi Rule
Historians have not paid much attention to the siege of Budapest, which was one of the most brutal of World War II. With German officials effectively running this capital city, Hungarians faced not only the uncertainties of Nazi rule, but the constant threat of their own repressive Arrow Cross Party, a radical right-wing regime responsible for some of the worst atrocities after the siege had ended.
Stalin orders Budapest's Immediate Capture
Stalin demanded the immediate capture of the Hungarian capital for two reasons: controlling Budapest would speed up the “bolshevization” of the region, while also ensuring that Soviet troops controlled Eastern Europe before the Allied armies arrived. Yet Stalin’s single-mindedness led him to demand the defeat of the entrenched German and Hungarian armies in an unreasonable amount of time.
Soviet Tactics lead to Unneccesary Losses
The commanding officer of the 2nd Ukrainian Front leading the attack insisted that Budapest could not be taken in less than five days, when reinforcements would have arrived. Rather than permit this minor delay, Stalin berated the incredulous officer and ordered the immediate advance on the city, leading to thousands of unnecessary casualties in one of the Eastern Front’s most costly campaigns.
The Soviet Encirclement of Budapest
After repeated failed attempts to break through, the Red Army laid siege to Budapest for one hundred and eight days. As Hitler had ordered that the capital be transformed into a “fortress” in his vision of total war, German troops and their Hungarian allies often fought until entire divisions were destroyed to the last tank. Also, as citizens watched in horror as the Soviets bombarded the ancient city, food shortages and the pervasive sense of despair that accompanies siege warfare led many to believe that anything, even occupation, was better than the constant threat of bombers and artillery.
Atrocities in Budapest after the Siege
One of the saddest aspects of the capture of Budapest was precisely what many Hungarian civilians did not anticipate: Soviet atrocities. The Hungarian historian Krisztian Ungváry’s account reflects the tumultuous nature of post-siege Budapest, and it is often difficult to gage the population’s feelings toward their new occupiers from his book. As his numerous anecdotes from the diaries and memoirs of those who lived through the siege show, few could be trusted, including fellow Hungarians. this was especially true for Jews living in the ghettos of the city, as Nazis, Arrow Cross members, and Soviets all killed Jewish civilians without discretion in what the author sees as one of the worst atrocities of the Eastern Front.
Little Hope for Budapest's Citizens
With little relief from the Red Army, and the constant threat of rape, murder, and the destruction of cherished property, Hungarians often looked back on the siege as the better of two evils. Before the city fell, one could hope that things would improve, yet after its capitulation, few held on to illusions of salvation at the hands of Stalin’s repressive regime.
[1] Krisztián Ungváry, translated from the Hungarian by Ladislaus Löb, The Siege of Budapest, 100 Days in World War II (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2002), 6.
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