Thousands perished. To mark the 80th anniversary of these events, Federal President Steinmeier and Hungarian President Sulyok held commemorative ceremonies in Munich.
In the autumn and winter of 1944/45, as the armies of Hitler and his allies were defeated in the Soviet Union, the Red Army advanced across several fronts toward Eastern and Central Europe. The Battle of Budapest was particularly fierce, with the Hungarian capital remaining under siege for six weeks. One of the last eyewitnesses of these events, Michael Kretz, shared his memories of the surrender of Budapest in February 1945 in several interviews: “We were brought to Ercsi, a small town a few kilometers south of Budapest. There were between 15,000 and 20,000 prisoners gathered in a courtyard.”
Eyewitness Accounts: Actions of Soviet Troops
Michael Kretz is a Hungarian German, a member of the Danube Swabian ethnic group. Born near Budapest, he was drafted into the Hungarian army as a driver at the age of 21. He recalled the harsh treatment of Hungarian and German prisoners of war by Soviet soldiers after the fall of Budapest.
Kretz recounted: “One soldier ordered: Jews here, workers there, the sick to that side. I had a swollen leg, so I decided to join the sick. Soviet doctors were there, inspecting everyone thoroughly. Every time they found someone who wasn’t actually ill, two soldiers would step up and beat them to death with sticks. They beat the person until they showed no signs of life. I thought: this is the end. When I was finally the last one before the doctor with my swollen leg, he fortunately confirmed: sick.”
Tens of Thousands of Hungarian Germans in Soviet Forced Labor
Michael Kretz recalled being held in a cellar with other prisoners. However, after six days, he managed to slip away during a moment of guard inattention. It was an extremely risky move—he saw the bodies of those shot during escape attempts everywhere in the streets. Nevertheless, Kretz managed to pose as a sick civilian and reunite with his family. Later, they were deported and eventually fled to Germany to start their lives anew.
They managed to hide when Red Army soldiers were detaining young women and men for transport to labor camps in the Soviet Union. This was by order of the Supreme Commander of the Red Army, Joseph Stalin, who referred to it as “labor for reparations.” According to Soviet sources, approximately 30,000 Hungarian Germans were taken to the Soviet Union as forced laborers; however, Hungarian data suggests the number could be as high as 60,000 people.
Thousands Perished Under Forced Labor
Beáta Márkus, a Hungarian historian from the University of Pécs, researched the circumstances of these deportations. She established that the individuals were transported in closed cattle cars—specifically to the coal basins of the Donets region, the Caucasus, and the Ural region. Many froze or starved to death during the weeks-long journey. Márkus noted: “Approximately one-third of the people died in the labor camps. The causes were disease and malnutrition. They had to perform heavy labor in coal mines and on construction sites.”
Those who survived were generally released after three to five years. Most Hungarian Germans subsequently emigrated to Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Hesse, and Austria.
Source: Bayerischer Rundfunk
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