The German Military Elite of the Battle for Budapest, 1944–1945

The siege of the Hungarian capital in 1944–1945 still plays a prominent role in historical memory, and it is an event that repeatedly falls victim to ideological and political battles. Contrary to the interpretation that prevailed in Hungary until 1990, the far-right memory culture of recent decades has celebrated the soldiers involved in the breakout attempt of 11 February 1945 as “heroes”, while less and less has been said about the historical facts and the real motivations of the actors of the event.

Following his highly popular book, The Siege of Budapest, which has been published in numerous Hungarian and international editions, the author now focuses on the German military elite who took part in the battle for Budapest: this collective biography includes German military personnel who participated in the fighting in important leadership positions or received distinguished decorations (Knight’s Cross of the Iron Cross, German Golden Cross) during their stay in Budapest.

The author discusses in detail the Hungarian aspects of their careers, including their role in the siege of the capital, their movements within Budapest, the events associated with them, and their participation in the breakout attempt.

The one hundred and twenty-three biographies, which have been the result of decades of meticulous research, focus on flesh-and-blood people whose fallibility and virtues can only be dealt with together. The intricate and original large-scale tableau that emerges from their stories highlights the differences in German military careers, the contradictions of the hero cult and the horrors of the world war.