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Chapter 44 Hungary's Stand
Chapter 44 Hungary's Stand
"Why the hell are the damn Russians invading our country? What did we ever do to them?"- Lajos Kossuth 1847
"I watched as my nation was torn apart by those Russian dogs. Our people oppressed, unable to practice our religion or even speak our own language. I will not let the same thing happen to my new nation."- Henryk Dembinsky 1847
"Many of the nobles misunderstand why I feel it necessary to help Austria keep Hungary. You see, if Hungary gains independence then it will encourage other peoples to get independent. They'll spread silly ideas bout democracy and liberty, about the false notion that all men are created equal. If Austria loses Hungary then we lose our Western Empire, and Russia is once again reduced to the backwards land of our ancestors."- Tsar Nicholas I 1847
Until the Russian intervention in May of 1847, the Hungarian Revolution while not a complete victory, was undergoing much success and was on its path to total independence within a few years. Already the Croatia was under near Hungarian control and the fronts began to stabilize along the Austrian border and occupied Hungary. When Germany invaded Austria it was the greatest chance for Hungary as it was now able to pull troops away from the border and focus on reclaiming Transylvania and Slovakia.Already by the end of March, Hungary had been able to reclaim all of the German lands within Hungary and it had begun a new campaign that was focused on the complete conquest of Transylvania. With Austria now focusing all its attention towards Germany, the region was completely cut off from outside support and was being driven in further and further by advancing Hungarian troops. By the beginning of May only 1/4 of Transylvania remained in the hands of Romanian Loyalists. After Transylvania would fall the general plan would be to move on Slovakia in order to have Austria diverge resources from Bohemia and Vienna and let the Germans have a greater chance of success in order to fulfill the unofficial alliance between the two nations. Afterwords plans would dictate a possible expedition into Galicia to possibly incorporate it as a Hungarian province. While the first opening moves were being made on Slovakia though, Russia would intervene on May 22nd by officially crossing troops over the border into Austrian Galicia to keep Poland under Austrian control. 200,000 Russian troops were marching towards Budapest and they would be further augmented by 100,000-150,000 Ukrainian/Polish troops. With the war with Austria coming to a close, a new one with Russia was just about to begin.
Transylvania: Though many within Hungary expected for Russia to try and push towards Transylvania with the Romanian majority there and strong areas of Pan-Slavinism, the large attack that everyone was expecting never came in full force. For Russia to full invade and attack Transylvania they would've needed to go through Wallachia and Moldavia which would've initiated a largescale confrontation with the Ottoman Empire which the Russians were not prepared for at the time. Additionally most troops were sent father up North to provide a possible backup force for the Russian Army in Prussia should its assault fail. With this reprive the Hungarian Army quickly advanced a majority of its Transylvanian troops to the border with Galicia while the region was reinforced from the now stable theaters of Croatia and the Austrian border. 50,000 men were sent to the region and over the next three months quickly tried to storm the area in order to deal with the problem swiftly and reinforce the men up North. Due to a desperation of time various lethal tactics were used such as burning of suspected traitor villages and sometimes orders sent to extract no prisoners, though this was not a universal policy and the degree of brutality ranged with every Hungarian captain. On July 14th, the region of Transylvania was declared to be in firm Hungarian control and the men marched up North to defend against the coming Russian menace. During this time however a Russian force of 40,000 men had advanced into the region and begun to treck into the Carpathian Mountains. Unfortunately for them the Hungarians had spent the last six months fortifying the mountainside and were well familiar with the terrain. The Battle of Carpathia lasted during most of June as the Russians tried to cross in vain against hte 30,000 strong defenders of the mountains but were met with increasingly difficulty due to well place Hungarian artillery, traps and ambushes, and the inability to properly set up a supply line. The Russians retreated on June 24th with 5,000 casualties while Hungary suffered 3,000. Hungarian General Jozef Bem was then sent to the mountainside and took command to prepare for a second attack, one that would never come. Strategically the Russian feints into Transylvania did have one large advantage though as it forced Hungarian troops to be more spread out and prevented any concentration.
View attachment 298204
Battle of the Carpathian Mountains
Slovakia: With the ongoing Siege of Vienna most of the Slovak troops had to be deployed west in order to restore the lands of Austria proper and hopefully relieve the siege. With this massive transfer of troops it left Hungary to at least take decisive action and secure as much territory as possible before the Russians arrived near Budapest. When word of the Siege reached Budapest in May, Kossuth gave orders for the Hungarian army to take over Western Slovakia and hopefully cut off reinforcements to Vienna. On May 6th a Hungarian force of 55,000 men once again came into Bretislava but were able to easily take over the city this time due to most of its defenders being stripped for Vienna. After that the Hungarian army then proceded to move eastward and were slowly able to recapture Slovakia as the revolutionaries now marched into a region with most of its crops taken to the army and the men sent west to deal with the German threat. The next serious battle came on June 9th when the Hungarians then tried to take the city of Koslice and met an opposing force of 40,000 Polish troops along with 10,000 Russian soldiers that were acting as a Vanguard. The battle took around a week to settle but it eventually resulted in a Hungarian victory due to the Polish troops being mostly made up of new recruits and being demoralized of the prospect of working with the oppressors of their Eastern brethren. It did take its toll though as the Hungarians lost over 7,000 casualties in the conflict battle while the Polish/Russians lost 10,000. After that the Hungarian Army needed rest and the Russians had finally arrived in force so there was no more room for extra advancement. In mid-June to August the forces of the region fought in a back and forth matter as armies both retreated and advanced in order to determine the front lines and try to gain local support, each side calling each other barbaric invaders. Eventually the lines settled to Northeast of the Vah river while the Russian Army struck in full force around Eastern Hungary.
View attachment 298205
Hungarian cavalry sweeps through Slovakia
Galicia: Since the Revolution's outbreak the battle lines had been relatively stable at Galicia. The region was of little importance compared to Austria or Bohemia and the Hungarians did not place too much focus on it compared to other theaters. So while there was conflict it mostly consisted of skirmishes along the border line. That all changed in June when the Russian Army came in full force and decided to hit Hungary at its weakest in full force. While 75,000 were sent to Slovakia and 40,000 were sent to Transylvania, 85,000 came along this lightly defended region and crushed most Hungarian resistance that stood in their path. It took weeks for the Hungarian Army to organize as they had to send its main army in Budapest along with further reinforcements with segments of Transylvania and Slovakia to meet the Russian force, along with the increase in volunteers it resulted in a 80,000 strong army. The first major battle took place in Debrecen where an advanced corps of Russia of 40,000 met around 35,000 Hungarian troops. The battle ended in a Russian victory with them taking the city and the Hungarians falling back, but not without Russia receiving 15,000 casualties compared to Hungary's 8,0000. During July as Hungary finally arrived fully in the region, multiple small battles occurred all along the path of the Russian Army as the Hungarian Army working alongside with guerillas commenced hit an run tactics to bite away at the manpower and supply lines that were becoming longer. The penultimate battle of the campaign took place at the banks of the Tisza River as the Hungarians of 45,000 under Lajos Kossuth met the opposing 45,000 Russian forces of Ivan Paskevich on July 29th. Both sides were equal on paper but the Hungarians had a slight advantage as Russia had been advancing nonstop and took little time to organize their supplies, leaving them slightly low on rations and ammunition. For two days the battle went on and while neither side ever falted, Russia had to retreat due to the dangers of running out of ammunition and Ivan feared that if the battle went on then Hungary would start to notice and then proceed to completely route the Russian Army. Overall the casualties were light compared to other engagements as the Hungarians only suffered 2,756 KIA, 1,931 WIA, and 1,606 POW. Russia suffered around 3,410 KIA, 2,183 WIA, and 1,855 POW. As Russia tried to establish its supply lines the Hungarians proceeded to fortify uncaptured territory and moved in on weak points in Russia's flanks. Come fall the Battle lines were drawn East of the Tisza while Russia had managed to capture certain Romanian parts of Transylvania. Both sides would remain stationary until Germany began its counterattack against Russia before the coming of Winter.
View attachment 298206
Reenactment of the Battle of Tisza (Left) Ivan Paskevich, head of the Russian forces in Hungary (Right)
A/N: Next Chapter is the end of the Oregon War.
"Why the hell are the damn Russians invading our country? What did we ever do to them?"- Lajos Kossuth 1847
"I watched as my nation was torn apart by those Russian dogs. Our people oppressed, unable to practice our religion or even speak our own language. I will not let the same thing happen to my new nation."- Henryk Dembinsky 1847
"Many of the nobles misunderstand why I feel it necessary to help Austria keep Hungary. You see, if Hungary gains independence then it will encourage other peoples to get independent. They'll spread silly ideas bout democracy and liberty, about the false notion that all men are created equal. If Austria loses Hungary then we lose our Western Empire, and Russia is once again reduced to the backwards land of our ancestors."- Tsar Nicholas I 1847
Until the Russian intervention in May of 1847, the Hungarian Revolution while not a complete victory, was undergoing much success and was on its path to total independence within a few years. Already the Croatia was under near Hungarian control and the fronts began to stabilize along the Austrian border and occupied Hungary. When Germany invaded Austria it was the greatest chance for Hungary as it was now able to pull troops away from the border and focus on reclaiming Transylvania and Slovakia.Already by the end of March, Hungary had been able to reclaim all of the German lands within Hungary and it had begun a new campaign that was focused on the complete conquest of Transylvania. With Austria now focusing all its attention towards Germany, the region was completely cut off from outside support and was being driven in further and further by advancing Hungarian troops. By the beginning of May only 1/4 of Transylvania remained in the hands of Romanian Loyalists. After Transylvania would fall the general plan would be to move on Slovakia in order to have Austria diverge resources from Bohemia and Vienna and let the Germans have a greater chance of success in order to fulfill the unofficial alliance between the two nations. Afterwords plans would dictate a possible expedition into Galicia to possibly incorporate it as a Hungarian province. While the first opening moves were being made on Slovakia though, Russia would intervene on May 22nd by officially crossing troops over the border into Austrian Galicia to keep Poland under Austrian control. 200,000 Russian troops were marching towards Budapest and they would be further augmented by 100,000-150,000 Ukrainian/Polish troops. With the war with Austria coming to a close, a new one with Russia was just about to begin.
Transylvania: Though many within Hungary expected for Russia to try and push towards Transylvania with the Romanian majority there and strong areas of Pan-Slavinism, the large attack that everyone was expecting never came in full force. For Russia to full invade and attack Transylvania they would've needed to go through Wallachia and Moldavia which would've initiated a largescale confrontation with the Ottoman Empire which the Russians were not prepared for at the time. Additionally most troops were sent father up North to provide a possible backup force for the Russian Army in Prussia should its assault fail. With this reprive the Hungarian Army quickly advanced a majority of its Transylvanian troops to the border with Galicia while the region was reinforced from the now stable theaters of Croatia and the Austrian border. 50,000 men were sent to the region and over the next three months quickly tried to storm the area in order to deal with the problem swiftly and reinforce the men up North. Due to a desperation of time various lethal tactics were used such as burning of suspected traitor villages and sometimes orders sent to extract no prisoners, though this was not a universal policy and the degree of brutality ranged with every Hungarian captain. On July 14th, the region of Transylvania was declared to be in firm Hungarian control and the men marched up North to defend against the coming Russian menace. During this time however a Russian force of 40,000 men had advanced into the region and begun to treck into the Carpathian Mountains. Unfortunately for them the Hungarians had spent the last six months fortifying the mountainside and were well familiar with the terrain. The Battle of Carpathia lasted during most of June as the Russians tried to cross in vain against hte 30,000 strong defenders of the mountains but were met with increasingly difficulty due to well place Hungarian artillery, traps and ambushes, and the inability to properly set up a supply line. The Russians retreated on June 24th with 5,000 casualties while Hungary suffered 3,000. Hungarian General Jozef Bem was then sent to the mountainside and took command to prepare for a second attack, one that would never come. Strategically the Russian feints into Transylvania did have one large advantage though as it forced Hungarian troops to be more spread out and prevented any concentration.
View attachment 298204
Battle of the Carpathian Mountains
Slovakia: With the ongoing Siege of Vienna most of the Slovak troops had to be deployed west in order to restore the lands of Austria proper and hopefully relieve the siege. With this massive transfer of troops it left Hungary to at least take decisive action and secure as much territory as possible before the Russians arrived near Budapest. When word of the Siege reached Budapest in May, Kossuth gave orders for the Hungarian army to take over Western Slovakia and hopefully cut off reinforcements to Vienna. On May 6th a Hungarian force of 55,000 men once again came into Bretislava but were able to easily take over the city this time due to most of its defenders being stripped for Vienna. After that the Hungarian army then proceded to move eastward and were slowly able to recapture Slovakia as the revolutionaries now marched into a region with most of its crops taken to the army and the men sent west to deal with the German threat. The next serious battle came on June 9th when the Hungarians then tried to take the city of Koslice and met an opposing force of 40,000 Polish troops along with 10,000 Russian soldiers that were acting as a Vanguard. The battle took around a week to settle but it eventually resulted in a Hungarian victory due to the Polish troops being mostly made up of new recruits and being demoralized of the prospect of working with the oppressors of their Eastern brethren. It did take its toll though as the Hungarians lost over 7,000 casualties in the conflict battle while the Polish/Russians lost 10,000. After that the Hungarian Army needed rest and the Russians had finally arrived in force so there was no more room for extra advancement. In mid-June to August the forces of the region fought in a back and forth matter as armies both retreated and advanced in order to determine the front lines and try to gain local support, each side calling each other barbaric invaders. Eventually the lines settled to Northeast of the Vah river while the Russian Army struck in full force around Eastern Hungary.
View attachment 298205
Hungarian cavalry sweeps through Slovakia
Galicia: Since the Revolution's outbreak the battle lines had been relatively stable at Galicia. The region was of little importance compared to Austria or Bohemia and the Hungarians did not place too much focus on it compared to other theaters. So while there was conflict it mostly consisted of skirmishes along the border line. That all changed in June when the Russian Army came in full force and decided to hit Hungary at its weakest in full force. While 75,000 were sent to Slovakia and 40,000 were sent to Transylvania, 85,000 came along this lightly defended region and crushed most Hungarian resistance that stood in their path. It took weeks for the Hungarian Army to organize as they had to send its main army in Budapest along with further reinforcements with segments of Transylvania and Slovakia to meet the Russian force, along with the increase in volunteers it resulted in a 80,000 strong army. The first major battle took place in Debrecen where an advanced corps of Russia of 40,000 met around 35,000 Hungarian troops. The battle ended in a Russian victory with them taking the city and the Hungarians falling back, but not without Russia receiving 15,000 casualties compared to Hungary's 8,0000. During July as Hungary finally arrived fully in the region, multiple small battles occurred all along the path of the Russian Army as the Hungarian Army working alongside with guerillas commenced hit an run tactics to bite away at the manpower and supply lines that were becoming longer. The penultimate battle of the campaign took place at the banks of the Tisza River as the Hungarians of 45,000 under Lajos Kossuth met the opposing 45,000 Russian forces of Ivan Paskevich on July 29th. Both sides were equal on paper but the Hungarians had a slight advantage as Russia had been advancing nonstop and took little time to organize their supplies, leaving them slightly low on rations and ammunition. For two days the battle went on and while neither side ever falted, Russia had to retreat due to the dangers of running out of ammunition and Ivan feared that if the battle went on then Hungary would start to notice and then proceed to completely route the Russian Army. Overall the casualties were light compared to other engagements as the Hungarians only suffered 2,756 KIA, 1,931 WIA, and 1,606 POW. Russia suffered around 3,410 KIA, 2,183 WIA, and 1,855 POW. As Russia tried to establish its supply lines the Hungarians proceeded to fortify uncaptured territory and moved in on weak points in Russia's flanks. Come fall the Battle lines were drawn East of the Tisza while Russia had managed to capture certain Romanian parts of Transylvania. Both sides would remain stationary until Germany began its counterattack against Russia before the coming of Winter.
Reenactment of the Battle of Tisza (Left) Ivan Paskevich, head of the Russian forces in Hungary (Right)
A/N: Next Chapter is the end of the Oregon War.
- Kaiser Chris
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