Hungarian Jewish service in Munkaszolgalat in WWII #romania #holocaust #hungary
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Our family is looking for testimonies from Hungarian Jewish men who served as “conscripted slaves” in the labor service of the Hungarian army, “Munkaszolgalat”, in unit 108/16 from 1942. |
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paveanyu@...
Dear Mr Jacobson 23rd March 2023
My -VP-late father--Mor-Moishe Friedman D.O.B.-- 3rd November 1901---TARCAL--Hungary ( Friedmann) was in Labour Camp--Munkaszolgalat to my knowledge for four and a half years. Liberated by The American Army on the 4th May--by Commander BING? He endured the Long March together with two of his friends from the same village TARCAL --- geographical location--in Hungary ( By the Mountain--Kopasz/ ('Bold-Mountain) --Tokaj Valley--) from Mauthausen to Gunskirchen From the three of them: Unfortunately -- one of my late father's friend was too weak to walk Tragically- This unfortunate friend was gunned down by the NAZI's My late father and his other friend-- reached the gates of Gunskirchen when the Liberating American Army arrived The Nazi's fled and started to shoot discriminately leaving countless dead human bodies behind My late father -collapsed nearby the gate His Only friend-- from the same village TARCAL was able to flee the bombing--shooting The American Army entered - -Gunshkirchen and Checked all the dead human bodies for any signs of life--like a twinkle in the eyes before the Dead were transported to the mortuary My father's friend after the bombing stopped returned --to the Main Gate-- and looked for my father. With the human attentiveness of the liberating American Army The friend learned-- that my father was taken to an American Army Hospital My father's --run down human body --a living skeleton-- was fed on Babby Food within the American Army Hospital and nursed back to life After a few weeks in hospital My father was given/presented with some new clothing some money-- his human body weight --36 KG was relatively 'fit' to go back to Hungary/Tarcal My father; still extremely weak commenced his long journey back to Tarcal-Hungary Hoping to find--his wife--nee Aranka Braun and two sons His Parents--and sibling alive. Heartbreakingly; The factual reality was--His wife and two sons his parents and many siblings were Transported to Auschwitz -- via Satoraljaujhely/Kassa--Kosice and Killed--Gassed. My father's friend-I recall his name as Mr Lowy--00972 0361 8679--?? emigrated to Israel and Wrote a book --in IVRIT Mr Jacobson/Jews Gen, One of my friend a Mrs Blumenthal lives in the USA; she may have the book My father never forgot-- remained indebted to the Liberating American Soldier's. As My father personally experienced their Tender loving care.. The way the liberating American Army attended to the countless injured - emotionally traumatised, physically injured Human beings. My father always remembered and spoke about the Liberating American Army with tears in his eyes. My father maintained : without-- The Liberating American Army; their extra-ordinary humanity my father and many other captured /Munkaszolgalatos--would of not survived. Thank you Jewish GEN/Mr Jacobson for keeping their memories alive Wishing you All Countless, Blessed Health Years Ahead Kind regards Veronika Pachtinger London United Kingdom |
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beer_tom@...
Finding specific unit testimonies is difficult, but my notes, below, may assist:
Tom Beer Testimonies
Fodor, Andrew. The Survivor’s Song: Unarmed Soldiers – Budapest to Stalingrad and Back, 2012, ISBN – 13:978 1475199574 Vajda, Tibor Hope Dies Last - a story of survival in fascist Hungary, Scribe Publications, Melbourne, 2000 Varga Ervin, Hidegseg, Belvarosi Konyvkiado, Budapest, 2000 ISBN 9639114278 in English as: Varga, E, Living and Dying in Hungary, Xlibris Corporation, 2012 ISBN 9781479722914 The Raoul Wallenberg Project Interviews. These were on the internet from 1997 to 2002 at http://rwa.bibks.uu.se. Testimonies 514, 528 and 531 dealt with forced labour battalions. Testimony 528 is from a survivor born in 1913 who was sent to Russia. Testimony 514 is from a survivor born in 1922; Testimony 531 is from a survivor born in 1921. These younger forced labourers were not sent to Russia. Testimony 554 is from a survivor born in 1924 who was not sent outside Hungary. His forced labour battalion was involved in the defence of Budapest in 1944. Testimony 512 from a survivor born in 1908 deals with the 1941 call-up to Czechoslovakia and the events in Kamenets-Podolsk. An especially moving and memorable description was given of the young soldier bursting in on a peasant hut and finding an elderly Jewish couple sitting there in their kittels. As he explained – the kittel is the shroud in which you are buried[1]. They were just sitting there expecting to be killed. Testimony 504 is from a lady born in 1925. Her father, who was born in 1896 was drafted in 1938.
[1] Some communities also wear their kittel on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement. |
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Susanna Vendel
About my father's Munkaszolgalat in Budapest. Battalion 102/96My father, Fehér György, left some pages about his life during the WW2. He was born in 1924 in Szalonta (Transsylvania) and during WW2 the region was part of Hungary.
In 1942 he received a recruitment order. He was 18 y and all Jewish man between 18 - 50 had to show up in Baia Mare for "work service". There they were divided in work battalions. My father's battalion got the no 5 and was send to Budapest as Lego század (antiaircraft battalion). Their task was to clean after bombings, to build strategic roads and to unload ammunitions wagons.
Arrived to Budapest the name of the number of the battalion was changed to 102/96 and they were accomodated in a big school on Hungaria körút 170-172. At that time, there were two types of work camps: "Yellow" formed only by Jews, and "White" formed by people of different religions, mixed marriages, converted families, etc. His battalion was "yellow" and among the interns were some young men from very rich families.
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