Hungarian occupation of Yugoslav territories

Hungarian occupation of Yugoslav territories

The Bačka, Baranja, Međimurje and Prekmurje regions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were occupied by Hungary during World War II. These territories had all been under Hungarian rule prior to 1920, and had been transferred to Yugoslavia as part of the post-World War I Treaty of Trianon. The occupation began on 11 April 1941 when 80,000 Hungarian troops crossed the Yugoslav border in support of the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia. In January 1942 the Hungarian military conducted raids during which they killed over 3,300 people, mostly Serbs and Jews. The territories remained occupied until the last weeks of the war, and they were formally annexed to Hungary in December 1941.

About Hungarian occupation of Yugoslav territories in brief

Summary Hungarian occupation of Yugoslav territoriesThe Bačka, Baranja, Međimurje and Prekmurje regions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia were occupied by Hungary during World War II. These territories had all been under Hungarian rule prior to 1920, and had been transferred to Yugoslavia as part of the post-World War I Treaty of Trianon. The occupation began on 11 April 1941 when 80,000 Hungarian troops crossed the Yugoslav border in support of the German-led Axis invasion of Yugoslavia that had commenced five days earlier. The Hungarian forces were indirectly aided by the local Volksdeutsche, the German minority, which had formed a militia and disarmed around 90,000 Yugoslav troops. In January 1942 the Hungarian military conducted raids during which they killed over 3,300 people, mostly Serbs and Jews. In March 1944, when Hungary realised that it was on the losing side in the war and began to negotiate with the Allies, Germany took control of the country, including the annexed territories, during Operation Margarethe I. This was followed by the collection and transport of the remaining Jews in the occupied territories to extermination camps, resulting in the deaths of 85 per cent of the Jews in those territories. The occupied territories were restored to Yugoslav control when the Germans were pushed out of the region by the Red Army in late 1944. They now form part of several states:  Yugoslav Baçka is now part of Vojvodina, an autonomous province of Serbia, Yugoslav Baranjas are part of modern-day Croatia, and Yugoslav Pre kmurje is part ofmodern-day Slovenia.

The territories remained occupied until the last weeks of the war, and they were formally annexed to Hungary in December 1941. In August 1941 a civilian administration took over the government of the ‘Recovered Southern Territories’ and the area was formally annexed by Hungary inDecember 1941. The area remained under Hungarian control until it was taken over by the Axis puppet state of Croatia in August 1944. Between 1918 and 1924, 44,903 Hungarians and Volksde Deutsche remained in the KSCSS areas incorporated into Hungary. About 10,000 Serbs, mainly military settlers, were transferred to the territories by the Hungarian government for the interwar period. About two thirds of the Prekmuurje region from the Yugoslav government were transferred from Hungary to Yugoslavia, and approximately 10,909 Hungarians transferred to Hungary for inter war period. The region was divided between Hungary, the K SCS, and the Slovenes, among other things, including dividing the previously Hungarian-ruled regions of Banat, Bačka and Baranja between Hungary and Slovenia. It was also divided between Romania, KSCS,  and the Meāmurja region between Romania and Hungary, and about two thirds of the Meĉarja region from Romania, and the MeĚmurje  region from Hung SSCS.