József Vitéz Heszlényi (''Heyszl''; 24 July 1890, Igló,

Szepes (county) Szepes ( sk, Spiš; la, Scepusium, pl, Spisz, german: link=no, Zips) was an administrative county of the Kingdom of Hungary, called Scepusium before the late 19th century. Its territory today lies in northeastern Slovakia, with a very small are ...

– 2 June 1945) was a Hungarian

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

and commander of the 3rd Hungarian Army. He graduated from the

Imperial and Royal Technical Military Academy The Imperial and Royal Technical Military Academy (German: ''k.u.k. Technische Militärakademie'') was a military training facility founded in 1717 for certain officer groups of the Habsburg monarchy. The location of the academy changed several ...

in 1911. On May 8, 1945 Heszlényi, along with his son József Heszlényi Jr., who served on the staff of his father, were captured by American troops. Heszlényi was then handed over to the Soviets, where he committed suicide by cutting his wrists with a razor blade on June 2, 1945 in

Zwettl __NOTOC__ Zwettl (; Central Bavarian: ''Zwedl''; Czech: ''Světlá'') is a town and district capital of the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It is chiefly known as the location of Zwettl Abbey, first mentioned in October 1139. History The n ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. On June 19, 1945 a military tribunal posthumously demoted and dishonorably discharged Heszlényi from the Hungarian Army.

Military career

* Commanding Officer 23rd Infantry Brigade, November 1938 - 1 March 1940 * Commanding Officer 2nd Motorized Brigade, 1 March 1940 - 1 November 1940 * Deputy Chief of Supply Bureau, Ministry of Defense, 1 November 1940 - 1 May 1941 * Chief of Supply Bureau, Ministry of Defense (HM/III), 1 May 1941 - 1 May 1942 * Chief of Main Supply Bureau, Ministry of Defense, 1 May 1942 - December 1942 * G.O.C. IV. Army Corps, December 1942 - September 1944 * Acting Commander-in-Chief, 3rd Army

Awards

Iron Cross The Iron Cross (german: link=no, Eisernes Kreuz, , abbreviated EK) was a military decoration in the Kingdom of Prussia, and later in the German Empire (1871–1918) and Nazi Germany (1933–1945). King Frederick William III of Prussia est ...

(1939) 2nd and 1st Class *

Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross The Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross (german: Ritterkreuz des Eisernen Kreuzes), or simply the Knight's Cross (), and its variants, were the highest awards in the military and paramilitary forces of Nazi Germany during World War II. The Knight' ...

(28 October 1944) *

Order of Vitéz The Order of Vitéz ( hu, Vitézi Rend; frequently spelled in English as 'Vitez') is a Hungarian order of merit which was founded in 1920. It was awarded as a state honour from 1920 to 1944, and continues as a semi-independent order of chivalry ...

References

* * 1890 births 1945 suicides People from Spišská Nová Ves Hungarian military personnel of World War II Hungarian people who died in prison custody Suicides in the Soviet Union Recipients of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross People who committed suicide in prison custody Prisoners who died in Soviet detention Suicides by sharp instrument in Austria {{Hungary-mil-bio-stub