Vitéz Kornél Oszlányi (25 September 1893 – 16 November 1960) was a Hungarian military officer who served as division commander during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

Military career

Kornél Oszlányi was born 25 September 1893, in Kaposvár,

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

. He graduated from the Kassaer Infantry Cadet School in 1911. During

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

he was a company commander of the 52nd Infantry Regiment. In the battle of Nowica, Eastern Galicia in July 1917, he was decorated with the Gold Bravery Medal for extraordinary heroism. In 1927 he became a member of the Ministry of Defence. Between 1933 and 1936 he was the Head of

Order of Vitéz The Order of Vitéz (; frequently spelled in English as 'Vitez') is a Hungary, 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 under Cap ...

's National Defence Department. In March 1939 as commanding officer of the 15th Bicycle Battalion with the rank of lieutenant colonel, he took part in the recapture of

Kárpátalja Transcarpathia (, ) is a historical region on the border between Central and Eastern Europe, mostly located in western Ukraine's Zakarpattia Oblast. From the Hungarian conquest of the Carpathian Basin (at the end of the 9th century) to the en ...

. Between 1941 and 1942 he was the commander of the 2nd "József nádor" Infantry Regiment with the rank of

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. From November 1942 he fought as the commanding officer of III Corps, 9th Infantry Division from Nagykanizsa at the river Don. During the retreat he led his division with extraordinary heroism, but in he had to be cruel with his men to maintain discipline. At the river Don, his division held back the soviet troops for 12 days, and after that, he covered the retreat of the German forces. He suffered serious wounds in the battle, ending his command of 9th Infantry Division. During

he was the only person who received in 1944, the Knight's Cross of the

Military Order of Maria Theresa The Military Order of Maria Theresa (; ; ; ; ; ) was the highest military honour of the Habsburg monarchy, Austrian Empire and Austro-Hungarian Empire. History Founded on 18 June 1757, the day of the Battle of Kolín, by the Empress Mari ...

. During the invasion of the soviet forces into the Carpathian Basin in 1944, he led the 10th Infantry Division at Kaposvár. After release from American captivity first he lived in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, and from 1951 in the United States of America. He was posthumously promoted to

lieutenant general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...

in 1993.

Awards and decorations

Footnotes

References

Életrajza

* Földi Pál: ''A Magyar Királyi Honvédség a második világháborúban'', Anno Kiadó, 2000, * Földi Pál: ''Horthy tábornokai,'' Anno Kiadó, 2007, Debrecen, * Nemeskürty István: ''Requiem egy hadseregért,'' Magvető Könyvkiadó, 1972. {{DEFAULTSORT:Oszlanyi Kornel 1893 births 1960 deaths People from Kaposvár Hungarian soldiers Austro-Hungarian military personnel of World War I Austro-Hungarian Army officers Knights Cross of the Military Order of Maria Theresa