László Deák (1 July 1891 – 5 November 1946) was a Hungarian army officer who served in

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 ...

and

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 ...

. He was accused and convicted of war crimes due to his involvement in the massacre of

Serbian Serbian may refer to: * Pertaining to Serbia in Southeast Europe; in particular **Serbs, a South Slavic ethnic group native to the Balkans ** Serbian language ** Serbian culture **Demographics of Serbia, includes other ethnic groups within the co ...

and

Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...

ish civilians during the

Axis An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics *A specific line (often a directed line) that plays an important role in some contexts. In particular: ** Coordinate axis of a coordinate system *** ''x''-axis, ''y''-axis, ''z''-axis, common names ...

armies'

invasion of Yugoslavia The invasion of Yugoslavia, also known as the April War or Operation 25, was a Nazi Germany, German-led attack on the Kingdom of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers which began on 6 April 1941 during World War II. The order for the invasion was put fo ...

. He was sentenced to death by hanging and was executed in 1946.

Military record

In the years 1906–1909 Deák was a student at the School of Infantry in

Sopron Sopron (; , ) is a city in Hungary on the Austrian border, near Lake Neusiedl/Lake Fertő. History Ancient times-13th century In the Iron Age a hilltop settlement with a burial ground existed in the neighbourhood of Sopron-Várhely. When ...

. In 1912 he graduated from the Royal Military Academy "Ludovika" as a Lieutenant, accepting a post to the

Royal Hungarian Honvéd The Royal Hungarian () or Royal Hungarian (), commonly known as the (; Mass noun, collectively, the ), was one of the four Austro-Hungarian Army, armed forces ( or ) of Austria-Hungary from 1867 to 1918, along with the Imperial-Royal Landw ...

's 19 Infantry Regiment, stationed in Peczu. He took part in the

First World War 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 ...

, and after the war he joined the Hungarian Army. He rose to 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 ...

. As a Honvéd Colonel who had participated in the 1942 raid in southern Bačka or "''Razzia''" in January 1942 in the

Bačka Bačka ( sr-Cyrl, Бачка, ) or Bácska (), is a geographical and historical area within the Pannonian Plain bordered by the river Danube to the west and south, and by the river Tisza to the east. It is divided between Serbia and Hungary. ...

region. In August 1942, he was pensioned and retired from the army due to his role in the massacres of Serbian and Jewish civilians during the 1942 raid in

Vojvodina Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...

in present-day Serbia. In August 1943, he was formally accused of committing war crimes during the ''Razzia''. On 2 February 1944, he was assigned to the Bánát where he joined the

Waffen-SS The (; ) was the military branch, combat branch of the Nazi Party's paramilitary ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS) organisation. Its formations included men from Nazi Germany, along with Waffen-SS foreign volunteers and conscripts, volunteers and conscr ...

. He was made a ''Waffen-Oberführer der SS'' and commanded the SS ''

Kampfgruppe In military history, the German term (pl. ; abbrev. KG, or KGr in usage during World War II, literally "fighting group" or " battlegroup") can refer to a combat formation of any kind, but most usually to that employed by the of Nazi Germa ...

'' Deak in Vojvodina. In November, 1944, he was attached to the 25th Waffen Grenadier Division der SS "Hunyadi" and was appointed commander of the 61 Waffen Grenadier Regiment der SS. The Deák SS Battlegroup consisted of approximately 1,000 men in three infantry companies, a heavy weapons platoon, and a signals platoon. It was engaged in defensive military operations in Bachka and the Bánát. It fought against advancing

Red Army The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army, often shortened to the Red Army, was the army and air force of the Russian Soviet Republic and, from 1922, the Soviet Union. The army was established in January 1918 by a decree of the Council of People ...

troops at

Novi Sad Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...

Conviction and execution

After World War II, Deák was extradited to

Yugoslavia , common_name = Yugoslavia , life_span = 1918–19921941–1945: World War II in Yugoslavia#Axis invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia, Axis occupation , p1 = Kingdom of SerbiaSerbia , flag_p ...

to face

war crimes A war crime is a violation of the laws of war that gives rise to individual criminal responsibility for actions by combatants in action, such as intentionally killing civilians or intentionally killing prisoners of war, torture, taking hos ...

charges. In supporting a

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

-occupied Hungary, he was accused of committing war crimes against Serbian civilians in Vojvodina. Deák was sentenced to death by hanging by the Vojvodina Supreme Court on 31 October 1946 for the mass murder of civilians in Novi Sad in January 1942, during a series of massacres in southern Bačka. He was executed on 4 or 5 November 1946 in Vojvodina, along with Field Marshal

Ferenc Szombathelyi Ferenc Szombathelyi (17 May 1887 – 4 November 1946), born Ferenc Knausz or Ferenc Knauz, was a Hungarian military officer who served, from September 1941 to April 1944, as Head of the General Staff of the Royal Hungarian Army during World ...

and József Grassy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deak, Laszlo 1891 births 1946 deaths Executed mass murderers Genocide of Serbs in the Independent State of Croatia perpetrators Holocaust perpetrators in Yugoslavia Hungarian mass murderers Hungarian Nazis executed for war crimes Hungarian people executed abroad Hungarian soldiers Hungarian Waffen-SS personnel Nazis executed by Yugoslavia by hanging People from Eger