Zoltán Decleva (30 July 188717 July 1950)
was a
Hungarian colonel-general, commander of the
Third Army and privy councilor of
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 was posthumously awarded the
Order of Vitéz.
He commanded the
Hungarian I Corps during the
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 ...
. In 1941, he was deputy chief of General Staff (May–October) and deputy commander in chief of the Army (November). Between 1 November 1941 and 3 December 1942, he commanded the 3rd Army, which
occupied a part of Yugoslavia.
He retired on 1 February 1943.
Biography
Zoltán was born on 30 July 1887 in Alsószemeréd (now
Dolné Semerovce) in province of
Lower Austria
Lower Austria ( , , abbreviated LA or NÖ) is one of the nine states of Austria, located in the northeastern corner of the country. Major cities are Amstetten, Lower Austria, Amstetten, Krems an der Donau, Wiener Neustadt and Sankt Pölten, which ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
(now
Slovakia
Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...
).
After graduating from the Military Academy in
Pécs
Pécs ( , ; ; Slovak language, Slovak: ''Päťkostolie''; also known by #Name, alternative names) is List of cities and towns of Hungary#Largest cities in Hungary, the fifth largest city in Hungary, on the slopes of the Mecsek mountains in the c ...
, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1906 at the 19th Military Academy of Pécs, serving in an infantry regiment. He served a total of 42 months on the front lines during 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 ...
.
He completed his studies at the Military Academy in Budapest (''Hadiakadémia'') in 1923. From 15 November 1927 until 1 May 1931, he served as aide-de-camp to the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (''Honvédség'').
Subsequently, until 1 August 1933, he held the position of Chief of Staff of the 1st Mixed Brigade.
Thereafter, he assumed leadership of the Training Department within the Ministry of Defence. As of 1 November 1936, he was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Hungarian Army (''Honvéd Vezérkar'').
On 1 May 1938, he was promoted to the rank of general.
That same year, following the reorganization of the armed forces, he was designated as Second Deputy Chief of the General Staff, concurrently serving, from 1 October onward, as Secretary-General of the Supreme National Defence Council.
On 1 March 1940, he assumed command of the 1st Army Corps.
He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant general (''altábornagy'') on 1 September 1940.
As commander of the 1st Army Corps, he took part in the "liberation" of
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
(''Erdély'') and the campaign in
Bácska.
Zoltán Decleva died on 17 July 1950 in
Budapest
Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...
.
He was graced posthumously with an
Order of Vitéz in 2004.
Zoltán's son, Ferenc Decleva (1942-2016), became Capitan of Baranya County, colonel of the Hungarian National Guard and a member of Knights of Saint George.
Elhunyt vitéz Decleva Ferenc székkapitány 2016.07.21. (in Hungary).
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Promotions
* 1 May 1938: Major-GeneralLieutenant-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 normall ...
Service
* 1927-1931: Aide-de-Camp to the Commander in Chief of the Army
References
External links
Magyar Életrajzi Lexikon
II. világháború - tények, képek, adatok
Zoltán Decleva (1887-1950)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Decleva, Zoltan
1887 births
1950 deaths
Hungarian soldiers
Hungarian military personnel of World War II