Red Hungarians were Hungarians who became prisoners in Russia following World War I. After the Russian Civil War broke out, they joined the Bolsheviks. The Hungarians made up on average around 70% of the International Army; this percentage was higher in eastern cities. Before they were enlisted many, Hungarian prisoners worked in Russian factories, around 20-25% of the industrial workforce consisted of Hungarians. They were not forcefully enlisted. They joined willingly because they were mostly from peasant background, and were treated better by the Bolsheviks than the Tsarists. The Tsarists oppressed the Hungarian and German prisoners, instead appealing to the Slavic prisoners. When the Bolsheviks took control of Saint Petersburg, they gave the prisoners (the majority of whom were Hungarian) many rights, such as the ability to walk the city streets without supervision and the chance to serve in the Bolshevik Army.
They were known for being extremely cruel in their attacks, executing those they captured and ruthlessly suppressing uprisings; Czechoslovak military commander Radola Gajda noted that Russian Red Guardsmen were feeble opponents and when pressed hard would make a run for it, but the Magyars always held their ground.
The Red Hungarian hussars, led by Lajos Wienermann, were known as the only cavalry unit that could defeat the White Cossacks. A notable Hungarian Red Guard was stationed in the House of Ipatiev, where Tsar Nicholas II was executed, with one of the shooters being confirmed a Red Hungarian (András Verhás).
Clashes with the Czechoslovak legions A main reason Red Hungarians were so popular among the Soviet Army was because of their effectiveness and their willingness to fight the Czechoslovak Legion that had been constantly attacking Russian railways. Most Soviet soldiers were not willing to fight the Czechoslovaks except for the Hungarians, who saw them as traitors for joining the White Army. The Red Hungarians reconquered a large number of railways, which led to the Bolsheviks reconquering the Trans-Siberian Railway and also defeating the Czechoslovak Legion. 1
Important roles within the civil war
Alongside fighting the Czechoslovak Legion, Red Hungarians were important in the defense of the Mongolian borders and defending and attacking the Volga, Urals, Siberia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and Turkestan. For instance: Ishim's red guard was composed completely of red Hungarians; Turkestan's front was composed mostly of Internationalist soldiers from Tashkent, around 7500, majority were Magyar.
Important cities Red Hungarians guarded, captured
Omsk Tomsk Tyumen Krasnoyarsk Vladivostok Tashkent Petrograd Riga Irkutsk Chita Khabarovsk Ishim Serpukhov Poltava Ekaterinoslav Kostroma Tver Shkotovo Sretensk Samarkand Orenburg Ivanovo-Voznesensk Kazan Yaroslavl Kursk Samara Lyubim Oryol Simbirsk Tambov Penza Voronezh Nizhny Tagil Orenburg Perm
References