The Fate of Western Hungary 1918-1921 - Corvinus Library ...

ministerial adviser.’ The battle at Kirchschlag again brought the subject of
Sigray to the forefront, in the memorandum written by the Entente generals and
handed to the Hungarian government, in connection with the clash. Bethlen
communicated this to Sigray during their conversation at 21:00 on September 6.
In fact, he instructed the count to: compile from the journals of his
commissariat the warnings and memoranda of the Entente generals and his
actions in response. The need for this is that, in his response note, the
government wishes to reference them. Bethlen also commented to Sigray:
French Gen. Jules Hamelin complained to him in Budapest that he is not
satisfied with the activities of the chief government commissioner. As well, the
current Entente note is making hints at the activities of István Friedrich, too.
Finally, the PM instructed Sigray to: inform the Entente generals in Sopron that
Hungarian officers will go to the rebels, who will try to convince them not to
make incursions into Austrian territory and return to Hungarian parts.
Otherwise, if they delay the latter, they will face courts martial.” 358
During their conversation the following morning, September 7, Bethlen
communicated to Sigray that: today the Szombathely district military
commander informed the Minister of Defense that 70 Hungarian gendarmes
also took part in the Kirchschlag action. That they withdrew when informed
that Austrian gendarmes were in their rear. At that point, they met with some
Entente officers who allowed them to proceed on condition that they give their
word to disarm when they reached the Hungarian gendarme cordon and return
home. On reaching their base, the gendarmes laughed at the Entente officers
and exchanged their civilian clothes for gendarme uniforms. The prime minister
stated: “I have instructed the district military command, through the Defense
Ministry, that insofar if this is true, the 70 men are to be immediately
discharged and brought up in front of a court martial. The officer, too, who
made this possible, is to be held responsible. (…) The government will have to
take the most serious retaliation.” He then instructed Sigray to carry out
immediate appraisal of the event and to make a report. The chief government
commissioner reported by the same evening: he reviewed the events at
Gyanafalva and concluded that “the information received by the prime minister
is not in agreement with the reality.” According to “vague rumors,” the events
took place on August 28, or perhaps 29, but “the Entente Mission has not
commented in writing, or verbally, yet had ample time to do so since the 28 th .”
Another event also happened on the 7 th , of which Sigray informed the PM in
his above mentioned report, that the Henrik Marschall-led rebel unit attacked
the 35-strong Austrian gendarme outpost at night in the village of Zárány
(Zagersdorf), halfway between Sopron and Kismarton. According to the
Austrian report to the Entente generals in Sopron, three gendarmes were killed.
The rest were forced by the rebels to strip to their underwear and released on
the following condition: they march to Wiener Neustadt and never again
venture across the Lajta River into Hungarian territory. The parish priest of
358 Ibid, p. 385.
136