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

The second battle of Ágfalva – as noted, the first battle of August 28 was the
beginning of the insurrection – brought a significant change in the direction of
the Western Hungary question. Its outcome was that the Entente generals in
Sopron did not accede to Chancellor Schober’s request, namely, either the
dispatch of Entente forces or permission for the Austrian army to enter Western
Hungary. The Inter-Allied Military Mission saw that permission for the entry of
Austrian troops could have unforeseen consequences, such as the possibility of
an Austrian-Hungarian war, leading to a foreign political crisis. Subsequently,
the Chancellor informed the Hungarian ambassador, Szilárd Masirevich, that
Austria had no intention of getting into an armed conflict with Hungary but
would rather have a peaceful resolution. In these circumstances, Schober
instructed Robert Davy not to expose the Austrian units to any danger and have
them withdrawn. The provincial government should set up in Nagymarton,
where control over the mail and telegram services should be secured. 370 The
gendarmerie continued their total withdrawal, started the day before on the 8 th ,
to the line of the millennial Hungarian-Austrian border. By the evening hours,
several strategic settlements of western Sopron County were evacuated,
including the villages of Kabold, Lakompak, Zárány, Zemenye and Cinfalva,
along with the district center of Nagymarton 371 and border services were
resumed in the traditional border zone.
Confirmation of the completion of the withdrawal came from a wiretapped
telephone conversation on September 10 at 13:20 between the Austrian
delegate to the Sopron Entente Mission, Hueber, and the gendarmerie Chief
Inspector in Wiener Neustadt, Siskovics.
Hueber: What are you doing, then?
Siskovics: Guarding the old border.
Hueber: How did you get there?
Siskovics: We pulled back.
Hueber: According to orders?
Siskovics: Yes.
At 21:50, the head of the local Italian mission reported from the Nezsider
district seat to Col. Ivaldi in Sopron: “The Austrian gendarmes have left
Kismarton and its entire surroundings.” Ivaldi: “Maintain public safety as well
as you can. It is the same all over the area because the Austrians have left their
positions everywhere.” The following day, the 11 th , the [Hungarian] gendarme
headquarters reported: “Workers coming across the border post are saying that
in Vienna and Wr. Neustadt the wall posters released by the Austrian
government made public Western Hungary’s remaining with Hungary and the
withdrawal of the Austrian gendarmes yesterday.” 372 This meant that, on the
370 Soós, 1971, op. cit., p. 148.
371 MOL. K 26. 1388. csomó. 1922–„H” tétel, p. 427.
372 Ibid, pp. 269–270, 272.
141