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

[Entente] generals’ mission demanded the withdrawal of the Hungarian liaison
officers from zone ‘A’, which I have already ordered yesterday. I will send
Lt.Col. Ferenczy to Felsőőr tomorrow and, as per Your Excellency’s orders,
will request Prónay to immediately depart from the Anschluss territory [the
portion intended to be annexed to Austria-J.B.].” Moreover, Ferenczy will also
hand to the high command of the rebels, in the form of a ‘Warning,’ the
government’s similar decision and that it be publicized immediately not only in
Felsőőr but other places under the control of the rebels. The general closed his
report that he will once more suggest to the Entente generals tomorrow to
permit again the dispatch of Hungarian liaison officers to the Entente submissions
in the field. 404 The settlement of the local situation and the promising
Hungarian-Austrian negotiations in Vienna were both disrupted by unexpected
events.
We have not as yet pointed out that the activities of the rebels only spread
over the central and southern portions of the to-be-annexed Western Hungary.
North of this, in Sopron County, was under the control of Maj. Ostenburg’s
battalion. As a result, the area West of Lake Fertő and Moson County was free
of clashes. This territory was controlled by the battalion and Hungarian army
units charged with border duties. They had strict orders to halt and expel any
potential rebels behind the designated Trianon border. Iván Héjjas and his
forces had no intention of attacking these units as “they are Hungarians, too.”
The line from the town of Ruszt on the western shore of Lake Fertő to
Wiener Neustadt was controlled by Austrian troops and this sector of the front
was especially reinforced. Iván Héjjas resorted to a military stratagem and with
50 rebels (plus two machine guns and two grenade launchers) went around the
northern end of the lake, through the village of Magyaróvár [later amalgamated
with Moson and now called Mosonmagyaróvár-ed.] and appeared unexpectedly
in the village of Zurány (Zurndorf). The attacked at night from here and,
without opposition, captured and disarmed the Austrian patrol in the nearby
important railway junction of Pándorfalu (Parndorf). They moved into the
nearby Harrach Castle, just across the border in Lower Austria, where they set
up their headquarters. On his orders, the rebels stopped everyone, even
escorting a traveling group of Entente officers from Sopron to their commander
for identification. Héjjas signed their passports and they were free to leave with
their car. The previous day, too, his men escorted a British and two French
officers, and their car, to the castle. The rebel commander treated them in
similar manner.
The rebels treated the Italian members of the Entente Mission differently,
not checking their papers, because they had expressed sympathy towards
Hungary, and even the Hungarian free-troops. They respected their bravery for
standing up to the territory expropriating intruders. In secret, the Italian officers
gave, or sent, medical supplies to tend to wounded rebels. Jenő Héjjas could
404 MOL. K 26. 1388. cs., 1922–„H” tét., pp. 558, 547.
153