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

Chapter 3: The occupation of the Vend (Slovenian) region
of Vas County by Serbs – the Mura Republic
December 1918 – August 1919
We have already noted that the Serb army has completely occupied all the
villages up to the line of demarcation, from the Trans-Danubian sector along
the Barcs and Maros Rivers to Arad by November 21, 1918. Now, it was just a
matter of time when the occupation of the southern end of Zala and Vas
Counties would begin by the crossing of the Drava River. The district center of
Muraköz, bounded by the Drava and Mura Rivers, Csáktornya, 140 was taken on
December 24, 1918 by a Croatian unit of only 200, bolstered by some Serb
elements. With this action, the Serb government and military command
aggressively broke the terms of the November 13 Belgrade Convention when
its forces crossed the demarcation line, the Drava River, and illegally pushed
into the Muraköz. Here “they took over public administration, all the posts and
offices, courts and schools were taken over with all their equipment. Civil
servants, judges, teachers were let go and expelled [from the region], their
places filled by their own men. (…) …people complaining about the arbitrary
actions (i.e., individuals—J.B.) were jailed, beaten. The people of Muraköz also
raised objections against this aggression because the Serbs and Croats had no
right to do it.” 141
The occupying Serb and Croat soldiers closed not only the railways leading
into Hungary (the Alsólendva–Lenti–Zalaegerszeg–Vasvár–Szombathely and
Murakeresztúr–Nagykanizsa lines) but also blockaded the main public roads, as
well. Contact with the Hungarian side was completely cut off. Thus, the
Muraköz region was lost to the country. The region was completely dependent
on Hungary: countless farmers had fields, vineyards on the far side of the Mura
River and sold their produce there, too.
On hearing the news of the hostile occupation of Muraköz, the Hungarian
border defense forces that entered the other district seat, Alsólendva, 20 kms.
North of Csáktornya, in the middle of December, received the inexplicable
order from Nagykanizsa – from the Communist Commissar of Somogy County,
Jenő Hamburger (1883-1936) – to immediately withdraw from the village. The
order was carried out and the village remained without protection. The Serb
units immediately exploited this and, on the following day, entered the mainly
Hungarian-populated Alsólendva with a meager force of about 20 soldiers on
December 25 (according to some sources December 26). 142
140 According to the 1910 census, the population of Csáktornya was 5,213 of which
2,433 were Hungarian (46.7%), 2,404 Croatian (45.5%), and 251 Germans. In:
Magyarország Közigazgatási Atlasza 1914, p. 100.
141 A magyar béketárgyalások. Vol. II, 1921, p. 63.
142 Göncz, László: A muravidéki magyarság 1918–1941 [The Hungarians of the Mura
region 1918-1941]. Lendva, 2001, pp. 36–37.
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