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The Don disaster, which claimed the lives of around 100,000 Hungarian soldiers, happened 82 years ago.
On January 10, 2025, a commemoration was held in the Debrecen Military Cemetery for one of the bloodiest battles of World War II. In his speech, Deputy Mayor István Puskás emphasized that many from Debrecen also fell in the battle of the Don, making it particularly important to remember them.
In the Don battle 82 years ago, 207,000 Hungarian soldiers fought against the Soviet Red Army. The Second Hungarian Army of the Royal Hungarian Army suffered a catastrophic defeat, the exact circumstances of which remain unclear today. The number of Hungarian soldiers killed, missing, or wounded in the battle is estimated at around one hundred thousand.
“This place, the Debrecen Military Cemetery, is also the resting place of those wounded in the battles. They were later transported to Debrecen by hospital trains. Their treatment was unsuccessful, so they were laid to rest in this cemetery,” Sándor Csákvári, research leader of the “Forgotten Memory” War Memorial Research Group, recalled.
At the commemoration held in the Pantheon of the Military Cemetery, Deputy Mayor István Puskás called the Don breakthrough one of the greatest tragedies in Hungarian military history. He reminded attendees that many from Debrecen also perished in the battle, making it especially important to remember the Hungarian victims of the Don every year. “On this day, family and national memory intertwine, and it is our responsibility to pass on the lessons and remembrance of these days to future generations,” he stated.
At the end of the commemoration, wreaths were laid in the Pantheon of the Military Cemetery by city representatives, the county, the military, disaster management, and civil organizations.
Source and photo credit: debrecen.hu
