PLEASE NOTE: This book contains graphic description ... - HUNSOR

everyone to the front! The Party used the same slogan to recruit people of Hungarian nationalityinto the Yugoslavian Liberating Army. For this purpose the party organization of Bacstopolyasent two deputies to Novi Sad to see General Kosta Nadj, Commander in Chief of theYugoslavian Liberating Army and of the staff of the Vojvodinan partisan troops. The deputiesasked General Nadj to give permission to create the Hungarian Brigade in Vojvodina. Theysuggested that, after the example of the Slavonian Hungarian Battalion, they name it after SandorPetofi.The creation of the Hungarian Brigade was instituted by an order of the High Commandon November 23, 1944."It is not known whether the two party members from Topolya gave an account of the fact,that the partisans in their territory had already tortured and executed 360 Hungarians. They didsay that in 1941 some seventy Serbians from Topolya lost their lives in the shootings.Even if they admitted that it was a vendetta five times over; as a threat, they suggested tothe Hungarians that they become partisans, just to give them their chance to remain alive.In the light of these facts, can we judge the following?"The voluntary recruiting activities of the party activists in Bacstopolya spread fast in allof Bacska. Hundreds of people volunteered from Topolya, Moravica, Csantaver, Ada, Mohol,Feketics, Zenta, Kishegyes, Bajsa, Pacser, Bajmok and some other places too. Nothing provesthe "enthusiasm" better than the fact that in a few days nine hundred people volunteered.In some cases the father volunteered with his son or daughter. From certain families two or threebrothers took up arms. As an example as many as six male members from the Ovari family puttheir names on the list of volunteers."We can have no reason to doubt their enthusiasm, but we are pretty well aware of thehorrible circumstances. These unfortunate men understood well that they could choose ofbetween the brigade and death.In Topolya a small monument marks the spot, the brigade started for Zombor, but themass grave in the swamp of the old pond, above which a tennis court has been built, remainsunmarked.The Hungarian "volunteers" of Bacska and the Slavonian Hungarian partisans met onDecember 20 in Felsoszentmarton. They first lined up for parade on December 31, 1944 assoldiers of the newly formed 15th.134Vojvodinan brigade named after Sandor Petofi. There were 1,200 of them some not yet equippedwith guns. There were some who got disillusioned on the way and deserted. Perhaps they wereafraid not only for their own lives but for their families' lives too. These people did not throw afavorable light on the brigade. When they got home they complained about the way they hadbeen treated and about the future of the brigade.In reaction to the alarming news spread by the escapees, the "Free Vojdovina" of NoviSad printed the following on January 18th, 1944:"Several hundred Hungarian males and females from Topolya entered the Petofi Brigadevoluntarily to take up arms against Fascism. These Hungarian troops are fighting somewhere inTransdanubia. Some irresponsible people are spreading news that the brigade was for the mostpart dissolved. The United People's Front of Topolya sent out Dezso Sinkovics to meet those